Tag: Elvin Hayes

All-Time Golden State Warriors vs. All-Time Houston Rockets

Our next Sweet Sixteen match features two teams who have embraced the modern day basketball revolution. The Warriors, featuring the best shooting backcourt (and team) in NBA history, are in the middle of an historic two-year stretch of dominance. The Rockets, led by General Manager Daryl Morey, have helped to popularize the analytics movement, and have built an annual contender around these principles. Despite these similarities, both of their all-time teams are built from the inside-out, with dominant big men serving as the primary option on each squad. Who has the advantage between the All-Time Golden State Warriors vs. All-Time Houston Rockets?

All-Time Golden State Warriors vs. All-Time Houston Rockets

Key Matchups

Battle of the starting big men: Each team features a Twin Towers configuration in their starting lineup with two of the greatest big men in NBA history. The Warriors feature the indomitable Wilt Chamberlain, the greatest scoring machine in league history, alongside Neil Johnston, a pioneering big man who was one of the best players of his generation. The Rockets feature the legendary Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the greatest all-around centers in league history, alongside Moses Malone, the greatest offensive rebounder who ever lived. The matchup between Chamberlain and Olajuwon will be particularly noteworthy, as they are two of the most athletic big men to ever play the game.

Olajuwon gets ready for the biggest challenge of his career - Wilt Chamberlain Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com
Olajuwon gets ready for the biggest challenge of his career – Wilt Chamberlain
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Biggest Mismatches

Golden State’s three-point shooting advantage: The Warriors feature some of the best shooters in NBA history. Stephen Curry is the all-time leader in single season three pointers made, and he’s on pace to shatter that record in the 2015-16 season. Paul Arizin was one of the best shooters of his era, and Rick Barry had tremendous range from the small forward position. Off the bench, Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway were also excellent three point shooting threats. The Rockets feature Kenny Smith, one of the better shooters of his era, but they don’t have many other options to compete with Golden State from the outside.

Houston’s athleticism advantage on the wing: While Clyde Drexler and Tracy McGrady weren’t great shooters with Houston (shooting 33.9% and 32.2% from downtown with the team, respectively), they were tremendous athletes who could overwhelm their opponents in an open court game. Arizin was a great athlete for his era, but he and Barry do not have the size or athleticism to stop the Houston duo without help from their big men.

Houston’s big man depth: In addition to Olajuwon and Malone, Houston features a slew of Hall-of-Fame and all-star big men off the bench. They will attempt to frustrate Chamberlain with behemoths Yao Ming and Ralph Sampson, and will also substitute in Elvin Hayes and Rudy Tomjanovich to play alongside their centers. Golden State will give plenty of minutes to Hall-of-Famer Nate Thurmond, a defensive specialist, alongside Chamberlain, but they’ll have their hands full trying to contain all of Houston’s low post options.

X-Factor

Defense: Will either of these teams be able to stop the other? Houston has Olajuwon, one of the greatest defenders ever, and can pair him up with Elvin Hayes or Otis Thorpe when they need stops. Golden State can feature a defensive frontcourt of Chamberlain, Thurmond, and Tom Gola, and can pack the paint without fearing Houston’s three-point shooting.

Results

Golden State’s inside-out game proves to be too much for the Rockets to handle. Despite the best efforts of Olajuwon and Malone, the Rockets are unable to match Golden State from three-point range, and the Warriors advance.

Warriors win, four games to two.

Next Round

Golden State faces the All-Time Spurs.

All-Time Detroit Pistons vs. All-Time Charlotte Hornets

Commentary

Not even close.

Results

Detroit wins, four games to none.

Next Round

Detroit faces the winner of the All-Time Nets vs. All-Time Clippers.

More Commentary

Since Dennis Rodman is a key member of the Pistons, this seems like a good time to contextualize his incredible rebounding totals. Rodman almost had two different pro careers. In his first incarnation, in his early years with Detroit, he was one of the most versatile defenders in NBA history, capable of guarding everyone from Michael Jordan to Magic Johnson. In his second act, he became obsessed with the art of rebounding. Many believe that he was the greatest ever at this skill, but the all-time rebounding numbers are skewed in favor of players who played in a faster-paced league. How did Rodman’s rebounding compare to his predecessors? Below are the best rebounding seasons for every player in history who has ever averaged over 17 rebounds per game. Note that each player only has his best season listed; Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell hold the 18 highest rebounding seasons in NBA history.

The numbers in this chart help to provide some context for the rebounding averages you see next to each player’s name. Team pace is an estimate of each team’s number of possessions per 48 minutes. In 1991-92, the Detroit Pistons pace was estimated at 91.6; compare this to Wilt Chamberlain’s record breaking 1960-61 campaign, when the Warriors were estimated to average 40 more possessions per game. Since rebounding numbers for opposing teams are not available in the basketball-reference.com database for early seasons, we calculated the average number of league rebounds per game in each year that is listed. Obviously, some teams played at faster and slower paces than their peers, but this provides a measure for the number of rebounds that were available in a typical NBA game in the year that is listed. In 1991-92, there were 87.3 rebounds per game (league wide), and Rodman’s 18.7 RPG accounted for 21.4 percent of all rebounds in a typical game. In the 1960-61 season, there were 146.6 rebounds per game! It’s not surprising that the 1960-61 season produced three players on this list (Chamberlain, Bob Pettit, and Elgin Baylor), each of whom had significantly lower percentages than Rodman. Since 1970-71, total rebound percentage can be tracked to measure the percentage of rebounds a player gathered while he was on the floor. Rodman grabbed over a quarter of the rebounds available in his 1991-92 season, which is three percentage points higher than Moses Malone in his incredible 1978-79 campaign. Finally, we have a look at the closest competitor in each season’s rebounds per game race. Only five players on this list actually led their league in rebounds per game; Nate Thurmond, Jerry Lucas, Pettit, Baylor, Walt Bellamy, Wes Unseld, and Maurice Stokes were all eclipsed by Chamberlain or Russell in their career-high seasons. Moses Malone had the widest disparity between his next closest competitor of all the other players on this list, while Chamberlain and Rodman had virtually identical leads in their rebounding races, despite Chamberlain’s higher raw totals.

The greatest rebounding seasons in NBA history, by raw averages, virtually all came in an era where the game was played at a breakneck pace, with a plethora of missed shots, which hardly resembles modern-day basketball. Rodman’s 1991-92 season, in which he averaged 18.7 RPG, came 13 seasons after the second most contemporary season on this list, Moses Malone’s 1978-79 campaign. While this is by no means a comprehensive analysis, it does help to show that Rodman’s 1991-92 season may have been the best career-high rebounding season in NBA history.

All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves

Commentary

SWEEP!

Results

Philadelphia wins, four games to none.

Next Round

Philadelphia faces the winner of the All-Time Knicks vs. All-Time Cavaliers.

More Commentary

The only interesting battle between the All-Time Philadelphia 76ers vs. All-Time Minnesota Timberwolves is at the power forward position, where three legends will face off (Charles Barkley, Dolph Schayes, and Kevin Garnett). Garnett was part of a recent renaissance at the position that re-set the all-time rankings. Here are the statistics for the greatest power forwards ever, and then my rankings, from 10 to one (note: Elgin Baylor, Billy Cunningham, Chris Bosh, and Pau Gasol had more years at other positions than at power forward in the basketball-reference.com database, so they’re not included in this analysis).

Greatest Power Forwards Infographic
Honorable Mention

Bailey Howell, Tommy Heinsohn, and Vern Mikkelsen were multiple time all-stars who contributed to championship teams over the course of their underrated careers…Through nine seasons, Shawn Kemp made six all-star game appearances, and was an integral cog in several championship-level teams in Seattle. However, his career soon fell off of a cliff, and he has the least compelling case of the 19 players listed here…Spencer Haywood won Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in the American Basketball Association, but had his greatest NBA success on a string of losing teams in Seattle…Dave DeBusschere and Dennis Rodman are two of the greatest defensive players of all time, who were key contributors to championship teams. It’s difficult to leave them out of the top 10, but their combined three all-NBA team appearances and limited offensive arsenals prevent them from being placed above the other legends on the list…Chris Webber and George McGinnis have similar statistical profiles, and each has an intriguing Hall-of-Fame case. However, Webber’s prime was cut short by injuries, and McGinnis was not nearly as dominant in the NBA as he was in the ABA.

10. Jerry Lucas
Lucas was a rebounding machine who made three all-NBA first-team appearances in the 1960s ahead of the likes of John Havlicek and Willis Reed (who was considered a power forward for a few years in his career). He was a contributor to the second Knicks championship team (off the bench), had a very high field goal percentage for his era, and currently ranks as the fourth leading rebounder in NBA history on a per game basis.

9. Kevin McHale
McHale never had to carry a team on his own, and came off the bench for the majority of his career. When he was on the court, however, he was an offensive force, and currently has the highest field goal percentage in NBA history for a non-center (outside of Bo Outlaw, who rarely shot the basketball). He was also a brilliant defender, making six all-NBA defensive teams. Similar to Rodman and DeBusschere, he lacks the all-NBA team appearances that others on the list accumulated. However, he was a far superior offensive player to either of those two, and while his excellent defense may not have been as renowned as either of theirs, it was still elite, and thus, his all-around play lands him in the top 10.

8. Elvin Hayes
I’ve already chronicled the many criticisms of Hayes, who was as difficult a personality as there was in the NBA. However, it’s hard to look past his 12 all-star game appearances, six all-NBA appearances, and the fact that he was the leading scorer and rebounder on a team that won the NBA championship. You could win with Elvin Hayes, despite his personality issues, and his resume secures his place on this list.

7. Dolph Schayes
Schayes was one of the NBA’s best players in its infancy, making six All-NBA first team and six All-NBA second team appearances from 1950 to 1961. He was the best player on a championship team (the 1955 Syracuse Nationals), and was one of only 10 players to make the league’s Silver Anniversary team.

5. (Tie) Charles Barkley and Dirk Nowitzki
These are two of the greatest offensive players in NBA history. Dirk is one of the greatest jump-shooting big men ever, while Barkley did his best work near the basket. Barkley was also a relentless rebounder, while Nowitzki is one of only two players to register below eight rebounds per game on this list. Both thrived in the playoffs; in 123 playoff games, Barkley averaged 23.0 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.9 APG, and had a 24.2 PER, while Nowitzki averaged 25.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, and 24.0 PER in 140 playoff games. Barkley infamously never won a championship, while Nowitzki was the best player on the Mavericks only championship team in 2011. Each won one MVP award, and each led the league in PER one season. Nowitzki gets extra credit for leading a constantly rotating supporting cast to 11 straight 50 win seasons during the prime of his career.

4. Karl Malone
As Jack McCallum described in Dream Team: How Michael, Magic, Larry, Charles, and the Greatest Team of All Time Conquered the World and Changed the Game of Basketball Forever, I believe that Barkley was a better player than Malone during their respective primes. However, Malone’s work ethic allowed him to get the very best out of his body, and his 14 all-star game and all-NBA appearances reflect this. Malone was fortunate to play his entire career with one of the greatest orchestrators in NBA history, while Barkley didn’t play with an elite playmaker until he was traded to Phoenix, and Nowitzki lost Steve Nash just as both were entering their respective primes. Malone’s PER dropped from 23.9 in the regular season to 21.1 in the playoffs, and he wasn’t at his best in his two NBA Finals appearances. Malone gets credit for being a solid defender, which isn’t something that can be said about Barkley or Nowitzki. Numbers three through six are very close, and could change once Nowitzki’s career is finished.

3. Kevin Garnett
During his prime, Garnett may have been the best all-around player in the NBA. While he wasn’t the scorer that Barkley, Nowitzki, or Malone was, he was still a multitalented offensive threat, who once averaged a mind-blowing six assists per game from the power forward position. He’s also one of the handful of greatest defensive players in NBA history, operating almost as a giant Scottie Pippen, who could singlehandedly disrupt opposing offenses. In Minnesota, his postseason play was sometimes criticized, but he never had adequate talent around him to win a championship. He led the Celtics to a title in his first year with the club, and could have repeated if he hadn’t suffered a season-ending injury the next year (he was never the same player after that). His all-around play places him in the top three.

2. Bob Pettit
Pettit has an unassailable resume. He made the all-star game every year of his career. He made the All-NBA first team in each of his first 10 seasons, and made the second team in his 11th and final year. He was the best player on a championship team, and led the Hawks to three other NBA Finals appearances. Advanced statistics support the fact that he was one of the handful of greatest players ever, and he is one of only three players on this list to win multiple regular season MVP awards.

1. Tim Duncan
The only ‘criticism’ of Duncan is that he’s played half of his career at center, but for our purposes, he’s eligible for this list (basketball-reference.com has him listed as playing primarily power forward in 10 seasons, and primarily playing center in eight). Like Malone and Nowitzki, Duncan has aged like fine wine, and has accumulated the most all-star game, all-NBA, and all-NBA defensive appearances on this list. His advanced statistics are spectacular. He’s a two-way player, who can operate as the offensive and defensive anchor on championship-level teams. He’s won five championships, and has been the clear-cut best player on four of those teams. His playoff PER is virtually identical to his regular season PER. And he’s still going! Duncan is the greatest ever.

All-Time Washington Wizards vs. All-Time Portland Trail Blazers

Our next match up features two teams who won the 1977 (Portland) and 1978 (Washington) NBA Finals. They haven’t been able to win it all before or since, but they’re linked by their success in an overlooked era in NBA history. Who would win the battle between the All-Time Washington Wizards vs. All-Time Portland Trail Blazers? There are many factors at play.

Similarities

Passing Big Men: Both teams are anchored by starting centers who were known for their passing skills. Wes Unseld is widely regarded as the best outlet passer in history, while Bill Walton may have been the best passing center to ever play the game. Both teams often ran their offense through these players, and their career assist numbers reflect this. In addition, Washington’s Chris Webber and Portland’s Arvydas Sabonis were excellent passing big men who can play similar roles when Unseld and Walton are not on the floor.

Big Rosters: Big men make up half of each team’s roster. They each should be able to keep everyone rested, avoid foul trouble, and throw multiple looks at one another.

Washington’s Advantages

Battle of the Boards: Washington’s big men should have a slight advantage in controlling the glass. The starting trio of Gus Johnson, Elvin Hayes, and Wes Unseld is one of the tournament’s best in terms of rebounding, and Walt Bellamy, Jeff Ruland and Webber should help them maintain this advantage off the bench.

Versatility: Washington should be able to play many different styles. They have score-first ball handlers (Gilbert Arenas and Earl Monroe), and a pass-first option (John Wall). They have a physical small forward (Johnson), an outside threat (Bob Dandridge), and a tweener (Antawn Jamison) that they can play at the three. They have a pass-first big man (Unseld) and a dominant low post scorer (Bellamy). They also have good defensive players (Hayes, Johnson, Dandridge, Wall) who can play when they need to get stops. Coach Dick Motta has many options at his disposal.

Portland’s Advantages

Offensive Efficiency: Overall, Portland’s team shooting is very high, and they don’t feature a player on the roster who shot below 46 percent for his Blazers career. In addition, the advanced statistics (PER and WS/48) of the Portland players are higher than those of the Washington players. Will this translate to the games? Portland’s pieces do seem to fit well with each other, and they have several excellent passers who should help them mesh as a unit.

X-Factor

Health: Much like real basketball, fantasy tournaments of this nature can often be decided by injuries. The methodology here is that once a player makes the cutoff for years and games played for a franchise (4 seasons, 200 games played), then they’re eligible to compete in all games of their series. This clearly benefits a player like Walton, and discounts the ironman achievements of someone like Elvin Hayes. While imperfect, this method allows us to imagine each team’s best roster, and filters out those who had extremely short stints with a franchise.

Results

Once again, we have a very hotly contested series. In the end, the brilliance of Walton and Drexler and the clutchness of Porter win out. The good people of Portland go a bit overboard in their celebration.

1977_NBA_Finals_Game_6_Blazers_vs_Sixers

Portland wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Portland faces the All-Time Lakers.

All-Time Washington Wizards Team

All-Time Washington Wizards Team Infographic

The Washington Wizards have almost operated as two separate franchises in their team history. In their first 27 years, they were very successful, making the playoffs 20 times, going to four NBA Finals, and winning it all once. The last 27 seasons haven’t been as kind. They’ve made the playoffs only seven times, have never won 50 or more games, and never advanced past the second round of the playoffs. The All-Time Washington Wizards Team reflects this dichotomy, as they’re filled with more players from their rich past than their putrid recent history.

One of the newer players who made the team is starting guard Gilbert Arenas, who disgraced himself toward the end of his Wizards tenure, but was one of the highest scoring players in team history beforehand. At his peak in the 2005-06 season, Arenas averaged 29.3 PPG in the regular season (fourth in the league), and a league-leading 34.0 PPG in six playoff games. He’s joined in the starting backcourt by Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, who started his Hall-of-Fame career in Washington (Baltimore at the time), and was at his improvisational best there. They’re backed up by John Wall, the team’s best passer, and a solid defender who can play alongside either starter. Phil Chenier, an excellent defender who’s the best shooter on the team, will also see time at off guard.

The starting frontcourt consists of three tenacious rebounders who have all been elected into the Hall of Fame. Gus “Honeycomb” Johnson, an incomparable athlete who was an excellent all-around player, can play either forward position. He’s joined by Elvin Hayes, who’s one of the toughest players to analyze in our tournament. As previously discussed, he ranks in the top-10 in NBA history in both points and rebounds. However, it’s hard to find one positive thing written about him from his playing days. His former coach, Alex Hannum, called him, “the most despicable person I’ve ever met in sports.” He was known for choking in big moments. His teammates seemed to hate him. Despite these red flags, he was an eight-time all-star, six-time All-NBA, and two-time All-NBA defensive player with the Bullets, and was their leading scorer and rebounder during their lone championship season. Wes Unseld, who admitted that his listed height of 6’7” was a stretch, is the starting center. Despite his lack of height, he was one of the great rebounders of his era, and was the team’s pillar during their glory years.

Off the bench, Bobby Dandridge, a clutch player who won two championships in his career, will play plenty of minutes at the three. Antawn Jamison, a versatile scorer, can play at either forward position. Chris Webber, who was sadly traded for an over-the-hill Mitch Richmond before his peak years in Sacramento, will see some minutes at the four. Jeff Ruland, an excellent big man who made two all-star appearances before injury issues robbed him of his prime, will split time at center and power forward. Hall-of-Famer Walt Bellamy had his peak years with the franchise, and was the most statistically dominant player in team history. He’ll be the first big man off the bench, and will combine with Unseld, Hayes, Johnson, and Ruland to give them one of the better rebounding units in our tournament.

Coach: Dick Motta

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .449

All-Time Houston Rockets vs. All-Time Phoenix Suns

Our next match features two teams with contrasting styles. The All-Time Rockets are one of the biggest teams in our tournament, and feature two of the greatest big men in history, Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone, in the starting lineup. The All-Time Suns are one of the tournament’s most offensively explosive teams, and feature a trio of dominant point guards, Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, and Jason Kidd, who can dictate a breakneck pace. Who will advance? Here’s the tale of the tape.

Houston’s Advantages

Size, rebounding, and interior defense: Dream. Moses. The Big E. Yao. Sampson. Houston has a collection of big men that can wear down any opponent, especially the undersized Suns. This group can dominate the glass, and control the paint on defense.

Phoenix’s interior defense: Conversely, Phoenix starts one of the worst defensive big men pairings in the tournament. The 6’4” Charles Barkley and the 6’10” Amar’e Stoudemire were brilliant offensive playmakers, but were deficient on the defensive end. Off the bench, Larry Nance was a good interior defender, but Alvan Adams and Tom Chambers weren’t known for their work on that end of the court. Houston’s big men should feast in this series.

Phoenix’s Advantages

Perimeter play making: The Rockets don’t have a good counter for Phoenix’s trio of point guards. Phoenix also has superior shooting, and a deeper perimeter arsenal. Expect them to speed up the games, and try to outrun the Rockets.

Positional flexibility: Phoenix has the ability to throw many different looks at Houston. They can use several different two point guard sets, go small with Shawn Marion or Connie Hawkins at the four, or try to contend with Houston’s size with some combination of Barkley, Nance, Chambers, Stoudemire, and Adams.

X-Factor

Pace: Who will be able to control the tempo in this series? Phoenix will try to run-and-gun, with their elite perimeter play makers. Houston will play very deliberately, running their offense through their fleet of elite big men. The team that’s better able to dictate the pace may wind up winning the series.

Results

Barkley’s Suns were never able to beat Olajuwon’s Rockets in the 1994 and 1995 playoffs, losing in two incredible seven game series. The common thread was that nobody on Phoenix could stop one of the greatest big game players in NBA history, Hakeem Olajuwon. With Moses Malone by his side, that pattern continues.

Rockets win, four games to three.

Next Round

Houston faces the All-Time Warriors.

All-Time Houston Rockets Team

All-Time Houston Rockets Team Infographic 2

The All-Time Houston Rockets team is…missing somebody. When I started this tournament, I thought it was important to put certain rules in place to ensure that each player had a long-lasting impact on his franchise. Thus, every player must have played (at least part of) four years with the franchise in question, plus 200 or more games. The only exception is for the newest expansion teams, who have no chance of advancing in the tournament anyway. Unfortunately, James Harden, who is well on his way to becoming the greatest guard in franchise history, just completed his third year with the team, and does not yet qualify for inclusion. I’m sorry Houston. My arbitrary rules really hurt you here. Despite this omission, this team will be very difficult to play, due in large part to their collection of quality big men.

Ironically, one of the biggest teams in the tournament has one of the smallest players as their starting lead guard. Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy, the “Pocket Rocket,” only stood at 5’9”, but was lightning-quick and emerged as one of the greatest free throw shooters in NBA history. Surprisingly, he made only one all-star game in his career, but he was a valuable offensive player who could play at either guard position. He’s joined in the backcourt by fellow Hall-of-Famer Clyde Drexler. In his Houston years, Drexler was no longer charged with being his team’s go-to-guy, but he was still an excellent all-around player who fit in perfectly with their Hall-of-Fame center (more on him momentarily). They’re backed up by guards Kenny Smith and Steve Francis. Smith will be an integral role player on this team; he’s by far their best three-point shooter, and does not need the ball in his hands to be effective. Francis was a ball-dominant guard who won a Rookie of the Year award and made three all-star games with the Rockets before his career disintegrated. Although he might not be the best fit on this team with other (and better) scorers, he’s another talented offensive weapon that can hurt opposing defenses.

Tracy McGrady is the starting small forward. Already, I chronicled his amazing peak years; in Houston, he didn’t quite hit the heights of his Orlando years, but he was still a brilliant all-around offensive weapon (this will always go down as one of the great sequences in league history). He’ll combine with Drexler to give this team a versatile and lengthy wing combination. He’s joined in the starting lineup by two of the greatest centers in NBA history. Moses Malone won two MVP awards as a Rocket, and established his reputation as perhaps the greatest offensive rebounder of the modern era (he currently ranks first in NBA history, though this stat was not officially recorded until the 1973-74 season). Hakeem Olajuwon led the franchise to its only two championships with his clutch play and all-around brilliance. He raised his game in the playoffs, averaging 26.6 PPG, 11.4 RPG, and 3.3 BPG while shooting 52.8% in 140 playoff games with Houston. In three Finals appearances, he averaged 27.5 PPG, 10.6 RPG, and 3.2 BPG while shooting 48.8% in 17 games against four of the greatest centers ever (Robert Parish and Bill Walton in 1986, Patrick Ewing in 1994, and Shaquille O’Neal in 1995). They’re backed up by five-time all-star Rudy Tomjanovich, a natural power forward who will have to play some time at the three for this team, and a host of power players. Elvin Hayes was a 20-10 man for the Rockets who currently ranks in the top 10 in NBA history in total points and rebounds. Otis Thorpe was a solid power forward who will play sparingly in this stacked frontcourt. The backup centers are two of the tallest players in NBA history, 7’5” Yao Ming and 7’4” Ralph Sampson. Both suffered from injuries that derailed their careers, but each was very effective in their time with the Rockets. Sampson was a versatile big man who played alongside Hakeem Olajuwon in their second NBA Finals appearance, and Ming was a dominant offensive player, who, if he qualified, would rank 11th in NBA history in true shooting percentage and 17th in PER.

Expect this team to play two big men at all times, and to experiment with some three-big lineups. They should play at a slow pace, and pound the ball inside on offense. The 12th seeded team in our tournament, they have a fascinating first-round match up with the All-Time Suns.

Coach: Rudy Tomjanovich (he’ll be pulling double-duty as a player-coach)

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .517