Tag: Peja Stojakovic

All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Sacramento Kings

Our next Sweet Sixteen match has a David vs. Goliath feel to it. On one side is a franchise that has become the gold standard in the sport, with 18 straight 50 plus win seasons (including the 1999 lockout, when they were on pace to win 61 games) since Tim Duncan arrived in 1997-98. On the other side is a franchise that has only won 50 games or more seven times in their 67 year history, and has failed to make the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Is the battle between the All-Time San Antonio Spurs vs. All-Time Sacramento Kings one-sided? Or will the Kings’ long history help them advance in our tournament?

Spurs vs. Kings 2

Key Matchups

Sacramento’s offense vs. San Antonio’s defense: Sacramento has a roster built for high-scoring, fastbreak basketball. They have a lethal penetrator (Tiny Archibald), great shooting off the bench, and two starting big men who can shoot (Jerry Lucas) and pass (Chris Webber) like guards. They also have one of the finest all-around players in NBA history, Oscar Robertson, to get them tough baskets when needed. The Spurs feature three former NBA Defensive Players of the Year (David Robinson, Alvin Robertson, and Kawhi Leonard), along with Tim Duncan, one of the greatest team defenders in NBA history. If the Kings’ perimeter options get hot, expect a lot of minutes from Alvin Robertson and Leonard to try to slow them down. Coach Gregg Popovich may put the 6’7” 230 lb Leonard on Oscar Robertson during crunch time, to minimize his post-up game and to force him to try to score inside over the Spurs’ twin towers.

Biggest Mismatches

San Antonio’s size vs. Sacramento’s lack of size: The Spurs feature two of the greatest big men in NBA history, 7’0” 250 lb Tim Duncan, and 7’1” 235 lb David Robinson starting alongside one another. They also have 7’2” 240 lb Artis Gilmore coming off the bench. The Kings don’t have any seven-footers on their roster, and they’re starting a natural power forward (Chris Webber) at center. The Kings do feature one of the most prolific rebounders in NBA history, Jerry Lucas, at power forward, along with one of the greatest rebounding guards ever, Oscar Robertson. However, they both played in an era where teams missed an abundant number of shots, which inflated the raw rebounding totals seen at that time. It’s hard to believe that San Antonio won’t have an advantage on the boards in this series, and they’ll also have a decided advantage in protecting the paint on defense.

San Antonio’s offense vs. Sacramento’s defense: The Kings do not feature many players known for their work on the defensive end of the court. The Spurs have two former scoring champions (George Gervin and David Robinson), along with a plethora of scoring threats from both inside and out. It’s unclear how Sacramento will be able to stop San Antonio in this series, so they’ll have to outscore them to have a chance to succeed.

X-Factor

Can the Kings’ shooting keep them in this series? In addition to being a very perimeter-oriented team, Sacramento does not have the size to compete against Duncan, Robinson, and company inside, as described above. Sacramento has five Hall-of-Famers in their backcourt, one of the greatest shooting small forwards ever (Peja Stojakovic) and a starting power forward with a deadly mid-range jump shot (Jerry Lucas). Their best chance is to try to outshoot San Antonio, and to space the floor with three to four perimeter threats at all times.

Results

The Spurs offer the complete package on both ends of the court. While Oscar Robertson puts up a valiant effort, and the Kings’ shooters keep them in games, the Spurs dynamic big-man duo is too much for Sacramento to handle.

Duncan and Robinson celebrate another victory Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com
Duncan and Robinson celebrate another victory
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Spurs win, four games to one.

Next Round

San Antonio faces the winner of the All-Time Warriors vs. All-Time Rockets.

All-Time New Orleans Pelicans Team

All-Time New Orleans Pelicans Team Infographic

It’s hard to know what to do with our next franchise. They’ve only been in existence for 13 seasons, and it’s hard to define who they really are. What do I mean by that? Well, the Charlotte Hornets were established in 1989. They moved to New Orleans in 2003, becoming the New Orleans Hornets. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Bobcats were established in 2005, two years after the Hornets left town. In 2014, New Orleans decided to change their name to the Pelicans, seemingly for comedic purposes. Since the ‘Hornets’ name was now up for grabs, the Bobcats decided to change their name to the Hornets, starting in 2015. Somehow the former Bobcats seem to have magically adopted the history of the Hornets franchise, while the first year of the New Orleans franchise is considered to be 2003, even though they really have been in existence since 1989. Confused yet? You should be. The All-Time New Orleans Pelicans team considers only those players who have been a part of the franchise since that original 2003 date, even though that doesn’t make any logical sense.

Since this is technically our newest franchise, they don’t have the longevity to field a team that complies with our rules (namely, each player having played at least four seasons and 200 games with the franchise). So we’ll make a team with the best players in franchise history, regardless of longevity, and, to be fair, they’ll forfeit the opportunity to advance in our tournament. With that out of the way, this team is anchored by two players who have a chance to be among the greatest to ever play their respective positions. Chris Paul played his first six years with the franchise, and garnered some of the most impressive statistics ever seen at the point guard position. He led the league in assists twice in New Orleans, and in steals three times. He also finished second in MVP voting in the 2007-08 season, when he led the team to 56 wins and an improbable Southwest Division title. Anthony Davis is just beginning his reign of excellence, but is already one of the best players in the league at 22 years of age. In 2014-15, Davis accumulated the 11th greatest player efficiency rating in NBA history, and if he continues on this path, he has a great chance to join the list of all-time great power forwards.

The other starters are David West, along with the oft-injured Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn. West was an excellent complement to Paul, and earned two all-star appearances with the franchise. Davis was a dynamic play-maker when healthy and motivated; however, he was also a woefully inefficient shooter who wasn’t known for his work ethic. Jamal Mashburn made the All-NBA third team in 2002-03, when he played all 82 games for the only time in his career. He only played 19 more games with the franchise before retiring, but he remains the leading scorer on a points per game basis in New Orleans’ history.

Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans are the backup guards. The Eric Gordon signing hasn’t worked out well for New Orleans, but he’s re-discovered his three-point stroke in his last two seasons, and will open up the floor when he’s on the court. Tyreke Evans has switched to primarily playing small forward, and his ballhandling has helped the team adjust to the constant absence of Jrue Holiday (due to injuries). Peja Stojakovic and Ryan Anderson can stretch the floor from both forward positions. The three-headed big man combo of P.J. Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Emeka Okafor can protect the paint and make New Orleans competitive on the glass. Expect big minutes from this trio, especially since the starting lineup lacks a true center.

Down the road, this team will be intriguing, since they’re anchored by two Hall-of-Famers in the making. In the meantime, their forfeit allows the All-Time Bulls to advance to the second round of our tournament, where they’ll face the winner of the All-Time Hawks vs. the All-Time Mavericks.

Coach: Byron Scott

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .474

All-Time Sacramento Kings vs. All-Time Denver Nuggets

Our next match features two teams that would be really fun to watch. The battle between the All-Time Sacramento Kings vs. All-Time Denver Nuggets should be highly competitive, with an abundance of scoring and fast-paced action. Who would come out on top? Each team has several key advantages.

Sacramento’s Advantages

Dominant guard play: The Kings will be led by their guard play, with five Hall-of-Famers in their backcourt. Oscar Robertson and Tiny Archibald will dictate the pace for their starting unit, and Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer, and Mitch Richmond will lead the bench unit. Expect them to experiment with three guard lineups, which will be particularly effective when Richmond is paired with two of the three lead guards, to help space the floor. Denver does have solid backcourt defenders in Fat Lever and Chauncey Billups, and the Kings do not have a good defensive counter for David Thompson. Despite this, Sacramento has a deeper backcourt.

Battle of the boards: Sacramento has one of the great rebounders in NBA history, Jerry Lucas, alongside double-double machine Chris Webber and Oscar Robertson, who can also dominate the glass. While Denver’s Fat Lever should be able to cancel out Robertson, Bobby Jones and Dan Issel will have a lot of trouble with the other two. Expect Dikembe Mutombo, Denver’s best rebounder and defender, to get heavy minutes in this series.

Three-point shooting: The Kings’ playmaking guards will have a field day when Richmond and Peja Stojakovic are on the floor. This team can experiment with modern NBA basketball for periods of each game, with Peja as a stretch four.

Denver’s Advantages

Defensive versatility: Normally, the Nuggets aren’t associated with defense, but they have several stoppers who will loom large in this series. Bobby Jones is the one of the great defenders ever, and will see time against Jack Twyman, Jerry Lucas, and Chris Webber. Dikembe Mutombo and Marcus Camby were excellent rim protectors who will each be needed to slow down the penetrating Archibald and the other Kings scorers at the rim.

Wing scoring: Sacramento doesn’t have the personnel to stop David Thompson, Alex English, Carmelo Anthony, and Kiki Vandeweghe. Denver can experiment with lineups where three of these individuals play together, which could be an excellent counter to Sacramento’s small ball lineups.

X-Factor

Sacramento’s defense: Can the Kings get any stops with a lineup that doesn’t include any all-NBA defenders? None of the Kings from the modern era were known for their work on the defensive side of the ball, so they may be forced to outscore the Nuggets to have a chance to win the series.

Results

Run-and-gun. This series goes back and forth, with many high scoring encounters. Sacramento struggles defensively, as expected, with Thompson, Issel, and English repeatedly burning them. In the deciding game, Oscar Robertson controls the action, and the Kings outrebound Denver in a close affair.

Sacramento wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Sacramento faces the All-Time Spurs.

All-Time Sacramento Kings Team

All-Time Sacramento Kings Team Infographic 2

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