Our next match features two of the most storied franchises in NBA history. They’ve met in the championship round six times, with legendary competitors deciding each outcome (from George Mikan vs. Dolph Schayes, to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson vs. Julius Erving and Moses Malone, to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant vs. Allen Iverson). Though they’ve both fallen on tough times in recent years, each has a chance to prevail in the NBA Franchise Tournament. The battle between the All-Time Los Angeles Lakers vs. All-Time Philadelphia 76ers has the most collective star power of any match up to date, and promises to be a classic.
Key Matchups
Lakers’ firepower vs. Philadelphia’s defensive versatility: The Lakers feature six of the top 28 scorers in NBA history, four of whom spent the prime years of their career with the franchise (a fifth, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, may not have reached the heights that he did with Milwaukee but still won three MVP awards in Los Angeles). Sixers player/coach Billy Cunningham has several options: he can try to outscore L.A. with his own Hall-of-Fame offensive weapons, or play his defensive lineup, featuring Maurice Cheeks, Andre Iguodala, and Bobby Jones, in hopes of slowing the Lakers’ offense down. Cunningham will likely mix and match his offensive playmakers with his defensive stoppers. The Sixers will also have to figure out how they guard 6’9” Magic Johnson; Allen Iverson, who stood almost a foot shorter, seems ill-suited for this role, so they may have to start Cheeks or Iguodala in his place.
Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com
Battle of the Boards: The Lakers do not start a traditional power forward, relying on the versatility of Elgin Baylor and Magic Johnson to help Abdul-Jabbar on the glass. Abdul-Jabbar will also have his hands full trying to keep Philly’s Wilt Chamberlain off the glass, as Baylor and Johnson will with the irrepressible Charles Barkley. Philly’s ability to seize an advantage on the glass will be an important indicator of their ability to win this series. The Lakers have behemoths George Mikan, Shaquille O’Neal, and their own version of Wilt Chamberlain coming off the bench, but they would be awkward fits alongside each other or Jabbar, so they will likely play one at a time. Philly’s Dolph Schayes and Billy Cunningham can take advantage of the Lakers forwards, and give the Sixers a rebounding advantage off the bench, assuming Moses Malone can hold his own against L.A.’s fleet of backup big men.
Biggest Mismatch
Los Angeles’s backcourt advantage: The Lakers have the best starting backcourt in our tournament, with three MVP-level performers in Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Kobe Bryant (who will masquerade as a small forward at the beginning of the each half). Philly features former MVP Allen Iverson, along with Hall-of-Famer Hal Greer and versatile defensive stoppers Maurice Cheeks and Andre Iguodala. While the Sixers’ backcourt is excellent, none of these players can match the accomplishments of the Lakers’ trio. Magic Johnson will create tons of matchup issues, and West and Bryant have the ability to take over any game they play in.
X-Factor
Defensive matchups: If Philadelphia starts Cheeks or Iguodala, then Magic Johnson has a logical resting place on defense. If they start Allen Iverson, the cross-matches will be fascinating. Expect Pat Riley to have Jerry West guard Iverson, with Magic either checking Hal Greer or Charles Barkley (while the latter suggestion seems bizarre, it creates logical matchups for Elgin Baylor (Julius Erving), Kobe Bryant (Greer) and West). On the other end of the court, Philly would have the 6’2” Greer guarding Johnson, and likely offering him little resistance. The 6’6” Iguodala is best suited to guard Magic, and will see a large increase in minutes from the previous series.
Results
While the Sixers have championship-worthy talent, they drew a brutal matchup in the Elite Eight. Even though they’re one of the best teams in our tournament, they struggle to contain L.A.’s backcourt, particularly Magic Johnson. The Lakers struggle with Philadelphia’s deep and talented frontcourt, but they finish out Philadelphia in six competitive games.
Lakers win, four games to two.
Next Round
Los Angeles faces the winner of the All-Time Bulls vs. All-Time Pistons.
Given that you are NOT stopping this Laker team’s offense; you’re only option is to try to outscore them.
If I was Pat Riley, I’d try to use “platoons” like in hockey: run your starters for 18 minutes of each half; and your bench for the other remaining 12 minutes.
When the Lakers have the ball.
My very first thought: Magic’s eyes lighting up (as in earlier rounds) with who he gets to dish to. I’d start Wilt at Center and KAJ at Power Forward “always opposite him” (Kareem sky hooks from there all the time).
If the starters average “only” 36 minutes each (they won’t need a second more with that bench); Magic’s LOWEST assist-game is gonna be 20 assists. With his near-perfect court-vision and passing, it’ll be SHOW-TIME 3 quarters a game. Kobe & West will go ballistic, out-doing the Splash Brothers from the outside; KAJs gonna blow up in/near the paint (the Chuckster can’t stop him). This forces Cunningham to start Moses & bring Barkley off the bench (when he and Baylor can match each other on both ends of the court). And the latter-day (slightly better team-mate) Wilt will neutralize early (irresistible) Wilt. All-Time TWIN TOWERS VS All-Time TWIN TOWERS, WOW.
During Kareem’s 20 years, the only Center than consistently played him semi-even was Moses; but Moses-Wilt will have more spacing problems than KAJ-Wilt (KAJ’s an excellent passer). I call this close enough to be “even”.
Each game their starters’ scoring goes: Magic 10 points; 3 of the other 4, 20 points each; with whoever’s hot getting 30 – that’s a 100 point starting line up (regardless of Phily’s great defense).
KEY: Can Any 3-Man Philly Front-Court Hold Its Own?
If we call the match up of Twin Towers a draw; then it all comes down to which Phily 3-man-combo can best score on and defend Magic-Kobe-West.
When The Lakers Have The Ball:
Iguodala can semi-stop Magic’s scoring but not his passing. But then, Iguodala is your best bet to slow Kobe. So Dr J has to defend Magic; and Iguodala defends Kobe. West beats anybody else the 6-ers will put on him. Advantage Lakers.
When Philly’s Got The Ball:
Peak-Kobe can keep Dr J from going berserk scoring-wise; while Magic “hides” on the least mobile Sixer; West handles the third wing. Very Slight “Advantage”: Sixers
btw, I don’t see anyway you can start AI (Iverson) – they have all the starting guns they need and he’d be a serious chemistry issue; bring him in as a fire-plug sub.
Bring Iverson in off the bench to gun away IF/WHEN he’s hot. Otherwise, only use him defensively on Goodrich – the only Laker he has any chance of stopping in this series.
Sum-Up Of Starting-5s: Advantage Lakers
THE SUPER-SUBS: 12-MINUTES A GAME
So, the Phily subs have to consistently beat the Lakers subs; but they can’t / don’t.
The Laker Subs: Guards: Goodrich, Worthy; Forwards: Baylor + _______); Center: Shaq
The 6-er Subs: AI and Greer/Cheeks; Forwards: Barkley, Pettit); Center: __________.
AI vs Goodrich is a draw – each will score on the other. Each with have enough defense back them up to cover for their defensive weaknesses.
Worthy-Baylor matches Greer/Cheeks-Barkley.
But HERE’S THE PROBLEM: Back-Up Center.
To near-match the Lakers’ starters, Moses has to start.
Then Phily’s got NOONE who can do anything at all with Shaq. If Phily doesn’t start Moses, Barkley won’t stop KAJ at all.
In other words, Phily: pick your poison & either lose the battle of starters, or lose the battle of back-ups BIG-TIME.
Phily’s “only chance”: Play Wilt close to 48 minutes; and hope that a worn-down younger Wilt (after going head-to-head with his older self, 36 minutes a game) can hold his own against a completely fresh Shaq (for a good part of the remaining 12 minutes). (Wilt was a once-a-century freak-of-nature; but this is really asking too much even of him.)
CONCLUSION: Phily can not win; but they can give the Lakers 4-6 close highly-competitive games.
Ooops, right before I address how best to use Iverson, when I was still referring to the battle of starting-5s, I ended with, “Slight Advantage: 6-ers”; that should, of course, read: Lakers.
If I haven’t said so before, your concept of this tournament is the kind of thing I most love & appreciate; and your arrangement of it and analysis of it are spot on.
i.e., awesome job!
Pablo
I really appreciate your insight. I agree with you that A.I. would be best suited to come off the bench. Philly’s frontcourt is incredible, but this Lakers team is such a tough match.