2016 Scavenger Hunt Draft - ESAL/Gatz wins

[yosemiteben]

I think we can all agree that if I didn't get first, I should have.

[Braggins]

Spoiler:

Ranking the Starters


Shooting Guard
1. Michael Jordan
2. Dwyane Wade
3. Mitch Richmond
4. Paul Pierce
5. Ray Allen
6. Grant Hill
7. Reggie Miller
8. Klay Thompson
9. James Harden
10. Gordon Hayward

Agree with almost all of this except for a few things.

- I'd swap Klay and Reggie (Klay is a better defender).

Here is the season comparison for Reggie and Klay the years they were drafted from.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=1996&p1=millere01&y2=2014&p2=thompkl01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Here are the comparisons for some of the other players you guys rank ahead of him.

Reggie vs. Mitch Richmond - http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=1996&p1=millere01&y2=1994&p2=richmmi01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Reggie vs. Ray - http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=1996&p1=millere01&y2=2009&p2=allenra02&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Reggie vs. Pierce - http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=1996&p1=millere01&y2=2002&p2=piercpa01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

Reggie is definitely above Klay and Mitch Richmond. Him vs. Ray and Pierce is open to interpretation, but its close.

Pierce was a better defender and had a huge edge in rebounding. He was also playing 6 more mpg and averaging 6 more shots per game, which helped his raw averages. Per 36 Pierce only averaged 1.3 more ppg on 2.8 more attempts and Reggie has a slight edge in assists. Advanced stats mostly favor Pierce, but Reggie has a big edge in efficiency.

Reggie and Ray's efficiency and advanced stats are almost identical those seasons and their overall stats are very similar, but Reggie had a higher scoring average and PER and Rays efficiency at that point was significantly higher than the norm for most of his career because he was a secondary option on a super team, as opposed to Reggie being the main guy on a team that wasn't completely stacked. For their careers Reggie was significantly more efficient and has the edge in most advanced stats.

edit: I forgot Reggie vs. rookie Grant Hill - http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=1996&p1=millere01&y2=1995&p2=hillgr01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=
No way was rookie Hill better than 1995-1996 Reggie. Advanced stats and efficiency favor Reggie by a landslide. Hill was also 22 years old and couldn't shoot from outside hardly at all at that point. He was easily a better player than Reggie during his short peak, but not as a rookie.

[BatumtheGlue]

Stat wise my team may get no love. But what about fit? What about floor spacing? What about versatility on defence?

I also couldn't understand why Pippen is not better than Leonard. And the only 2 things Kemp is better than Green are his dunk and a lot of baby mommas. Miller and Richmond are even in my eyes.

[BatumtheGlue]

Payton is a perfect PG next to a ball dominant SG like MJ or Bryant, but he is clearly not better as floor general than Isiah, not at all.

[EwingSweatsALot]

WIS PLAY IN ROUND SIM

OVERVIEW

4th Seed Ian hosts 5th Seed Yosemite in a seven game series (2-2-1-1-1) for the right to play the 1 see Fats. This series main story line is the greatest of all time facing off against the man trying to take that title from him. Jordan vs LeBron might be the match up of the year and we are getting that in the Play In Round. You can't ask for much more than that. Both teams have a similar build with with one of the greatest players of all time, a strong front line, and a heady ball dispersing point guard.

With those similarities it is no surprise that they split the season series, both teams winning a game on the road. The one thing that is shocking is that Ian's average margin of victory was 5.5 points while Yosemite's was 20.0 points. Can Ian hang around and battle out for 7 games if he is going to win close or will Yosemite continue his blowouts and decimate the will of Ian's team? Only time will tell and hopefully that time is 7 games of pure basketball porn with a match up for the ages with MJ and LBJ.

GAME 1

IAN TURNS THE TABLES ON YOSEMITE AND TAKES GAME 1 WITH A 106 - 89 BLOWOUT WIN

Led by Shawn Kemp's 19 points and 13 boards (Player of the Game) and two more double doubles from Alonzo Mourning and Jason Kidd, Ian jumped out to a 21 point lead at half and never looked back. Michael Jordan added a 13/7/7 and Lamar Odom contributed 11 and 9 off the bench.

Reggie Miller dropped in 23 for Yosemite, but LeBron only adds in 15 points, 7 assists, and 1 board. When LeBron isn't at his best, Yosemite is going to struggle to keep up and that is exactly what happened in Game 1.

GAME 2

IAN CONTINUES HIS DOMINANCE IN THE SERIES AND TAKES A 2-0 LEAD WITH A 129 - 110 WIN

Shawn Kemp just can't be stopped. He racks up his 2nd POG award in as many games with another 19 and 13 performance. Kidd gets his second double double of the series while Michael Jordan seems to be buying his time with an underwhelming performance in Game 2.

LeBron James fared better in Game 2 with a 22/4/6/3/2 performance, but when you lose by 19, most people just don't care. We thought this series was going to be a battle of 2 of the greatest players to ever play and just like this series so far it has been a disappointment.

For the second straight game, Yosemite has been out shot and out rebounded by double digits. That's an easy recipe for the teo blowout losses.

GAME 3

DOWN 18 TO START THE 4TH QUARTER, YOSEMITE PULLS A MIRACULOUS COMEBACK TO MAKE THIS A SERIES

Reggie Miller and Peja Stojakovic both score 12 in the 4th quarter and Yosemite erases the 18 point deficit with a 45-20 4th quarter. Yosemite wins 119-112. Lebron wins Player of the Game with a 20/8/5 performance.

Jordan scores 28, but only 6 in the 4th (2-8 in the quarter) when it was needed the most to stop the barrage by Reggie and Peja. Ian went 7 straight minutes without a point in the 4th which doomed them in the end

Shawn Kemp who seemed to be unstoppable in Games 1 and 2 only contributed 5 points in Game 3

GAME 4

YOSEMITE BLOWS AN 11 POINT 4TH QUARTER LEAD, BUT TIES THE SERIES AT 2 WITH A 131-122 OT WIN

LeBron James (POG) goes full on LeBron James with a 39 point, 10 rebound, and 7 assist performance. He added 2 blocks and 2 steals and the jumper was working as he knocked down 4 3-pointers. The stat line of the game goes to Mark Eaton who added a double double to the mix. Eaton had 6 points, 17 boards, and 12 blocks. One of those blocks might have saved the game as he blocked Jordan at the buzzer from 15 feet out.

Michael Jordan had his best game of the series so far with a 22/9/9, but he disappeared in the 4th for the second straight game. Alonzo Mourning had a 23/11 game and added 9 blocks to go with it while Battier made 5 threes off the bench to help push the game in OT, but couldn't close the deal.

Yosemite ties the series at 2 and we head back to Ian's friendly confines for Game 5. They say a series doesn't start until the home team loses, well 4 games in and the series hasn't started.

GAME 5

YOSEMITE TAKES THE SERIES LEAD 3-2 BEHIND A 42 POINT 2ND QUARTER

LeBron James gets his first triple double of the series with a 24/12/10 in the 117-108 win on the road. Even with the triple double James doesn't win Player of the Game because Reggie Miller rained in 34 points (10-14 FGA, 10-10 FTA).

The series has turned quickly with Yosemite winning 3 straight and a lot of that has to do with the great play of LeBron James and the poor play of Michael Jordan. Jordan comes up with a measly 16/6/3 in what could have been deemed a must win for Ian since the series goes back to Yosemite now. Ian has only won 1 game there this year and lost 3 in blow out fashion.

GAME 6

GAME 6 IS A METAPHOR FOR THE SERIES. YOSEMITE WINS IN A HUGE COMEBACK. 110 - 102 IN THE GAME. 4-2 SERIES.

Ian blows a 16 point lead in the 4th quarter and then loses in overtime 110 - 102. Another 4th quarter and another blown opportunity for Ian. Jordan goes out with a 24/13/6, but struggles again in the 4th to seal a win and an opportunity to win the series at home in Game 7. Mourning and Shawn Kemp added double doubles as well, but it's hard to win meaningful games when you don't even shoot 39% from the field.

LeBron turns in a 19/10/5/2/2 in a closeout game. Peja scored 9 and Reggie scored 8 in the 4th quarter, but they weren't the star of the show. Fat Lever who had not had much say in the series in the first 5 games put together a 20 and 10 game tonight. He scored 8 of his 20 points in the 4th and scored the last 4 points in regulation for Yosemite to force OT. That included the game tying bucket with less than 5 ticks to go.

Synopsis

We all wanted the Jordan, LeBron duel, but it was a major let down. Each player had great games, but they never had great games during the same game. It's easy analysis to say you can't win when your best player plays poorly but that's exactly how all 6 games went in the series. The problem for Ian was that Jordan just happened to do that more often than LeBron, especially when the game was on the line.

Three major 4th quarter leads were blown in the series, 2 by Ian and 1 by Yosemite, and Yosemite won all 3 of them. If you can't close out game then you can't win them and that's how the number 5 seed moves on to face the top dog, Fats, in the next round.

[fatlever]

We need boxscores!!!

Great stuff ESAL

[EwingSweatsALot]

We need boxscores!!!

Great stuff ESAL

Ill see what I can do for the next few rounds! The problem is that it's an in site pop out and you have to scroll to see it all so I can't take a screen shot it doesn't seem.

Doesn't seem like I can embed an image, but this link might work to see the Game 6 box score.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13543704&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

EDIT: It works. I'll add these links in each of the game synopsis for anyone who cares from here on out. I can't go back to previous games or I would do it for the last series.

[Flip Murray]

damn you're killing it Esal

[yosemiteben]

I was positive you were going to mirror the MIA series and I was going to go up 3 - 2, only to lose the next two.

This ended much better.

[EwingSweatsALot]

WIS SEMI FINAL MATCHUP- YOSEMITE VS FATS

OVERVIEW

After pulling the upset, 5th seed Yosemite has the dubious task of going against Fats, the tournaments large favorite. Fats was not kind to Yosemite in the regular season taking all four match ups between to the too. If there is any consolation and positive energy for Yosemite it is that 3 of his 4 losses were by less than 10 points.

To have any chance in this series Yosemite is going to have to slow down the Malone boys. They split the player of the game awards in the season, but each game they thrashed Yosemite. LeBron is going to have to have a series for the ages to counteract the overall talent on Fats. LeBron has done this before though. He's the best player on both teams and when that happens you can never count him out.

GAME 1

FATS SQUEAKS OUT A GAME 1 WIN 107 - 104

Once again the Malone's are too much for Yosemite. Both claimed double doubles and combined for 41 points and 28 boards. This was a key theme in the regular season and if it continues throughout this playoff series we might not get past 5 games.

Yosemite had a shot to send this to OT, but a Reggie Miller 3 went long from the left corner at the buzzer. LeBron added in a 23/11/6, but it still wasn't enough.

GAME 2

The 3-HEADED MONSTER OF LEBRON, PEJA, AND REGGIE TIE THIS SERIES AT 1 WITH A 118 - 101 WIN

Miller scores 28 and LeBron and Peja both go for 21 and help lead Yosemite to their first win over Fats of the year. They combined for 11 threes made which bested the entire Fats team by 6. LeBron was at his best with his jumper falling and dishing out 8 assists and getting his teammates involved. It can be tough to beat when you have to defend all three facets of LeBron's game. Fat Lever also took it to his name sake with a 7/9/9.

Moses Malone showed up with an 18 and 16, but his tandem bike rider, Karl, can't say the same for himself. Karl put together a 17/4/5, but as a guy who dominated the year and was MVP of the season, he can't put together a stat line like that and expect to win. Another major downfall for Fats came from behind the arc where Yosemite outscored him by 27. 27 point loss from behind the arc and your best player plays mediocre is not something you can get away with in the playoffs.

GAME 3

THE HOME CROWD HELPS PROPEL YOSEMITE TO A 2 - 1 LEAD OVER FATS

Fat Lever just couldn't control Fat Lever. The dynamic guard put together 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists to help propel his team over his namesake. LeBron chips in a cool 18/10/7 and Mark Eaton did what he does best adding 14 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Moses and Magic show up with double doubles for the 2nd straight game, but The Mailman got lost in transit for the 2nd straight game. Fats has been at his best during the year when Karl Malone is dominant. He was one of the key reasons Fats swept Yosemite during the year and he's also a key reason now why they are down 1 - 2 in the semifinals of the playoffs.

GAME 4

YOSEMITE TAKES A 3 - 1 LEAD IN THE SERIES BEHIND HIS 3-HEADED MONSTERS MASTERFUL PERFORMANCE

For the third straight game Fats wins the 4th quarter and he still cant pull of the win, losing 103 - 122. The Malones showed out and Fats couldn't miss behind the three point line, but it just wasn't enough. You can win in a lot of facets of the game, but if you give up 15 more points at the charity stripe than you get then it's going to be a long night.

Three headed monster each scored 20 points and Fat Lever added in 7/10/9. LeBron continues to be able to find his shot making 2 more threes and finding his teammates for easy looks by adding in 10 more assists. LeBron has settled into his role on this team in the last 3 games and Fats just can't seem to figure it out. He better figure it out quick or the league favorite might be heading home a lot earlier than everyone expected.

GAME 5

FATS EXTENDS THE SERIES TO A GAME 6 WITH A 106 - 105 WIN

You could hear a pin drop in the Fat's Fatz Cafe Center just before the buzzer went off. With 8 seconds left and Fats up by 1, Moses Malone stands at the line and bricks both free throws to extend the lead. Peja Stojakovic grabs the board and gets down court. 7...6...5...4..3... Fats loses him in transition, he's open from the left side, he rises up...2...1...CLANK...BUZZER...PANDEMONIUM.

The Malone boys were at their best combining for 53 points and 21 rebounds. Karl scored the last 3 points for Fats to get the lead just far enough out of LeBron and the rest of Yosemite's hands. LeBron was borderline unstoppable with a 32/4/7. He had 32 of those 11 in the 4th quarter, but it wasn't enough. Even with Peja being open to end the game, I'm sure Coach Ben and the players will be questioned on why it wasn't LeBron getting the final shot.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13547492&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 6

TIED TO START THE 4TH, A 42 POINT 4TH QUARTER BY FATS SENDS THIS SERIES TO A GAME 7

The Malone boys added their normal double doubles, but they added a seat to their tandem bike in Game 6. Another M, Magic Johnson, was at his best with 23 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. The Emineminems combined for 64 points, 30 rebounds, and 18 assists. After that fiery performance to force a game 7 we might just start calling those guys Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion.

Yosemite's three headed monster didn't go down quietly either. They combined for 77 points, 15 rebounds, and 20 assists. In the end it just wasn't enough to close this series out at home. After being up 3 - 1, Yosemite finds themselves in a difficult spot. Battling out in a one game wins all on the road for a spot in The Finals.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13547538&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 7

BEHIND LEBRON'S BIG 4TH QUARTER, YOSEMITE WINS GAME 7 AND ADVANCES TO THE FINALS

Lebron takes over in the 4th with 14 of his 30 points and puts the game out of reach for the Number One Seed, Fats. The best player throughout the series would not be denied his chance at a championship. 5 more players scored in double figures for Yosemite to give LeBron one of his best supporting cast games of his career. He needed it more than ever with a Game 7 on the road against the top seed. I'm sure it was his rousing pregame speech that made that happen.

Fats didn't go down swinging. He also had 6 players in double figures and the stars showed up to play. In the end a 12 point deficit combined from at the stripe and behind the arc was too much to overcome.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13547617&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

Synopsis

In the end, LeBron was just too much. He showed in the 2015-16 Finals that the greatest player on Earth with just some help from his teammates can defeat the best team and that's what he did here again. He continuously showed up and put it to Fats and when it mattered most he scored 14 points in the final quarter of a 7 game series to put Fats on ice. The Cinderella season continues for the 5 seed who advances to the Finals to face the winner of the Diop/ESAL series.

Throughout the season Fats took it to everyone. He even beat Yosemite in every match up they played, but when it mattered most he had no answer for LeBron. When LeBron showed up virtually every game and Karl Malone took a few off that was the deciding factor. When you have MVP vs MVP, Great vs Great one has to match the other night in and night out and it just didn't happen on Malone's end. He played wonderful for the series as a whole, but he no showed in some of the losses. When you're one win away and the series was pretty even it is easy to point out those two no shows and say what if, what if???

[EwingSweatsALot]

They apparently must not keep more than 3 games at a time because the first four games of the series links did not work.

[yosemiteben]

PINCH ME I'M DREAMING

[Braggins]

Best. Thread. Ever.

Is Esal completely making up these game descriptions or are they based off something from the sim website? Either way this is amazing and Esal is MVP.

[EwingSweatsALot]

Best. Thread. Ever.

Is Esal completely making up these game descriptions or are they based off something from the sim website? Either way this is amazing and Esal is MVP.

I do the summaries for each game. The website just generated the score, box score, and play by play.

[yosemiteben]

Folks can feel free to redo their votes now that it's been empirically proven that I have at least the second best team.

[fatlever]

**** Karl Malone, regular season champ, playoffs chump. Some things never change.

Amazing work ESAL.

Contrats YB. It was all about having Fat Lever.

[BatumtheGlue]

Folks can feel free to redo their votes now that it's been empirically proven that I have at least the second best team.

I saw it and i don't have to redo it.

And what a work ESAL. You just make this Scavenger Draft feels more realistic.

[Diop]

Folks can feel free to redo their votes now that it's been empirically proven that I have at least the second best team.

you also help prove the theory that you need an aussie on your team to win!

[EwingSweatsALot]

WIS SEMI FINAL MATCHUP- ESAL VS DIOP

OVERVIEW

A little old school vs new school in this matchup. Diop going with a mixture of current and past players, but leaning more towards past. While ESAL leans towards new current players with a new age style of 3s 3s 3s.

Diop has maybe the greatest pairing in the league with Bird and Kareem and the big question for ESAL is how they handle them. It will be extremely difficult. Robinson who has a difficult time in the playoffs could potentially neutralize KAJ, but the question is what can Rodman and Kawhi do to Bird. Can they stick with him enough and make him a non factor. For Diop it comes down to do they have enough offensive fire power to over come ESAL if they shoot like they are capable of.

In the regular season the two teams split their match ups with only home teams winning. ESAL did hold the point differential advantage with a +6.25 advantage per game because of his blowout wins.

GAME 1

ESAL JUMPS OUT TO AN EARLY 11 POINT LEAD AND DOESN'T LOOK BACK. WINNING 103-98

The first away team strikes blood in the season series as Diop can't contend with ESAL's bench. ESAL's bench outscores Diop's 48 - 18. The major concern from Diop and his fans was the free throw disparity, even Assistant Coach Luc Longley lashed out at the refs in the post game. ESAL made (21) three times as many free throws as Diop attempted (7). The concern for Diop was that this could have cost them game one. The concern for ESAL is can they win without the disparity.

Even in a loss, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the Player of the Game behind a 21 point, 12 rebound, 4 assist, and 7 block game. This is only the second time in the whole season that a losing player has won the POG. Outside of Bosh, the starters played well, but the bench just couldn't handle the second unit of ESAL. They will need to get it on track by the time Game 2 rolls around.

ESAL had 11 players score and 6 players reach double digits. No one broke the 20 point mark though. It was overall a full team win. No one had double digit boards or rebounds, but everyone contributed in some way to those.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552630&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 2

DIOP TIES THE SERIES AT 1 A PIECE BEHIND DWYANE WADE'S PERFORMANCE

Assistant Coach Luc Longley's attack on the refs must have helped this game because the totals flipped this time. Diop attempted 19 more free throws than ESAL. Even with that it just seemed like it didn't matter. Dwyane Wade could not be stopped, pouring in 29 points. KAJ added in a double double and Diop's bench matched ESAL's. After Game 1 it seems like Diop has corrected some mistakes and now heads on the road to get back home field advantage.

Robinson grabs a double double and Zach Randolph drops in 19 off the bench, but it wasn't enough to grab a 2-0 lead in the series. The main concern for ESAL after two games is that they can't get their three point shooting on point. Both games they have shot below 40%. It is their big advantage in the series and Diop's smart defense is neutralizing it.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552659&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 3

ESAL TAKES THE SERIES LEAD 2 - 1 BEHIND CURRY AND PIERCE'S HOT SHOOTING

Diop had a chance to tie it with two seconds left but Kawhi's massive paws got his hand in Bird's face and Bird missed the contested 3. Diop goes down 110-106.

This series has been correction after correction. Diop corrects his bench after Game 1 and then ESAL corrects his shooting after Game 2. A lot of chess being played in this series so far and we all assume it will continue.

ESAL Makes 9 3s and shoots 50% from behind the arc. Their advantage held serve by outscoring Diop from 3 point range by 21 points. Curry (POG) and Pierce combine for 42 and and Randolph continues his dominance on the 2nd unit with 16 more points.

Kareem added in 20 for Diop and the supporting cast held serve, but they just could not over come the shooting of ESAL.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552703&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 4

A STRONG 4TH QUARTER BY ESAL GIVES THEM THE 3 - 1 SERIES LEAD

Diop was down 1 to start the 4th and then Paul Pierce warmed up the bus and showed them the door. Pierce scored 15 of his 26 in the 4th quarter and ESAL took Game 4 by the score of 120 - 111. Pierce and Curry combined for 7 - 10 behind the arc and Randolph gave the bench life again with 13 more points. Pierce finished Diop off, but Robinson stole the show for most of the game, he finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 7 blocks.

Diop's starters played ok, but the bench did not hold up again. When KAJ, Bird, and Wade combine for 42/18/19, you can't expect to win many games. The starters have to play better if Diop wants to get to a Game 6. He is back home for Game 5 in the friendly confines of the Every American Entity That Acts Australian But Isn't Arena.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552760&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 5

DIOP SURVIVES ESAL'S 45 POINT 4TH QUARTER BARRAGE TO WIN 117-113

Bird goes 8 - 11 and 3 -3 from behind the arc on his way to 25/7/4 performance to extend the series for Diop. Chris Paul adds in a triple double and all starters break double digits to push Game 5 out of the distance for ESAL. The biggest plus for Diop was that they matched ESAL from behind the arc with 6 makes a piece and had a 14 point advantage from the charity stripe be making 35 of 38 attempts.

Robinson and Rodman both score in the 20s and get a dobule double, but it just wasn't enough for ESAL. Randolph struggled for the first game this series and only added 6 points. Even with the great 4th quarter, Bird and the rest of Driop were just too much for ESAL.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552833&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

GAME 6

ESAL'S 16 3 POINTERS SENDS THEM TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 113-96 WIN

ESAL couldn't wait to get back home and it showed. 16 three pointers made on 61.5% shooting is one of the most diffuclt things for an opponent to overcome and it did Diop in.

It was a three point game at halftime and after a big 3rd quarter, ESAL shut the door on Diop's season even getting the lead up to 16 at one point. Paul Pierce led the team in scoring with 24, but Robinson claims POG honors again with a 16/8/3/2/2 performance.

Bird and Kareem both had double doubles for Diop, but they only combined for 27 points. Kareem scored 10 points and when one of your two best players comes up that short on the road in a playoff game it is hard to compete. The 10 points is hard to swallow but the unwillingness to shoot was unexpected. He only shot 7 times which was tied for 6th on the team. If he shoots another 7 times it might not matter with how ESAL shot, but you'd sure as hell like to find out how it would end up instead of wondering why possibly the greatest center ever took less shots than Nick Van Exel.

https://www.whatifsports.com/nba/boxscore.asp?GameID=13552910&nomenu=1&teamfee=-1

Synopsis

The bench and shooting get it done for ESAL in this series. The overall depth for ESAL neutralized two of the greatest players of all time in Kareem and Bird. Paul Pierce who never shies away from late night conflicts unless a wheel chair is around was the key to ESAL's win. Night in and night out he brought it to Diop and they just couldn't handle him late in games.

The Game 1 loss hurts Diop more than anything. The only game out of 10 in this season series that the away team won and it happened to be at their expense. Bird was Bird throughout, but Kareem cannot no show a Game 6 like he did. Just like Malone in the other series you can't be that great and not be that great. He needed to do everything in his power to be Hakeem vs Robinson and he wasn't. It's a shame that it ended that way.

With ESAL moving on to face Yosemite in the championship only one top 10 player remains. Yosemite won the regular season series 3 - 1 and has the best player. Will be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Braggins]

Stat wise my team may get no love. But what about fit? What about floor spacing? What about versatility on defence?

I also couldn't understand why Pippen is not better than Leonard. And the only 2 things Kemp is better than Green are his dunk and a lot of baby mommas. Miller and Richmond are even in my eyes.

I thought your team was well built in terms of fit, spacing, and defense. I thought your biggest strengths were defense and balance. I had your defense ranked third behind Yosemite and Esal.I think Pippen gets underrated because people assume he was carried by Jordan and Isiah gets underrated because so many people disliked the Bad Boys. Richmond and Draymond are really good fits with your main two guys. Im not too familiar with Cowens, so it was kind of hard for me to gauge how he fits, but his stats suggest some serious talent. Your team kind of reminded me of Esals in terms of makeup, but I felt like he had a little more defense and shooting. Also, Thomas/Pippen are great, but when it came down to it I felt like they weren't quite on the level of some of the other big two/three's people had (KAJ/Bird/Wade, Lebron/Reggie, Durant/Dirk/Shaq, Magic/Moses). Your only real "weakness" I saw was that you didn't have a Lebron/MJ/KAJ level player on your team.