Knick Killer

Not really but that's what you turned it into.

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l0st1

This is a really tough choice. Initially I had to go with the Nets. I think Wilt and McHale are going to dominatein the paint. And I like that Artest will be on Lebron exclusively which will put a huge dent in the strength advantage Lebron normally has on his defender. Kidd could have some issues with Thomas' quickness, since that was Kidd's one weakpoint. But I like the interior presence he will run into if he gets by Kidd.

Depending on the seasons you guys are playing Kidd could be a threepoint threat or he could not. If he isn't that makes the outside shooting of the Nets that much worse. Ray and Billups being the only consistent threepoint threats with Artest hitting the occasional one(again depending on which season you are looking at). I would of liked if he took a threepoint shooter instead of Monroe or a stretch 4 instead of Grant.

Close matchup. Gonna think about it more before votig though.

Laker Freak

I'm going with the Nets here.

Feel bad for the Bucks though because they probably have one of the best squads in the entire league. They just don't match up will with the Nets.

PauloCatarino

Eventhough the Bucks have the superior bench (IMHO), i'm not gonna lie: i just loooove the Nets' starting 5 for this match-up.
The Nets starters are defense-heavy and, better yet, perfectly equiped to deal with Lebron (the Buck's best player - sorry, Zeke!). Their roles also seem to be well-designed to battle the Bucks (including the good plan of having Wilt play major minutes - cause no one can stop him).

I go with the Nets.

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2012 Legends Draft Winner

Golden State Warriors:
PG- Steve Nash - Maurice Cheeks;
SG- John Havlicek - Latrell Sprewell;
SF- Bernard King - Mark Aguirre;
PF- Dirk Nowitzki - Maurice Lucas;
C- Hakeem Olajuwon - Robert Parish.

roux2dope

stop lebron? nobody really stops lebron... shit Artest has "stopped" him to the tune of 25,6 and 6 on his career... stats most players in league history would kill for

PauloCatarino

I don't think this is adressed to me, cause i never said Lebron would be "stopped"... But i'm curious: those 25/6/6 were at obtained at wich shooting percentages and minutes played?

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2012 Legends Draft Winner

Golden State Warriors:
PG- Steve Nash - Maurice Cheeks;
SG- John Havlicek - Latrell Sprewell;
SF- Bernard King - Mark Aguirre;
PF- Dirk Nowitzki - Maurice Lucas;
C- Hakeem Olajuwon - Robert Parish.

roux2dope

45.8% shooting 41 mpg

roux2dope

others have mentioned it so i thought i would defend lebron...

l0st1

I, also, didn't use the word stopped. Just expressed that Artest is the perfect defender to guard Lebron.
Not sure how accurate this is but got this from yahoo answers. Figured

Not stopping Lebron by any means, but made life a little more difficult on him. 5.1 turnovers, and down to 45% shooting. About as good as you can ask for against I guy like Lebron

Dornado

Here's my take position by position:

PG: Jason Kidd v. Isiah Thomas

One big question I have, is are we talking about young-energetic-questionable outside shot Jason Kidd, or old steady marksman Jason Kidd? Either way, the advantage goes to a prime Isiah. Thomas was a superb ball handler, an excellent passer and had a killer instinct. Assuming we're going with a youngish Kidd, neither one is going to kill you from the outside (Thomas rarely shot threes)... Thomas might struggle a bit with the physicality of Kidd, who is bigger and stronger, but Thomas was a tough smiley little assassin who played with a chip on his shoulder. I think Thomas' quickness and instincts put him over Kidd (who is obviously a great PG) so I'll give him the nod.


SG: Ray Allen v. Pistol Pete Maravich

This is a fun match-up... they're both about the same size, both great offensive weapons. Ray Allen's shooting is nearly unparalleled in NBA history, but Pistol Pete was no slouch as a shooter and holds the edge in terms of ballhandling and playmaking. Allen is a great fit because he's proven that he can be successful without really needing the ball in his hands, but conversely there is some value to having a guy like Maravich who can take some pressure off of your other ballhandlers (and this team has plenty). Neither one plays enough defense to slow the other one down... I'm calling it a push.

SF: Ron Artest v. Lebron James

Ron Artest is the worst player in either team's starting 5, and he's matched up against King James. People have given Artest plenty of credit for his defense and I do think that he's a decent match-up for James, but this is still a huge advantage for the Bucks. Artest had some success against a 19 year old Lebron... against a prime Lebron, not so much. Artest has never been a reliable shooter and is a pretty shitty ballhandler, which will help the Bucks in the sense that Lebron will be able to do some roaming defensively. Ultimately the Bucks 1-3 of Thomas/Maravich/James just seems unstoppable in the open court. I don't see how the Nets can keep up with them if the Bucks start to run.

PF: Kevin McHale v. Bob McAdoo

Kevin McHale v. Bob McAdoo is a little bit out of my wheelhouse since I know a lot more about McHale than I do about Bellamy. McHale is one of the greatest and most creative post scorers ever and an underrated defender. Charles Barkley calls him the toughest guy he ever had to match up against. That being said, from all accounts McAdoo was an incredibly versatile offensive option who had size to bang underneath but loved to step out and hit a jumper. His jumpshot release was high enough that even McHale's long arms probably won't bother him too much. I've only seen highlights, but his midrange game looks filthy (check out the youtube clip of him putting up 50 against washington in the playoffs). A young McAdoo could run too... so having Isiah and Lebron leading the break with Pistol Pete and Bob McAdoo might be impossible to stop. I was thinking that McHale might crowd the post for the Nets best player, but they're both such willing passers and McHale can step out to 15 feet without a problem.

C: Wilt Chamberlain v. Bob Lanier

By Bob Lanier's second season he matched up pretty well with Wilt and played him mostly to a draw... the problem is that Wilt was in his mid-30's at that point. This is a huge advantage for the Nets, there's no way around it. Wilt is one of the best players ever and there's simply no stopping him. That being said, Lanier is bigger and more physical than most of the guys Chamberlain had to play against, and Roux's strategy of fouling the shit out of Wilt might not be a terrible idea.


Bench and other considerations:

The Bucks bench provides a more potent offensive punch, while the Nets bench is arguably more versatile and well balanced. As I mentioned earlier in the thread it is really hard to pick against either one of these teams... as much as I love the Nets lineup, if the Bucks put the pedal to the metal and hack/crowd Wilt every time he has the ball I think they can take it. If someone from the Nets starts hitting from outside as a result of crowding the paint (and Allen is the only likely candidate, unless we're talking about an older Kidd) the Bucks can just stick Lebron on whatever fire needs to be put out.

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kbdullah

Would've like to see a little more perimeter shooting on the Nets. I suppose, depending on what year chosen for Kidd, you can make the argument that between he and Allen you've got two of the most prolific 3-pt shooters of all time. But by the time Kidd became known for 3-pt shooting, other areas of his game had declined. Still, I like what the Nets have in the post, plus their best perimeter defender is on the other teams best player so I got Nets.

roux2dope

Guess i should have taken artest in the first instead of lebron, good to know that my hall of fame center is such a mis match against wilt yet artest would just make lebrons life miserable


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