Tag: Tracy McGrady

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 Miami Heat vs. All-Time Orlando Magic

Our next Sweet Sixteen match features the two youngest franchises remaining in our tournament. The Heat acquired many of their franchise icons through free agency and trades, led by the front office mastery of Pat Riley. The Magic used the draft (and specifically, holding the number one overall pick in the draft three times) to acquire many of their stars, all of whom helped them deliver a first-round upset over the Pacers. How do the All-Time Miami Heat vs. All-Time Orlando Magic compare to each other?

Heat vs. Magic 3

Key Matchups

Miami’s athleticism vs. Orlando’s athleticism: The Heat have one of the most athletic starting wing pairings in the tournament in Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. The Magic have one of the most athletic starting backcourts in the tournament in Anfernee Hardaway and Tracy McGrady. Both have athletic big men who can protect the rim (Alonzo Mourning for the Heat, Dwight Howard and young Shaquille O’Neal for the Magic). The defensive matchups in the starting lineups will be fascinating; Tim Hardaway suffers from a huge size disadvantage, while Rashard Lewis will struggle to keep up with either of Miami’s wings. Will Miami dare put Hardaway on Lewis, so Wade and James can guard Penny Hardaway and McGrady? Who will Orlando put Lewis on?

Miami’s small-ball lineup vs. Orlando’s small-ball lineup: Miami’s jack-of-all-trades, LeBron James, will play power forward at times, and will be surrounded by shooters in this configuration (most notably Eddie Jones and Glen Rice off the bench). Stan Van Gundy had great success in Orlando surrounding a big man with four shooters around him, so expect him to utilize this tactic and stagger O’Neal and Howard’s minutes with Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dennis Scott alongside them both.

Biggest Mismatches

LeBron James vs. Orlando’s small forwards: It’s unclear how Orlando will guard James in this series. Rashard Lewis has the length to bother him, but doesn’t have bulk or elite athleticism. Tracy McGrady has the athleticism and length, so he’ll see plenty of minutes on James, but he’ll likely start each game on Dwyane Wade. Expect Nick Anderson to get many minutes alongside Hardaway and McGrady to help Orlando match up better with Miami.

Orlando’s size vs. Miami’s size (in the starting lineup): Orlando’s starting big men (Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard) are far bigger and bulkier than Miami’s (Alonzo Mourning and Chris Bosh). Orlando also has the tallest backcourt in the tournament, and a 6’10” starting small forward. There’s no good defensive matchup for Tim Hardaway, who may cede a lot of minutes to Eddie Jones and Glen Rice since Miami already has two ball-dominant players in Wade and James.

X-Factor

In the mid-1990s, the Magic had the makings of an NBA dynasty. Shaquille O’Neal was one of the greatest prospects ever coming out of college, and Penny Hardaway made two all-NBA first-team appearances in his first three seasons in the league. However, they never fulfilled those expectations, getting swept out of the playoffs in the first round (1994), the NBA Finals (1995), and the Eastern Conference Finals (1996), before O’Neal left the team via free agency. In 2010, the Heat had the one of the greatest free agency coups in sports history, re-signing Wade and signing-and-trading for James and Bosh. In their four years together, that group became champions, making four straight NBA Finals berths and winning two championships.

Results

These two franchises engage in a classic battle. While Orlando has the talent to defeat Miami, the Heat have the championship mettle, and James shines as the best player in the series. It’s party time in Miami.

Miami_Heat_The_Big_3_CelebrationParty

Heat win, four games to three.

Next Round

Miami faces the All-Time Celtics.

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

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_Magic_1995_Eastern_Conference_Champions

Orlando wins four games to three.

Next Round

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

All-Time Orlando Magic Team

All-Time Orlando Magic Team Infographic

The All-Time Orlando Magic team is impressive, considering they’ve only been around for 26 years. It helps that they’ve won three NBA draft lotteries, and drafted two future Hall-of-Fame players with those picks (Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard). The other player, acquired through a draft day trade, was a four-time all-star (Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway), and was one of the great ‘what if?’ players of the previous generation. Since they’ve never won a championship, they enter our tournament as the 25th seed, but their high-end talent will provide problems for their first round opponent.

The starting backcourt is enormous, featuring 6’7” Penny Hardaway and 6’8” Tracy McGrady. It’s hard to believe there will be a taller pairing in this tournament, and both were brilliant playmakers during their Magic careers. Penny’s career was cut short by injuries, but he was so effective that he was named to the All-NBA first team in his second and third seasons in the league. T-Mac was an absolute monster, and won two scoring championships in his four years in Orlando. During his Magic tenure, there was a legitimate debate as to who was better between McGrady and Kobe Bryant, and the stats comparison between the two from 2001-2004 illustrates why:

Kobe-TMac comparison

Unfortunately, McGrady was haunted by his inability to escape the first round of the playoffs, while Bryant went to three NBA Finals during that period (winning two). Similar to Hardaway, injuries later curtailed McGrady’s career (while Bryant remained consistent and became one of the greatest players ever), but his Magic tenure cannot be characterized as anything but dominant.

The starting frontcourt is also massive, with 6’10” Rashard Lewis at small forward, 6’11” Dwight Howard at power forward, and 7’1” 325lb Shaquille O’Neal at center. Lewis will provide much needed spacing for this group, while Howard and O’Neal will dominate the glass and protect the paint on defense. Offensively, these two will have to stay out of each other’s way, and their horrendous foul shooting will be a liability down the stretch of close games. Despite these challenges, they should make a great pairing, and they have the ability to dominate most opposing front lines.

The bench is predictably weak, considering the youth of the franchise. Darrell Armstrong and Jameer Nelson are two undersized point guards who get the most out of their physical abilities. Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott will provide more spacing for O’Neal and Howard, while Hedo Turkoglu has the ability to play the 3 or the 4, and run the offense as a point forward. Bo Outlaw and Horace Grant are the backup big men; both will compete defensively and on the glass, but this team might be better served playing Turkolglu or Lewis at the 4 when O’Neal or Howard rests in order to space the floor better.

This will be a very difficult team to coach. Howard, O’Neal, and Hardaway were all known for their immaturity during their Magic tenure. O’Neal once compared Hardaway to Fredo Corleone, and he and Howard engaged in a humiliating feud over a nickname. Grant, Outlaw, Nelson, and Anderson will have to provide veteran leadership for this team to reach its full potential.

Coach: Stan Van Gundy

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .493