Chris, Author at BBallHistory.com

All-Time Sacramento Kings Team

Our next franchise has been in existence for 67 seasons. They experienced their greatest success early on, winning the NBA Finals in their third year. They’re very well-traveled, going from Rochester, to Cincinnati, to Kansas City, to Sacramento, then almost to Seattle, but ultimately staying in Sacramento for the foreseeable future. In recent seasons, they’ve been defined by bad ownership; first, by a family who desperately tried to move them yet again, and currently, by a man who seems to have been planted by their competitors in an effort to ruin the franchise. When you’ve been in existence for so long, however, you’re likely to have employed several memorable players, which is certainly the case here. The 13th seed in our tournament, the All-Time Sacramento Kings team has a nice mix of stars from throughout their long history.

The starting backcourt consists of Hall-of-Famers Tiny Archibald and Oscar Robertson. Tiny famously led the league in both scoring and assists in 1973, averaging a mind-blowing 34.0 PPG and 11.4 APG. A master at driving and drawing fouls, he was one of the great playmakers of his era. Oscar was one of the great playmakers of any era; in addition to averaging a triple-double in his second season in the league, he cumulatively averaged a triple-double over his first five seasons (30.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 10.6 APG). He made the All-NBA first team in his first nine seasons, and won the only MVP award in franchise history. While both were primary ball handlers, they have a nice mix of quickness (Tiny) and strength (Oscar), and should fit together to form one of the most talented backcourts in this tournament. Off the bench, Bob Davies was one of the first playmakers in league history, and was one of 10 players selected to the league’s 25th anniversary team. His former backcourt mate, Bobby Wanzer, was a nominee for that team, and, like Davies, was elected to the Hall of Fame. They’re joined by fellow Hall-of-Famer Mitch Richmond, who was one of the best shooters of his era, and the high-scoring Otis Birdsong, who ranks in the top-10 in NBA history in field goal percentage for a guard.

The starting small forward, Hall-of-Famer Jack Twyman, was a dynamic scorer who, along with Wilt Chamberlain in 1960, became the first player in league history to average over 30 points per game in a season. Twyman’s career is often defined by his beautiful alliance with Maurice Stokes, but he was also a great player, who adds more firepower for this explosive unit. He’s joined by fellow Hall-of-Famer Jerry Lucas, who’s fourth in league history in rebounds per game. Lucas’s famous jumper will help space the floor for this starting unit. They’re joined in the starting lineup by Chris Webber, one of the most talented big men of his era who was a uniquely gifted passer, in addition to his scoring and rebounding prowess. Off the bench, Peja Stojakovic is the one of the greatest shooters ever, currently ranking 10th on the all-time list for made three point field goals. He’s joined by Hall-of-Famer Arnie Risen, one of the first great big men in league history, who helped lead the team to their only title, and all-star Wayne Embry, who will spend minutes at both center and power forward.

One of the tricky parts of a tournament like this is determining how to compare players from different eras. Risen, Davies, and Wanzer played a completely different game from Webber and Stojakovic. The 6’9” Risen earned the nickname ‘Stilts’ due to his tremendous height, but he was built like a modern-day small forward. He and Embry had more than enough size for their eras, but are physically outmatched by the modern-day athletes they will surely encounter in this tournament. I’ll do my best to contextualize these match ups, and not discount the league’s pioneers. This team has great potential, considering the relative dominance of many of its stars.

Coach: Les Harrison

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .460

All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Memphis Grizzlies

Well this doesn’t seem fair. The plucky Grizzlies, who have recently emerged as a Western Conference power, face a brutal first round match up against the All-Time Spurs. Can Memphis make this competitive? Here’s the tale of the tape.

San Antonio’s Advantages

Offensive firepower: We’ll keep it simple with the Spurs’ advantages. They can score from every position on the court, and play any style, depending on their opponent. Memphis’s strength is the play of their big men, but the Gasol brothers, Zach Randolph, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim are outmatched by Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Larry Kenon, John Beasley, and Artis Gilmore. They have no chance of hanging with George Gervin, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and the deep Spurs bench on the perimeter. Tony Allen will struggle to stay on the floor in this series; smart teams tend to sag off of him, knowing he won’t be able to hurt them from the outside. Shane Battier, a much better shooting threat, will get plenty of minutes, but he, Mike Miller, and Rudy Gay are still at a huge disadvantage offensively.

Defensive suffocation: Memphis is not an explosive team, relying primarily on their defensive might. With Duncan and Robinson, San Antonio has one of the best inside defensive tandems in the tournament. In addition, Alvin Robertson and Kawhi Leonard can shut perimeter opponents down off the bench. The Grizzlies also don’t have a go-to option who can consistently break down a defense.

Memphis’s Advantages

Sure, that’s not entirely fair. Memphis is a tough-minded team who will be very difficult to score against. However, it’s difficult to identify where they have an advantage over a deep San Antonio team.

X-Factor

49 – 21. That’s the number of years that the Spurs and Grizzlies have been in existence, respectively. While we’ve seen several newer franchises thrive earlier in this tournament (Orlando and Miami), it’s still very difficult to overcome this kind of age disparity.

Results

No surprise here. The Spurs control the series, and overwhelm Memphis on both ends of the court. Much like the 2013 Western Conference Finals, San Antonio dominates.

Spurs sweep, four games to none.

Next Round

San Antonio faces the winner of the All-Time Kings vs. All-Time Nuggets.

All-Time Memphis Grizzlies Team

Considering their origins, the All-Time Memphis Grizzlies team is pretty solid. In their six seasons in Vancouver, the franchise accumulated a woeful .220 winning percentage, which translates to 18 wins per season. In their 15 years in Memphis, they’ve improved to close to .500 (.487), and made the playoffs eight times. Even if their youth prevents them from having a realistic shot in our tournament, it’s worth celebrating the talent they’ve accumulated in that time.

The starting backcourt should look familiar to anybody who has watched the ‘Grit & Grind’ Grizzlies of the past few years. Mike Conley has turned into a borderline star point guard, who, despite being slightly undersized, is a plus defender. Tony Allen is one of the premier defensive players of his generation, who, unfortunately, doubles as an offensive liability. Off the bench, Jason Williams is one of the flashiest playmakers in this tournament, who had more style than substance, shooting 39.4% from the field during his time with the franchise. O.J. Mayo never seemed to live up to the high expectations people had for him out of high school (this cover proved to have been slightly inaccurate), but he was a solid scorer with Memphis who will give this team more firepower when Allen rests. Shane Battier was another plus defender who could shut down opposing wings. He was also a much better shooter than Allen, so expect him to play plenty of minutes.

Mike Miller, the starting small forward, provides desperately needed long-range shooting ability (a team high 42% three point shooter as a Grizzly). He’ll split time with Battier and Rudy Gay, a talented scorer who is better suited to the secondary role that he’ll play on this team. The Gasol Brothers, two of the greatest passing big men in this tournament, round out the starting five. Pau was a tremendous offensive player for Memphis, who could score down low and hit the mid-range jump shot with regularity. Marc, who was acquired in a trade for his brother, is a brilliant two-way player who might be the best current center in the NBA. Zach Randolph, an offensive beast who has perfected the art of creating separation from his defender without an ounce of athleticism, is the first big man off the bench. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, another offensive talent who played on the horrendous Vancouver teams, will also get minutes at the four, and can also play sparingly at small forward. Bryant “Big Country” Reeves has no business being in this tournament, but he’ll serve as the team’s 12th man, and provide bulk and six extra fouls when needed (side note: I spent about five minutes debating whether to put Reeves or Stromile Swift in for the last roster spot. I think I need help.)

This team has the potential to be a defensive force, featuring Allen, Marc Gasol, Conley, and Battier. Like the current Memphis team, they don’t have the high-scoring ability of many other teams in this tournament, but their size and grit will make them difficult to play.

Coach: There’s no obvious answer to me, so I’ll go with Hubie Brown, who won Coach of the Year in leading the team on its first playoff run.

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .410

All-Time San Antonio Spurs Team

The Spurs have come a long way from their days in the American Basketball Association. Since joining the NBA, this franchise has been a powerhouse. They’ve earned a .616 NBA winning percentage, which translates to 50.5 wins per season. They’ve appeared in six NBA Finals, and won five NBA championships. They’ve qualified for the playoffs in 35 of 40 seasons. In two of the five seasons they didn’t make the playoffs? They won the lottery (both literally and metaphorically), drafting future Hall-of-Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. As the number four seed in our tournament, the All-Time San Antonio Spurs team looks a contender to win it all.

Tony Parker, the starting point guard, is one of the fastest players in this tournament, and a deadly scorer who became a true force in the latter part of his career. While he doesn’t have the floor vision or all-around skill of many other point guards, he puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenders, and knows Gregg Popovich’s system as well as any player on this team. Due to the size and defensive might of their big men, this team can afford to start three guards, so both Manu Ginobili and George Gervin will play as the starting wings. Among shooting guards, these two rank sixth (Gervin) and seventh (Ginobili) all-time in PER. Gervin won four scoring championships in five seasons, and ranks ninth ever in NBA points per game. Ginobili ranks 20th ever (among all players, NBA and ABA) in win shares per 48 minutes. He also might be the best passer on the team, and will help to space the floor for their penetrators and big men.

The starting bigs are the aforementioned legends, Duncan and Robinson. The ageless Duncan has cemented his legacy with a mind-blowing 15 All-Star game, All-NBA, and All-NBA defense selections. He’s been at the center of every Spurs championship, and has a claim as a top-ten player in NBA history. Had advanced statistics been prominent in the 1990s, Robinson’s career may have been seen in a different context. Consider that Robinson ranks second in NBA history in win shares per 48 minutes, behind Michael Jordan. He ranks fourth in NBA history in PER, in between Shaquille O’Neal and Wilt Chamberlain. Robinson is the only player in NBA history to have led the league in scoring, rebounding, and blocked shots, and to have won Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year.

The bench is very solid, with five former ABA and NBA all-stars. James Silas was a clutch player who earned the nickname “Captain Late” for his fourth quarter heroics. Alvin Robertson is a former Defensive Player of the Year, who is the all-time leader in career steals per game and steal percentage. The small forwards provide the team with different options: Mike Mitchell was an excellent scorer, while Kawhi Leonard is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who can attack opponents offensively as well. Larry Kenon was the Spurs first 20-10 man, and, with John Beasley (the franchise’s first star player) and Artis Gilmore, gives them great size to match up with any opponent.

This team can overwhelm opponents in a number of ways. They can play fast, with the three starting guards, and Robinson, one of the most athletic big men ever. They can play slow, with Duncan and Robinson dominating opponents inside. They can smother you defensively, with three former defensive players of the year in addition to Tim Duncan, who somehow never won the award, but rates as one of the greatest defenders ever. They also have one of the best coaches in this tournament, who’ll maximize the abundant talent on the roster.

Coach: Gregg Popovich

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .595

All-Time Miami Heat vs. All-Time Utah Jazz

It’s easy to look at our next first round match up as a contrast of styles. The athleticism of the All-Time Heat vs. the precision of the All-Time Jazz. Wade and LeBron vs. Stockton and Malone. Alley-oop vs. pick-and-roll. However, both teams have strengths that go well beyond these stylistic differences. During the latter part of LeBron James’s tenure with the team, Miami mastered a beautiful offense based on ball movement and spacing. Expect their all-time team to implement this, especially when they play James at power forward and surround him with shooters. Jerry Sloan’s flex offense was ahead of its time, and will maximize the offensive talent of the high scoring team he leads in this tournament. These tactics and several key advantages held by each side will help determine the outcome of this series.

Miami’s Advantages

Perimeter athleticism: Utah doesn’t have a good option to defend Dwyane Wade. Pete Maravich and Jeff Hornacek are outclassed athletically. John Stockton will be busy guarding Tim Hardaway. The Wade and James combination can overwhelm people on both ends of the court, and Utah doesn’t have many rangy wings who can slow them down. Speaking of James…

Jack of all trades: LeBron James should dominate in this series. Adrian Dantley has no chance of slowing him down. Expect Utah to use Karl Malone on him at times, and to play Andrei Kirilenko big minutes as the primary LeBron defender. Neither is an ideal option; Malone isn’t quick enough to defend him on the perimeter, and Kirilenko doesn’t have the bulk to contend with the brilliant post-up game James developed with the Heat.

Battle of the big men: Alonzo Mourning and (an older) Shaquille O’Neal vs. Mark Eaton and Mehmet Okur. Enough said.

Utah’s Advantages

Offensive efficiency: Dantley, Stockton, and Malone are not only three of the great offensive players of all-time, but also three of the most efficient (ranking fifth, ninth, and 56th ever in true shooting percentage). No defense will be able to completely shut down this trio. Add in Maravich’s playmaking ability, and the long-range shooting of Hornacek, and this offense has the potential to be deadly.

X-Factor

Jazz’s pick-and-roll vs. Heat’s aggressive, blitzing defense: Can Miami’s aggressive approach disrupt one of the greatest orchestrators in NBA history?

Results

Despite the brilliance of Utah’s offensive playmakers, the two-way dominance of the Heat overwhelms the Jazz over the course of the series. How do you feel about that LeBron?

Miami wins, four games to two.

Next Round

Miami faces the All-Time Orlando Magic.

All-Time Utah Jazz Team

The all-time Utah Jazz team is…interesting. They should have no trouble scoring, with two former scoring champions (Pistol Pete Maravich and Adrian Dantley), the second leading scorer in NBA history (Karl Malone), and the all-time leader in assists (John Stockton) leading the offense. The question becomes, how well do the pieces fit together? The 24th seed in our tournament, they face a difficult first round match up against the all-time Miami Heat.

John Stockton is the starting point guard, an all-time great legend who had few weaknesses and made everyone around him better. In his 19 seasons, he was incredibly efficient, with a .515 career field goal percentage, and a .608 career true shooting percentage, which currently ranks ninth in NBA history. Pete Maravich, the starting two, was an incredible showman, who had the misfortune of playing on miserable Jazz teams in the 1970s. In his five full seasons with the franchise, the team averaged only 32 wins per season. While some may ascribe blame to Maravich for these failings, the talent around him was nonexistent (see this team, for example), and he was never put in position to carry the team on a deep playoff run. Maravich averaged 25.2 points per game for Utah (New Orleans at the time) without the benefit of a three-point line. It’s questionable whether his freewheeling style fits into Jerry Sloan’s structured offense, however, and it’s hard to imagine two more different players sharing the same backcourt.

The starting forwards should be able to score with any duo in this tournament. Adrian Dantley was a mid-range and low post wizard who used his rare foul-drawing ability (currently eighth all-time in free throws made) to become one of the most efficient scorers in NBA history (currently fifth all-time in true shooting percentage). Dantley averaged over 30 points per game for four straight seasons with the Jazz, and won two scoring championships in 1981 and 1984. Karl Malone was a two-time Most Valuable Player, and the fulcrum for Jerry Sloan’s offense. Having Dantley and Maravich as the starting wings is less than ideal defensively, so their minutes will have to be staggered to maximize their effectiveness.

The starting center, 7’4” Mark Eaton, was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who averaged 5.6 blocked shots per game in the 1985 season. Eaton was not much of an offensive player, but his presence will help make up for the team’s lack of wing defense.

This team has a solid yet unspectacular bench. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer were the poor man’s Stockton-to-Malone in the 2000s. Jeff Hornacek was a great shooter who will get plenty of minutes behind Maravich. Andrei Kirilenko might be the bench’s most important player; he’s by far this team’s best perimeter defender, and their only other rim protector besides Eaton. Mehmet Okur was a rare stretch-five who will serve as Eaton’s primary backup. Unfortunately, he offered little resistance defensively, and he’ll have to be paired up with Kirilenko whenever he enters a game.

Expect this team to use different looks around their core players. Stockton should get plenty of minutes alongside Maravich, Hornacek, and even Deron Williams in two point guard sets, while Malone will be surrounded by both the Dantley-Eaton and Kirilenko-Okur pairings. Rickey Green and Paul Millsap will play sparingly as solid third string point guard and power forward options. Down the stretch of close games, Kirilenko, Malone, and Eaton will be a very solid defensive frontcourt pairing, and Stockton, the all-time leader in steals, will provide good resistance against opposing ball handlers.

Coach: Jerry Sloan

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .536

All-Time Miami Heat Team

Is this the new dominant NBA franchise? After only 27 years of existence, the All-Time Miami Heat team has a mix of dominant wings, Hall of Fame big men, and clutch point guard play. With three championships in that short time, they enter our tournament as the ninth seed.

The team’s only true point guard is Tim Hardaway, who helped them amass a .664 win percentage during his five full seasons with the franchise (the equivalent of 54 wins per season). Although he no longer had the speed and quickness from his Golden State days, he was a clutch performer with Miami, and finished fourth and sixth in the MVP voting in 1997 and 1998. The starting shooting guard is the franchise’s signature player, Dwyane Wade, who’s emerged as one of the greatest shooting guards of all time. John Hollinger rated Wade’s 2006 NBA Finals performance as the greatest ever, and he’s led the league in scoring (2009), playoff scoring (2010), and PER (2007) during his Heat career.

Remember what I said about Milwaukee’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? The same applies for Miami’s LeBron James, who might be the most versatile player in this tournament. James’s ‘four years of college’ produced an NBA Finals appearance in every season, a 27 game winning streak, and the only two regular season MVP awards in franchise history. The underappreciated Chris Bosh is the starter at power forward. Bosh’s deadly midrange game fits beautifully alongside Wade’s slashing game and James’s all-court dominance.

Hall-of-Famer and two-time Defensive Player of the Year Alonzo Mourning is the team’s starting center. Mourning dominated the paint defensively, and putting him alongside James (a dominant defender), and Wade and Bosh (solid defenders) will make this team very difficult to score against.

This team’s bench consists of long-range shooters and big bodies. Expect Eddie Jones and Glen Rice to get plenty of minutes alongside James and Wade to space the floor. Jones was a good all-around player who defended wings very well, and Rice will play small forward when this team downsizes and places James at the four. Voshon Lenard is another three-point shooter who will play sparingly behind Hardaway, Wade, and Jones. P.J. Brown and Brian Grant provide nice size at power forward. Brown was a very solid defender, and both bring toughness and energy off the bench. Shaquille O’Neal and Rony Seikaly are the bench’s centers. Although Shaq was past his prime, he could still score on anybody one-on-one, and he finished second in the MVP voting in his first year with the franchise.

This team should be exceptionally versatile, largely due to James. Want to play big? Play James at point guard. Want to play small? Play him at power forward. Need a defensive stop? Have James guard the opposing team’s best perimeter player, and trot out a lineup of Wade, Jones, James, Brown, and Mourning. While their bench isn’t great, they have many effective players who fit well around their superstars. Despite the franchise’s youth, this team holds great potential, and will be a threat to advance far in our tournament.

Coach: Erik Spoelstra

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .518

All-Time Indiana Pacers vs. All-Time Orlando Magic

Our next first round matchup features the eighth seeded All-Time Indiana Pacers vs. the 25th seeded All-Time Orlando Magic. Despite the seeding disparity, these two teams are closely matched, and each holds several advantages that could swing the series.

Indiana Advantages

Depth and Positional Flexibility: Every bench player on the Pacers roster made at least one All-Star game during their time in the ABA/NBA. They have a clear advantage here, as only one of Orlando’s bench players made an All-Star team. Indiana also has several players who can play multiple positions, including George McGinnis, Paul George, and Billy Knight, so they’ll throw many different looks at Orlando. McGinnis, Detlef Schrempf, and Rik Smits also have the ability to make Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal uncomfortable on defense by playing on the perimeter and dragging them away from their comfort zone in the paint.

Hack-A-Superman: O’Neal and Howard are poor free throw shooters, and Indiana has enough bodies to resort to this gimmick to slow down the Orlando pair, and try to get one or both of them out of the game.

Perimeter Length: Orlando may have the biggest starting guards and wings in this tournament, but Indiana is better suited than most to defend them. Starting guards Vern Fleming (6’5”) and Reggie Miller (6’7”) have great height for their position, and off the bench, 6’9” Paul George, 6’6” Billy Knight, and 6’9” Danny Granger can all compete against the height of Anfernee Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, and Rashard Lewis. Expect George, the best defender of the group, to see a lot of time guarding McGrady, while Fleming and 6’4” Don Buse will hound Hardaway all over the court.

Orlando Advantages

Size and Strength: Although Indiana has the length to compete with Orlando on the perimeter, they don’t have the bulk to compete with them down low. Consider the size of the defenders who will attempt to guard the 7’1” 325lb Shaquille O’Neal:
Mel Daniels – 6’9” 220 lb
Jermaine O’Neal – 6’11” 226lb
Rik Smits – 7’4” 250lb
Let’s not forget that Shaq has the 6’11” 240lb Dwight Howard playing next to him, who the 6’8” 235lb McGinnis will have to contend with.

Playmaking ability: Orlando has elite perimeter playmakers in McGrady and Hardaway, something that Indiana lacks. These two will pressure the defense and create easy opportunities for their big men and three-point shooters. Indiana will have to work harder to create their points, since they don’t have playmaking guards who can break down the defense. Expect Indiana to diversify at times by running their offense through frontcourt playmakers Roger Brown, George McGinnis, and Detlef Schrempf, and by running Miller off screens to free him up for perimeter looks.

X-Factor

Orlando’s twin towers vs. Indiana’s fleet of big men: O’Neal and Howard have the ability to physically dominate the Indiana front line. Indiana can counter by trying to tire them out with fresh legs and 30 fouls between their five big men. Indiana will try to force Orlando to downsize by attacking their big men on the perimeter, and getting one or both into foul trouble.

Results

This series goes back and forth. The championship experience of Daniels and Brown, and Miller’s ability in the clutch lead Indiana to several close victories. However, Orlando’s size and strength prove too much for the Pacers. Much like the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals, Orlando advances.

Orlando wins four games to three.

Next Round

Orlando faces the winner of the All-Time Heat vs. the All-Time Jazz.

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