Dream Matchups

[TheWhiteRhino]

On yesterday's Sportcenter, the show listed a numder of cream matchups in a variety of sports which the viewers would love to see. In the b-ball arena this included the iminent Shaq vs Yao and the less than improbable Lebron vs Kobe.

So what do you guys think of these matchups and what would be your dream matchups if you could take any two players/ teams/ duo...whatever, throughout b-ball history and pair them up together??

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by TheWhiteRhino
On yesterday's Sportcenter, the show listed a numder of cream matchups in a variety of sports which the viewers would love to see. In the b-ball arena this included the iminent Shaq vs Yao and the less than improbable Lebron vs Kobe.

So what do you guys think of these matchups and what would be your dream matchups if you could take any two players/ teams/ duo...whatever, throughout b-ball history and pair them up together??

I would love to see any team in the history of the sport try to beat the 72-10 Bulls in a 7 game series. If anyone could push them to 7 games I would be surprised.

I would also like to see MJ in his prime v guys like Kobe, Iverson, T-Mac etc Nowadays they get the better of Mike and most were still in there rookie years when MJ was still schooling guys in 98. I would just like to see MJ give them a lesson so that they know what the best is and how unbeatabull! he is.

Also something I always wanted to see was MJ v Pip! Both in there primes with good supporting casts, that would be a great battle.

Im also looking forward to watching Shaq v Ming. I have heard that Shaq is gearing himself up for it....I dont think he likes sitting on the bench on All Star Weekend Would love it if Ming goes 10-10 grabs 20 boards and destroys Shaq. Wont happen though. It is the start of a great, if shortlived rivalry though.

 

[jerry springer]

The best dream match-up in my eyes would be the 86 Celtics vs the 96 (72-10) Bulls

this is the line-ups

Boston Chicago

C-Parish -Longley
PF-Mchale -Rodman
SF-Bird -Pippen
SG-Ainge -Jordan
PG-Johnson -Harper

Bench
Walton Kukoc
Kite Kerr
Vincent

im not going to argue about who would win but it would be fantastic to watch.

Parish gets the points over longley.Mchale is known as the greatest player in the post in NBA history,whilest Rodman was a fantastic one on one defender and rebounder.I would give Bird the points just over Pippen especially with his height and 3-point accuracy even though Pippen was a fantantastic defender and very versitile. Jordan clearly beats Ainge,but Anige was a dogged defender witha big heart.Johnson "the microwave"was known for heating up in the clutch,whilest Harper was a good player who knew his role who wasnt asked to score much but could and was a decent defender.

Off the Bench walton was a good 6th man and vincent was a hard -nosed enforcer.Chicago had the multi skilled Kukoc and kerr with his 3 point shot opened up the lanes for jordan.

The wild card is jordan and how could the the celtics contain him as they seem to lack a decent guard to defend him.whilest the Celtics have a distinct height advantage over the bulls in the forwards.It would be a fantastic match -up in my eyes.

 

[Portmanteau]

Lamar Odom vs the big time 3s will be awesome in the following seasons, i.e. KG, TMac, Dirk Diggler, the Matrix. LO has what it takes to be top 5 in the league, if he plays a full season. Unfortunately, he'll be gone at the year end, unless Donald Sterling unleashes his wallet for once.

Either way, I think I'll pull a Jod a follow Lamar to his subsequent club(s).

 

[coxon]

Originally posted by jerry springer
Johnson "the microwave"was known for heating up in the clutch,whilest Harper was a good player who knew his role who wasnt asked to score much but could and was a decent defender.
[/B]

dennis johnson was known as 'DJ'.. had some great clutch moments, but more noted for his defensive heroics..

the microwave was pistons bad boy, vinnie johnson..

 

[CURVE]

Just show me repeats of the Lakers/Celtics Finals of the eighties. Even the series Boston won was sensational.

And Jod, the 1987-88 Lakers would cream the Bull 4-1, 4-2 at worst.
Magic, Worthy and Scott at their peak, Kareem playing his best basketball in five years, and a supporting cast that included, Cooper, Green and Thompson. We'd dominate Chicago in most positions and have a deeper bench.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by DEVO

And Jod, the 1987-88 Lakers would cream the Bull 4-1, 4-2 at worst.
Magic, Worthy and Scott at their peak, Kareem playing his best basketball in five years, and a supporting cast that included, Cooper, Green and Thompson. We'd dominate Chicago in most positions and have a deeper bench.

What dont you get about Jordan in his prime. He is unbeatable. His will to win exceeds that of the entire Lakers team, fortunately for MJ he has the skills to back up his will. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are two of the greatest defenders to play the game. They would shut down Magic and Worthy. Rodman would be a monster on the boards and is also a fantastic defender. The Bulls would win on the Defensive end.

Also .... who is gonna guard and stop Jordan. Not even the best defenders could contain him. Bulls in 6.

 

[Portmanteau]

Originally posted by DEVO
Just show me repeats of the Lakers/Celtics Finals of the eighties. Even the series Boston won was sensational.

And Jod, the 1987-88 Lakers would cream the Bull 4-1, 4-2 at worst.
Magic, Worthy and Scott at their peak, Kareem playing his best basketball in five years, and a supporting cast that included, Cooper, Green and Thompson. We'd dominate Chicago in most positions and have a deeper bench.

Ooh, Byron Scott. I'm sure MJ would be quaking in his boots. The Bulls would win 4-2, IMO.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by Guey_34
Ooh, Byron Scott. I'm sure MJ would be quaking in his boots. The Bulls would win 4-2, IMO.

 

[CURVE]

Originally posted by jod23
What dont you get about Jordan in his prime. He is unbeatable. His will to win exceeds that of the entire Lakers team, fortunately for MJ he has the skills to back up his will. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are two of the greatest defenders to play the game. They would shut down Magic and Worthy. Rodman would be a monster on the boards and is also a fantastic defender. The Bulls would win on the Defensive end.

Also .... who is gonna guard and stop Jordan. Not even the best defenders could contain him. Bulls in 6.

I'm not forgetting Jordan in his prime, or Pippen, but you appear to be forgetting Magic and Worthy in their prime. One thing no one seems to remember about the Lakers is they were ranked two and three in defence in that period, and Micheal Cooper also won defensive player of the year in 1986. The 1980's Lakers could defend with the best of them, and the could attack better than all of them. Four players averaging over 20ppg (Kareem, Worthy, Magic, and Scott) and the best PG in the History of the game. At his peak no one, not even Jordan, Bird or the entire Detroit team could stop Magic. My knowledge of Chicago isn't that great, but from what I can remember Chicago relied on two superstars (Jordan and Pippen) and a bunch of good role players who performed their roles very well. Similiar to the Lakers now. The Lakers had three superstars (Magic, Worthy and Kareem), and three other players of high quality (Scott, Green and Cooper) along with a few role players who also performed their roles admirably.
The way I see it, Magic would dominate the PG spot, Jordan would win the SG, but thanks to Magic's passing ability Scott would still average a healthy total. Pippen v Worthy would be a great battle because Pippen is better defensively, but Worthy is a better shooter. Again I think this will come down to Magic's ability to get Worthy the ball in scoring positions. At PF Rodman isn't a scoring threat and either is Green. Both are strong defenders and rebounders, but Rodman is better. At C Kareem wins clearly. He is one of the all-time greats and his skyhook was working a treat in the mid eighties. I reckon Chicago would lose because they lack a capable PG and C to combat the Lakers to strongest positions.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by DEVO
I'm not forgetting Jordan in his prime, or Pippen, but you appear to be forgetting Magic and Worthy in their prime. One thing no one seems to remember about the Lakers is they were ranked two and three in defence in that period, and Micheal Cooper also won defensive player of the year in 1986. The 1980's Lakers could defend with the best of them, and the could attack better than all of them. Four players averaging over 20ppg (Kareem, Worthy, Magic, and Scott) and the best PG in the History of the game. At his peak no one, not even Jordan, Bird or the entire Detroit team could stop Magic. My knowledge of Chicago isn't that great, but from what I can remember Chicago relied on two superstars (Jordan and Pippen) and a bunch of good role players who performed their roles very well. Similiar to the Lakers now. The Lakers had three superstars (Magic, Worthy and Kareem), and three other players of high quality (Scott, Green and Cooper) along with a few role players who also performed their roles admirably.
The way I see it, Magic would dominate the PG spot, Jordan would win the SG, but thanks to Magic's passing ability Scott would still average a healthy total. Pippen v Worthy would be a great battle because Pippen is better defensively, but Worthy is a better shooter. Again I think this will come down to Magic's ability to get Worthy the ball in scoring positions. At PF Rodman isn't a scoring threat and either is Green. Both are strong defenders and rebounders, but Rodman is better. At C Kareem wins clearly. He is one of the all-time greats and his skyhook was working a treat in the mid eighties. I reckon Chicago would lose because they lack a capable PG and C to combat the Lakers to strongest positions.

Magic obviously wins the PG spot but Harper must be respected. Back in the day he was a top scorer for the Clippers averaging over 20ppg and Magic would need to mindful of him on the defensive end.

Jordan destroys Scott. I dont care how good a defender he is, nobody could contain Jordan in his prime. Even with Magic finding Scott in the right places on offence, you can bet MJ will be there to harass him. Jordan would destroy Scott on both ends of the floor.

Pippen v Worth is your best matchup. Worth is a better shooter and Pippen has more range and is a great 3pt shooter. Both tough defenders but Pippen would probably be a little too quick for Worthy and may expose him on the defensive end with his explosive quickness to get to the rim. Pippen at the other end also was a regular in All D teams and his long arms would cause Worth problems. Magic would need to find Worthy some open looks because if not Worthy struggles to create his own shot. Pippen however creates whatever he likes.

Green v Rodman goes to Rodman. They are both similar players, will jump on loose balls...do all the 1%ers and are both feircely competitive. But Rodman is probably the better one on one defender and is a superior rebounder.

Kareem v Longley, Luc Longley would struggle but it doesnt mean he will have no effect. He is a lot bigger, weighs more, than Kareem so he could push him around in the paint but Kareem has great range and an almost unblockable shot. Longley's best shot is to try to deny Kareem the ball at all costs. Tough when Magic is delivering the pill though.

The bench though i think is where it is won. Steve Kerr is just about the purest shooter you will find. I think he holds the record for career 3pt%. You can bet he will get plenty of looks too with Jordan and Pippen drawing doubles. Toni Kukoc, a former 6th man of the year is also a vital cog of the Bulls. Another great shooter who can also hit the three. He is great in the clutch and can also create his own shot.

I just think the Bulls have too much offence with 2 guys who at any moment can go for 40+ points...1 of those guys can even throw 50+ on you on any given night...plus Kukoc can score. Harper is also another option. The Lakers dont really have a dominant scorer. They have more of a spread...shut down a couple of those scorers and you have the ball game.

Pippen and Jordan are intensely difficult to shut down but Worthy and Scott can be controlled and Magic is a better passer and floor general than scorer. The Bulls as a team were also a fantastic defensive team...so IMO the Lakers would struggle to score. The Bulls never struggled to score....just give the rock to MJ.

Bulls in 5 or 6.

 

[CURVE]

Originally posted by jod23
Jordan destroys Scott. I dont care how good a defender he is, nobody could contain Jordan in his prime. Even with Magic finding Scott in the right places on offence, you can bet MJ will be there to harass him. Jordan would destroy Scott on both ends of the floor.

In the 1987-88, the year Jordan won MVP (undeserved - it should have been Magic's but I'm not going to get in slanging match over that one) and Defensive Player of the Year, Byron Scott hit 25 and 29 against Chicago on the back of 15 and 18 assists from Magic. Nobody can stop Magic, not even Jordan. Magic makes good players look great, and great players into superstars. Magic is the supreme basketballer and that is why the Lakers would defeat the Bulls in a seven game series.

As for the points, I got those from a friend in LA, his going to email me the box scores next week.

 

[jod23]

Originally posted by DEVO
In the 1987-88, the year Jordan won MVP (undeserved - it should have been Magic's but I'm not going to get in slanging match over that one) and Defensive Player of the Year, Byron Scott hit 25 and 29 against Chicago on the back of 15 and 18 assists from Magic. Nobody can stop Magic, not even Jordan. Magic makes good players look great, and great players into superstars. Magic is the supreme basketballer and that is why the Lakers would defeat the Bulls in a seven game series.

As for the points, I got those from a friend in LA, his going to email me the box scores next week.

Magic couldnt even beat the weaker early 3-Peat team with Armstrong, Cartwright and Ho Grant.....

In 91 MJ took care of Magic in a 4-1 romp. Sure you can say Kareem had retired but Jordan didnt have a decent centre either?? Yet Jordan and the Bulls destroyed Magic's Lakers in 5 games.

Face it Devo, Jordan is the greatest and his 72-10 team is the greatest team to have ever played the game.