Assemble a starting 5 that can defeat this lineup.

[Professor Emeritus]

You basing your stats off a out of prime MJ and He barely even guarded Reggie that series
So those numbers mean squat

So give me your example of MJ shutting down an elite player who could shoot? There weren't that many elite scorers who could shoot the three at volume in Jordan's era, and the didn't stop the few he faced. How about when Majerle and Ainge lit prime Jordan up for 25 threes on 50% 3pt shooting in the 1993 Finals? Or Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott (who are NOT elite scorers) lighting the Bulls up for 27 threes on 38% 3pt shooting in the 1995 ECF? Or when Craig Ehlo and Mark Price combined for 23 threes on 48% 3pt shooting in the 1992 ECF?

In Jordan's era there weren't a lot of elite guys who shot threes well for volume. It wasn't like Joe Dumars or Clyde Drexler were ripping the cords from deep on a regular basis. And the few times that MJ faced guys like that, he didn't stop them. If you're just going to dismiss Reggie, Majerle, prime Elho, and the Orlando shooters (most of whom weren't even close to being elite on the Curry/Klay/Durant level), then how you gonna make your claims that he'd stop even better shooters?

Kobe barely guarded Ray. He was mostly on Rondo

If Kobe could have shut down Ray, then wouldn't he have guarded Ray? Considering that Ray was averaging 20+ppg while Rondo was a 21yo 2nd-year guard who didn't shoot averaging just 10 and 5?

Kobe guarded Rondo part of the time because he wanted to play off him and play lazy on defense rather than chase Ray around screens when he knew he wouldn't stop Ray anyway. And you totally ignored my receipts for Bruce Bowen, Raja Bell, Steve Smith, Rip Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, old Reggie Miller, and Jalen Rose. What, you gonna claim that Kobe NEVER guarded the good three-point shooters when he played them? That wouldn't be very good evidence for your claim that Kobe shuts down three-point shooters, is it?

And outside of Ray none of those guys even close to Steph/Klay level in terms of launching three-pointers at volume and efficiency.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

'01 Shaq was same Shaq that Rockets swept....just with NBA refs swallowing their whistles when he ran into people.

The idea that "ram a stationary defender until you knock him out of the way" was considered a valid offensive move was astounding. The fact that only ONE player was allowed to do that made it even worse.

2000-2002 Shaq was the one player the NBA told, "You don't have to go over or around stationary defenders, since you're big we'll let you just go right through them and we won't call anything." If a smaller offensive player had gone straight into a stationary defender until he knocked them out of the way, it would have been called in a heartbeat. But because Shaq could knock guys over with less effort, that somehow made it not a foul.

On the other end refs were all over the place. Some nights they would let defenders hack the hell out of Shaq on a "well, it goes both ways" philosophy, but when the Lakers really needed the win you couldn't breathe on him without fouling out.







Somewhere there's an alternate reality where the refs call 2000 WCF Game 7 and 2002 WCF Game 6 fair and the Lakers lose both, and Dikembe actually gets to guard Shaq in 2001, covers him straight up and Kobe pulls a 2004 and they lose that one too. Imagine what the Lakers would have been looking like if they went through the entire Shaq/Kobe/Phil era with no rings.....

 

[Jesus Is Lord]

What's your fav position then ?
Pause

Fred

6’5 power forward, Barkley and Larry Johnson type

Pause

 

[2Quik4UHoes]

The only correct answer is that OP team wouldn’t lose.

 

[Admiral Ackbar]

Gary Payton would give Jordan fits like he always did
Steph Curry would light up Magic
Scottie Pippen would give LeBron problems.
Tim Duncan for scoring, defense, etc
Hakeem always gave Shaq problems

Double team Jordan and Kobe, and force LeBron and Magic to shoot, and force them to give LeBron the ball in the clutch

^ this team would win 4-2

So you'll have two players unguarded?