NBA/ABA Decades League Playoffs: Round 1 DUE SATURDAY

[roc]

I was asked to judge and said I would if write ups weren't required. Both AITN and BI said that would be fine.

I would have been just as fine with not voting so if you want to scratch mine off go for it.

[BlackIce]

I was asked to judge and said I would if write ups weren't required. Both AITN and BI said that would be fine.

I would have been just as fine with not voting so if you want to scratch mine off go for it.

True, this is on me not rOc.

[Warspite]

I think its time to go to plan B before this thing unravels. Plan B is for GMs to vote in opposite brackets. I would much rather lose by a 5-3 vote than win by having a a judge with 1 vote who I know is a Pistons fan and I have 2 of the most beloved Pistons in the franchises history. Im not calling Rocdogg out or anything but with no explaination hes not covering his own a$$ and so jeopardises his own cred.

[ronnymac2]

I can get a few done tonight (like...in an hour or so) and can have them all done by Friday.

[ronnymac2]

All In The Name vs. Baller 24.....

Well.....on paper, this looks like a fantastic matchup. Shaq vs. Russell, Clyde vs. Flash, Squid defending arguably the most explosive small foward of the 90's, the physical Worm vs. the warrior Reed. Unfortunately, the matchup stays on paper, as Baller didn't put a writeup up. If he were to do so before all the 1st round judging is done and nobody else had a problem with it, I'd be happy to read his writeup, as he's one of the best at doing so (and personally, I'd like to see this matchup come to life as much as possible).

This one goes to AITN. I'll give you some feedback right now, because I have been in the same situation as you where I basically had a first-round bye when my opponent didn't submit a writeup, and it annoyed the hell out of me when I didn't get feedback from the judges, but others did. I felt I was at a disadvantage. Any sort of critique can help.

Good job using the free throw argument. You can control pace that way (one of the best things about O'neal). I also like how you said that because of this as well as your ability to get layups, that Russell's outlet passing won't be a factor. Also, your spacing argument was believable. You don't have amazing 3-point shooters in for most of the game, but they are sufficient- as long as you highlight what the guys are doing off the ball if they aren't spotting up. You can probably do that a bit better next time.

Don't underestimate the use of putting Frazier on the pg. Pressuring the ball can help in future matchups. But obviously, look at other matchups first. If Frazier needs to guard somebody else, let him guard that guy. Overall, good writeup.

[ronnymac2]

BlackIce vs. Pancakes.....

This is an epic matchup. I really like how both of these teams are constructed- for the most part. Pancakes's team was a bit odd at first because the frontcourt seemed overloaded, but now I see how it works for the most part. BTW, Willie Wise is BY FAR the best pick in this entire draft ito placement/value/awesomeness. I had him in my first ATL backing up Paul Pierce and Rick Barry. He's a really good piece to have.

I've actually been watching some early 60's Baylor recently, and imo, he only had terrible percentages because of the era. Back then, all players took what look like bad shots simply to shoot. Elgin reminds me a lot of Carmelo Anthony. I understand that DJ did decent against the Magic man, but Baylor is an Anthony-esque pure scorer. It's a different style. I don't think DJ can handle that all-out scoring attack. His d isn't conducive to containing that type of offensive player.

Using Baylor in pick-n-rolls with Mcadoo isn't the best way to use Baylor, but it's decent nonetheless. The thing is, you're attacking Kevin Garnett, the best pick-n-roll defender of the modern era. He will find ways to break that play up at times.

The Mcadoo-KG dynamic is interesting. I agree with BI that doubling KG with Moses is a bad idea since KG would find an offensively capable Deke easily. Neither Malone nor Mcadoo could recover. Mcadoo is known for playing very average defense, and I think Ticket will have his way with Bob. On the other side, I understand KG is versatile and all, but Mcadoo has an amazing jump shot, and I'm not sure if KG is going to defend him very well when you're asking him to help out on others like Baylor, D-will, Moses, etc. Mcadoo could very well throw up what Dirk threw up on KG in 2002 as a jump-shooting big. Then again, KG has decent help, so I don't know.

Deke vs. Moses. Deke will be about as effective as average Deke on offense. He'll do a good job on Moses's iso scoring. However, Moses is probably the GOAT off-ball C b/c of his offensive rebounding. I don't think Deke can contain him there. Moses is too phsyical, too aggressive, and too damn good. I suspect he'll actually be able to hold down Deke's rebounding effectiveness a bit, too.

Ellis and Miller function about the same way for their resepctive teams. Both do a great job at their tasks.

Williams/Penny vs. West is HUGE is this matchup. I think Pancakes could have done something differently here. He could have used Penny and Williams in the same line-up. Or he could have went with his starter, Williams, for more minutes. Using Penny and expecting him to be a defensive stopper vs. Jerry West is...eh. I agree that Penny is an underrated defender, but he's better vs. the 96 Jordan/current Kobe type of wings, not the combo-guard type players like West. It's the same story as DJ vs. Baylor....just not the right defense against a certain guy. I think Jerry will go off. Mcadoo and Moses can only do so much to help against him.

Both benches are actually pretty good, especially defensively. Willie Wise will do a decent job on West (I want to say shut down, but I want to give West a fair shake haha). Eaton vs. Rookie Bells is a nice matchup. I disagree with BlackIce...I think Pancakes has enough offense with his bench. Wise and Johnson are nice, Prince spreads the floor/can post a bit, and Penny/D-Will will create. That's fine for limited stretches.

Some things I don't buy at all.....West never struck me as anything special as a man defender. Help defender-all-time elite. Man defender- just good. He won't be suffocating a great player like Deron. HOWEVER....I'm not in love with the ball-handling/passing on Team Pancakes either. Moses and Mcadoo are poor passers here. Elgin and Reggie are just good. Pancakes wanted Elgin posting and Reggie shooting though, not handling the ball. That's why I said before...penny/Williams would have been nice. You could turn the ball over a bit much with some of these matchups.

It comes down to this...BI's team defense is much better equipped to attack some of the weak points of Pancakes's offense, namely their ball-handling and passing. They can't stop Team Pancakes's individuals from producing, but they may not have to if those guys aren't always getting the ball and working together. Offensively BI's team will be able to score on Pancakes. West and KG will have there way, and I suspect Ellis will as well. Manu, AK, and Bells add some offensive punch, and they can take advantage of that with their matchups against the starters. Even though I think Reggie and Williams are amazing in the clutch, West is the best, and imo, KG and DJ aren't bad 2nd options either.

The rebounding advantage of Pancakes will push this to 7 games (though I don't believe Elgin is a 10 rpg player here...more like a Melo-esque 6.5-8), but in the end, BlackIce wins out in a hard-fought matchup. Great job to both of you.

[Gremz]

I'll judge if you can't find anyone by this time tomorrow. I'd do it today, but it's bday celebration times.

[BlackIce]

Ok, Gremz has agreed to be our 3rd judge in place of rOc (who didn't have the time to explain his votes though I was fine with him). Allinthename it is your final call of course but I would think you’d be good with it. To all participants; judging these things is a thankless job as is, judges have to read all these write-ups and then explain their votes, please don’t add to their misery by bitching if they don’t vote for you.

[SamBone]

Mascot said he would also judge but Allinthename only wanted the 3 that we had. Pretty sure he is fine with rocdogg's votes and did not ask him to explain his picks, just to make them

[bastillon]

Ok, Gremz has agreed to be our 3rd judge in place of rOc (who didn't have the time to explain his votes though I was fine with him). Allinthename it is your final call of course but I would think you’d be good with it. To all participants; judging these things is a thankless job as is, judges have to read all these write-ups and then explain their votes, please don’t add to their misery by bitching if they don’t vote for you.

exactly why I don't understand why don't we decide. we'd have much more motivation and fun.

[Gremz]

Oh I don't want to replace RocDogg, I think his votes should stand. I just thought there was need of an extra judge?

[BlackIce]

I thought I would only be needed for 1 round. TBH I don't think it is fair to everyone if I don't do write ups which I am just not that motivated to be dealing with at this time.

IMO it would probably be better for everyone if I wasn't judging since I won't have that much time to spend.

- rOc

[SamBone]

guys give AllintheName a chance to respond. It is his game! Gremz would be a great judge and IMO the mor ethe better, but it is not my game. Give him a chance to respond. He stated hgis plans and nothing has changed from his posts (but it is dragging)

[Snakebites]

Oh I don't want to replace RocDogg, I think his votes should stand. I just thought there was need of an extra judge?

Either way I think we'd be interested in your input.

[Warspite]

I want Gremz even If I dont have any Pacers on my team. I cant see where mores is worse. It doesnt work with pizza, ice cream, blondes or corvettes.

[BlackIce]

Especially sense we are struggling to keep this thing moving along.

[All In The Name]

Ok, sounds like Gremz is also going to judge this round, but r0cd0gg's votes still stand.

[ronnymac2]

Myth vs. Bruh......

These games would be exciting. I feel it's like Spurs vs. Suns from the past decade, except Duncan has dominating help and Robertson (representing Nash) has super-athletes/finishers that make marion and amare look bad.

I think myth's team would win. Because of the high-octane talent on Bruh's team, I honestly think these games would be the highest scoring games in this league. That scoring talent is insane. I mean, Melo might be the best pure overall scorer on the team, and he's coming off the bench.

I don't like how that team has players playing out of position though. I mean, I think Roy could handle pg duties if he had other ball-handlers/elite playmakers with him. But Roy and Robertson are the only guys that really handle the ball and make plays for others. Gervin and Nique are and Wallace are finishers who aren't likely to handle the pressure of Stockton/Robertson/Billy full-court (Myth did say he'd be taking the ball out of Oscar's hands, a good strategy). Karl Malone imo can be an offensive anchor, but how he is really being used besides iso scoring on Duncan (a tough defender) and fast-breaks wasn't really articulated. Gilmore and Duncan is insane interior defense....I didn't really get an explanation as to how those guys would get atacked. They will make things difficult for the super-scorers when the game becomes a half-court game.

A couple of things to Myth.....Melo is better than Rice as a complimentary guy. Rice is a better shooter, but that's it. Melo's better on d, on the glass, finishing plays, and passing. Also, Karl Malone is an elite all-time man defender that would do a good job of holding Duncan ito production. Good job explaining your strategies and player strengths.

The height advantage of Bruh's team will push this to 6 (because when Oscar does have the ball, he's going to destroy Stockton and Parker). Having the bigs defending the paint helps against the giant mismatch that is The Big O. Myth takes it in 6 high-scoring and exciting games.

[ronnymac2]

jcdallas vs. Miller.....

Admiral/Dirk/Drexler is a really cool core, as is Jabbar/Kidd/T-Mac. I think both trios would make fun teams.

I don't think Nate Thurmond is going to be able to stick with Dirk. Nate is a very mobile big, but in the lane altering shots and playing help defense. His 1 vs. 1 defense IS elite all-time, but much better suited to guard Shaq/Wilt/KAJ/Hakeem, not the best jump-shooting 7-footer ever in Dirk Nowitzki. Thurmond can shut down Dirk's post game, but Dirk can take him outside and have his way with him. Dirk is a good passer, too, so Jabbar shouldn't leave D-Rob. Robinson and Nowitzki is actually a very nice big-man duo. The only effective post scoring out of Dallas's team will be Dantley's 13 minutes (and he's a poor passer, so he's only a low-post threat....you can't play inside out with him). Nowitzki's shot also takes Thurmond away from the boards, though Nate is an excellent rebounder and will help his team there.

Pressey and Dandridge are the glue guys. Both are very good players who will do the job for their respective teams.

It wasn't really explained how Mcgrady and Drexler were going to be used ito their interaction with their respective teams. Both are all-time talents. Maybe a slight edge to Tracy. I suspect Jason Kidd will help Mcgrady...finding him curling off screens, hitting him with alley-oops. Cousy finding Drexler on the wing is pretty cool, and Drexler is an additional ball-handler so that Cousy doesn't ALWAYS have to bring the ball up against Kidd's excellent defense.

I'm actually in the middle of watching Cousy's last game ever. After one half, I think he'd translate into today's game as sort of a poor man's Stockton (basically Stockton with pedestrian defense and not quite as good a shot). He'd be a very good player. Kidd and Cousy would put on a dazzling passing display with the finishers on their teams. It'd be fun to watch.

The big matchup is the matchup of the bigs (makes sense, right?). The selection of 92 Robinson is an interesting one. Not quite as experienced as mid-90's Robinson, but maybe a little better on defense. Maybe. Jabbar will win this matchup. Jabbar has the ability to hold this version of Robinson to the point where he won't go off. Jabbar's main weakness was that physical players could keep him off the glass at times. Robinson wasn't exactly your physical, banging rebounder, so Jabbar should be able to rebound well (as will Robinson, obviously). I don't think Robinson can contain Kareem though. Robinson's best attributes on defense were shot-blocking, help d, and causing havoc in the mid-range (unusual for a C). His man d was just very good. Jabbar's back-to-the-basket game will be effective here.

Rebounding and Bench....both teams have that guy off the bench that can make a difference. Miller has English, while Dallas has Dantley (English in for more minutes...English was a pretty decent defender). Majerle spreads the floor and plays d, Buse gets steals and runs the club, Roundfield does his thing. Meanwhile, Haywood and Debusschere at the fowards are a fantastic duo off the bench. Debusschere vs. English is actually a really good matchup. I know most think Pisol Pete is a bad player in an ATL, but as a bench player, I personally think he's great. I would put him at shooting guard though. Putting him at pg, in control of the ball, vs. a ball-hawk in Buse, might not end well. I'll give Miller the edge on the glass. Kidd is better than Cousy, while everything else basically even when you factor in matchups (dirk pulling thurmond away, Jabbar being strong on the glass imo vs. Admiral).

I'm going with Miller in the end. His team is slightly better on the defensive end, has a rebounding edge, has a slight passing edge (I believe these 2 teams are the best passing teams I've read writeups for thus far) and has the best player in Kareem. Great matchup guys.

[dockingsched]

im working on all the matchups right now. sorry i didn't respond to snake's pm reminder.

edit:

working on bracket 1. i know u guys had replacements, so if anyone wants to split the work and jump into bracket 2, that would be a lot easier. its a lot of stuff to go through, lol.