>my main focus will be isolating iverson on stockton and bryant
>on barry. these are the NBA's premier scorers and time has
>proven that nobody can guard them without double teaming. if u
>doble team one, the other is going to be open. having both as
>starters probably will make the other team zone a lot which is
>just fine because four of the starters can hit the 3 ball with
>relative consistency.

The odds of me running a zone are slim, as I don't really think Kobe or AI's jumpers are going to beat me, although I'm sure they'll try by heaving every chance they get.

I'm more than fine with man defense. We'll let AI, a career .421% shooter, take his jumpshots. And as bad as that percentage is, let's not forget he's .402% career in the playoffs. Simply put, my team is not losing to AI's jumper as long as it's a 7-game series. His speed and driving ability will be largely contained by Duncan, Deke, and Wallace, three of the premiere shot blockers in the modern NBA. Lest we forget his career 3.72 TOs a game, I'll gladly remind everyone that should also be a factor as AI repeatedly drives himself into trouble and tries to find the open shooter. They won't be getting that many possessions, and AI has not always been the one to make each touch count. The more the ball is in his hands, the more they play into my gameplan.

Kobe will likely require double teams as opposed to big men backing up the paint, as his J can heat up very fast and he can get it on anyone. Since he's really starting Ratliff, I wouldn't feel too bad sending Mutombo on a DT because Theo isn't about to start lighting it up down low, and I wouldn't worry about the paint either because TD would still be home. In the 4th quarter it would be NO problem to send Horry or Rice over on a DT, because I am more than content giving Peja open looks come crunch time. Do you remember those bricks and airballs he was throwing up against LA in the WCF? Chris Webber's rep as a choke artist might have more to do with Peja than anything.

>the second option rasheed wallace will probably be working
>hard on both ends of the floor defending and scoring on
>duncan. to mix it up a bit and get more space in the middle
>some plays will have to be designed so that duncan will have
>to come out of the paint to defend a trailing rasheed wallace
>who will be looking to drain a timely 3 pointer.

Like I said, this is the same Wallace that Duncan won Finals MVP against, right? And even if Duncan is watching Sheed at the 3-pt line either Mutombo or the other Wallace will be home. My lane will always be well-protected.

>of course the battle of the boards will come down to the
>bigger body at the center position (ratliff is stronger, but
>mutumbo is longer) and lets face it, neiher mutumbo or ratliff
>are prolific scorers so the main job of ratliff would be to
>alter shots and to match up with mutumbo's rebounding ability.
>ratliff will have to emplore a tenacious box out scheme to get
>the skinnier and older mutumbo out of the paint area.

Besides the fact that Mutombo (14.1 rpg twice in his career, 10.9 rpg overall) would murder Ratliff (career best 8.3 rpg in '00-'01, 6.3 rpg career) on the glass alone, the boards will be decided by much more than Deke and Ratliff. Tim Duncan is one of the premiere rebounders in the modern game, same for Ben Wallace. Rice and Peja are basically a wash, but whenever he puts Arizin in it's going to be open season on the offensive glass. Let's not forget I have a SF starting at SG, either, who averaged 10.6 pulls a game his rookie year, and 6.5 rpg for his NBA career.

Walton and Gilmore would be much better rebounders, but as they're both on the bench and it would be a weird line-up to have both on the court at the same time, I think it's safe to say that Duncan, Wallace, or Deke could easily neutralize any of these guys.

>overall, my team will be focusing on spreading the half court
>offense and isolating mutumbo in the paint area to draw fouls
>to get him out early and to eliminate any sense of help
>defense. stoyakovic's height advantage should make the hoop
>look like an easy target from 3 pointer land and artis
>gilmore's 20-10 coming off the bench should help the team stay
>big and consistent in the middle. most of the scoring will
>probably be done on fastbreak outlet passes which is just a
>factor of speed and offensive talent. with iverson and kobe
>running the show there wont be a shortage of offensive splurts
>and high octane highlight reel material.

Fouls on Mutombo just means more PT for Ben Wallace, and like I said, my team is built for the 4th quarter so if it's ever a problem I can just tell them to not foul until it counts. Also, these guys aren't just thugs, they are PREMIERE defensive players in the NBA. They have the fundmentals to go with the athletic talent. There's reasons they've topped the block columns, anchored defenses, won DPOYs, been named All-Defense and all that. They erase shots with talent, not just pure thuggery (although we reserve the right to thuggery should the need arise).

Also, if his plan is to fast-break, it comes back to rebounds. It's going to take 5 guys to get the defensive rebounds against my squad. While Kobe and AI go flying up the court looking for passes there's going to be plenty of offensive boards for my guys, especially if Kobe is ditching Barry. Any team looking to clear out early on my squad is going to pay in extra possessions for my team and further wasted clock for the game. And seriously, it's a gift every time 6'4" Arizin hits the floor. John Stockton might be able to out-rebound that guy.

>my team will be looking to push the tempo against a visibly
>slower and older team with less scoring ability. the key is to
>demoralize their squad early and then after developing a
>suitable lead, the bigs will come off the bench and basically
>make their squad depend on jump shots. Walton will basically
>be in games to send a clear message that nobody will come into
>the paint without getting bruised up and arizin will play the
>role of spot and drop in key situations.
>
>final score::
>low2behold- 110
>celery77- 87

First of all, my team IS built to hit jumpshots. It's Rick "Coldest J Ever" Barry, Glen "I Love 3s Because I Don't Have to Go to the Post" Rice, John "Efficiency" Stockton, Robert "Leave Me in the 4th and I'll Take Your Champsionship" Horry, and Paul ".504% Career FG%" Westphal. This team is ALL about efficiency in the half-court, if that's his gameplan he's doing EXACTLY what I want.

And in all this he fails to address the hitch in his bench. Who's subbing in for Kobe and AI who are going to be running and gunning so much? I know these guys are used to big minutes, but between chasing Rick Barry, defending constant pick and rolls, running up and down the court per gameplan, and hogging the ball on every possession, where are they going to get a breather?

It's just another reason why the second half and in particular 4th quarters will belong to me. As Kobe and AI gasp for air on D my half-court set, with John Stockton pick and rolls with Barry working to get open every trip down the court, we will become that much more dominant. Peja's going to disappear, Horry's going to make every minute he plays count, my team loaded with high percentage FT shooters (aside from Ben Wallace, who can rest the 4th, my worst are Duncan and Deke at .702% and .683% career respectively, with highs of .799% and .747%) won't have any players to foul to earn extra possessions. With Ratliff starting and Arizin off the bench, the battle of the boards should HANDILY be in my favor for ALL 48 minutes.

I respect Kobe and AI's ability to steal games, and as AI showed against the Lakers a hot hand can happen to anyone, but in a 7-game series there's little question which team would control the games.