2017 Cavaliers vs 2020 Lakers

[Nike D'Antoni]

Which team wins in 7 game series?

[Nike D'Antoni]

I go with shooting, Kyrie - Love shooting way too much to handle for the Lakers. Cavs can hit 25 threes a game. And Lebron was in his prime, he looks old now.

[Nike D'Antoni]

JR Smith- 2020 Lakers would beat 2016 Cavaliers

Towards the end of his appearance on the podcast, Smith was asked which of the two title teams that he played on would win if they squared off against each other, and he pointed to the Lakers’ size as the determining factor.

“I think the size that the Lakers have, we just didn’t have in Cleveland,” Smith said. “In Cleveland, we were more grittier, we played a little harder, we were much nastier defensively. But the size with this Lakers team with [Anthony Davis] and Dwight [Howard], and being able to change the lineups with Markieff [Morris], we just weren’t that versatile [in Cleveland]. We could play multiple different ways in L.A., but in Cleveland, we only had to play one way … I think the Lakers team was just too big.”

https://www.basketballghana.com/2020/10/22/jr-smith-2020-lakers-would-beat-2016-cavaliers/

[Stanley Kobrick]

https://media2.giphy.com/media/l2R013mIf1ZXdvoyI/giphy-preview.gif

[Axe]

Darling...

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRrAId3Jdvum9THWbBnVVY4EyShH30 DfKzSyg&usqp=CAU

[ThatCoolKid]

Everytime Axe posts I cringe :lol

I picked the Lakers. Was a hard question tbh. AD is a way better player than any of Lebron's supporting cast on the 2017 Cavs. TT was garbage in 2017, got outrebounded by Steph. There is absolutely no one on that Cavs team that can guard AD besides Lebron.

And the 2017 Cavs were trash defensively, bottom 5 in the league if I'm remembering.

Lebron isn't the same player he was in 2017, but I think 2020 Lebron would bully Kyrie and Love badly on the defensive end. 2017 Lebron is getting guarded by Anthony Daivs, Markieff Moris, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green. Who can 2017 Lebron attack on this Lakers team?

The shooting and Lebron being better makes it close, but that 2017 Cavs team is just bbq chicken for AD and 2020 Lebron while the Lakers will put up a fight defesively so I have to go with the Lakers.

[Axe]

^
Nothing is more cringeworthy tho than you being a crybaby because you're a basement dweller.

Idiot.

[HoopsNY]

I think we have to account for the x-factors in this series. Lakers having Rondo is a huge plus, as well as KCP who came up really big with some big shots.

In addition, I think the Cavs of 2016 weren't as good defensively as Miami. Bam+Butler alone are better than any combination the Cavs had, where as AD+Rondo+LeBron is tougher than Klay+Draymond+Iggy.

I think the series is close though. 2016 LeBron was a monster and I prefer him to 2020 LeBron.

[RRR3]

Everytime Axe posts I cringe :lol

I picked the Lakers. Was a hard question tbh. AD is a way better player than any of Lebron's supporting cast on the 2017 Cavs. TT was garbage in 2017, got outrebounded by Steph. There is absolutely no one on that Cavs team that can guard AD besides Lebron.

And the 2017 Cavs were trash defensively, bottom 5 in the league if I'm remembering.

Lebron isn't the same player he was in 2017, but I think 2020 Lebron would bully Kyrie and Love badly on the defensive end. 2017 Lebron is getting guarded by Anthony Daivs, Markieff Moris, Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green. Who can 2017 Lebron attack on this Lakers team?

The shooting and Lebron being better makes it close, but that 2017 Cavs team is just bbq chicken for AD and 2020 Lebron while the Lakers will put up a fight defesively so I have to go with the Lakers.
:yaohappy:

Kuzma guarding prime LeBron lmaooooo


That said Lakers win because of defense.

[Lebron_James]

Lakers lineup with Lebron on 4 and Anthony Davis on 5 would force Cleveland to play Love as Center where he sucks. AD would torch him, and Lebron attacks the mismatches he has on Kyrie - Love.

Lakers not just 2017, but 2016 Cavs team too.

[Roundball_Rock]

The Lakers. AD is so good I would rather have AD and Pope or Rondo than Irving/Love. AD legitimately could be MVP while Irving and Love are not on that superstar level. LeBron was about the same in 17' and 20'. Vogel is a better coach than Lue. The Lakers also presumably would have HCA. They were #1 in the West all year and were threatening the Bucks for #1 overall before the shut down. The Lakers would have the better defense by far while still having sufficient offensive firepower (Lakers were #3 in D, #11 in O; 17' Cavs #21 in D, #3 in O).

Re HCA, the Cavs had the best record in their conference only once--and they were 16 games behind the best overall record that year. I'm assuming the Lakers would be a 60 win type team and the Cavs 53 or so. The actual different in talent is closer but Irving and Love can't play full seasons and that matters in the standings. In 17', they missed a combined 22 games--and this was an "iron man" year for Kyrie by his standards. :lol

[Nike D'Antoni]

The point of my thread was to infer Cavs 2017 > Lakers 2020, and Cavs 2017 didn't win a ring. So this was an easy ring, an illegitimate/asterisk one for Lakers. Due to no Golden State.
My plan didn't work out, so am letting it out here.