2000-2015 NBA Tournament

[RogueBorg]

Details of all the participants to follow. Round one is a one game play in with every team in the NBA getting a participant of their best team beginning in 2000 going to 2015. It's the best teams from East and the best from the West. The winners will be re-seeded with 2012-'13 Miami and 2014-'15 Golden State getting the top spot in their conference. The teams will then participate in a best of three game series. It will go from there where the Finals will be a 7-game series to determine the winner.

Two games are completed. Next post will be the box score between the 2002-'03 New Jersey Nets and 2008-'09 Cleveland Cavaliers.

[theman93]

This will be interesting. Can you post the bracket?

[RogueBorg]

We'll see how this lines up.

https://i.ibb.co/Dzq1w3b/NJN-CLE-1.png

https://i.ibb.co/XjzPDgC/NJN-CLE2.png

https://i.ibb.co/2tLQZQg/Nets.png

https://i.ibb.co/2cH0vgm/Cavs.png

[RogueBorg]

This will be interesting. Can you post the bracket?

In no particular order
East
Atlantic
2012-'13 Miami
2007-'08 Boston
2014-'15 Toronto
2002-'03 New Jersey
2000-'01 Philadelphia
2012-'13 New York

Central
2008-'09 Cleveland
2010-'11 Chicago
2000-'01 Milwaukee
2003-'04 Indiana
2003-'04 Detroit

Southeast
2014-'15 Atlanta
2013-'14 Washington
2012-'13 Miami
1999-'00 Charlotte
2008-'09 Orlando

West
Northwest
1999-'00 Portland
2012-'13 Oklahoma City
2007-'08 Utah
2008-'09 Denver
2003-'04 Minnesota

Pacific
2014-'15 Golden State
2013-'14 Clippers
2004-'05 Phoenix
2001-'02 Sacramento
1999-'00 Lakers

Southwest
2006-'07 Houston
2012-'13 Memphis
2006-'07 San Antonio
2010-'11 Dallas
2007-'08 New Orleans

2012-'13 Miami and 2014-'15 Golden State have 1st round byes.

[1987_Lakers]

The best team isn't even in this tournament.

No '01 Lakers? :facepalm

[RogueBorg]

The best team isn't even in this tournament.

No '01 Lakers? :facepalm

Why do you think '01 was better than '00?

I chose '00 because they won 67 games and had a much better Net Rtg.

[theman93]

2000 Lakers were objectively better than the 2001 Lakers and it’s not even close tbh.

The 2000 Lakers won 67 games, had a 8.41 SRS, 9.1 Net Rtg, and the 6th ranked offense and defense.

The 2001 Lakers only won 56 games, had a 3.74 SRS, 3.6 Net Rtg, the 3rd ranked offense, and 23rd ranked defense.

[1987_Lakers]

Are you guys kidding me?

The '01 Lakers dominated the postseason like no other team did before or after. Kobe entered his prime in 2001, which wasn't the case in 2000. Better defensive personnel with Horace Grant & Rick Fox in the starting lineup instead of A.C. Green & Glen Rice.

I've literally heard both Shaq & Kobe say that the '01 team was their best team.

[theman93]

Not kidding at all. The numbers don’t lie, the 2000 squad was much more balanced. For the better defensive personnel they added in 2001, their defense sure got a lot worse.

[1987_Lakers]

Not kidding at all. The numbers don’t lie, the 2000 squad was much more balanced. For the better defensive personnel they added in 2001, their defense sure got a lot worse.

In the postseason, the 2000 Lakers defense ranked near the bottom while the '01 Lakers had the best defense by far.

[theman93]

They turned it up in the postseason, but we can’t ignore an 82 game sample size.

[RogueBorg]

In the postseason, the 2000 Lakers defense ranked near the bottom while the '01 Lakers had the best defense by far.

You have to remember, this is a game, the ratings are based on stats over an 82-game season and not a 16-game playoff. 16 games is a bit too small of a sample size to get reliable ratings. The 2000 Lakers team defense/fg% allowed and 3-point defense are both significantly better than '01. The '01 squad also forced less turnovers while they themselves turned it over more than the '00 squad. While it would be fun to watch '01 Kobe play, '00 Kobe is still very good. The main difference between the two is '01 Kobe played 3 more minutes/game and shot more. The other reason I gave the nod to 2000 was having Glen Rice giving them a Big-3.

The 2001 Lakers are great, but I'm going with 2000. The other thing about this is I really wanted to get the 65-win 2009 Lakers team in this. But I have to stick with my one team rule.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/PGqBVTj/Dal-at-Por-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/KNQ3HzC/Dal-at-Por-box.png

https://i.ibb.co/y8XnWnj/Dallas-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/cNR6Tcx/Por-team.png

[1987_Lakers]

Where are the '01 Lakers?

[RogueBorg]

Coming up next from the United Center in Chicago is the 2015 Toronto Raptors versus the 2011 Chicago Bulls and MVP Derrick Rose.

https://i.ibb.co/Wp4nHHG/Tor-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/mtP5VvP/Chi-team.png

[1987_Lakers]

We will NOT take this serious without the '01 Lakers.

[theman93]

We will NOT take this serious without the '01 Lakers.

That would be fair if OP didn't already clearly layout that this tournament is based off each teams regular season, not postseason. Do you believe the 2001 Lakers were better than the 2000 Lakers in the regular season? And if so, by what metric?

[1987_Lakers]

That would be fair if OP didn't already clearly layout that this tournament is based off each teams regular season, not postseason. Do you believe the 2001 Lakers were better than the 2000 Lakers in the regular season? And if so, by what metric?

They were better when it mattered most and during the '01 regular season the Lakers were running on fumes in terms of guard depth. Harper missed like half the season, Fisher missed like 60 games (Who was the 3rd best lakers player in the playoffs). Meanwhile in 2000, the Lakers squad were relatively healthy for the most part. Once Shaq & Kobe settled their little beef they had earlier in the season and everyone became healthy they dominated like no other team did in the playoffs. Chick Hearn who called every Lakers' game since the 60's said the '01 Lakers squad played at a higher level than any Lakers team he had seen. Pretty much every fan considers the '01 team to be the best Lakers team from the 3 peat era so it's kinda weird seeing the '00 team there instead.

[Gotterdammerung]

Bookmarked!

And for those who are bellyaching about not seeing their favorite team in this thread, go ahead and start your own version with the best playoff teams in recent history by using a consistent criteria of your own.
Otherwise shaddup.
:kobe:

[RogueBorg]

We will NOT take this serious without the '01 Lakers.

Dude, I'm telling you, all the ratings on the 2000 Lakers team are better than 2001. If I choose '01 and they don't dominate like they did in real life you'll cry "foul." I admit, getting to play the 2001 Kobe card would be amazing but everything else about the 2000 squad is better because it's based on the regular season. The West in this tournament is going to be a blood bath. Shaq was better in 2000. They also have Glen Rice and a better defense. I really would like the best rated Lakers team to be in it. The 2000 Lakers are friggin' awesome too man, it's not like they're a scrub team.

[RogueBorg]

2001 Kobe Bryant is really good

https://i.ibb.co/f0Q32LS/Kobe.png

[1987_Lakers]

2001 Kobe Bryant is really good

https://i.ibb.co/f0Q32LS/Kobe.png

Is this whatifsports? How are you simming these games?

[theman93]

They were better when it mattered most and during the '01 regular season the Lakers were running on fumes in terms of guard depth. Harper missed like half the season, Fisher missed like 60 games (Who was the 3rd best lakers player in the playoffs). Meanwhile in 2000, the Lakers squad were relatively healthy for the most part. Once Shaq & Kobe settled their little beef they had earlier in the season and everyone became healthy they dominated like no other team did in the playoffs. Chick Hearn who called every Lakers' game since the 60's said the '01 Lakers squad played at a higher level than any Lakers team he had seen. Pretty much every fan considers the '01 team to be the best Lakers team from the 3 peat era so it's kinda weird seeing the '00 team there instead.

I don’t disagree with any of this but you’re still talking about how great they were in the postseason not the regular season. The 2000 squad is better than the 2001 squad in the regular season by a long shot by every metric.

[RogueBorg]

Is this whatifsports? How are you simming these games?

No, not Whatifsports but I'm sure behind the scenes the concepts are similar. The game has every season from 1954-2023. It takes me about 45 minutes to play each game. It's possession by possession and it requires a little bit of coaching on the users end. Not too difficult, you just have to manage each player's minutes and pull the player if they get into foul trouble. The user has no say on when the players shoot, when they pass, who grabs a rebound, none of that. It's an Excel based basketball game that uses a random number generator to create the action. For example, if you look at the Kobe card above this post his FTM (Free THrow Made) rating is 85, pretty simple, 85%. When Kobe goes to the free throw line the RNG will spit out a number between 1-100. If it's 1-85, Kobe hits his free throw. You would then hit the RNG again for the second free throw. That's pretty basic. For actual game play it starts getting complicated. His FGM rating is his 2-point fg% rating. When he does attempt a FG, a random of 1-49 is a successful shot. But that number can be adjusted up or down based on the defense his playing against, getting an assist from a teammate, an opposing player altering his shot, or just by taking a bad shot. Say for example that Derek Fisher passes to Kobe and Fisher's assist rating is high enough to create an open shot. Kobe's FGM rating would go from 49 all the way up to 79%. Or say the Lakers are going up against the 1994 Knicks who have a Team Defensive rating of -6, Kobe's FGM rating would sometimes drop to 43%. So the main question that comes up is how accurate is this program? I've been replaying the 1992-1993 season to check this and have each team played between 24-30 games. Below is my season summary. At the bottom in the green are the numbers for the replay and below that are the actual 1992-1993 season averages. They're really good.



https://i.ibb.co/R6QJQn7/93-93-Season-Summary.png

Below are the league standings.

https://i.ibb.co/YN5ctJ3/93-Standings.png

And my Top 10 scoring leaders

https://i.ibb.co/7kD1R2v/93-Scoring-leaders.png

[RogueBorg]

So here's why I'm resistant to using the 2001 Lakers, I'm thinking about it, but here's my reasoning. I'm concerned with a 16-game sample size. It's just not big enough to create game ratings. They won 15 of 16 post-season games against the best teams in the West for a .937 winning percentage. If the creator of this sim (I'm not the creator) had created the Lakers using their post-season numbers and you replayed their regular season, they would win 77 games more or less based on good and bad breaks.

That being said, I'm thinking about it. I would really like a Kobe at his peak in this tourny because I'll tell ya, I would love to see a prime Shaq and Kobe and those Lakers face LeBron, Wade and the 2013 Heat team in a 7-game series.

[ArbitraryWater]

Why do you think '01 was better than '00?

I chose '00 because they won 67 games and had a much better Net Rtg.

the 15-1 lakers in talks for most dominant team ever or the team that barely escaped the Blazers and Pacers with 1 superstar..


man what a head scratcher

[RogueBorg]

the 15-1 lakers in talks for most dominant team ever or the team that barely escaped the Blazers and Pacers with 1 superstar.



You guys are totaling disregarding the regular season but ok, we can do that. Let's go with your argument.

Since your criteria is only using the post-season, and the '01 Lakers, '83 76ers, and '17 Warriors only lost once in the post-season, are you declaring them the top 3 teams in NBA History?

Is that what we're doing here?

[ArbitraryWater]

You guys are totaling disregarding the regular season but ok, we can do that. Let's go with your argument.

Since your criteria is only using the post-season, and the '01 Lakers, '83 76ers, and '17 Warriors only lost once in the post-season, are you declaring them the top 3 teams in NBA History?

Is that what we're doing here?


Sure is an argument for it.

Im not disregarding the post-season entirely though.

But the 2001 lakers are basically the 2000 lakers ony much better lol.


Its the same team but Kobe made the leap to superstar.

So **** a regular season drtg

[SouBeachTalents]

You guys are totaling disregarding the regular season but ok, we can do that. Let's go with your argument.

Since your criteria is only using the post-season, and the '01 Lakers, '83 76ers, and '17 Warriors only lost once in the post-season, are you declaring them the top 3 teams in NBA History?

Is that what we're doing here?
The '17 Warriors would get a lot of consideration for GOAT, the '01 Lakers would be a very strong candidate for top 5 team ever, and the Sixers at worst would be top 10, so yeah, those 3 teams would be in strong consideration for the greatest teams ever :lol

You're entitled to your opinion, but you are in the vast minority on the Lakers discussion, you make a poll on any basketball forum between the '00 & '01 Lakers, the '01 team is getting 80%-90% of the vote.

[RogueBorg]

Sure is an argument for it.

Im not disregarding the post-season entirely though.

But the 2001 lakers are basically the 2000 lakers ony much better lol.


Its the same team but Kobe made the leap to superstar.

So **** a regular season drtg

Alright, you guys convinced me, I'll go with the 2001 Lakers.

While we're at it, are you guys good with my choosing the 2007 Spurs for this?

[1987_Lakers]

Alright, you guys convinced me, I'll go with the 2001 Lakers.

While we're at it, are you guys good with my choosing the 2007 Spurs for this?

I prefer 2014 Spurs, but won't fight tooth and nail.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3y7cWmoBCI

[ArbitraryWater]

Alright, you guys convinced me, I'll go with the 2001 Lakers.

While we're at it, are you guys good with my choosing the 2007 Spurs for this?

2007 win seems a bit more sketchy given that they were losing to Phoenix before Stoudemire was suspended for the home game 5.

I think consensus agrees with that and would prefer 2005 or 2014. 2014 to me the best version, and they also had the highest playoff +/- since the 2001 lakers, ironically.

[theman93]

If we want the 01 Lakers in large part due to Kobe entering his prime, then we should want the 07 Spurs because Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili were all in their prime. Duncan and Ginobili were past their primes in 2014. :confusedshrug:

[ArbitraryWater]

If we want the 01 Lakers in large part due to Kobe entering his prime, then we should want the 07 Spurs because Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili were all in their prime. Duncan and Ginobili were past their primes in 2014. :confusedshrug:

Ginobili and Duncan were better in 05 actually, and in 2014 the team was much deeper and outperformed the other versions in the regular season and playoffs.


You badly wanna make this a flip flopping issue, sadly you have no sense though.

[theman93]

Ginobili and Duncan were better in 05 actually, and in 2014 the team was much deeper and outperformed the other versions in the regular season and playoffs.


You badly wanna make this a flip flopping issue, sadly you have no sense though.

What are you even talking about? I said 07 should be used because Duncan, Ginobili, AND Parker were in their prime. Parker wasn't in his prime in 05. OP said these teams ratings are based off the regular season and the 2007 Spurs had the higher SRS, Net Rtg, and point differential along with their big 3 all in their primes. It only makes sense to use the 2007 team.

[1987_Lakers]

What are you even talking about? I said 07 should be used because Duncan, Ginobili, AND Parker were in their prime. Parker wasn't in his prime in 05. OP said these teams ratings are based off the regular season and the 2007 Spurs had the higher SRS, Net Rtg, and point differential along with their big 3 all in their primes. It only makes sense to use the 2007 team.

I don't put too much stock into SRS, but the '07 team had an SRS of 8.35 while the '14 team was at 8.00, not much of a difference. Also keep in mind 2014 was around the time Pop was load managing a ton to keep the guys fresh. NOBODY on the '14 team averaged 30 mpg which is pretty insane, despite that, they finished with the best record in the NBA. The '14 team was way deeper than the '07 team and they had Kawhi.

[ArbitraryWater]

What are you even talking about? I said 07 should be used because Duncan, Ginobili, AND Parker were in their prime. Parker wasn't in his prime in 05. OP said these teams ratings are based off the regular season and the 2007 Spurs had the higher SRS, Net Rtg, and point differential along with their big 3 all in their primes. It only makes sense to use the 2007 team.

Yeah but there are margins to this, and Parkers prime leap might not make up Gino and Duncans superior selfs in 05 and the rest of the team, as the results showed.


Where as in 2001 the results showed that Kobes jump made them much better.


Ofc they coasted more in the RS, they were champions now after all.


Use your brain bud

[RogueBorg]

NOBODY on the '14 team averaged 30 mpg which is pretty insane

Did their main guys minutes increase in the post-season? I would assume so.

When I do these games I usually try to keep players to their in-season actual minutes played. But when I do tournaments/playoffs I'll let the stars play an extra 3-6 minutes if needed.

[theman93]

I don't put too much stock into SRS, but the '07 team had an SRS of 8.35 while the '14 team was at 8.00, not much of a difference. Also keep in mind 2014 was around the time Pop was load managing a ton to keep the guys fresh. NOBODY on the '14 team averaged 30 mpg which is pretty insane, despite that, they finished with the best record in the NBA. The '14 team was way deeper than the '07 team and they had Kawhi.

Well yeah, they load managed because their stars weren't as good anymore and couldn't play at as high of a level any longer. The 2007 bench wasn't asked to do as much because Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili were capable of carrying more of a load than what they were in 2014. The 07 Spurs still had their 3 Hall of Famers in their prime, still had Bruce Bowen as a First Team All-NBA defender, and still had a deep bench themselves. There's just no argument for the 2014 team being better imo -- and all the metrics point to that being the case. *And again we're talking regular season only.

[theman93]

Yeah but there are margins to this, and Parkers prime leap might not make up Gino and Duncans superior selfs in 05 and the rest of the team, as the results showed.


Where as in 2001 the results showed that Kobes jump made them much better.


Ofc they coasted more in the RS, they were champions now after all.


Use your brain bud

You don't even understand the parameters of the tournament OP is putting together. The game he is using to carry out the tournament does not care about coasting. It looks at how each team performed by the numbers in the regular season. The 2001 Lakers got objectively worse in the regular season by the numbers.

[Gotterdammerung]

Hopefully RogueBorg will come to his senses and not compromise his objectivity & consistency of criteria to satisfy a few disgruntled folks. Otherwise, make a new thread that only includes the best playoff teams of all-time.

:durantunimpressed:

[RogueBorg]

I'm getting ready to post the 2015 Toronto and 2011 Chicago game.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/4s55Zmd/TOR-CHI-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/mNDzXrd/TOR-CHI-box.png

https://i.ibb.co/TMZnqzJ/Tor-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/V9Y0bW7/Chi-team.png

[Gotterdammerung]

Thanks for the hard work.
I guess my only question is why did you determine on the sudden elimination format?
The NBA settles winners in 7 game series to eliminate the likelihood of upsets like in the NCAA tournament.

[RogueBorg]

Thanks for the hard work.
I guess my only question is why did you determine on the sudden elimination format?
The NBA settles winners in 7 game series to eliminate the likelihood of upsets like in the NCAA tournament.

Great question. I wanted to do a tournament where every team was represented but to be frank, there are some teams that are just weak. I do like the NBA format of the top 8 teams in each conference making the playoffs. So what I'm doing is the 2013 Heat and 2015 Warriors get first round bys, the rest of the league are participating in a one game playoff to get it down to 8 teams in each conference. After that, I'm going to re-seed the remaining teams, the 2nd round will be a three-game series, the 3rd round will be five, and the Finals will be a 7-game playoff. I really would love to do 7-games beginning in round two onward, it's just ALOT of work. I have to individually play each of these games. But I do really enjoy. I've been doing a 1992-1993 NBA replay on the side. Do you know how hard it is to play an 11-win Dallas Mavericks team against 19-win Minnesota? It's brutal.

[RogueBorg]

Anatomy of a card

https://i.ibb.co/fGtScWH/Shaq.png https://i.ibb.co/L1bSXmr/Alston.png

Here's what you're looking at when looking at a card.

FGM-Field Goal Made rating-This is the player's 2-point field goal percentage.

FGA-Field Goal Attempt Rating. This determines how often a player shoots. The higher the better. For comparing, 1961-'62 Wilt has a FGA rating of 24. 1993 Jordan has a FGA 20 rating. Shaq's teammate Kobe has a FGA 16 rating. Rafer Alston has a FGA 10(5) rating. The (5) is how often he'll attempt a 3. In his case, half of all of his qualified field goal attempts will be a 3.

3PM-This is the 3-pt made percentage. Alston shoots 36% from downtown.

FTM-This is made free throw percentage.

REB-is the rebound rating. For comparison's, Wilt's 196-'62 season where he averaged 25 rpg gives him a REB 45 rating.

Foul-Is the rating to determine how often the player commits a foul. The lower the better.

FDR-Foul Drawn rating-The player's ability at drawing fouls. Shaq in 2001 is one of the best at drawing fouls in history. 2023 Joel Embiid is the same I think.

BLK-Is the player's blocked shot rating. To compare, Mark Eaton averaged 5.6 bpg in 34 mpg, that gives him a BLK 16 rating.

AST-The player's assist rating. Joker in 2023 has the highest rating ever for a center with an 18.

STL-Show's if the player made the All-Defensive team and their steal rating. Shaq having a 1* means he was 2nd Team All-Defensive. His STL 2 rating is not very good. The best ever is Alvin Robertson's STL 10 rating he earned in 1986.

[RogueBorg]

Next up is Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming's best season versus the 2001 Lakers with Shaq and Kobe.

https://i.ibb.co/nfRf6SF/Yao.png https://i.ibb.co/SsdgLJ0/tracy.png

https://i.ibb.co/fGtScWH/Shaq.png https://i.ibb.co/dc87VFw/Kobe.png

[1987_Lakers]

Well yeah, they load managed because their stars weren't as good anymore and couldn't play at as high of a level any longer. The 2007 bench wasn't asked to do as much because Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili were capable of carrying more of a load than what they were in 2014. The 07 Spurs still had their 3 Hall of Famers in their prime, still had Bruce Bowen as a First Team All-NBA defender, and still had a deep bench themselves. There's just no argument for the 2014 team being better imo -- and all the metrics point to that being the case. *And again we're talking regular season only.

No argument?

Is that why Spurs fans themselves consider the '14 squad to be better?

:oldlol:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NBASpurs/comments/13s2yrw/which_championship_spurs_team_was_better_2007_or/

[theman93]

No argument?

Is that why Spurs fans themselves consider the '14 squad to be better?

:oldlol:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NBASpurs/comments/13s2yrw/which_championship_spurs_team_was_better_2007_or/


Yes. No argument. None of those comments presented an argument besides depth, and even then no one presented an argument for why they believe their depth made them better. Depth alone =/= better. The objective statistics point to 07 being better in the regular season.

[Im Still Ballin]

The 2014 Spurs were crazy good when fully healthy.

https://thinkingbasketball.net/2016/07/18/top-healthy-teams-in-nba-history/


Below I’ve indexed the top “healthy” teams — when all 25-minute per game players were in action for a game — since the shot clock (1955) by SRS (adjusted margin of victory). Using this criteria, 51 teams have posted at least an 8.0 SRS when healthy. Just 29 teams have eclipsed the 9.0 mark. (10 of those teams failed to win a title — well inline with what is predicted by the variability of a 7-game series.) The best are below, playoffs included:

http://www.backpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Screen-Shot-2016-07-31-at-2.27.57-PM.png


So who are the most impressive teams of all-time that you probably didn’t know about:

- 2014 Spurs. When healthy, they posted an amazing 11.8 SRS. That team is basketball’s Sistine Chapel and Gregg Popovich its Michelangelo.

- 2004 Pistons. Absolutely impregnable after the Rasheed Wallace trade in ways that reminded everyone it was time for a rule change.

- 2008-09 Lakers and Celtics. These teams were fantastic in an incredibly competitive league. The Celtics were +8.8 and +9.3 when healthy, and the Lakers +9.7 and +9.0 once Pau Gasol joined. Kevin Garnett’s injury robbed us of possibly the NBA’s greatest trilogy.

- 1996 Magic. Yes, they were worthy of a documentary.

[1987_Lakers]

Yes. No argument. None of those comments presented an argument besides depth, and even then no one presented an argument for why they believe their depth made them better. Depth alone =/= better. The objective statistics point to 07 being better in the regular season.

Having watched both teams, the '14 version was better. Not only did it have more depth, but the system they ran was completely different and more effective. The '07 team relied alot on iso and not much ball-movement while the '14 team was completely different. They dismantled teams the way they moved the ball.

But then again, you thought the '00 Lakers were better than the '01 version which very few people believe.

I think I'll go with actual Spurs fans opinions over yours.

[theman93]

Having watched both teams, the '14 version was better. Not only did it have more depth, but the system they ran was completely different and more effective. The '07 team relied alot on iso and not much ball-movement while the '14 team was completely different. They dismantled teams the way they moved the ball.

But then again, you thought the '00 Lakers were better than the '01 version which very few people believe.

I think I'll go with actual Spurs fans opinions over yours.

Lol I don't care what you watched if you didn't even know what you were watching. Saying the 07 team did not have much ball movement is laughably ignorant. What you're saying about the 07 Spurs would make sense if you were describing the 99 Spurs, but the motion offense they ran in 07 and had been developing for years prior was not stagnant. The statistical facts clearly show the 07 team was a better regular season team. You aren't better at "dismantling" a team if your margin of victory is less than the team you're being compared to.

Regarding the 00 vs 01 Lakers, if you want to keep arguing in bad faith there's no point to continue. You and I both know the 01 Lakers are regarded as better than the 00 Lakers because of their postseason run. Anytime the 00, 01, and 02 squads are compared, the 01 postseason run is the crown jewel. But the context for this thread has always been the regular season. And again, all the statistical facts clearly show the 00 team was better in the regular season.

[theman93]

https://i.ibb.co/4s55Zmd/TOR-CHI-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/mNDzXrd/TOR-CHI-box.png

https://i.ibb.co/TMZnqzJ/Tor-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/V9Y0bW7/Chi-team.png

"DeFrozen" rings true even in this game :roll:

[1987_Lakers]

Lol I don't care what you watched if you didn't even know what you were watching. Saying the 07 team did not have much ball movement is laughably ignorant. What you're saying about the 07 Spurs would make sense if you were describing the 99 Spurs, but the motion offense they ran in 07 and had been developing for years prior was not stagnant. The statistical facts clearly show the 07 team was a better regular season team. You aren't better at "dismantling" a team if your margin of victory is less than the team you're being compared to.

Regarding the 00 vs 01 Lakers, if you want to keep arguing in bad faith there's no point to continue. You and I both know the 01 Lakers are regarded as better than the 00 Lakers because of their postseason run. Anytime the 00, 01, and 02 squads are compared, the 01 postseason run is the crown jewel. The context here has always been the regular season. And again, all the statistical facts clearly show the 00 team was better in the regular season.

That '07 Spurs team was nowhere near the '14 squad in terms of ball-movement. The Spurs offense from '99-'07 for the most part ran a stagnant offense and that was mostly because of how much they fed Tim Duncan in those days. This is no secret, every NBA fan during the 00's called the Spurs boring because of how they played, '07 is no exception. The '14 squad on the other hand is in the convo for being the greatest passing team in history, their play style was completely different from the 00's teams.

Imagine calling the '07 spurs a "motion offense" when they ranked 27th in pace. They were a slow it down team and dump it down to Duncan alot of the time or run pick n roll with Parker. 2012 is when the Spurs implemented the motion offense.

[theman93]

That '07 Spurs team was nowhere near the '14 squad in terms of ball-movement. The Spurs offense from '99-'07 for the most part ran a stagnant offense and that was mostly because of how much they fed Tim Duncan in those days. This is no secret, every NBA fan during the 00's called the Spurs boring because of how they played, '07 is no exception. The '14 squad on the other hand is in the convo for being the greatest passing team in history, their play style was completely different from the 00's teams.

Imagine calling the '07 spurs a "motion offense" when they ranked 27th in pace. They were a slow it down team and dump it down to Duncan alot of the time or run pick n roll with Parker. 2012 is when the Spurs implemented the motion offense.

You literally don't even know what you're talking about lol.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgwZYsXCcVY&ab_channel=BBALLBREAKDOWN

[1987_Lakers]

You literally don't even know what you're talking about lol.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgwZYsXCcVY&ab_channel=BBALLBREAKDOWN

Instead of posting clips, why won't you post an entire game for greater context?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV4upjIN_g

Nowhere near the player movement you saw from the '14 Spurs. A bunch of Duncan isos and Parker running pick and roll.

Imagine categorizing a team who was 27th in pace a "motion offense".

[1987_Lakers]

And here are more fans picking the 2014 team as the best Spurs team.

https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1724531

15 votes for the '14 squad
3 votes for the '07 squad.

:lol

[Axe]

Instead of posting clips, why won't you post an entire game for greater context?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV4upjIN_g

Nowhere near the player movement you saw from the '14 Spurs. A bunch of Duncan isos and Parker running pick and roll.

Imagine categorizing a team who was 27th in pace a "motion offense".
By his logic, he probably chose the '07 team over the '14 team because they swept in the finals unlike the latter which had lost one game rt. :lol

[theman93]

Instead of posting clips, why won't you post an entire game for greater context?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV4upjIN_g

Nowhere near the player movement you saw from the '14 Spurs. A bunch of Duncan isos and Parker running pick and roll.

Imagine categorizing a team who was 27th in pace a "motion offense".

The clips are a microcosm of the offense at large. Btw, if you watched past the first quarter in that game it's clear they settle in to their offense.

Anyways, generating a high pace isn't the purpose of the motion offense lol. It's to generate high quality looks based off ball movement and screens. How quickly you get a shot up to generate a higher pace is irrelevant.

[theman93]

And here are more fans picking the 2014 team as the best Spurs team.

https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=1724531

15 votes for the '14 squad
3 votes for the '07 squad.

:lol

Again, that isn't a poll that's choosing strictly between their regular season performances. You're just arguing in bad faith again and posting polls of opinions that are out of context to the discussion.

[theman93]

By his logic, he probably chose the '07 team over the '14 team because they swept in the finals unlike the latter which had lost one game rt. :lol

That actually has nothing to do with it lol

[1987_Lakers]

Anyways, generating a high pace isn't the purpose of the motion offense lol. It's to generate high quality looks based off ball movement and screens. How quickly you get a shot up to generate a higher pace is irrelevant.

That's true, but it's common knowledge that teams who run that offense play at a faster pace than most.

[theman93]

That's true, but it's common knowledge that teams who run that offense play at a faster pace than most.

In today's day of analytics yes because there's such a large emphasis put on space and pace. But the motion offense wasn't weaponized to add pace in to the equation back then. Pace was disregarded and the emphasis was placed on generating a high quality look as close to the basket as you can get - unless you were wide open from 3.

[RogueBorg]

By his logic, he probably chose the '07 team over the '14 team because they swept in the finals unlike the latter which had lost one game rt. :lol

Guys, I'm going to say it for I don't know, the 10th time. The players ratings are based on the regular season. Some of you aren't grasping the context and are arguing that I take the '14 squad. The Spurs stars were better in 2007 especially Duncan. Tim Duncan shot 55% 2-pointers in '07 to 49% in 2014. He was 1st-Team All Defense in 2007 and nothing in '14. Bruce Bowen is 1st-Team all-Defensive in '07. Kawhi was 2nd-Team. Having two 1st-Team all defensive players is huge in this game. If they end up facing Shaq they need someone that can knock the ball out of his hands a few times. In this game 2014 Duncan can't do it, but 2007 Duncan can.

I'm going with 2007.

[1987_Lakers]

My top 5 teams from that era.

1. 2001 Lakers
2. 2014 Spurs
3. 2008 Celtics
4. 2013 Heat
5. 2015 Warriors

All were incredibly good teams. The amount of great teams we saw win a chip from '08-'18 was pretty insane.

[1987_Lakers]

Guys, I'm going to say it for I don't know, the 10th time. The players ratings are based on the regular season. Some of you aren't grasping the context and are arguing that I take the '14 squad. The Spurs stars were better in 2007 especially Duncan. Tim Duncan shot 55% 2-pointers in '07 to 49% in 2014. He was 1st-Team All Defense in 2007 and nothing in '14. Bruce Bowen is 1st-Team all-Defensive in '07. Kawhi was 2nd-Team. Having two 1st-Team all defensive players is huge in this game. If they end up facing Shaq they need someone that can knock the ball out of his hands a few times. In this game 2014 Duncan can't do it, but 2007 Duncan can.

I'm going with 2007.

I can see the reasoning, the '14 Spurs team wasn't a team they blew you away when you were judging each player individually, but man, they meshed as well as any other team I have seen, the chemistry they had was pretty insane. The '16 Warriors are up there as well in terms of chemistry, but they failed to duplicate that play in the postseason while the Spurs didn't.

I actually believe the rise of the Warriors kinda made some forget how good the '14 Spurs were. LeBron himself called the '14 Spurs the best team he ever played against after the '14 Finals. Of course, 3 years later he had to play the '17 Warriors.

[RogueBorg]

I can see the reasoning, the '14 Spurs team wasn't a team they blew you away when you were judging each player individually, but man, they meshed as well as any other team I have seen, the chemistry they had was pretty insane. The '16 Warriors are up there as well in terms of chemistry, but they failed to duplicate that play in the postseason while the Spurs didn't.

I actually believe the rise of the Warriors kinda made some forget how good the '14 Spurs were. LeBron himself called the '14 Spurs the best team he ever played against after the '14 Finals. Of course, 3 years later he had to play the '17 Warriors.

Yeah, there's no doubt 2014 was a good team. According to Bleacher Report (I think that's where I read the article) the 2003 Spurs have the best modern era defense. And to your point you made in another topic, those late 80's Pistons just don't rank all that high historically. What's tough deciding which Spurs to go with is each of their championships give you something really good that the others don't have.
Regarding the Warriors, when I first started to put this together, one of the early ideas was to make the year range 1996 to 2016 year. On one side in the East was going to be the 72-win Bulls and on the other the 73-win Warriors. I decided to keep it to the 2000's just before threes exploded. However, I would have loved to have seen how Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman from 1996 would have performed.

To your best teams in this era comment I did end up putting in the 2001 Lakers, 2008 Celtics, 2013 Heat, and 2015 Warriors.

[RogueBorg]

Shaq and Kobe were magnificent!

https://i.ibb.co/M92Wvyk/Hou-LA-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/v4D43FM/HOU-LA-box-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/b6xtN1r/Houston-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/FXSDn63/Lakers-team.png

[RogueBorg]

Coming up next, the great Allen Iverson vs Detroit and that defense.

https://i.ibb.co/rxLQSVQ/76ers-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/nDwzJL2/Detroit-team.png

Detroit's 3-point defense was 9 points below the league average, they were amazing.

[RogueBorg]

The tempo of this game is turned way down coupled with neither team shooting well brings a 37-35 halftime halftime score. Iverson has 19 of the Sixers 35 points.

https://i.ibb.co/4PQr1xF/Iverson.jpg



https://i.ibb.co/qmZHwtg/01-Phi-04-Det-halftime.png

[theman93]

AI having his way against probably the best defense in this tournament :lebronamazed:

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/gJTXqQ7/01-Phi-04-Det-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/jvR8bc8/01-Phi-04-Det-box.png

https://i.ibb.co/7SxZngz/Phi-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/Rzkgmq8/Det-team.png

[Lebron23]

AI having his way against probably the best defense in this tournament :lebronamazed:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgvqXuLhrE8 In real game he scored 36 points against them

[RogueBorg]

2014 Lob City vs the 2007 San Antonio Spurs tip off next.

https://i.ibb.co/fYgDpDx/Lob-City.png

https://i.ibb.co/8rQ1QzS/07-San-Antonio-team.png

[bison]

Great thread :applause:

[L.Kizzle]

In no particular order
East
Atlantic
2012-'13 Miami
2007-'08 Boston
2014-'15 Toronto
2002-'03 New Jersey
2000-'01 Philadelphia
2012-'13 New York

Central
2008-'09 Cleveland
2010-'11 Chicago
2000-'01 Milwaukee
2003-'04 Indiana
2003-'04 Detroit

Southeast
2014-'15 Atlanta
2013-'14 Washington
2012-'13 Miami
1999-'00 Charlotte
2008-'09 Orlando

West
Northwest
1999-'00 Portland
2012-'13 Oklahoma City
2007-'08 Utah
2008-'09 Denver
2003-'04 Minnesota

Pacific
2014-'15 Golden State
2013-'14 Clippers
2004-'05 Phoenix
2001-'02 Sacramento
1999-'00 Lakers

Southwest
2006-'07 Houston
2012-'13 Memphis
2006-'07 San Antonio
2010-'11 Dallas
2007-'08 New Orleans

2012-'13 Miami and 2014-'15 Golden State have 1st round byes.

There is 31 teams here. 00 Charlotte and 08 New Orleans are both the Hornets (the original Hornets franchise.) Or am I missing something?

[theman93]

There is 31 teams here. 00 Charlotte and 08 New Orleans are both the Hornets (the original Hornets franchise.) Or am I missing something?

They're two separate franchises. New Orleans Hornets conceptualized in 2003 and are now the New Orleans Pelicans. The Charlotte Hornets conceptualized in 1989, became the Charlotte Bobcats, then Charlotte Hornets again in 2015 I believe. New Orleans has always been a Western Conference team, and Charlotte an Eastern Conference team.

[L.Kizzle]

They're two separate franchises. New Orleans Hornets conceptualized in 2003 and are now the New Orleans Pelicans. The Charlotte Hornets conceptualized in 1989, became the Charlotte Bobcats, then Charlotte Hornets again in 2015 I believe. New Orleans has always been a Western Conference team, and Charlotte an Eastern Conference team.

Technically you're correct. But the change happened a few seasons back. 00 Charlotte and 08 New Orleans were the franchise. Charlotte moved to NO. The Charlotte Bobcats were a thing in 08.

[MrFonzworth]

In no particular order
East
Atlantic
2012-'13 Miami
2007-'08 Boston
2014-'15 Toronto
2002-'03 New Jersey
2000-'01 Philadelphia
2012-'13 New York

Central
2008-'09 Cleveland
2010-'11 Chicago
2000-'01 Milwaukee
2003-'04 Indiana
2003-'04 Detroit

Southeast
2014-'15 Atlanta
2013-'14 Washington
2012-'13 Miami
1999-'00 Charlotte
2008-'09 Orlando

West
Northwest
1999-'00 Portland
2012-'13 Oklahoma City
2007-'08 Utah
2008-'09 Denver
2003-'04 Minnesota

Pacific
2014-'15 Golden State
2013-'14 Clippers
2004-'05 Phoenix
2001-'02 Sacramento
1999-'00 Lakers

Southwest
2006-'07 Houston
2012-'13 Memphis
2006-'07 San Antonio
2010-'11 Dallas
2007-'08 New Orleans

2012-'13 Miami and 2014-'15 Golden State have 1st round byes.

Miami is in the Atlantic and Southeast division

[Axe]

Miami is in the Atlantic and Southeast division
Looks like he only became familiar with the league recently. :oldlol:

[RogueBorg]

Miami is in the Atlantic and Southeast division

Just a typo error. It's the same 2013 Miami team. I've been replaying the 1992-1993 season for awhile now and used to seeing Miami in the Atlantic Division.

https://ibb.co/5vc9vk7

[RogueBorg]

There is 31 teams here. 00 Charlotte and 08 New Orleans are both the Hornets (the original Hornets franchise.) Or am I missing something?

As TheMan93 stated. It's kinda weird, at least I think it's weird, in '08 New Orleans was known as the Hornets but they weren't the same franchise as the Charlotte Hornets, they were an expansion. So for this, there'll be a Charlotte Hornets team and a New Orleans Hornets team.

[L.Kizzle]

As TheMan93 stated. It's kinda weird, at least I think it's weird, in '08 New Orleans was known as the Hornets but they weren't the same franchise as the Charlotte Hornets, they were an expansion. So for this, there'll be a Charlotte Hornets team and a New Orleans Hornets team.

The 2008 NO Hornets were not an expansion team, they relocated from Charlotte.
The Charlotte Bobcats are the expansion team here and they're not represented.
It would be like having the New Jersey and Brooklyn Nets here.

[RogueBorg]

The 2008 NO Hornets were not an expansion team, they relocated from Charlotte.


Your statement is what I thought as well. But then I read this and thought it was weird. It has to do with Charlotte keeping the Hornets name and team's history.

https://i.ibb.co/HrzCFWf/Hornets.png

[RogueBorg]

Notice that New Orleans doesn't recognize anything having to do with the Charlotte Hornets before 2002-03. The Hornets kept their history while New Orleans started in 2002-03.

https://i.ibb.co/wYYXDht/New-Orleans.png

[RogueBorg]

Everything regarding the Bobcats and the Charlotte Hornets is now part of the same history. I guess the league officially recognizes that Charlotte ceased operations from 2002-2004.

https://i.ibb.co/gdzvcSQ/Charlotte.png

[theman93]

The 2008 NO Hornets were not an expansion team, they relocated from Charlotte.
The Charlotte Bobcats are the expansion team here and they're not represented.
It would be like having the New Jersey and Brooklyn Nets here.

The New Orleans Hornets are considered a new franchise in 2003 (even though they relocated): https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/NOH/

The Charlotte Hornets were an expansion team in 1989 and claims all the history from the Charlotte teams (1989-02 Hornets, 2005-14 Bobcats, 2015-current Hornets): https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHA/

[L.Kizzle]

Your statement is what I thought as well. But then I read this and thought it was weird. It has to do with Charlotte keeping the Hornets name and team's history.

https://i.ibb.co/HrzCFWf/Hornets.png
I mentioned that and said while technically that's correct, we all know what happened just a few seasons ago (which was stupid to do.)

The Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans in the mid 2000s.
Charlotte Bobcats were established after the Hornets moved to New Orleans.
Bobcats changed name to Hornets and took their history.
Hornets that were in New Orleans changed name to Pelicans and when they became the Pelicans they started new.

[L.Kizzle]

Gerald Wallace never played for any version of the Charlotte Hornets but according to NBA Reference, he's 3rd All-Time leading scorer for the franchise.

[RogueBorg]

Gerald Wallace never played for any version of the Charlotte Hornets but according to NBA Reference, he's 3rd All-Time leading scorer for the franchise.

He played for the Bobcats. The Charlotte Hornets have assimilated all the Bobcat stats into their own.

[L.Kizzle]

He played for the Bobcats. The Charlotte Hornets have assimilated all the Bobcat stats into their own.

I get that, what I was stating is during the time periods of this thread 2000-2015 the Bobcats were still in existence as was the original Hornets.
The Hornets are represented here from 2000 and 2008, the same franchise. The Bobcats (the original 05-14 version) are not represented here at all.

[theman93]

Gerald Wallace never played for any version of the Charlotte Hornets but according to NBA Reference, he's 3rd All-Time leading scorer for the franchise.

The Charlotte Bobcats belong to the Charlotte Hornets. Like how the Houston Oilers belong to the Tennessee Titans. Warren Moon never played a snap for the Titans, but he’s the franchise leader in Touchdown passes.

[L.Kizzle]

The Charlotte Bobcats belong to the Charlotte Hornets. Like how the Houston Oilers belong to the Tennessee Titans. Warren Moon never played a snap for the Titans, but he’s the franchise leader in Touchdown passes.

Totally different, they relocated to Tennessee.
Like how the original Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans and changed their name to the Pelicans.
Charlotte Bobcats never relocated, Jordan just applied for them to change name to Hornets and New Orleans changed name to the Pelicans.

[theman93]

Totally different, they relocated to Tennessee.
Like how the original Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans and changed their name to the Pelicans.
Charlotte Bobcats never relocated, Jordan just applied for them to change name to Hornets and New Orleans changed name to the Pelicans.

Oh I agree that it’s backwards — IE the Texans shouldn’t have the Oilers franchise history. I’m just pointing out the reality of how the NBA tracks the franchise by the record.

[L.Kizzle]

Oh I agree that it’s backwards — IE the Texans shouldn’t have the Oilers franchise history. I’m just pointing out the reality of how the NBA tracks the franchise by the record.

I get it as a mentioned from the start. The Bobcats circa 04-14 are not represented here.

[RogueBorg]

I get it as a mentioned from the start. The Bobcats circa 04-14 are not represented here.

You make a good point.

[theman93]

I get it as a mentioned from the start. The Bobcats circa 04-14 are not represented here.

You're correct, but I don't have an issue with what OP did considering the technicality.

[RogueBorg]

Spurs defense downs Lob City

https://i.ibb.co/Ld577w3/LA-SA-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/nC96QFc/LAC-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/xFLhctr/SAS-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/L0fGKj6/LAC-SAS-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

Up next is a fun matchup. The 2009 Denver Nuggets vs. the 61-win 2002 Sacramento Kings. This is the Kings best modern era team. 2000 Portland is through, the 2001 Lakers are through, if this Kings team makes it it's going to set up a very interesting Western Conference.

https://i.ibb.co/9ZfqQsR/Den-Sac-teams.png

[Gotterdammerung]

Spurs gain revenge for that shocking first round upset in 2015
:lebronamazed:

[theman93]

Spurs defense downs Lob City

https://i.ibb.co/Ld577w3/LA-SA-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/nC96QFc/LAC-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/xFLhctr/SAS-team.png

https://i.ibb.co/L0fGKj6/LAC-SAS-box-score.png

Chris Small strike again :roll:

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/T4BrKm0/09-Den-02-Sac-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/JmXYqWV/09-Den-02-Sac-teams.png

https://i.ibb.co/wJwc7xK/09-Den-02-Sac-box-score.png

[Gotterdammerung]

Wow, this looks like a huge upset. Wouldn't pick the Nuggets over those extremely versatile & high-powered Kings team in a 7 game series.

And WTF are the 2009 Nuggets doing in this tournament?
Slim pickings?
:biggums:

[L.Kizzle]

https://i.ibb.co/T4BrKm0/09-Den-02-Sac-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/JmXYqWV/09-Den-02-Sac-teams.png

https://i.ibb.co/wJwc7xK/09-Den-02-Sac-box-score.png

Yeah right, Nene outplaying Chris Webber.

[RogueBorg]

Yeah right, Nene outplaying Chris Webber.

Webber was awful in the 2nd half scoring only 3 points.

[Gotterdammerung]

Webber was awful in the 2nd half scoring only 3 points.

He turned back into C-Webb, just when the stakes were high, as per usual.
:durantunimpressed:

[JBSptfn]

Why is there all this whining about the overrated 2001 Lakers? If they were in the 80's, they wouldn't get out of the first round.

[RogueBorg]

Up next is the 66-win Miami Heat entertaining John Wall and the 2014 Washington Wizards.


https://i.ibb.co/s37cj6P/Washington-Miami-starters.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/3cNtqGK/14-Washington-13-Miami-score.png


https://i.ibb.co/tZNqDN8/Was-Mia-lineups.png


https://i.ibb.co/3NFbWjq/Was-Mia-box-score.png

[Wally450]

LeBron saves the day again. :applause:

Game was a lot closer than I was expecting tbh.

[RogueBorg]

LeBron saves the day again. :applause:

Game was a lot closer than I was expecting tbh.

Yeah, these games happen. The one-and-dones can sneak up and bite you in the hindside if you're not careful. I probably should have made the first round a 3-game series for that very reason. Sometimes the dice just doesn't go your way. And in this game Marcin Gortat gave them huge problems on the glass, he had 16 rebounds.

When I was playing this game I was thinking "If Washington wins this all you guys will be screaming at the accuracy of this simulation." I was a little worried LOL. In the 1992-1993 season the Cavaliers won 54-games. They weren't a great team but they were pretty good. In my replay they started 8-12 and I was getting very concerned. But since then they've won 10 in a row and now have the 3rd best record in the East behind the Bulls and the Knicks.

In the image below the left side of the screen are my replayed standings, on the right are the actual final standings. They're very good so far.

https://i.ibb.co/5hY3tRQ/92-93-Standings.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/G0jSh9L/13-NYK-09-Orl-writeup.png

https://i.ibb.co/f1KM242/13-NYK-09-Orl-teams.png

https://i.ibb.co/989wK7s/13-NYK-09-Orl-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

Format of this tournament is changing. The 1st round is changing to best 2 out of 3.

[Lebron23]

Fascinating thread

[RogueBorg]

2013 Thunder lead the 2013 Grizzlies at the half 58-43. Westbrook has shot alot, 18 points on 15 shots. Durant has 12 on only 5 shots. He's been fouled frequently going to the line 7 times converting all 7. Mike Conley leads Memphis with 11 points.

https://i.ibb.co/rFw2znN/13-MEM-13-OKC-halftime.png

https://i.ibb.co/NZPnqjf/13-MEM-13-OKC-halftime-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/ZLD4NFd/13-Memphis-13-Oklahoma-City-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/txf0ssG/OKC-players.png

Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City, OK. -The only matchup in the tournament that has two teams that actually played each other in real life in the post-season are these two. And just like real life the Thunder captured game 1 by the score of 100-87. Thunder G Russell Westbrook had a near triple-double with 29 points, 8 rebounds, and 10 assists. He also had 5 steals. Kevin Durant had 27 but didn't shoot particularly well going 7-17 from the floor but he did go 2-3 from downtown and feasted at the foul line making all 11 of his foul shots. Serge Ibaka had 5 blocked shots for OKC. When the Thunder took the lead 8-6 early in the game they never gave it back leading by as much as 21 points in the 3rd 70-49. Memphis did get the score to within 4 at 89-85 with 2:44 left to play but Durant would score 6 points over the final 2 minutes to seal the win. Zach Randolph led the Grizz with 18 points and 10 boards in the loss. Oklahoma leads this best of three series 1-0 and get ready to play game 2 back in Memphis.

https://i.ibb.co/9cDqXd7/13-Memphis-13-Oklahoma-City-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/HGhMvnR/13-Memphis-13-Oklahoma-City-box-game-1.png

[1987_Lakers]

How long does it take to simulate these games? Feels like forever. :lol

[RogueBorg]

How long does it take to simulate these games? Feels like forever. :lol

Yeah LOL it does seem that way. It takes me about 45 minutes to do a game and another 10 to do a writeup. It is just a hobby so I do it when I get time. I play maybe 1 or 2 games on the weekend. My wife is going out of town tomorrow so time permitting I'll get a couple in. I'm setting up to do the 2008 Hornets and 2004 T-Wolves right now. The start of these thing always take the longest because I have to go out and find and collect the images for all the players for each team before I start. The I have to size them to ensure they don't appear stretched on the game screen. It's a labor of love really.

If you think is long, I've been trying to replay ever single game from the 1992-1993 season for every team. I'm about 25-30 games each team into it.

[RogueBorg]

2008 New Orleans Hornets and the 2004 Minnesota Timberwolves getting ready to tip-off next. Kevin Garnett has one of the best cards in the tournament. We'll see if some version of Chris Paul can win one of these series LOL.

https://i.ibb.co/6RNfPGH/08-New-Orleans-04-Minnesota-tip-off.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/x3YH74h/Game-1-08-New-Orleans-95-04-Minnesota-89.png

Hornets survive Kevin Garnett's 33 points and 23 rebound night

Target Center, Minneapolis, MN. -The New Orleans Hornets needed big games from Peja Stojakovic, David West, and Tyson Chandler to offset Minnesota's monster game from F Kevin Garnett who scored 33 point and hauled down 23 rebounds. New Orleans comes into the Target Center and steals home court with a 95-89 win over the T-Wolves. Stojakovic shot 6-9 from the arc for 24 points, David West scored 20 points with 14 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler added 17 and 15. Minnesota much of the game trying to chase down the Hornets lead but just never could get over the hump. Latrell Sprewell scored 20 points but shot 5-15 from the field. The Hornets now have home court advantage as the series shifts down to New Orleans.

https://i.ibb.co/Fqg0DN8/Game-1-08-New-Orleans-95-04-Minnesota-89-key-players.png

https://i.ibb.co/jrhSvKp/Game-1-08-New-Orleans-95-04-Minnesota-89-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/MZV2Rzb/Game-1-08-New-Orleans-95-04-Minnesota-89-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

Good one coming up next between the 2008 Utah Jazz and 2005 Phoenix Suns. I was a big Deron Williams fan back in those days. Illinois is my favorite college team and loved that 2005 team. Deron Williams vs. Steve Nash coming up.

https://i.ibb.co/0FKXYXs/Game-1-08-Utah-05-Phoenix-pregame.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/QnshjK1/08-Utah-99-05-Phoenix-113-Game-1-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/1sQXsqR/Suns-key-players.png

America West Arena, Phoenix, AZ. - Suns F Amare Stoudemire was outstanding tonight as were all the 2005 Phoenix Suns starters in their 113-99 win over the 2008 Utah Jazz. Stoudemire score 34 points on 13-19 shots, he also had 9 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Shawn Marion had 23 and 11, Quentin Richardson pitched in with 20 and 7, and Steve Nash had 15 points and 9 assists. The first half was a back-and-forth affair as each team traded 15 leads and 14 ties. In the 3rd, Phoenix captured the lead and control and pulled away for the 14-point win. Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 23 points and 17 rebounds. Suns maintain home court advantage as the series shift up to the mountains for game two with the Suns holding the 1-0 series lead. All Western Conference game 1's are done, we're going to head back East to finish them up.

https://i.ibb.co/mT2kmhY/08-Utah-99-05-Phoenix-113-Game-1-starters.png

https://i.ibb.co/SwJVSxD/08-Utah-99-05-Phoenix-113-Game-1-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/0sQb4Pn/Game-1-01-Milwaukee-95-15-Atlanta-139-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/8gzDB2F/01-Milwaukee-15-Atlanta-key-players.png

Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA. - The 2015 Atlanta Hawks shot a sizzling 58% from the field including 14-28 from the arc as they absolutely destroyed the 2001 Milwaukee Bucks by 44, 139-95. The Hawks had 3 players score over 20, Demarre Carroll led the way with 28, Jeff Teague had 24, and Dennis Schroder had 21. Ray Allen and Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson each had 24 but combined to shoot 17-45. This game got out of hand early as there was only 1 lead change and 1 tie. Complete, utter annihilation by the Hawks. Atlanta had 33 team assists and got a ton of high percentage shots which they capitalized on. Fortunately for Milwaukee the series shifts back to the BMO Bradley Center for a win or go home game 2.

https://i.ibb.co/h1vRcMH/Game-1-01-Milwaukee-95-15-Atlanta-139-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/m0xbM2S/Game-1-01-Milwaukee-95-15-Atlanta-139-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

One other opening round game is between 2000 Charlotte Hornets and 2004 Indiana Pacers then we'll get to the must win games.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/d4HV6b1/Game-1-00-Charlotte-04-Indiana-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/QcD5hLK/Game-1-00-Charlotte-04-Indiana-key-players.png

Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana-Coming into this series everyone was wondering how the 2000 Charlotte Hornets would score against the 2004 Pacers defense. But it was Charlotte that had the stifling defense limiting Indiana to 35% shooting and 5-20 from the arc. Offensively Charlotte only managed 66 shots as the pace of this game slowed to a crawl, but they converted 36 of those shots for 55%. It seemed like the Pacers just simply failed to hit that key shot or key free throw when it seemed like they were about to catch the Hornets, but they never did. Derrick Coleman led the way with 19 points and 8 rebounds while G Eddie Jones had 14. Ron Artest scored 22 for Indy and played great defense but needed a lot more scoring help than he got. Charlotte steals home court as the series moves back to Charlotte as they hope hope to close Indiana in a couple of days.

https://i.ibb.co/r5K6yc7/Game-1-00-Charlotte-04-Indiana-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/G5BXxs6/Game-1-00-Charlotte-04-Indiana-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

In case you missed it I changed round 1 from a single-game elimination to best of 3. All the game 1's are done I'll be starting the game 2's here soon. They're all "Win or go home" games. Here's the series standings;


https://i.ibb.co/ZMLQR5q/2000-2015-Round-1-Game-1.png

[RogueBorg]

The series shifts to the Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia for game 2 with the 2013 Miami Heat holding a 1-0 series lead over the 2014 Washington Wizards.

https://i.ibb.co/WnXJ36H/Game-2-13-Miami-14-Washington-pre-game.png

[Wally450]

How are you setting up the second round? Who should I expect to see the Celtics play?

[RogueBorg]

How are you setting up the second round? Who should I expect to see the Celtics play?

When the first round is complete I'm going to re-seed each conference. I haven't posted it yet but Miami defeated the Wizards this morning and are on to round two. So to answer your question, Boston will play the lowest remaining seed in the East.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/YQztZ95/Game-2-13-Miami-14-Washington-score.png

LeBron's 19 rebounds and 26 points fuels Heat comeback

https://i.ibb.co/znvWDw0/Game-2-13-Miami-14-Washington-key-players.png

Verizon Center, Washington, District of Columbia - The Washington Wizards led 89-79 with 5:56 left to play and it looked as though the series was headed back to Miami for a series deciding game 3. But if the Wizards thought this game was over, they were mistaken. The Heat would go on a 21-9 run down the stretch to complete the comeback 100-98. Guards John Wall and Bradley Beal just couldn't hit their shots in cruchtime. Miami G Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 29 points and 9 boards. LeBron James was an absolute monster on the glass collecting 19 rebounds to go with his 26 points and 7 assists. Miami moves on to round 2 which will start in Miami.

https://i.ibb.co/n8YqZyc/Game-2-13-Miami-14-Washington-game-screen-final.png

https://i.ibb.co/fdLzn1b/Game-2-13-Miami-14-Washington-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/yn5d548/Game-2-02-Sacramento-09-Denver-scoreboard.png

Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado-F Carmelo Anthony scored 30 points with 8 rebounds and 3 steals as the 2009 Denver Nuggets shocked the 2002 Sacramento Kings 110-102. The Kings lost this game in part at the free throw line as the Nuggets got plenty of home cooking going to the line 41 times to the Kings 18. They also shot poorly from 3 going 3-14 for 21% while Denver shot 7-16 for 44%. Former number 1 overall pick Chris Webber had a fine game scoring 30 points with 15 rebounds and 2 blocks. Good back-and-forth contest that had 8 ties and 13 lead changes. This was another game where the Kings failed to make that one 3 to tie the game or take the lead, which always seemed just outside their grasp. Denver wins the series while the Kings go home disappointed with their showing.

https://i.ibb.co/KsnyHJB/Game-2-02-Sacramento-09-Denver-gamescreen.png

https://i.ibb.co/5MwgXWY/Game-2-02-Sacramento-09-Denver-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/sPnfxF4/Game-2-11-Chicago-15-Toronto-scoreboard.png

Raptors hang-on to force a deciding game

Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Canada-The 2015 Toronto Raptors led by as much as 20 late in the 3rd quarter and held an 81-67 lead heading into the 4th. The Bulls however got to within 2 twice in the final 2 minutes but never got closer falling at the Air Canada Centre 112-108. The Raptors backcourt of Demar Derozan and Kyle Lowry led the way. Derozan finished with 28 points while Lowry had 21 and 12 assists and was huge in the final minutes with a big 3 and created numerous wide-open shots for teammates. The series shifts back to the United Center for the deciding game three.

https://i.ibb.co/PwrQbs0/Game-2-11-Chicago-15-Toronto-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/R2brQxP/Game-2-11-Chicago-15-Toronto-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/SQ9W740/Game-2-13-Oklahoma-City-13-Memphis-end-1st-quarter.png

Oklahoma City leads the Grizzlies after one 25-22. Russell Westbrook leads the way with 12 points.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/ngCwbKY/Game-2-13-Oklahoma-City-13-Memphis-Final-score.png

Durant's poor shooting gives Grizzlies a game 3

FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee-Thunder F Kevin Durant shot 6-19 including 0-5 from three as the 2013 Thunder fall to the Grizzlies 85-84. Durant's game was eerily similar to the real-life game 5 he had versus these same Grizzlies where he shot an even worse 5-21. The game had 11 ties and 10 lead changes as the two teams went and forth. The Thunder actually led 84-83 with a minute to play until Grizzly G Mike Conley hit a two with :57 left to go up 85-84. The Thunder missed 4 shots in the final minute to fall by the same score 85-84. Marc Gasol led them with 24-5-6, Zach Randolph had 17 pts, and 17 rebounds. Russell Westbrook led the Thunder with 29 points and 6 assists. Series is now tied 1-1 heading back to the Chesapeake Bay Arena in Oklahoma City.

https://i.ibb.co/yp8Bcmf/Game-2-13-Oklahoma-City-13-Memphis-Game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/Sv9hmrr/Game-2-13-Oklahoma-City-13-Memphis-Box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/8mvnNZZ/Game-2-04-Detroit-01-Philadelphia-scoreboard.png

https://i.ibb.co/VTnqyQT/Game-2-04-Detroit-01-Philadelphia-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/Czpc89F/Game-2-04-Detroit-01-Philadelphia-box-score.png

[theman93]

The Answer! :bowdown:

https://media4.giphy.com/media/3rgXBOgcyBQCUp0uHe/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952152ove02hk1iwcycb2on2bi9daa8 pw6j37r41zc4&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g

[RogueBorg]

Deron Williams vs Steve Nash game 2 coming up next.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/cgtX8LC/Game-2-05-Phoenix-08-Utah-scoreboard.png

https://i.ibb.co/ckY1nvz/Game-2-05-Phoenix-08-Utah-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/GH2LRZR/Game-2-05-Phoenix-08-Utah-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/xMp7PnZ/Game-2-15-Atlanta-01-Milwaukee-scoreboard.png

https://i.ibb.co/JvbNB5n/Game-2-15-Atlanta-01-Milwaukee-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/0ZCbHfh/Game-2-15-Atlanta-01-Milwaukee-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/rGxS6v1/Game-2-01-Los-Angeles-07-Houston-scoreboard.png

https://i.ibb.co/CWWnpZX/Game-2-01-Los-Angeles-07-Houston-starters.png

https://i.ibb.co/Rz6jqyS/Game-2-01-Los-Angeles-07-Houston-box-score.png

[theman93]

T-Mac :pimp:

[Wally450]

Kobe in an elimination game. Let's see how it plays out.

[RogueBorg]

24-year old LeBron trying to close out the Nets will be next.

https://i.ibb.co/3kMnxF8/Game-2-09-Cleveland-03-New-Jersey-pre-game.png

[RogueBorg]

Here's where we stand in the 1st round, in the East, 2008 Boston had the bye, 2013 Miami, 2015 Atlanta, and 2001 Philadelphia are on to round two. Out West, 2015 Golden State had the bye, and 2009 Denver are both through.

https://i.ibb.co/CJfG0Z3/1-ST-ROUND.png

[RogueBorg]

Here are the scoring and rebounding leaders.

https://i.ibb.co/NywrmxK/Scoring-rebound-leaders-thru-2-games.png https://i.ibb.co/D7y8bFY/Logos.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/PTnYfpF/Game-2-09-Cleveland-03-New-Jersey.png

https://i.ibb.co/1rm66zy/Game-2-09-Cleveland-03-New-Jersey-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/R2cjTT9/Game-2-09-Cleveland-03-New-Jersey-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/GP4Nct1/Game-2-00-Portland-11-Dallas-game-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/k1BKxvM/Game-2-00-Portland-11-Dallas-starters.png

https://i.ibb.co/rZPW7jn/Game-2-00-Portland-11-Dallas-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/dMhHZ4j/Game-2-07-San-Antonio-14-Clippers-game-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/h74KdHQ/Game-2-07-San-Antonio-14-Clippers-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/1XSFtrf/Game-2-07-San-Antonio-14-Clippers-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/YQBtX45/Game-2-09-Orlando-13-New-York-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/5M8d28L/Game-2-09-Orlando-13-New-York-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/pvhMZkC/Game-2-09-Orlando-13-New-York-box-score.png

[theman93]

Spurs :bowdown:

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/MgKHD1t/Game-2-04-Minnesota-08-New-Orleans-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/BGNHS2M/Game-2-04-Minnesota-08-New-Orleans-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/JrFCFGr/Game-2-04-Minnesota-08-New-Orleans-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/9hTZm0N/Game-3-07-Houston-01-Lakers-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/K6kHJVb/Game-3-07-Houston-01-Lakers-game-screen.png

https://i.ibb.co/YtmM1Yq/Game-3-07-Houston-01-Lakers-box-score.png

[RogueBorg]

That was the first of six elimination games. The others are;

2015 Toronto @ 2011 Chicago
2013 New York @ 2009 Orlando
2008 Utah @ 2005 Phoenix
2013 Memphis @ 2013 Oklahoma City
2011 Dallas @ 2000 Portland

[RogueBorg]

Lakers stats in the Houston series

https://i.ibb.co/tp3HYWj/Lakers-stats-thru-3-games.png

[1987_Lakers]

Looks like your typical '01 Lakers blowout playoff game.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2vRGfaCTds

[theman93]

T-Mac still can't get out of the 1st round lol

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/nBHRpW1/Game-3-15-Toronto-11-Chicago-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/F7p4r9y/Game-3-15-Toronto-11-Chicago-box-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/LZgwvQ0/Game-3-15-Toronto-11-Chicago-game-screen.png

[Gotterdammerung]

Do you mean the Chicago Bulls are your favorite team, or that the 2011 Bulls are your favorite team in this tournament?
:biggums:

[RogueBorg]

The Bulls are my favorite team. I like all Chicago teams (except the White Sox) and the food.

[RogueBorg]

https://i.ibb.co/XkzCTQh/Game-08-Phoenix-05-Phoenix-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/xsKpCtT/Game-3-08-Utah-05-Phoenix-box-score.png

https://i.ibb.co/rcyPBMD/Game-3-08-Utah-05-Phoenix-game-screen.png