ROUND 2: 909 VS. YPOV

[Brooklyn Zoo]

ROUND 2 - 90s NBA DRAFT TOURNAMENT:

909 VS. YPOV

24 HOURS TO VOTE

HERE IS THE RUNDOWN:

909:
Starters:
PG: Magic Johnson
SG: Drazen Petrovic
SF: Dominique Wilkins
PF: Chris Webber
C: Antonio McDyess

Bench:
PG: Terry Porter/Derek Harper
SG: Wesley Person
SF: Rick Fox
PF: Juwan Howard, PJ Brown
C: Moses Malone

Obviously my team is set up to run and gun straight from the start, playing defense on centers isn't really optional. My goal is to make everyone else's big men as tired as possible while my team fills it up. I feel like there's no way to guard players like Shaq or Hakeem unless you actually have Shaq or Hakeem, but I did draft good defenders for my bench that can stop the players at other positions. Obviously the offense is running through Magic, Petrovic, and Wilkins getting the ball and pushing up the court as quickly as they can.

YPOV:

Starting Lineup:
PG: Mookie
SG: Reggie
SF: Pippen
PF: KG
C: Sabonis

Second Unit:
PG: Mark Jackson
SG: Hersey Hawkins/Isaiah Rider
SF: Chuck Person/Isaiah Rider
PF: Charles Oakley/Joe Smith/Chuck Person
C: Mark Eaton

Our team has a bunch of efficient players who do things unexpected of their position, so we can do whatever it takes to win. Also, the fact that each person in my starting lineup is recognizable by one name alone shows how cool they are.

KG, Sabonis and Pippen can score from anywhere within the arc. Reggie is one of the best scoring threats of the era and can score from anywhere. Sabonis will hit double digits, the rest are all capable of scoring 20-25 and can drop much more when they've got the hot hand. All of these guys can get open on their own, but having three front court players who can facilitate and create offence for others is a great attribute. Sabonis and KG are both double digit rebounders with the size to hold court in the paint. As I said earlier, KG was already a great defensive player by the end of the 90s. Pippen might be the best defensive player of the era. Arguably the best perimeter defender, one of the best at help defence in the post, and can captain a defence through whatever strategy is required.

I also have great offence on my bench in Hawkins, Person and Rider. If I’m facing a team that clogs the paint, I can use Person to shoot from the outside. If there are opportunities to slash, both Hawkins and Rider are two of the best at it. If need more of a defensive presence in the paint that eliminates second-chance scoring opportunities, I can fit Oakley in at PF with KG at Center. He's also still a very efficient scorer. Eaton is a defensive stalwart who can be used when I need more defence in the post. I can get away with that because everyone else on the court will be able to score. Joe Smith is a wild card, a poor man’s KG that’s there to be a utility man depending on the line-up and need of the second unit.

Mark Jackson is one of the best at running an offence. But with all those scorers and facilitators on the floor, I can value the defence at the position and start Mookie. Nice to have that on the bench, though.

 

[AA484]

This was tough but I went with 909. I think his team is well-rounded with a lot of versatility. He has defense off the bench (Fox, Harper), playmakers (Magic), shooter (Drazen), all-around scorer (Dominique), and post players that would either run Sabonis and Eaton's old asses off the floor (McDyess and Webber) or hold their own against them (Moses). YPOV has the better defensive squad (three elite defenders in the starting 5) but I think Mookie is a bad match up for Magic so he will have to pick his poison between Pippen guarding either Magic or Dominique. A shooting contest with minimal defense between Reggie and Petrovic is intriguing.

 

[alfdogg]

Had to go with 909 on this one. I think Magic vs Mookie is the difference maker in an otherwise pretty even matchup (and I loved Mookie). He'll lead a strong running attack with three great finishers and one of the best shooters ever. Every one of his players can step out and be a threat from at least mid-range, which will keep the defense honest. And I think he's got pretty much everything you want from your bench. I was a little surprised to see that he drafted two PGs behind Magic, but Derek Harper is a really underrated piece that can be plugged into multiple roles here, possibly as a guy that can get under Reggie's skin and is also capable of getting a big stop in the clutch.

 

[909]

Yeah, just to clarify, I drafted Harper and Rick Fox specifically to defend top wing players. I should have written that down to begin with.

 

[MFer]

I'll take the team with Person on it...

Anyways, I was trying to find a way for YPOV's team to defend 909's, but it's tough. Pippen on Magic seems like the move, but no matter what, Mookie's gonna have to guard someone a lot bigger (likely Petrovic). Miller was a peskier defender than he got credit for, but it's still a tough ask for him to have him take on 'Nique, even the post-Achilles version. A weird idea could be to run KG at some small forward, which he played for a couple years.

YPOV's offense has some firepower too though. I like Miller more than most, even though he wasn't a 25 to 30-point type. Hawkins and the elder Person are nice bench options. I do like YPOV's bigs a little better, but I think the matchup is gonna come down more to perimeter play. Overall, I think 909's team has a bit of a higher ceiling, so I'm going with him.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

909 has advanced to the CONFERENCE FINALS! We are now down to one matchup left in the 2nd round.