C: Willis Reed 70' - 14.5 (with multiplier) -
CoachPF: Larry Bird 86' - 19.6 -
Sixth pickSF: OG Anunoby 20' - 8.2 -
TorontoSG: Ray Allen 04' - 18.2 -
OKC/SeattlePG: Walt Frazier 70' - 12.8 (with multiplier) -
New YorkBench: Nate Thurmond 76' - 3.7 (with multiplier) -
ClevelandBench: Josh Hart 23' - 6.8 -
PortlandBench: Delon Wright 22' - 3.5 -
Atlanta87.3/88
C: Willis Reed 38 / Nate Thurmond 10
PF: Larry Bird 38 / OG Anunoby 10
SF: OG Anunoby 26 / Josh Hart 22
SG: Ray Allen 38 / Josh Hart 5 / Delon Wright 5
PG: Walt Frazier 38 / Delon Wright 10
vs
PG: Mark Price (36) / Mo Cheeks (12)
SG: Clyde Drexler (38) / Mo Cheeks (10)
SF: Rashard Lewis (28) / Danllo Gallinari (20)
PF: Shawn Marion (38) / Rashard Lewis (10)
C: Bill Russell (40) / Onyeka Okongwu (8)
Matchup:- Defensive assignments: Frazier on Price, OG on Clyde, Allen on Lewis, Bird on Marion, Reed on Russell. These are stable matchups for us: we keep our best POA options (Frazier/OG) on their engines and avoid cross-matching that could weaken our help schemes.
- We bring multiple high-end POA and team defenders - Frazier, OG, Wright, Hart, plus Bird’s elite positioning. That depth lets us rotate cleanly through their Price-Clyde actions and limit the downhill pressure Clyde usually creates. Their only elite perimeter stopper is Marion; after him the drop-off is steep, and it’s not enough against our Frazier–Allen–Bird offensive core.
- Reed stays anchored, takes away easy cuts and duck-ins, and forces Russell to finish over size. Offensively, Reed’s face-up and mid-post game pulls Russell just far enough out of his comfort zone to make their help rotations work harder.
- While Lewis has the size edge over Allen, he’s not a punishing physical wing and doesn’t pressure the rim consistently. Allen can handle the matchup without being compromised. On the other end, Allen creates far more problems for them with his shooting and movement than Lewis does for us.
- Offensive fit: the Frazier–Reed two-man game has proven championship synergy, and surrounding them with Bird’s all-time playmaking + shooting, Allen’s perimeter gravity, and OG/Hart’s connective defense creates a very high-functioning system. We’re deep in passing, screening, and ball movement - Frazier, Bird, Hart, Allen, and even Wright all keep the ball humming, which stresses their defense horizontally in a way Price/Clyde/Marion can’t fully counter.
- Overall: their top-end talent is strong, but we match or exceed them at the POA, have sturdier wing defense, and have better offensive balance and spacing. Our top four (Frazier–Allen–Bird–Reed) mesh at an elite level on both ends, and our bench gives us defensive continuity without offensive drop-off.
