Sometimes, you have to find beauty in a matchup even when the final result is inevitable. The NBA UCLA Bruins vs. NBA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is a mismatch, due to the brilliance of UCLA’s roster. However, Georgia Tech has some unique lineup combinations they can throw out to confound the more talented Bruins. Can they use their quickness and shooting to steal a game or two in this series? Or will UCLA brush them aside on their quest toward the championship? Here’s how the series will play out.
Key Matchup
UCLA’s two-center lineup versus Georgia’s Tech’s frontcourt – UCLA has a massive Twin Towers lineup, featuring 7’2” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the 7’0” plus Bill Walton, whose listed height of 6’11” was known to be a gross underestimation. Georgia Tech will start each game off with a traditional power forward, Derrick Favors, and an undersized center, Chris Bosh. They also have a solid defender in John Salley coming off the bench, along with their biggest player, 7’0” Matt Geiger. However, none of these players realistically has a chance to stop either Jabbar or Walton. What can Georgia Tech do to make it interesting? They can play Thaddeus Young together with Bosh, and just try to outquick the UCLA duo on the offensive end of the court. Or they can play four perimeter players around Bosh and force one of UCLA’s centers to defend out to the three-point line. Georgia Tech will have to be creative, since playing UCLA straight up is a losing proposition.
Biggest Mismatches
UCLA’s size – The reason Georgia Tech will have to be creative is because they don’t have the personnel to even bother UCLA’s centers. Walton will be able to see over the top of his defenders in the high post, while Jabbar will face little resistance scoring inside and out. The big men will be staggered so each is paired with Kevin Love, who will provide a unique combination of spacing and rebounding on the offensive end, and Sidney Wicks, whose quickness and athleticism will help him on the defensive end of the court against Georgia Tech’s perimeter-oriented options. Outside of Bosh, Georgia Tech’s big men are more pedestrian than spectacular, and they don’t have the size or skill to compete.
Georgia Tech’s small ball – Since UCLA’s two best players are traditional centers, expect Georgia Tech to do everything possible to get them off of the court. Play Mark Price, Stephon Marbury, Jon Barry, and Dennis Scott alongside Chris Bosh, to have a three-point threat at every position? Sure! Try to utilize a breakneck pace to take advantage of the ball-handling skills of Marbury, Kenny Anderson, and Jarrett Jack? Absolutely! There’s no reason why this team can’t be entertaining, even if they’re getting blown out in the process.
UCLA’s star power – Despite these theatrics, UCLA has a Hall-of-Fame-caliber player at every position in their starting lineup, and all-star level talent from one through 12. If Georgia Tech wants to get into a three-point shooting contest, UCLA’s Reggie Miller, Gail Goodrich, Kiki Vandeweghe, and Kevin Love would likely make that a losing proposition. Get in an up tempo battle, and the irrepressible Russell Westbrook will attack with Marques Johnson, Jamaal Wilkes, and those wonderful shooters at his disposal. Jabbar and Walton will doom them in the halfcourt game. There are no good options for Georgia Tech.
X-Factor
Jabbar and Walton – Two of the greatest centers ever facing a team with only one seven footer on its roster (the replacement-level Matt Geiger)? Goodnight.
Results
Georgia Tech has some funky lineup configurations, and the underappreciated Price and Bosh, but this one was over before it started.
(Note: 2020 updated roster listed below) Our first profile details the top seed in our tournament, the NBA UCLA Bruins. Overall, 88 players from UCLA have played in the NBA, six of whom have been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. They also feature arguably the two greatest players in college basketball history, who both went on to become an NBA Most Valuable Player and the best player on a championship team. With a mix of dynamic playmakers, long-range shooters, and unstoppable low-post forces, they field one of the best and deepest rosters in our field.
Russell Westbrook, the starting point guard, may be the most dynamic player in the current NBA. In addition to his triple-double exploits, Westbrook’s best attribute is his ability to get to the rim, and draw the defense with him. He’ll create many opportunities for his backcourt mate, Reggie Miller, who was one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. At 6’7”, Miller had the ideal height for a shooting guard, and both he and Westbrook will have to use their length and athleticism on both ends of the floor, instead of solely concentrating on offense. They’re backed up by Baron Davis, an erratic point guard whose talent was often overshadowed by his poor decision-making, and Gail Goodrich, a Hall-of-Famer who played both guard positions. Expect Goodrich to serve as the primary backup for both starting guards, and Davis to be used sparingly due to the depth on the roster.
Marques Johnson, one of the more underrated players in NBA lore, will start at small forward. Johnson was a tremendously efficient player in his prime, who also exceled on the glass for his position. While he was not a three-point threat, he was a master from the midrange and in, and his crafty game will allow him to find space despite the plethora of low-post options on this team. He’s backed up by Jamaal Wilkes, one of smoothest players of his time who exceled on the fast break, and defended his position stoutly. Kiki Vandeweghe, one of the best shooters and scorers of his era, will also see time on the wing.
The starting big men are the aforementioned college (and pro) legends, Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Both were natural centers who will have to adjust to playing off of one another in the starting lineup. Before his injuries, Walton led Portland to their only NBA championship, and then guided them to one of the great starts in NBA history the following year before his body broke down. He will man the high post on offense and utilize his world-class passing skills to direct the offense in half court sets. Abdul-Jabbar is one of the handful of greatest players in NBA history, and will serve as their primary offensive option throughout the tournament. Their minutes will be staggered to ensure that one big man is always on the court at all times, but when they play together, opponents will have no chance of scoring at the rim against them. Kevin Love will see plenty of minutes as the ideal stretch four who will create space for each big man to operate in the post. His phenomenal rebounding skills are also noteworthy, as he won’t let them slip on the glass when the Twin Towers are staggered. Sidney Wicks and Mark Eaton will play when needed as the fourth and fifth big men on the roster. Wicks was an immensely talented player who battled with teammates and played on losing teams in his time in Portland. However, his size, quickness, and passing ability were valuable assets, and he should be able to positively contribute when called upon. Eaton, the most prolific shotblocker in modern NBA history, will provide a massive defensive roadblock for opponents if Walton and Jabbar suffer from foul trouble.
The NBA UCLA Bruins have a complete and balanced roster with great high-end talent. In order to reach their peak, their point guards, particularly Westbrook, must run the offense through their big men and avoid dominating the ball. Their shooters will thrive with the looks that Jabbar, Walton, and Westbrook will create for them, and their defense should flourish, particularly on the interior, with three of the great rim protectors in the tournament.
July 2020 Update
Jrue Holiday has earned his way on to the team, replacing Mark Eaton, whose game would have a very hard time translating to the way modern-day basketball is played. Holiday is a wonderful defender who can play at either guard position. Now, UCLA has more lineup flexibility, and is better positioned to guard opponents with strong wing depth. Their most versatile defensive lineups will pair Holiday with one of their superstar guards, with Wilkes and Johnson at the forward positions.
In the end, the results were inevitable. The NBA has been dominated by two franchises since its inception. One rose to power with the greatest dynasty in professional sports history, capturing 11 championships in 13 seasons from 1957 to 1969. The other was established with a selection of the highest profile players in league history, leading to the NBA’s best franchise winning percentage, and the most Finals appearances. The greatest rivalry in NBA history is reborn in the finals of the NBA Franchise Tournament: the All-Time Boston Celtics vs. All-Time Los Angeles Lakers.
Matchup Breakdown
Ball handlers: Each team is guided by the greatest point guard of his generation. The Celtics have multiple points of attack on offense, but their starting lineup will primarily be led by Bob Cousy. The Houdini of the Hardwood brings elite court vision and ample big game experience, but his slight frame will create issues on defense. The Lakers high-scoring attack will be guided by Magic Johnson, a 6’9” anomaly who can physically dominate Boston’s backcourt. Neither player was known for his outside shot; expect each team to put the ball in their playmaker’s hands and surround him with scorers.
Johnson’s size will cause Boston to cross-match defensively. When the starters are in, expect Sam Jones and Larry Bird to take turns checking Johnson. Cousy will primarily defend Jerry West, and will struggle with West’s length and athleticism advantage. Johnson will primarily guard Cousy on defense, but will also spend time on his archrival Larry Bird, due to their size similarities.
Each team will go stretches without a traditional point guard on the floor. Jo Jo White is Boston’s theoretical backup point guard, but he’ll struggle to crack this talented squad’s rotation. Bill Sharman, John Havlicek and Larry Bird will split time initiating the offense when Cousy rests. They’ll also look to get on the break whenever possible, with Bill Russell and Dave Cowens expertly throwing outlet passes to initiate this action. Jerry West and Gail Goodrich will initiate L.A.’s attack when Johnson sits. While both are capable of filling this role, expect Johnson, the only true floor leader on a team with many mouths to feed, to play heavy minutes throughout the series.
Wings: Boston has a deep collection of wing players that will present matchup problems for Los Angeles. Sam Jones was one of the great clutch players in NBA history, and his constant movement with and without the ball may tire his defenders out over the course of the series. Sixth man extraordinaire John Havlicek, who may have been the most tireless player in the NBA, will split time off the bench at shooting guard and small forward. Havlicek was one of the great all-around players in league history, and he stands as Boston’s best wing defender against L.A.’s high-powered attack. Larry Bird, the centerpiece of Boston’s offensive attack, will start each game at small forward, but will frequently play as a stretch four, especially if Los Angeles goes large stretches without a traditional power forward, as expected. Paul Pierce was another deadly scorer whose firepower will be needed in this series.
Los Angeles counters with three legendary wing scorers in their starting lineup. Jerry West will stretch the floor and serve as L.A.’s secondary ball handler on offense, while doubling as their best wing defender. Kobe Bryant will also be tasked with focusing more on defense, which he exceled at during his prime. Elgin Baylor will also start, and though he lacks great size, he’ll help the Lakers stay competitive on the glass against Boston’s bigger frontcourt. Off the bench, Jim Pollard will contribute with his athleticism and long-distance shooting ability. He’ll stretch the floor and help to guard Boston’s plethora of wing options. Like Baylor, James Worthy will primarily play at power forward, and will boost L.A.’s athleticism advantage whenever he’s on the court. Both Pollard and Worthy will balance the Lakers lineup as lower usage players who will fit in alongside any combination they’re paired with.
Big Men: Boston will start three players who stand between 6’9” and 6’10”. The aforementioned Bird will split time between the forward positions, while Kevin McHale and Bill Russell will man the interior for the starting lineup. McHale will have a distinct advantage on offense against L.A.’s smaller forwards, and will be one of Boston’s primary options as a result. He’s also skilled and versatile enough on defense to guard Baylor and Worthy, and will be utilized in Boston’s most effective defensive lineups. Russell, the greatest defensive player in NBA history, will face the greatest challenge of his career in this series, matching up against three behemoths who are all among the greatest scorers of all time: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and his old adversary Wilt Chamberlain. He’ll use his uncanny motor to try to beat them down the court on offense, but his effectiveness on defense will be compromised by their sheer size and talent levels. Dave Cowens, another 6’9” undersized center, will use his bulk and will to attempt to slow this trio down. Robert Parish, Boston’s only true seven-footer, will also get plenty of minutes, but does not have the bulk to stop any of L.A.’s threats. Russell and Parish will need to use their quickness and speed advantage to score easy baskets on offense, and tire their counterparts out.
Jabbar will anchor L.A.’s big man rotation, and will serve as the centerpiece of their dynamic offense. O’Neal’s brute force will provide a devastating contrast for L.A.’s second unit, which Boston will have difficulty countering. Chamberlain’s Laker years were characterized by lower usage, high efficiency, and dominating defense, and coach Pat Riley will utilize him in their best defensive lineups. Expect the legendary George Mikan to play sparingly as the fourth center, but he will provide another dominating offensive presence when called upon.
Five-man Lineups
Coach Red Auerbach will likely use a combination of the following five five-man lineups most frequently throughout series:
John Havlicek and Paul Pierce will play two of the biggest roles on the team off the bench, as swingmen who can match up with Los Angeles defensively. Late in games, Auerbach may turn to his best defensive lineup of Jones-Pierce-Havlicek-McHale-Russell for key stops.
Coach Pat Riley will be tempted to try two-center lineups, but will ultimately stay away and utilize his wing depth. Each center will be surrounded by shooting, which will force Boston to make a difficult choice – leave Russell, Cowens, and Parish alone on an island defensively, or double-team and try to recover on the perimeter. Gail Goodrich and Pollard provide elite shooting off the bench, while West, Bryant, Worthy and Baylor will be used together in their defensive lineup, with Chamberlain in the middle, to form a dominant athletic quintet.
Biggest Mismatches
The size and bulk of L.A.’s centers – Boston’s centers are all physically overmatched, and will struggle to contain the Laker big men. They’re also in danger of falling into foul trouble, and must avoid taking the easy way out early in games, especially with O’Neal and Chamberlain. Boston’s big men will not require the same level of attention on the other end of the court, and each Lakers center should be able to hold their own in their defensive matchup.
Boston’s passing offense – Boston’s offense will flow through the unselfish hands of their playmakers, Cousy and Bird. These are two of the best passers in league history, and together with Russell, a great passing big man, their offense will hum. The Lakers have Magic Johnson, so they won’t be devoid of playmaking, but their offense has a greater chance of stalling with some of the high-volume scorers on their roster.
L.A.’s athleticism advantage – Both teams boast tremendous depth and versatility, but L.A. has a greater collection of athletes on their roster. West, Bryant, Pollard, Worthy, and Baylor can disrupt Boston on both sides of the ball, and will cover ample ground on defense. Boston has Havlicek, who will see starter’s minutes in this series, but the rest of their perimeter players fall short of L.A.’s in this department.
X-Factor
History – These teams have met 12 times in the Finals, with Boston winning nine of those matchups. West and Baylor were famously never able to defeat Russell, which haunts them to this day, as West eerily described in his autobiography. However, Johnson, Jabbar, and Worthy were able to win two of their three finals matchups against Bird, McHale, and Parish, and Bryant split his two finals series against Pierce. Does any of this matter? Is Boston’s “mystique” actually something that Los Angeles fears, or does their recent success render this meaningless?
Results
Los Angeles comes out in full attack mode, and wins the first two games of the series against a shell-shocked Celtics team. Boston, however, refuses to wilt, with Bird and Russell leading the way to two close wins to tie the series up. In the critical game five, Magic Johnson orchestrates a perfect game, and Shaquille O’Neal, a destroyer of worlds in his Lakers Finals appearances, overwhelms his smaller counterparts in a comfortable victory. Los Angeles leads throughout the sixth game, but down the stretch, key plays by Jones and Havlicek save Boston and set up a winner-takes-all game seven.
In the final game, both teams play inspired basketball. Russell and Jones lead Boston to the brink of a championship, using their collective will and clutch team play. Down the stretch, however, Magic finds Jerry West repeatedly behind the arc, where he hits multiple clutch three-pointers. The curse is lifted, as West and Baylor finally get to celebrate against their tormentors.
On the surface, our second semifinal is a mismatch. One franchise has the greatest collection of individual talent in NBA history, while the other is known more for its championship-team ensembles than for the excellence of its star players. However, the past three decades of Pistons basketball have shown that team play can prevail in such matchups. Specifically, the 1988, 1989, and 2004 NBA Finals between these two franchises illustrated the effectiveness of team defense, rebounding, and hustle against high end individual talent. While the battle between the All-Time Los Angeles Lakers vs. All-Time Detroit Pistons seems lopsided, the complementary nature of Detroit’s roster, and the relentlessness of their stars, will create many issues for L.A.
Key Matchups
Best frenemies – Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas, the best point guards of their generation, face off in a classic battle. However, don’t expect them to play each other on defense; Detroit will use a combination of Grant Hill, Dennis Rodman, Chauncey Billups, and Joe Dumars on Magic, while L.A. will primarily utilize Jerry West on Thomas. Hill and Rodman have the size to neutralize Johnson, and Rodman had great success guarding him in the past. West, whose freakishly long arms helped make him an elite defender and one of the top thieves in NBA history, should capitalize on Thomas’s penchant for turnovers. Both teams will look to harass these primary ballhandlers, and attack them on defense.
Rebounding mavens – Statistically, Los Angeles features four of the top 25 rebounders in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Elgin Baylor). Detroit, however, has a chance to win the battle of the boards, thanks to Dennis Rodman, the league’s all-time leader in offensive and total rebounding percentage (since the 1970-71 season, the first year this statistic was tracked). Detroit also has Ben Wallace, who ranks 11th all-time on the total rebounding percentage list, and Bob Lanier and Bill Laimbeer, who will be tasked with guarding the Lakers’ centers. If Lanier, Laimbeer, and Wallace can hold their own, Rodman and Bailey Howell should wreak havoc against the Lakers’ forwards, and create second and third chance point opportunities.
Detroit’s defense vs. Showtime – The Lakers have the greatest collection of skill players ever assembled. Their offense is led by arguably the greatest passer in NBA history, and features many of the league’s greatest scorers. There’s no way Detroit can compete offensively with this group. The Pistons will counter with a slew of excellent defenders who will make life difficult for the Lakers’ scorers. In addition to his rebounding prowess, Rodman was one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history, and should expect to spend time on Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and the Lakers’ hall-of-fame centers at different points in the series. Wallace won four Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Pistons, and keyed their 2004 title run against Bryant and O’Neal. Dumars was a five-time selection to the All-Defensive team. Billups and Hill were known as solid defenders throughout their careers. If they need a stop, Detroit can play a lineup featuring these five, though the Wallace-Rodman combination would be perilous on offense. Expect Check Daly to utilize his versatile personnel to throw off L.A.’s offensive machine.
Biggest Mismatches
The Lakers scoring punch – With that being said…this Lakers team can really score. Magic Johnson has an almost unfair amount of weaponry at his disposal. They should be able to get hard baskets by throwing the ball into Abdul-Jabbar or O’Neal, leaning on West and Gail Goodrich to space the floor, and allowing Baylor and Bryant to operate from mid-range. The Pistons scorers (specifically Thomas, Dave Bing, and George Yardley) are going to have to have the series of their lives to compete.
The Lakers’ size – Los Angeles features superheavyweights O’Neal, Chamberlain, and Abdul-Jabbar, three of the biggest and baddest men in league history. They also have George Mikan, the league’s first dominant center, and Magic Johnson, the biggest point guard in our tournament. If Detroit plays the three behemoth centers one-on-one, they’ll get destroyed, but double-teaming them will lead to the other Laker Hall-of-Famers going off. Detroit’s players do not present the same matchup issues for L.A.
Detroit’s Toughness – Calling this a mismatch is inaccurate, since the Lakers have some tough hombres on their team, but expect the Pistons to live up to their ‘Bad Boy’ moniker in an attempt to unnerve their Hollywood counterparts. Rodman, Wallace, Howell, and Laimbeer will have a green light to make this series as physical as possible and rough up the Lakers’ stars. While this may work on some players, it’s hard to believe these tactics will affect the Herculean tandem coming off L.A.’s bench (O’Neal and Chamberlain).
X-Factor
Will the referees let them play? – You hate to bring up a topic like this in a fantasy tournament, but basketball history is littered with examples of referees impacting important series. If the refs call the games tight, Detroit has no chance to compete. However, if they allow some physicality, and aren’t too stringent with the rules, that works to the Pistons’ advantage. Expect Rodman and Laimbeer to test the limits, and see what they can get away with.
As mentioned above, Detroit has thrived in the underdog role against the mighty Lakers in the past quarter century. They have enough unique pieces and big-game performers to make the All-Time Lakers team sweat over the course of a seven-game series. However, the Lakers high-end talent is too much for the scrappy Bad Boys to overcome. Even though the referees swallow their whistles, which allows Rodman to avoid major foul trouble, Los Angeles punches their ticket to the finals in six hard-fought games.
The All-Time Los Angeles Lakers Team is…pretty good. Some might call it elite. Consider that the 12 selected players AVERAGED 8.5 all-star game appearances and 6.9 all-NBA appearances during their tenure with the team. The starting lineup AVERAGED 13.2 all-star game appearances, and 11.4 all-NBA appearances. Three of the greatest players of all time, George Mikan, Shaquille O’Neal, and Wilt Chamberlain, have to come off the bench. Every single player is either in the hall-of-fame, or will be enshrined as soon as they’re eligible (Shaq and Kobe).
It’s hard to even choose a coach for this team. John Kundla, who won five titles in 11 seasons, and had a .583 winning percentage? Pat Riley, who won four titles in nine seasons, and had a .733 winning percentage? Or Phil Jackson, who also had five titles in 11 seasons, coupled with a .676 winning percentage?
The easiest call on this team is at point guard, where 6’9” Magic Johnson provides greatness, leadership, and positional flexibility. His size makes it easier to start two other guards beside him – Jerry West and Kobe Bryant. There’s really not much that I can say about this trio. West and Kobe might fight to the death over who gets the last shot in the game, but talent (usually) trumps all in the NBA, and this is the greatest backcourt in this tournament.
Elgin Baylor is the greatest forward in franchise history, and gets the start in the frontcourt alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kareem’s consistency over a long period of time gives him the slight edge over Mikan, who has a case as the most dominant player relative to his competition in league history, and O’Neal, who has a case as the most statistically dominant player in franchise history. In his four Finals appearances as a Laker (20 games), Shaq AVERAGED 33.6 points per game, 14.1 rebounds per game, and shot 60.2 percent from the field.
The bench consists of trailblazers from the first era of team greatness (Jim Pollard, Vern Mikkelsen, and Mikan), secondary stars who helped the team continue to flourish in the subsequent decades (Gail Goodrich and James Worthy), and the two most physically imposing superstars in league history (Chamberlain and O’Neal). There’s not even room for the likes of Pau Gasol, Jamaal Wilkes, or Slater Martin due to the greatness of the 12 selected players.
I can’t identify a weakness with this team. We can quibble with the fact that they have no backup point guard, but West can slide over to that position if Magic needs a rest. The starting lineup will have to find a way to share one basketball, but that’s certainly a nice problem to have, and one that Magic Johnson should help to alleviate. Even though this team enters as the two seed in our tournament, they’re the favorites to win it all, and it will be interesting to see who will be able to challenge them.
Coach – If I have to choose, I’ll go with Riley, but you can’t go wrong with Jackson or Kundla.
