24 trios in a randomly seeded tournament. Only the winning team lives.

[Kblaze8855]

Time travel situation. Snatched from their primes. Only the winning squad gets to return. Rest are executed. So you get everyone’s best.



Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc(96)

Lebron, Wade, Bosh

Durant, Steph, Klay

Bird, Mchale, Dennis Johnson(unless you want Parish instead for 3 bigs).

Durant, Harden, Kyrie

Lebron, Kyrie, Love(2014)

Shaq, Kobe, Glen Rice(2000).

Kareem, Magic, Worthy(lets say 1983).

Kobe, Pau, Odom(2008)

Leonard, George, Lou Williams

Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond

Chris Paul, Blake, Jamal Crawford

Duncan, Parker, Manu(05).

Nash, Amare, Marion(2005).

Mcgrady, Yao, Skip/Rafer

Hakeem, Drexler, Kenny Smith, Mad Max, or Sam cassell your choice.

Payton, Kemp, Detlef

Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Drazen

Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson

Moses, Barkley, Doctor J(1986)

KG, Pierce, Ray Allen

Shaq, Penny, Nick Anderson(1994 ish)

Dirk, Finley, Nash(2003).

Kd, Westbrook, Harden(2012).




Not asking for much work from you.

Give me your final 4 and the 4 you are most sure wouldn’t survive. Feel free to pick a winner but that’s up to you. I’m just looking for your elites.

[Gohan]

Lebron wade and bosh would murder the other teams

[Airupthere]

Some of those play life and death even when theres nothing at stake. That said
1. Kaj, magic, worthy
2. Jordan, pippen, kukoc
3. Shaq, kobe, rice
4. Bird, mchale, dj or Lebron, wade, bosh

Sure to lose:
1. Vince, kidd, jefferson
2. Run tmc
3. Yao, tmac, rafer
4. Coleman, drazen, kenny

[HBK_Kliq_2]

The final four:

Durant/curry/Draymond
Kawhi/George/Beverly
Jordan/Pippen/Rodman
Durant/harden/Irving

I used the defensive enforcers next to my stars (draymond, Beverly, rodman).

I think the winner would be kawhi George beverly. Those three are very dominant together. Remember in the bubble, Beverly was on a minute restriction and was injured and missed the 1st round. Durant has been on some incredibly stacked casts and makes 2/4 of the final 4 teams.

We are also assuming these trios all have equal supporting casts? I'm taking kawhi/George/Beverly to win it all here.

The ones that get eliminated early: I guess Dirk Nash Finley because their defense,
Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Drazen would also get swept by anybody else, Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond would also get eliminated early 1st round,
Mcgrady, Yao, Skip/Rafer is a tough one because mcgrady and Yao were always injured in Houston.

[tpols]

It's kind of too close to call. But if I had to choose a final 4.

Shaq Kobe Rice
Durant Chef Klay
MJ Pippen Kukoc
KG Pierce Ray

[Kblaze8855]

I doubt a team with Yao loses early. He’s a bucket vs any team without a great big and it’s hard to double off Tmac or Rafer taking super spread open floor jumpers. Coleman and Kenny are tough ass matchups too. Especially Coleman vs a guard heavy team. And Drazen can’t be left alone and was pretty nasty one on one.

But I knew that team wouldn’t get much respect just off the names.

[Kblaze8855]

. I think the winner would be kawhi George beverly.


https://thumbs.gfycat.com/CraftySphericalAustralianfurseal-size_restricted.gif

[tpols]

The final four:

Durant/curry/Draymond
Kawhi/George/Beverly
Jordan/Pippen/Rodman
Durant/harden/Irving

I used the defensive enforcers next to my stars (draymond, Beverly, rodman).

I think the winner would be kawhi George beverly. Those three are very dominant together. Remember in the bubble, Beverly was on a minute restriction and was injured and missed the 1st round. Durant has been on some incredibly stacked casts and makes 2/4 of the final 4 teams.

We are also assuming these trios all have equal supporting casts? I'm taking kawhi/George/Beverly to win it all here.

The ones that get eliminated early: I guess Dirk Nash Finley because their defense,
Coleman, Kenny Anderson, Drazen would also get swept by anybody else, Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond would also get eliminated early 1st round,
Mcgrady, Yao, Skip/Rafer is a tough one because mcgrady and Yao were always injured in Houston.

If Kawhi and Paul George couldn't even beat Jokic imagine what Shaq, Kareem, and Yao would do to them. TBH Paul George is one of the weakest 2nd options on this list.

[RRR3]

How can the same players appear twice lol. We cloning them

[Axe]

If Kawhi and Paul George couldn't even beat Jokic imagine what Shaq, Kareem, and Yao would do to them. TBH Paul George is one of the weakest 2nd options on this list.
Pandemic p

[Reggie43]

Kukoc probably brings Jordan to the brink of death against those all time great bigs and is obviously there to spice things up lol.

[Kblaze8855]

How can the same players appear twice lol. We cloning them


Time travel solves these issues.

[Gudo]

1. Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc
2. KD, Curry, Klay
3. Shaq, Kobe, Rice
4. KD, Harden, Kyrie

[RRR3]

Time travel solves these issues.
Players will freak out having to guard themselves.

[iamgine]

What's the rules here on rebounding, fouls and shot clock? I feel a team with Shaq would dominate teams with no true big. But he has a problem with FT and if the rules state you can hack a shaq then it's harder. Also, Shaq is quite physical so if it's a softer rules then he'll be called for offensive fouls.

Anyways, I'd pick Shaq/Kobe. Or Hakeem/Drexler. Or Moses/Barkley. Or Yao/Mcgrady. Teams with shooters won't do well in this life or death matches due to the massive pressure. You need a surefire way to score which is a dunk at the basket.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

If Kawhi and Paul George couldn't even beat Jokic imagine what Shaq, Kareem, and Yao would do to them. TBH Paul George is one of the weakest 2nd options on this list.

If Shaq couldn't even beat Billups and Richard Hamilton. Imagine what Kawhi and George would do to him.

I can do that too.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/CraftySphericalAustralianfurseal-size_restricted.gif

They are a rich man's version of Jordan\Pippen I think. They just need a better supporting cast.

[tpols]

If Shaq couldn't even beat Billups and Richard Hamilton. Imagine what Kawhi and George would do to him.

I can do that too.

That makes no sense. Ben Wallace was there to guard Shaq, and even then Shaq still played well. Who on the Clippers is guarding Shaq? Certainly not Kawhi or PG.

[RRR3]

That makes no sense. Ben Wallace was there to guard Shaq, and even then Shaq still played well. Who on the Clippers is guarding Shaq? Certainly not Kawhi or PG.
He probably thinks Kawhi could guard Shaq.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

That makes no sense. Ben Wallace was there to guard Shaq, and even then Shaq still played well. Who on the Clippers is guarding Shaq? Certainly not Kawhi or PG.

Shaq got his numbers and still lost, that's my point. Shaq will not be able to guard Kawhi\George on pick and rolls, they would light his ass up like a Christmas tree. Shaq couldn't even defend the pick and roll against a weak 2004 pistons offense. Also Duncan beat Shaq in 2003 and that version of Manu is worse then Paul George.

Kawhi\George\Beverly would all guard Kobe and slow him down, that's mainly how they would win. Shaq by himself can't win shit, we saw that in the 90s when he was getting swept and averaging 0.5 assists against Utah Jazz.

[HBK_Kliq_2]

He probably thinks Kawhi could guard Shaq.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/1998-nba-western-conference-finals-lakers-vs-jazz.html

The series would go something like this. Jazz played like a modern day team with their pick and roll play, nice performance Shaq lol

[Chick Stern]

It’s Kareem, Magic, Worthy, and it’s not particularly close, even though you picked Worthy’s rookie year, when he was injured.
https://media.tumblr.com/c791bad7fbd504988c8194132fba1b4b/tumblr_inline_mppbjhoGaj1qz4rgp.gif

[HBK_Kliq_2]

I'm also assuming the Kawhi\George\Beverly trio have a good role player center to guard Shaq, maybe a 2000 Sabonis or something like that. OP never said that these trios have the same exact supporting casts.

[dankok8]

Kblaze

Before I give my lists... Is it a 3 on 3 tournament or these guys with league average role players at other positions in a 5 on 5? Because some matchups look like horrible mismatches if it's 3 on 3. Maybe that was intended?

[Kblaze8855]

3 on 3.

Matchup wise we perceive a greater difference one on one and in these informal settings than actually exists.

Jamal Crawford or Lou Williams in a situation like this would cook a lot of much better NBA players. Jamal Crawford in an informal setting is putting buckets on just about anyone.

Go watch some of those lockout league videos where guys like Jamal and even Harden when he was a bench player lit it up. Harden went toe to toe with Kobe when he was coming off a 12 and 2 season he only started 5 games of.

[Kblaze8855]

There is no comparison between 2011 role player Harden and Kobe but he more than holds his own:


https://youtu.be/OWp7T6E8ug8



44 points to 45(and Kobe hits the game winner).


Other than the trio of Rocket guards and Kukoc that version of Harden I think was the lowest scoring person on the list.

Still hard to guard in an informal setting.

3 on 3? The modern guys would have the floor spaced so wide it would just be rotating games of one on one with the occasional pick and roll.

On the other hands the old guys would just post all of them up. Young Barkley or peak Hakeem would give some of these trios 30 straight if they just let them play one on one down low. I dont know if it matters how NBA productive Hakeem and Drexlers 3rd guy is when they have Kidd, Vince, or Jefferson guarding Hakeem one on one and giving the other guy open 3s. Kenny Smith isnt a big name but leave him open while you double Hakeem. If he can hit 7 threes in a finals game off kickouts he can hit a few 3 on 3 when you have to give it to him or let Hakeem score literally every touch.

Be a tough tournament. The biggest names wouldnt always win.

[iamgine]

Upon further reflection...no one will be able to shoot the ball well in this scenario due to fear. Every match would end in a brawl. You would see low blows, knee kicks, etc. People doing andrew bynum on JJ Barea elbow shove, only harder.

[I'm Smart]

Best as in best season or best game or what?

Klay Thompson has the ability to knock out the rest of the teams on the list by himself in one quarter of play.

Jokes aside, I think you must choose the Durant / Curry / Thompson trio. The problem with some of the other teams is that, while they may have been more dominant relative to their era, they never developed their three point shooting to fit today's game. And if you want to get into the idea that in this fantasy land, they have a career's worth of playing under today's rule-set, it becomes a much more complex and nuanced answer.

[Doranku]

They are a rich man's version of Jordan\Pippen I think. They just need a better supporting cast.

Enough.

[Airupthere]

If the game is life and death, is the officiating going to be modern cupcakes rules?

[SouBeachTalents]

Final 4
Durant/Steph/Klay
Durant/Harden/Kyrie
Jordan/Pippen/Kukoc
Magic/Kareem/Worthy

First 4 out
Coleman/Anderson/Drazen
McGrady/Yao/Skip
CP3/Blake/Crawford
Mullin/Hardaway/Richmond

[Wally450]

Every game would be a bloodbath if the players are in their primes.

[2much_knowledge]

Some of the years are messed up

Showtime lakers 83?? Should be 85 or 87
Kobe pau lakers 2009, not 08
Suns should be 2007, not 2005

[clipps]

Where is Wade/Bosh/Allen? They had to do a lot of bailing out and carrying in order to win 2 championships.

[SouBeachTalents]

Where is Wade/Bosh/Allen? They had to do a lot of bailing out and carrying in order to win 2 championships.
Allen wasn’t on the 2012 team doofus

[clipps]

allen wasn’t on the 2012 team doofus

stfu, idiot!!!!