Bulls Board BAT - Playoffs (Conference Finals)

[SimonFish]

Let's vote below! Don't vote for your own team (of course), but you may state your case.

First time getting 4 votes proceed to next round.

Lemme know if the depth chart is not updated - I just directly copied and pasted from your roster page.

East

2. Celtics vs 8. Pacers

Celtics:
PG: George Hill (32) - Mo Williams (30) - Brian Roberts
SG: Dwyane Wade (30) - Jeremy Lamb (20) - Will Barton
SF: Carmelo Anthony (32) - Rodney Hood - TJ Warren
PF: Nene Hilario (25) - Lavoy Allen (18) - Richard Jefferson
C: Marc Gasol (33) - Andrea Bargnani (20) - Birdman
HC: Jason Kidd

Pacers:
PG - Darren Collison/Grievis Vasquez
SG - Klay Thompson/Kevin Martin
SF - Luol Deng/Terrence Ross
PF - Derrick Favors/Mike Scott/Ersan Ilyasova
C - Roy Hibbert / Kosta Koufos
HC: Frank Vogel

West

1. Grizzlies vs 3. Blazers

Grizzlies:
PG Lawson /Lin /McCallum/ Harris
SG Dudley /Gordon/Harris / CJ
SF Durant /C.J /Dudley / Early
PF Z Bo /Mason /Durant / Lauvergne
C Pau /Miles /Mason / Sacre
HC: Kevin McHale

Blazers (Depth Chart not available, so here is my guess):
HC: Brad Stevens
PG: Stephen Curry /Shaun Livingston / Beno Udrih / Isaiah Canaan
SG: JJ Redick / Marco Belinelli
SF: DeMarre Carroll / Kyle Singler
PF: Dirk Nowitzki / Pero Antic / Kris Humphries
C: Andrew Bogut / Jordan Hill / Aron Baynes

[SimonFish]

Votes:

Pacers over Celtics. Tough Call. Celtics are better at SF and C. Pacers are better at SG. Both teams' PG and PF are a wash. Melo could be contained by Deng which neutralizes one of Celtic's strengths. And the Pacers' real strength is their bench which can actually be a fringe playoff-team in real life.

Grizz over Blazers. Grizz is better at every position except PG, and they have a stronger bench too.

[Brybeck01]

adjusted rotation for series:

Grizzlies:
HC: Kevin McHale

PG Lawson (36) /Lin (8)/Harris(4)
SG Dudley (20) /Gordon (20)/CJ(8)
SF Durant(30) /Dudley(8)/C.J (10)
PF Z Bo (32)/Durant(8)/Mason (8)
C Pau (32)/Mason (8)/Miles (8)
reserve bench: McCallum, Lauvergne

we'd largely have have Dudley and CJ with a splash of Harris (strong defensive player at MSU) on Curry
and Mason, Miles, and Durant on Dirk

If the adjusted lineup falters at any point, we'd go back to:

PG Lawson (36) /Lin (12)
SG Dudley (20) /Gordon (28)
SF Durant(38) /Dudley(5)/C.J (5)
PF Z Bo (33)/Mason (15)
C Pau (33)/Mason (5)/Miles (10)
reserve bench: McCallum, Lauvergne

and just push the offense to win the game. And focus on team D.

Grizz v Blazers is a great matchup. Excited to see how this shakes out. I think my team has a stronger 2-5 like Simon mentioned and a stronger bench. And Durant edges Curry in the superduperstar column.
No matter who wins, I've got 100% confidence the NBA champ for year 1 would come out of the West.

Too bad you didn't get Klay in a trade Mark K.


-------------------------

Celts rotation minutes seem off?

I think Wade and Melo would be walking a tightrope to stay healthy, but Wade especially would be leaving it all out on the floor. He's a playoff warrior.
Gasol and Nene could lock down Pacers post players and own the paint.
On the other end, Deng isn't the same lockdown defender he once was, but he'd be good enough to give Melo some trouble. And Klay has really turned into a strong defender, so he'd be able to take Wade a bit and still get his.
Ack, this is tough.
I'm not in love with either bench squad. I think Pacers have a slight edge here though

I've got the Celts over the Pacers by a hair with it going 7 games. I went back and forth on it. In the end, Wade/Melo/Gasol would be enough to overcome Klay/Favors/Deng/Hibbert.

There's a chance we'll see a Gasol v Gasol finals!

[mattyj912]

Celtics-Pacers
Tough match up in my opinion. In the NBA today, I see both of these teams losing in the 2nd round/conference finals. The Celtics have star power, but no bench. The only bench player on that team I’d want in my rotation is Mo Williams. That said, their starters are fantastic. If everyone is healthy, they have 4 passable to plus defenders in the starting lineup and they will score at will. With Gasol anchoring the defense they should be able to stop most teams. Everyone in their starting lineup is going to have to play 40mpg in this series.

The pacers have incredible defense and a much better bench. With a healthy wade guarding klay I just cant see this team scoring enough to win though. All of the scoring on this team comes from the perimeter. Favors and hibbert aren’t going to go inside and bang with nene and gasol, and if they do they wont be successful.

I give it to the Celtics on star power and the starting lineup playing most of the minutes in the playoffs.

Grizzlies-Blazers
Grizzlies are stacked offensively. Not sure how these players fit though. Lawson needs to run to be at his most effective and those starting bigs are not running with him. The other concern is obviously the defense. Neither of those bigs are guarding nowitzki. Lawson can keep up with curry speed wise, but he cant stop him from scoring. I give the bench edge to the blazers also.

I go with the blazers with a dirk throwback performance through the playoffs. They just have a better mix of offense/defense in my mind.

[mattyj912]

Votes:

Pacers over Celtics. Tough Call. Celtics are better at SF and C. Pacers are better at SG. Both teams' PG and PF are a wash. Melo could be contained by Deng which neutralizes one of Celtic's strengths. And the Pacers' real strength is their bench which can actually be a fringe playoff-team in real life.

Grizz over Blazers. Grizz is better at every position except PG, and they have a stronger bench too.

Marginalized in the playoffs as the bench players would only be getting 10 minutes per game.

[Brybeck01]

Celtics-Pacers
Tough match up in my opinion. In the NBA today, I see both of these teams losing in the 2nd round/conference finals. The Celtics have star power, but no bench. The only bench player on that team I’d want in my rotation is Mo Williams. That said, their starters are fantastic. If everyone is healthy, they have 4 passable to plus defenders in the starting lineup and they will score at will. With Gasol anchoring the defense they should be able to stop most teams. Everyone in their starting lineup is going to have to play 40mpg in this series.

The pacers have incredible defense and a much better bench. With a healthy wade guarding klay I just cant see this team scoring enough to win though. All of the scoring on this team comes from the perimeter. Favors and hibbert aren’t going to go inside and bang with nene and gasol, and if they do they wont be successful.

I give it to the Celtics on star power and the starting lineup playing most of the minutes in the playoffs.

Grizzlies-Blazers
Grizzlies are stacked offensively. Not sure how these players fit though. Lawson needs to run to be at his most effective and those starting bigs are not running with him. The other concern is obviously the defense. Neither of those bigs are guarding nowitzki. Lawson can keep up with curry speed wise, but he cant stop him from scoring. I give the bench edge to the blazers also.

I go with the blazers with a dirk throwback performance through the playoffs. They just have a better mix of offense/defense in my mind.

see my adjusted defensive gameplan. Dudley/Harris/CJ on Curry, Lawson on JJ. Durant at 4 for some time and Mason/Miles guarding Dirk.

With the extra burn the Plumlees would get and with Durant playing some 4, Ty would be able to run. And then we'd slow it down at times and pound it in to Z Bo or Pau. In past posts I pointed out that Pau would be first off the floor to give the quicker footed Mason some time. And then Pau in for Z Bo.

Def. having to adjust gameplan against a Curry/Dirk combo, but I think my squad would have enough firepower to overcome them.

[Blue Ninja]

Blazers for the west.



Melo can't be contained with Deng. Since 2012-2013 (I could go back further if need be):
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278103
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278254
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278894
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400488891
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489560
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489918
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400578537
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400579069

30.5 ppg, 7.625 RPG, 2.875 APG, 1.875 TPG, 1.875 SPG, 1.25 BPG vs Deng.

Klay vs Wade:
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489347
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278299

How is Klay better than Wade? Especially in the playoffs?

This would've been the playoff rotation:
PG: George Hill (36) - Mo Williams (20) - Brian Roberts
SG: Dwyane Wade (40) - Jeremy Lamb (8) - Will Barton
SF: Carmelo Anthony (40) - Rodney Hood - TJ Warren
PF: Nene Hilario (32) - Lavoy Allen/Richard Jefferson (12)
C: Marc Gasol (40) - Andrea Bargnani/Birdman (12)

Depending on the team and what we need either Birdman or Bargnani get those minutes and either Allen or Jefferson get their minutes.

[Brybeck01]

Blazers for the west.



Melo can't be contained with Deng. Since 2012-2013 (I could go back further if need be):
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278103
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278254
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278894
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400488891
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489560
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489918
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400578537
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400579069

30.5 ppg, 7.625 RPG, 2.875 APG, 1.875 TPG, 1.875 SPG, 1.25 BPG vs Deng.

Klay vs Wade:
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489347
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278299

How is Klay better than Wade? Especially in the playoffs?

This would've been the playoff rotation:
PG: George Hill (36) - Mo Williams (20) - Brian Roberts
SG: Dwyane Wade (40) - Jeremy Lamb (8) - Will Barton
SF: Carmelo Anthony (40) - Rodney Hood - TJ Warren
PF: Nene Hilario (32) - Lavoy Allen/Richard Jefferson (12)
C: Marc Gasol (40) - Andrea Bargnani/Birdman (12)

Depending on the team and what we need either Birdman or Bargnani get those minutes and either Allen or Jefferson get their minutes.

you didn't quit after all! good to see you back. Even if you voted against my team without any reasoning.

[Blue Ninja]

Blazers for the west.



Melo can't be contained with Deng. Since 2012-2013 (I could go back further if need be):
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278103
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278254
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278894
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400488891
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489560
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489918
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400578537
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400579069

30.5 ppg, 7.625 RPG, 2.875 APG, 1.875 TPG, 1.875 SPG, 1.25 BPG vs Deng.

Klay vs Wade:
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400489347
http://espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=400278299

How is Klay better than Wade? Especially in the playoffs?

This would've been the playoff rotation:
PG: George Hill (36) - Mo Williams (20) - Brian Roberts
SG: Dwyane Wade (40) - Jeremy Lamb (8) - Will Barton
SF: Carmelo Anthony (40) - Rodney Hood - TJ Warren
PF: Nene Hilario (32) - Lavoy Allen/Richard Jefferson (12)
C: Marc Gasol (40) - Andrea Bargnani/Birdman (12)

Depending on the team and what we need either Birdman or Bargnani get those minutes and either Allen or Jefferson get their minutes.

you didn't quit after all! good to see you back. Even if you voted against my team without any reasoning.

I gave up my team. I'm not going to take it back, but I figured not voting is unfair to you all and not backing my team is unfair.

As for reasoning, I just think Steph would do a number on this team. Durant with his foot issues I'm going to assume he is healthy, but he won't be the same.

[Brybeck01]

I think the idea is to redo the 2015 season. His current health issue is only an issue due to the team rushing him back. I'd take our time with him and have him 100% by playoffs.

Curry is a monster though. I'll give ya that.

[Blue Ninja]

I think the idea is to redo the 2015 season. His current health issue is only an issue due to the team rushing him back. I'd take our time with him and have him 100% by playoffs.

Curry is a monster though. I'll give ya that.

Yeah since to me the rest of the teams are washes, I looked at Curry vs Lawson VS Durant vs Carroll. I think DeMarre is better equipped to slow down Durant, as compared to Lawson who's a godawful defender.

[Brybeck01]

I think the idea is to redo the 2015 season. His current health issue is only an issue due to the team rushing him back. I'd take our time with him and have him 100% by playoffs.

Curry is a monster though. I'll give ya that.

Yeah since to me the rest of the teams are washes, I looked at Curry vs Lawson VS Durant vs Carroll. I think DeMarre is better equipped to slow down Durant, as compared to Lawson who's a godawful defender.

ah, gotcha. again, I plan on having Dudley, CJ and Harris largely defending Curry. with Lawson on JJ or whomever is at SG at the time.

[kingkirk]

Given i've unexpectedly made it this far, i thought i'd put in the effort and do a head to head write up.

Reading these reads, i've still yet to see a way that opposing teams are going to stop me offensively. I designed my team so it could have a 2-3 year window of running a modern NBA offense which involves free lancing from the players themselves, driven by an elite PG, but by also having guys on the roster that score in the most efficient ways in the league: free throws, dunks & 3 pointers.

With that in mind, i look at Brybeck's team, and whilst it's obviously a really, really good one, i don't know how he stops the Curry & Dirk pick and roll.

I think people are sleeping on Brad Stevens. He has the Celtics playing some inspired ball right now, and i believe they're 19-16 over their last 35 games, which would be the 4th best record in the East in that period. He is doing that with constant roster turnover and without stars. How?

He has a great defense mindset, but his offense doesn't rely on half court sets that have to be executed by the games best offensive players. They push the tempo and play fast. They spread the floor a lot in order to create wide enough lanes, even for guys who don't have a proficient driving game. They also shoot a lot from deep.

Applying that to my current team, again, how does the Dirk & Curry pick and roll get stopped by Brybeck?

Before the offense even starts, i am running a spread offense.

My 1-4 and their respective 3P% on the 2014-15 season:

Curry - 42.7%
Redick - 42.9%
Carroll - 39.5%
Dirk - 37.9%

Before i've even initiated the offense, Brybeck's Grizzlies have to be defending the 3 point line. Realistically, they have to probably defend even past that given the shooting ability of Curry.

What i lack in on ball creators is compensated by having so much space to operate with that even Carroll and Redick can get to the hoop with ball movement from my team, in which they will have a step on their guy and the lanes to work with.

Back to my point though. How does Brybeck guard the pick and roll offense, which has spread option outside of the 2 guys involved as well?

I have to assume Lawson is going over every screen, unless he wants to give Curry open looks every night. Immediately, i have Curry going over the screen with the following options:

1. If the screen is good enough or the defense is slacking, he has the jumper.
2. Attack the paint with his ball handling. Both ZBo and Pau Gasol are getting on and their feet are not quick. Blow by them and get a bucket.
3. Blow by them collapsing the defense, forcing Redick and Carroll's man to help, in which i have open 3s to set shooters all day.
4. Hit Dirk on the pass. He will either have a mismatch with the small Lawson on him or he will be dead open with both Lawson & Randolph committing to Curry.

I don't think his front court is good enough to contain my offense. Randolph and Gasol are clearly great players, but whoever he sends out to play PF against my team will be put under a tonne of pressure.

If their game plan is to do so, here are Curry's number in a H2H with Lawson.

20.4 PPG, 6.3 APG, 50.0 FG%, 52.2 3P%.

Pick your poison.

Looking at it defensively, whilst i accept i don't have the BAT's best defense, i think it's good enough to win a title, or to at least get me to the title game.

Again, i am going to focus on my guys at 1, 4 & 5. Curry has really improved as a defender. He could handle Lawson, who isn't going to hurt me with his shooting.

Gasol & Randolph are great offensively, but i think they somewhat cancel each other out. Who plays high and who plays low? Whatever the answer, i am fortunate that both are in their 30s and are not the quickest guys going around, as that makes life easier for Dirk defensively.

For me, i won't be matching up player to player, but rather position to position. What do i mean by that? Dirk will always take the PF. Whether he puts Gasol or Randolph there, one has to play 16 feet out for spacing purposes. Whoever that is, i feel confident in Dirk holding his own defensively as both Zach & Pau won't blow past him with their speed.

That leaves Bogut down in the paint on a constant basis. He really is one of the best post defenders in the league. He anchors the best defense in the league and only Gobert holds his opponents to a less FG% at rim this season (39.5% vs 40.4%).

Whoever is on the block is going to have a tough time against Bogut. Be it Pau or Randolph, both will have their work cut out for them.

Durant is clearly Brybeck's main offensive weapon. Enter the unsung hero, DeMarre Carroll. He won't stop Durant, but he can make his life difficult.

With Bogut containing the paint and taking out one of the bigs, Durant will need Lawson to step up offensively. I don't think he can. Jared Dudley is playing SG, despite being a 3/4. He won't help off the dribble. By virtue of what is around him, DeMarre's job is made a lot easier. If he can hold him to 27 PPG on 45% & 38% whilst contesting every shot, to me, he would have done a good job.

Looking at the benches, i think i also have the greater front court depth. Antic, Humphries & Hill are all big dudes. I have those 3 options to run at the Grizzlies, whilst i only really have to think about the Plumlees.

Eric Gordon is the best bench player amongst both of our teams, but for his 15m annually a season and with his injury concerns, will he even be healthy enough to contribute? For the Grizzlies to have enough offense, Gordon has to play heavy minutes, but can he?

I think i have this one. Offensively, again, i don't know how he stops my spread pick and roll offense. Defensively, i think i can break even. With that in mind, i would be expecting to win this series in 6 games, possibly 7 given he would home court.

[kingkirk]

see my adjusted defensive gameplan. Dudley/Harris/CJ on Curry, Lawson on JJ. Durant at 4 for some time and Mason/Miles guarding Dirk.

With the extra burn the Plumlees would get and with Durant playing some 4, Ty would be able to run. And then we'd slow it down at times and pound it in to Z Bo or Pau. In past posts I pointed out that Pau would be first off the floor to give the quicker footed Mason some time. And then Pau in for Z Bo.

Def. having to adjust gameplan against a Curry/Dirk combo, but I think my squad would have enough firepower to overcome them.

How does Jared Dudley guard Steph Curry when he is predominantly a SF/PF this season?

I think he would have trouble staying with Redick with him running off ball let alone running around and chasing the likely 2014-15 MVP?

Gary Harris can't be relied upon as an option. This season, the kid is averaging 27.6% from the field, 17.6% from 3 and he is sporting a 4.1 PER. I won't call him a bust as he is only young, but he is certainly a project. He can't be relied upon in the playoffs.

CJ Miles can't guard Steph Curry. Cmon.

You can try to run this, but then i put in Shaun Livingston into the game. He goes straight to the post against Ty Lawson and schools him down there.

I don't think you have much of an option but to put Lawson on Curry.

Playing Durant at the 4 is a good move. It makes me work defensively and changes things. In that instance, i go small and have Curry, Livingston, Redick, Carroll & Bogut on the floor.

Durant is still being guarded by DeMarre, but i leave my post presence out there, who doesn't have to worry about either Plumlee offensively outside of keeping them off the glass and away from oops.

[ChicagoSportsFan21]

Celtics vs Pacers
Winner: Celtics
Reasoning: This is a close ECF. I like the Celtics starters more than the Pacers, but I like the Pacers bench more. Coaches are a wash. The Celtics have more playoff experience too. In the end though, Celtics have more star power and their BIG 3 of Wade, Melo, and Gasol will carry the team to the Finals even though I was picking Pacers initially.

Grizzlies vs Blazers
Winner: Blazers
Reasoning: This match-up could go down to the wire as well. I was leaning towards Memphis with Gordon/Durant leading the way for each unit, but Mark K convinced me with his explanation. There's no way anybody on the Grizzlies team is going to stop Stephen Curry. Just a bad match-up for the Grizzlies. Not going to lie, impressed how far the Blazers made it!

[Brybeck01]

see my adjusted defensive gameplan. Dudley/Harris/CJ on Curry, Lawson on JJ. Durant at 4 for some time and Mason/Miles guarding Dirk.

With the extra burn the Plumlees would get and with Durant playing some 4, Ty would be able to run. And then we'd slow it down at times and pound it in to Z Bo or Pau. In past posts I pointed out that Pau would be first off the floor to give the quicker footed Mason some time. And then Pau in for Z Bo.

Def. having to adjust gameplan against a Curry/Dirk combo, but I think my squad would have enough firepower to overcome them.

How does Jared Dudley guard Steph Curry when he is predominantly a SF/PF this season?

I think he would have trouble staying with Redick with him running off ball let alone running around and chasing the likely 2014-15 MVP?

Gary Harris can't be relied upon as an option. This season, the kid is averaging 27.6% from the field, 17.6% from 3 and he is sporting a 4.1 PER. I won't call him a bust as he is only young, but he is certainly a project. He can't be relied upon in the playoffs.

CJ Miles can't guard Steph Curry. Cmon.

You can try to run this, but then i put in Shaun Livingston into the game. He goes straight to the post against Ty Lawson and schools him down there.

I don't think you have much of an option but to put Lawson on Curry.

Playing Durant at the 4 is a good move. It makes me work defensively and changes things. In that instance, i go small and have Curry, Livingston, Redick, Carroll & Bogut on the floor.

Durant is still being guarded by DeMarre, but i leave my post presence out there, who doesn't have to worry about either Plumlee offensively outside of keeping them off the glass and away from oops.

darnit. didn't rebuttle you in time and it looks like you took it with 3 votes to 1. We barely got any votes and your argument swayed one. well done.

Dudley can guard the 1-4. In my eyes, he's more of a 2/3 then a 3/4. He is versatile enough to play any of those positions and has experience at all of them. I think he'd stick with Curry. You are right that Gary Harris is still a year or two away from making an impact on both sides of the court, but he is good enough to make a defensive impact in year 1 taking a few minutes against Curry.

With that small ball adjustment, I'd go big and pound it in to Z Bo and/or Pau posting up against Bogut and Carroll. or give it to Durant and have him beat Livingston or Redick. It'd be a chess match the whole series I'm sure.

I think my team is the better squad and is better coached, but you pulled this one out in the end. Good luck in the finals. I think my squad would have matched up better against the Celtics. Will be interesting to see if we get some votes on there or if its another low vote turnout for the finals.

[MGB8]

Didn't vote on this one, but I think the Pacers would have beaten the Celtics - and more easily than the Blazers, due to matchups. I also think the Grizzlies would have beaten the Blazers in a series.

Nene and Lavoy Allen at the 4 to me is a weakness, particularly against mobile 4's who shoot (Allen less so, but he's a reserve). Favors wins that matchup, and Nene isn't strong enough offensively to exploit Favors in the post, and he's not a good enough shooter to pull him out. Klay is better than Wade right now, and a bad matchup for Wade on both ends - due to movement (Wade will have to chase the perimeter) and Klay's length. Hibbert doesn't give you a lot on offense consistently, but you do have to stay on him. Gasol doesn't really force him out of the paint much, so the Pacers defensive structure remains intact. And Melo is one of those guys that Deng was built to defend - a 3/4 tweaner.

Add in wear and tear - I think that the Pacers would get enough from Klay, Collison (assuming uninjured) and Kevin Martin (noting the defensive weakenss) plus the reserve stretch 4's (where Allen can't punish Scott's lack of size and Illyasova's general poor defense and footspeed) would get open looks and put pressure on the D. My team matched up much better against this Pacers team because Love could pull out Favors or post him, and I could pull out Hibbert, for large chunks, and then could go big against their reserves (play Mozgov/Ajinca vs. Koufos/Scott or Ilyasova, where Ajinca is fast enough to guard the perimeter against those guys and I wouldn't need him inside too much on D, but could post either Mozgov or Ajinca against his reserves).

Pacers in 5 or 6 low scoring brawls. I think the matchup at the 4 and 2 heavily favor the Pacers here, and the edges at the 1, 3 and 5 that the Celtics have aren't really exploitable because of the specific matchups.

As for Grizz-Blazers, Z-Bo would eat Dirk alive, so they'd have to switch Mark Gasol on him (vice versa - most of the game I think would be Pau v. Dirk, Z-Bo v. Gasol), but Pau would be able to do a lot on Dirk - Dirk isn't the same guy he was even a couple of years ago. Curry would blow up, but so would Durant, so that's a push. Lawson would do more than Carroll, while the Grizzlies rotation at the 2 would have the edge over the Blazers group. Grizz in 6, or maybe even 5.