2/26 - 3/4 Games Discussion Thread

[Fresh Tendrils]

I just want to see Shaq power-dunk on Draymond and destroy his family line.

[AlexBrady]

Quote: Originally Posted by Themayorofawsometown

LeBron still exists lol Sent from my Z971 using Tapatalk

LeBron's million dollar first step is gone. His shooting remains erratic. His defense is now a sometimes thing. His sphere of influence isn't as impactful as Kobe or Kidd in their salad days.

Quote: Originally Posted by ojandpizza

Those Lakers teams struggled with any team that could pull their defense away from the rim, pull Shaq out of the paint, and shoot from the outside, and push the tempo, and get passing from their bigs.. GS does all of that at an all time level. Peja and Hedo killed Rick Fox.. I think KD will be just fine. Rip Hamilton and Allen Iverson gave them fits off ball, having Curry and Klay moving like that at the same time with another 30 point scorer on the floor presents big problems for that Lakers group. Kobe couldn't even contain Antonio Daniels, Mike Bibby, or Chauncey Billups.. Kobe at 21, 22, wasn't torching anyone at a consistent level just yet. He had his moments, and against good defenders.. But when players had length and enough speed to prevent blow-bys he struggled. Reggie Miller and Tayshaun Prince both shut him down. Lakers lone shot is could Shaq be so dominant that it negated the 3's and counter the fact that he can't defend Boogie when he goes high, can't matchup if they go small, and he and Grant would be sitting dunks on high ball screens... Is he so dominant against them that it completely nukes their ability to ever push the tempo.. Because otherwise literally every other advantage is in GS's favor.

We are talking about the 2001 Lakers, the best version of their little dynasty. You do realize they swept the Kings 4-0 right?

The Warriors would undoubtedly point high screen/rolls at Shaq knowing that he would never switch or show on the shooting side. Would they be able to make enough jumpers to win the series though? Unlikely.

The triangle would allow the Lakers to always set the tempo. The Warriors would be forced into a slow down game.

Passing from the bigs? The Lakers loved it when Webber and Divac came out high to throw passes. Much better to have them up there than wreaking havoc in the paint.

Say what? Rick Fox quite often cooled down Peja's explosive scoring. He never dominated him in 2001.

Kobe would crowd Curry's handle and force him to drive to the rim. The triangle is a jump-shooting offense which gave Kobe fewer opportunities to drive and dish. He functioned as a deliver to Shaq.

Cousins is a highly erratic shooter who the Lakers would gladly let play high and shoot as much as he likes. If he tried to attack Shaq with his version of a cross over he would be quickly doubled. Cousins rarely does anything productive without the ball and is reluctant to bang in the paint. Shaq would obliterate him.

The Lakers would average at least 40 free throw attempts per game. The Warriors three pointers cannot make up the difference for all the easy points the Lakers will get.

[TMagic]

I don't know man. I might have to lean in the warriors favor here.

LA struggled with the Webber/Bibby Kings. Their offensive sets/player movement always gave LA trouble from what I remembered (seemed like they scored at will and at times couldn't miss. Couldn't stand that Bibby/Webber two man game as a kid lol). And I don't think that there's any debate that the warriors have a better team with about as equal ball/player movement. Those same mistakes the Lakers made on defense against the Kings would only be amplified playing the Warriors. Instead of cashing in all those long twos. The warriors would be splashing threes.

I'd have to go with the warriors.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Operation Sports mobile app

[ProfessaPackMan]

I hate to break up EssayFest2019....but who’s playing tonight? In today’s NBA, not 20 years ago NBA.

[lilteapot]

Going to Cavs/Knicks today. See if they make it 3 in a row. Hopefully it's a close game

Sent from my SM-G955U1 using Tapatalk

[ojandpizza]

Quote: Originally Posted by cima

If they're playing the 00's rules with illegal defense and no zone allowed, I think LA would cook them because Warriors have no answer for Shaq or Kobe. Today's rules though? Well ****, it's favored towards offensive players anyways, Kobe would score much easier in today's game. Give me the Lakers in 7 but it'd be hella fun to watch.

For Pack

Spoiler

How could the Lakers defend Curry, Klay, KD all at the same time with no zone defense if guys like Rip, AI, Peja, Antonio Daniels, etc hurt them so bad? And this is 3 of them all on the same team, not just one guy to chase around.

Who needed an answer for Kobe at 21-22 years old. The season prior Reggie Miller held him to 15 a game, 2 years after further into his prime Prince held him to a bit over 20 on 30something percent. They absolutely have an answer for him, a trio of Klay, KD, Iggy...

I don't even think he would score easier with today's rules, especially not if they were still running the triangle. Part of what made that so successful at the time was the illegal defensive ruling. In the Bulls case, player had to stick close enough to Rodman, Longley, you wouldn't have to do that in today's game. 57 year old Horace Grant could be left alone, leaving a defender on Kobe, one in help, and then another near the rim by default because Shaq is camped there. In today's defensive schemes so much cushion could be given to Grant and Fox that you could have virtually half your defense just a step from the lane.

Today's defenses force 3's, part of the reason it has become such a large part of today's game, why their needs to be spacing, why stretch bigs became a thing in the first place. Shaq only compounds that problem by giving even less driving space than a "zone" already gives.

This:
download.jpg

To This:
Inkeddownload_LI.jpg

Simply slide the top key guy down to take all driving space and offer a quick double, let the back guy play zone and either rotate up or down depending on where the ball went.. Might give up the occasional back to door pass to Grant, or a running contested look for Fox, but I'm assuming that's what you would want.


Like I said, Shaq might be so dominant that it doesn't even matter, but at a glance Kobe's team with Pau being a threat to shoot, and Odom or Artest either one being capable of playing the 4 against Draymond matches up better purely from a stylistic standpoint.

[The 24th Letter]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

I hate to break up EssayFest2019....but who’s playing tonight? In today’s NBA, not 20 years ago NBA.

Russell Westbrook will be testing his powerful, yet deft drives against the crafty, sturdy Ben Simmons in what will prove to be quite the entertaining match up of young, headstrong teams.

[DieHardYankee26]

Knicks playing the Cavs tonight... A part of me doesn't hate the idea of some kinda tournament between the top 4 teams or something for the top pick. Feel like we've played these guys enough to have had a preview anyway.