Rose
Bowen
Pippen
Hawkins
Reed
Bench: Rodman, Laimbeer, Horry, Chandler, Hornacek
My team is designed to be like better version of 2011 Bulls (who were top 10 defensive team since 1974!). Of course my team is not only better on defensive end than CHI ‘11 but also on offense – Hawkins and Reed (both MVPs) were great (Connie) or very good (Reed) offensive players.
My opponent have very nice team, but I’m not afraid of his perimeter players. Sure, he have all time great shooters (Mullin and Pierce), but I have all time great perimeter defenders – who’s better to chasing trough the screens than Bowen? Who’s more annoying defender than Rodman? Who’s more versatile perimeter defender than Pippen? My players are generally stronger, quicker, longer and tougher, so I’m feeling good about perimeter.
Big men are different story and Hakeem with Sikma is very interesting combination. While Sikma shouldn’t be much of a problem, I know I will not stop Hakeem. But the question is – can he win “alone” when all of his teammates would be limited by my great defenders?
Also my big men all have range – only to about 15-20 feet like Reed or Hawkins or to three point line like Horry or Laimbeer (Rodman wouldn’t play a lot as a PF in that matchup). So whoever Hakeem will defend, he would take Olajuwon away from the basket, so that way paint would be more open for Rose’s (or Pippen’s) penetration. I know, Frazier was great defender, but it’s impossible to stop so quick player like Rose without help – and here would be no help, because Hakeem would be away from the basket and the rest of MJallday’s team isn’t good help defenders, except Horace and GWallace (and besides you can’t leave open Bowen, Pippen or Hornacek or even some of my big men like Horry or Laimbeer).
Overall I think my team is better on defense and except of Hakeem I matchup extremely well against MJallday’s team, because of my great perimeters defenders. On offense I don’t think Frazier could stop Rose, and even if he would limit him I still have several +20 ppg scores with Connie leading the way and Sikma on defense wouldn’t be able to stop him.
I also feel I should tell something about Connie Hawkins. It’s true he was ABA’s MVP when that league wasn’t too strong, but keep in mind that he improved in playoffs and when he joined NBA two years later and was after knees injury (!) his numbers weren’t much worse - still high volume, very efficient scorer, great passer for his size and ok rebounder; he also was underrated defender. Maybe these quotes from great Terry Pluto book would say more about Connie:
Steve Jones wrote:The Hawk gave our league instant credibility and brought us a lot of attention. For years, everyone had heard how great the guy was, but very, very few people saw him play. Well, the ABA became his first stage. And the thins was that because Pittsburgh had a lot of talent, Connie just cruised during much of the regular season. He was maybe three levels above everyone else, so he could take it easy and still get his 25-30 points and 10-12 rebounds every night. He was good people. He just wanted to play ball and to get along with the other guys. He was doing things with the basketball, with those huge hands of his, that people had never seen before. Just about all the stuff Julius Erving did palming the ball, Connie did first. So that first year, I don’t think The Hawk ever let himself go until playoffs; then he showed that he really knew how to carry the load of a team on his back.
Bob Bass wrote:One night, Pittsburgh coach Vince Cazzetta was sick and he asked Connie to coach the team. I was coaching Denver and I was very interested to see what Connie would do. Well, he took it very seriously, probably too seriously. He concentrated so much on coaching that he hardly played himself (…) W won both games and I told my players: “Let’s be thankful that The Hawk felt more like coaching than playing”.
Charlie Williams wrote:Connie deserved a lot of the credit for making us into a team. Let’s face it, he was a tremendous, overwhelming talent. He could decided he was going to average 50 points a game and been able to do it. But he loved and understood team basketball. He would get on Chico Vaughn and myself not to shoot so much from the outside. But he wouldn’t say, “Get me the ball.” He’d say, “Let’s move the ball around. Let everyone touch it.”
(…)
No matter what Mikan or anyone wanted, Connie knew how the game was supposed to be played and he talked a lot about passing and defense. He was true student of the game. He’d say to me, “Hey Charlie, watch me close tonight. See if you can find something to make me better.” When a guy of Connie’s ability says that to you, it makes you look at your game in the mirror, too. He really was a leader, and by the end of the year, guys got the message.
(…)
In the finals, we had to play New Orleans. Those guys were hood – with Doug Moe, Larry Brown and Jimmy Jones – and they got up 3-2 on us, with the chance to win the title in Game 6 in New Orleans. (…) Connie took over the game. He just wouldn’t let us lose (…) Connie had 41 points, and we won 118-112. He did it against Doug Moe, who was the best defensive forward in the league.
(In game 7 Hawkins had 20 points, 16 rebounds and 9 assists)
Mel Daniels wrote:Connie Hawkins was our first true star, in the sense that he was a great player whose style attracted a lot of attention, yet he also played an all-around game. The guy who didn’t know basketball that well could look at Connie for 15 minutes and know that Connie was great. Then a guy who was a basketball person could watch Connie and see the subtle things – his passing, how he blocked shots and rebounded and knew how to help out his teammates on defense. I am convinced that the Connie Hawkins led Pittsburgh to that first title could play in the NBA and be on the same level as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are today. The Connie Hawkins that eventually got into the NBA was nearly 30, he had a couple of knee problems – it wasn’t the same guy.
