Eastern Conference gotta do better

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Those teams were mirror images of each other playing prison ball for the most part. The point we're discussing here is how they would match up against today's teams. NBA basketball is all about match ups. This Raptors team just wouldn't match up well against those 90s teams. The Raptors are actually built in the mode of a 90s. They're built on defense and feature 2 volume ISO perimeter players. Have you seen their playoff games and how hard it's been for them to score? This is an offensive friendly era nonetheless. As bad as those 90s teams looked against each other at times they still featured hall of fame players. Lowry and Derozan aren't even close to hall of fame. Mark Jackson was a better player and certainly a better point guard than Lowry is. Reggie is better than Derozan. The Knicks had Pat a true 20-10 franchise center and quality role players. thats a lot more than Toronto or any other team in the east besides Cleveland and a fully healthy Miami has.

Y'all can't make shyt like this up.

 

[Sonny Corinthos]

Cavs are just a good ass team when focused. I hope they take it all.

This. I get why most think Bron is a bytch ass nikka and I've never been a Kevin Love fan but these fans deserve a ship and Kyrie is a monster

 

[NYC Rebel]

Those teams were mirror images of each other playing prison ball for the most part. The point we're discussing here is how they would match up against today's teams. NBA basketball is all about match ups. This Raptors team just wouldn't match up well against those 90s teams. The Raptors are actually built in the mode of a 90s. They're built on defense and feature 2 volume ISO perimeter players. Have you seen their playoff games and how hard it's been for them to score? This is an offensive friendly era nonetheless. As bad as those 90s teams looked against each other at times they still featured hall of fame players. Lowry and Derozan aren't even close to hall of fame. Mark Jackson was a better player and certainly a better point guard than Lowry is. Reggie is better than Derozan. The Knicks had Pat a true 20-10 franchise center and quality role players. thats a lot more than Toronto or any other team in the east besides Cleveland and a fully healthy Miami has.

Those teams lacked talent. Mark Jackson as a Pacer was such a plodder as a scorer that the NBA made a rule to based on his turtle like back to the basket scoring. Mark Jackson was traded by the Knicks because he was a defensive liability who couldn't be stay in front of anyone.

Reggie is NOT better than Derozan. He wasn't even in Mitch Richmond's league. He had no put the ball on the floor type of game. Derozan is a much better scorer.

Both Lowery and Derozan can create their own shot. Notice that the Pacers needed Jalen Rose who could create his own offense in order to go to the next level....and he left as the ONLY Pacer who could do that.

Those 90s Pacers were ordinary as fukk along with the Knicks.

 

[The G.O.D II]

Why are people in here making hypothetical match ups between now and the 90s? Of course a team like today's Hawks would win over 90s team. Game is much faster, advanced, etc. Just like all aspects of life whether it be tech or food production. The point is, the east in the 90sbwas much more competitive. Don't get me wrong. Bulls were always favorites to come out. But it wasn't this shyt like now where you knew by mid Dec the cavs were going to blast by the playoffs. Back then, you knew a squad like the Knicks or pacers were going to show up against the Bulls no matter what. It would be a competitive, hard fought, quality series that would last at least 6-7 games. Can't say the same if a like the Hawks or Raps played Cle

 

[backbreaker65]

I haven't watched any of the Eastern Conf. Playoff games and I mean not 1 second. When that shyt on I watch Wicked Tuna, Naked and Afraid and Flip or Flop reruns.

 

[Microfracture]

I bet if they made it 1-16 like some people have suggested, you'd see Steph, Lebron, Kawhi, KD & Russ all still in the late rounds.

 

[Jplaya2023]

The Boston Celtics that LeBron had to face from '08-'13 are better than any of the teams Jordan faced in the 90's East...

The Knicks peaked when Jordan was playing baseball. They barely made it over the Jordan-less Bulls with the dispute Hue Hollins call in '94.

the same boston celtics that went 7 games with a 37 win hawks team in 08? ??

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Those Teams Were Trash Now? lol

They Weren't Dynasty Calibur But They Were 1-2 Championship Calibur (Not 2 Consecutively) Had The Bulls Not Had Been The Iconic Force That They Were. The Cavs Are NOT An Iconic Force And These Teams Can't Even Squeeze 1 fukking Game Out Of Them, It's Pathetic. Jordan Himself Will Tell You Those Series Were No Joke.

In The End Those Teams Lost But These Teams Now Aren't Even Competition

Mike has always said and done everything to prop himself up and try to preserve him spot no matter how absurd it is. Few players have ever been as defensive about their legacy as him. Reality is the only teams they faced from 1991 to 1998 that could have been great were Orlando and Seattle, and both of them imploded after 1996. All the teams they faced in the playoffs from 1991-98 besides them were either entirely too reliant on one star or two, mediocre on defense, had Reggie Miller as their best player, or were from Cleveland, so you know none of them really stood a chance. I mean we look back at the Knicks and jazz as the toughest fights Chicago had and the Jazz cracked 90 points one time in their 12 finals games from 1997-98. The 1993 Knicks had home court advantage, went up 2-0, and held Mike to 39% shooting on the series and still lost in 6. In any other decade the Bulls max out at 4 titles I would estimate. They didn't have birds Celtics or showtime lakers or Doctor J's 76ers. The bad boys were spent by 1991. The magic weren't ready in 1996 and Shaq and Kobe wouldn't be ready until 2000. San Antonio didn't even have a reliable second scorer until Duncan in 1997.

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Why are people in here making hypothetical match ups between now and the 90s? Of course a team like today's Hawks would win over 90s team. Game is much faster, advanced, etc. Just like all aspects of life whether it be tech or food production. The point is, the east in the 90sbwas much more competitive. Don't get me wrong. Bulls were always favorites to come out. But it wasn't this shyt like now where you knew by mid Dec the cavs were going to blast by the playoffs. Back then, you knew a squad like the Knicks or pacers were going to show up against the Bulls no matter what. It would be a competitive, hard fought, quality series that would last at least 6-7 games. Can't say the same if a like the Hawks or Raps played Cle

East is very competitive other than the Cavs.

More so than the west this year. Warriors had a much easier road to the finals going by regular season records.

Cavs are just playing by far the best basketball in the league right now, they'd be rolling over the west teams just as easy

 

[NYC Rebel]

Mike has always said and done everything to prop himself up and try to preserve him spot no matter how absurd it is. Few players have ever been as defensive about their legacy as him. Reality is the only teams they faced from 1991 to 1998 that could have been great were Orlando and Seattle, and both of them imploded after 1996. All the teams they faced in the playoffs from 1991-98 besides them were either entirely too reliant on one star or two, mediocre on defense, had Reggie Miller as their best player, or were from Cleveland, so you know none of them really stood a chance. I mean we look back at the Knicks and jazz as the toughest fights Chicago had and the Jazz cracked 90 points one time in their 12 finals games from 1997-98. The 1993 Knicks had home court advantage, went up 2-0, and held Mike to 39% shooting on the series and still lost in 6. In any other decade the Bulls max out at 4 titles I would estimate. They didn't have birds Celtics or showtime lakers or Doctor J's 76ers. The bad boys were spent by 1991. The magic weren't ready in 1996 and Shaq and Kobe wouldn't be ready until 2000. San Antonio didn't even have a reliable second scorer until Duncan in 1997.

shyt is beyond annoying. Those teams were ordinary as fukk....but "they played MJ hard" so.....

 

[tremonthustler1]

I cringe when people mention Starks aka 90s Wesley Matthews as some factor

Just came to post that

But he dunked on Jordan and stuff! I have the poster

 

[The G.O.D II]

East is very competitive other than the Cavs.

More so than the west this year. Warriors had a much easier road to the finals going by regular season records.

Cavs are just playing by far the best basketball in the league right now, they'd be rolling over the west teams just as easy

You just are not getting the point. Sure they are competitive amongst each other. By the gap between them and the cavs is Gulf of Mexico wide. Look at the #2 seed right now. They look like they don't even belong on the floor. Wasn't like that in the 90s. Meanwhile, GS is the clear favorite but they had the most competitive series against a team projected to be a lottery pick this year. They just lost home court advantage. The gap between them and other squads isn't as big as the Cavs and the rest of the heat. Cavs are not rolling over OKC, SA, etc the way they are destroying the Hawks

 

[ManBearPig]

Cavs have a $90M payroll. They supposed to be the best team.

Tell that to the 2006 knicks

 

[FTBS]

My point is the games should be getting better as you go along. I want the best teams matching up as the playoffs progress.

I am all for them re-doing the playoffs. The fact remains that everything would be the same to this point. And Toronto was amongst the better teams in the regular season. Just because they got destroyed in game 1 (Didn't the same thing happen to OKC last round? Don't recall any hue and cry after that.) doesn't mean they are a bunch of scrubs. It's funny to me how we pick and chose what is just good old fashioned dominance and what is a result of weak comp. They actually usually go hand and hand.

 

[The G.O.D II]

shyt is beyond annoying. Those teams were ordinary as fukk....but "they played MJ hard" so.....

And yet you turn around and do the same shyt with the 80s mavs.