This is another contrast of styles game akin to the
1992 vs. 1979 game in the LaRue Martin region. The 1998 team wants free motion, flowing possessions. The 1980 team wants to punch that motion in the face. This match-up is actually the hardest to pick of all the 1/8 games in this tournament, IMO.
I like the PG combo of Bibby/J-Dubb slightly more than 1980’s Drew/Sparrow duo. None of the four are particularly great defensively, and I think 1998’s shooting and creativity will help their team.
The 1998 team has tremendous balance on the wings. Hughes, Patterson, Harpring, and 2007-08 Pierce are all good defenders. Carter, Pierce, and Lewis are all excellent scorers. Harpring, Lewis, and Carter are all reliable spot-up shooters. Pierce and Hughes can both beat their man off the dribble and create for themselves and/or their teammates. The 1980 group of Toney, Kiki, Griffith, and Woodson have a nice array of abilities, but they don’t quite stack-up to the powerhouse wing players on the 1998 squad.
Down low, we have an interesting contrast of styles. 1980 will beat you up. Ruland, Mahorn, and Rambis all try to get in the head of the other team’s bigs. Their physicality makes up for their lack of grace and dexterity. McHale, Carroll, and Gminski will supply the offense for this group. The 1998 team has one good weak-side shot blocker (LaFrentz) who played average to poor on-ball defense, and 3 other questionable defenders. They will be forced to double McHale every time he touches it in the block. At the same time, they will pose serious match-up problems for the slow-of-foot 1980 frontcourt with their speed and outside shooting. I would love to watch this game.
Ultimately, the 1998 team just has too much firepower. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not they can advance past this round, though.