No write-ups for this one?

At a quick glance, this is a closer matchup then the seeding suggests. Both teams drafted with a clear strategy in mind, and both have solid enough benches.

I think these teams will give each other fits. Utah is built to score well with a balanced attack, but they face excellent defenders. Nate will get his, but Alvin has the length and athleticism to keep him from totally taking over. I think Arizin (who's undersized at the 3 in this league) will really struggle against Pippen, who (speaking of length and athleticism) has the capability to really smother him.

But I don't see that Memphis is built with enough scoring power to take full advantage of the edge their defensive prowess provides. Their only real go-to scorer is Robinson, who has to contend with Shaq. And while having Pippen in there helps with ball movement, Alvin was generally not a full-time PG and none of the other starters are notable passers, so I question whether this unit has the overall playmaking ability to create enough efficient scoring opportunities.

With all that said, my eyes are drawn to the center position. Robinson at his peak was a truly amazing player, and over the course of a season can be expected to hold his own against O'Neal (especially with his superior mobility and versatile offensive game). But in crunch-time postseason, I have to go with the more proven performer in Shaq, who seemed to be good for 30-20 when his team really needed it.

So in the absence of gameplans that tell me how these teams would counter each others' strengths, my nod goes to Utah.

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Favorite players: Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Bill Russell, Alex English, Kiki Vandeweghe, Sidney Moncrief, Lafayette Lever, Dan Issel, Bobby Jones, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West...and Brooks Thompson