Swish Theory’s Playoff Remix: Results!

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Conference Semifinals

East Round 2, Series 1: Team Gannon vs. Team Josh A.

#1 Seed – Team Gannon

The pitch: Every Ingredient for Success. Clear cut #1 offensive engine. 25 PPG secondary. 2 Reigning All-Defensive members. Size (Everyone is 6’4+). A great cohesive feel for the game, especially with quick processing bigs. Sharpshooting (39% team average). P&R D versatility +  defensive hell at the POA.

Rotation:

• James Harden / Victor Oladipo
• De’Anthony Melton / Mikal Bridges / Victor Oladipo
• Mikal Bridges / Cam Johnson / De’Anthony Melton
• Cam Johnson / Evan Mobley
• Evan Mobley / Isaiah Hartenstein

vs. #5 Seed – Team Josh A.

The Pitch: Surrounding the league’s most proficient scorer with versatile complementary skill sets on both ends of the ball. Offensively, this team oozes with pick and roll creation, connective passing, quick decision making, perimeter shooting, screening, and ability to score in isolation. Defensively, the team has two rim protectors making sure that there is a deterrent at the rim at all times, even when a big is pulled into guarding a pick and roll.

Rotation: 

• Darius Garland / Derrick White
• Derrick White / Caleb Martin
• Dorian Finney-Smith / Caleb Martin / Jalen McDaniels
• Robert Williams / Jalen McDaniels
• Joel Embiid / Robert Williams

Porter (aka TrillBro)’s Decision: Team Josh 4, Team Gannon 3

First off. These teams are built extremely well around their star players. I love that the Harden team is filled with switchable defenders who all can either spot up or create their own shot in a pinch. If this team were built around peak James Harden (2017-2020) I think it would be virtually unstoppable. Also thank you for giving me some PTSD from previous Sixers playoff series – mainly the old Celtics series – where an Embiid team has to matchup with a wing heavy two way team that can cause him nightmares. This team is certainly more balanced if you are looking to build a two way force in a playoff setting. Defensively this team would be a nightmare to score against – especially if Evan Mobley is able to stay out of foul trouble – but their main weakness to me is that they would not be able to apply the rim pressure that a prime Harden team would provide. 

As a Sixers fan .. the Embiid team is also a dream. While they might have some limited two way players (DFS on offense, Garland on defense) they all fit around Embiid like a glove and really build on his strengths. Garland is the exact kind of guard that will thrive with Embiid. He can run actions in the pick and roll to get Embiid the ball in his spots, he also can thrive off the ball running DHOs with Embiid or spotting up when Embiid has the ball in the post. As a vertical spacer and rebounder, Robert Williams provides the exact dunker spot threat that the Sixers are currently missing. DFS in the corners is also money. While this team might be exposed in drop coverage if you can involve Garland and Embiid in actions on the perimeter you would have four elite team defenders in the starting lineup (and two other rim protectors) that could make up for this weakness. Offensively I could see this team becoming a bit stagnant if Garland and Embiid’s shots are not falling but Embiid will living at the line, while also putting Evan Mobley deep in foul trouble early and often, and Garland’s playmaking and shot making combination should be enough to carry the load 

Ultimately this comes down to what do you want more? A team with a true superstar that has or a team with more two way versatility and shooting at every position. Maybe I am biased as a Sixers fan here but I think that Joel Embiid is the best player in the series by a fairly wide margin – and while he has had some playoff shortcomings in the past – this is the best version of him and this team would be a nearly perfect combination of star power and role players to highlight his strengths. Offensively I believe this gives them a massive advantage over any team that does not a surefire number one option.Mikal Bridges recent star leap is an interesting wrinkle but against a great playoff defense I am not sure if we can expect him to provide the same level of production that he has provided over the last 25-30 games as the number option in Brooklyn. If you could rewind Harden by 3-5 years when he provided more rim pressure or even fast forward Evan Mobley 3 years when he will be stronger for the Embiid matchup (not that one person can stop Embiid but you need to have a baseline level of strength) and more developed offensively, this series would probably swing in the other direction. 

East Round 2, Series 2: Team Oscar vs. Team Will

#3 Seed – Team Oscar

The pitch: Led by Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown, this team offers a tantalizing package of all-world pullup shooters, elite and rangy defensive talent to counter any flavor of offensive star, and reliable spacers to play off of their pair of star wings.

Rotation:

• PG: Tyrese Maxey / Jevon Carter
• SG: Jaylen Brown / Jimmy Butler / Jevon Carter
• SF: Jimmy Butler / Jaylen Brown / Tobias Harris
• PF: Grant Williams / Tobias Harris / Jimmy Butler
• C: Mitchell Robinson / Grant Williams

vs. #7 Seed – Team Will

The pitch: Featuring a mega-star who pressures the rim and bends defenses like no other. We have surrounded Giannis with a mixture of capable shot-makers, creators, and advantage continuers. Don’t expect to score at the rim against our long, active backline

Rotation:

• Jalen Brunson / Spencer Dinwiddie
• Spencer Dinwiddie / Josh Hart
• Josh Hart / Sam Hauser 
• Giannis Antetokounmpo / Bobby Portis / Sam Hauser
• Brook Lopez / Giannis Antetokounmpo / Bobby Portis

Ian Levy Decision: Team Will 4, Team Oscar 2

Team Oscar has a lot of advantages on the perimeter and homecourt advantage implies that they’re coming into this series as the higher seed and favorite. But I think Giannis would present a unique challenge (as he does in the real world, with literally every team), even if Grant Williams has historically done a decent job on him. 

With Team Will basically replicating Milwaukee’s formidable defensive frontcourt, I think they can handle the multiple creators on Team Oscar, and happily live with a lot of contested mid-range jumpers from Butler and Brown. I also imagine Team Will would have a fairly significant edge on the glass, which would be a meaningful advantage at both ends.

I don’t think this is a blowout series, I think there are a lot of close games. But Team Will’s defense holding up and Giannis manifesting his will around the basket is the difference.

West Round 2, Series 1: Team Sajdak vs. Team Tyler

#1 Seed – Team Sajdak

The pitch: Versatility and room for flexibility, with some of the best shooters in the league and defenders that can slide up and down the lineup, will make my team a tough out for any opponent. 

Rotation:

• Kyrie Irving / Tyus Jones
• Tim Hardaway Jr. / Kyrie Irving / John Konchar
• Kyle Anderson / John Konchar
• Jaren Jackson Jr. / Kyle Anderson / Karl-Anthony Towns 
• Karl-Anthony Towns / Jaren Jackson Jr.

vs. #4 Seed – Team Tyler

The pitch: Kevin Durant, the greatest shotmaker of all time, surrounded by physical and versatile defenders, walking heat-check Jamal Murray, with the Point God himself running the show.

Rotation:

• Chris Paul / Jamal Murray
• Jamal Murray / Donte DiVincenzo / Dillon Brooks
• Kevin Durant / Dillon Brooks
• Aaron Gordon / Kevin Durant 
• Steven Adams / Aaron Gordon / Kevin Durant

Todd Whitehead’s Decision: Team Tyler 4, Team Sajdak 1

Team Sajdak looks a lot like last year’s Memphis Grizzlies team, just with absolutely none of the vibes. Imagine if the 2022 NBA Executive of the Year, Zach Kleiman, decided to orchestrate a multi-team deal that cut ties with Memphis’ beloved, homegrown core of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Brandon Clarke in exchange for the obviously talented but sometimes prickly trio of Irving, Towns, and Hardaway and then, as the playoffs were getting started, he decided to just rip out whatever was left of the heart of his team by handing over Brooks and Adams to his opponent, totally gratis. That’s basically what this series is! 

I have an app that takes a hypothetical 5-man lineup and tries to spit out the real NBA lineups that look most similar to it. I fed it the proposed lineup of Irving, Hardaway, Anderson, Jackson, and Towns and it started smoking and the message it returned just said “FUNKY”. The simple fact is that there are not a lot of frontcourts that look as #funky and #weird as this one. Interestingly, there are several current and former teammate pairs in this series and Anderson has played real-life minutes with both Jackson and Towns. But could all three of them work together? In the previous two seasons in Memphis, Anderson rarely shared the court with Jackson and the minutes those two played alongside another big (Adams, Clarke, or Jonas Valanciunas) were net negative. Likewise, the trio of Anderson, Towns, and Gobert have rarely played at the same time this season in Minnesota, and the minutes they have shared have been a minus. Of course, the dual-stretchiness of Towns and Jackson would add a different dimension to this frontcourt which wasn’t available in Memphis or Minnesota, so maybe the spacing would be fine, but I remain a little skeptical.

Team Tyler, on the other hand, is like a Frankenstein monster of pieces of the best teams in the West. We know, empirically, that these players can (and do) pair nicely together: lineups with Durant and Paul are +15 points per 100 possessions in Phoenix this season, Murray and Gordon are +12 in Denver, and Brooks and Adams are +11 in Memphis. Moreover, Durant, Paul, and Murray have all proven in recent years that they can thrive as both primary or complementary options on offense. Over their last three healthy seasons, each of these stars has taken at least 200 spot-up threes, making 45, 41, and 43% of them, respectively. Toss in DiVincenzo – who has made 42% of his own 299 spot-up threes over the last three years – and Team Tyler is going to have plenty of ways to stretch opposing defenses. They will be able to attack with multiple weapons and should be able to do more than just “take turns” trying to score.

In terms of matchups, I don’t see any real issues for Team Tyler. Stevens can hold his own on Towns, Gordon can guard Jackson, Durant can matchup with Anderson and take some liberties in helping out around the rim, Murray can be stashed on Hardaway, and Paul should give Irving a stiff challenge. Having the ability to mix in Brooks or DiVincenzo is a nice bonus, allowing Team Tyler to throw a different look at any shooters from Team Sajdak who happen to get hot. On the flip side, I’d say the biggest question marks will be – who is Irving going to guard from Team Tyler? And can Slo Mo slow down KD enough to keep it interesting? In my opinion, Team Tyler rolls. 

West Round 2, Series 2: Team Neema vs. Team Corban

#2. Team Neema

The pitch: My team exemplifies the NBA’s highest standards of pace and athleticism. Paired with specialists at each position as well as plenty of skill along the wings, this team makes up for their lack of height with grit, speed and strength. Outrunning and out-working our opponent will be our key to a deep playoff run.

Rotation:

• Ja Morant/Gary Payton II
• Anthony Edwards/Gary Payton II
• Andrew Wiggins/Michael Porter Jr/Anthony Edwards
• Michael Porter Jr./Andrew Wiggins/Brandon Clarke
• Kevon Looney/Brandon Clarke

vs. #6. Team Corban

The pitch: Balanced team basketball with explosive offensive upside, length, and positional flexibility

Rotation:

• Luka Doncic / Malik Monk
• Klay Thompson /Luka Doncic
• Jonathan Kuminga/Klay Thompson
• Keegan Murray/ Jonathan Kuminga
• Draymond Green / Christian Wood

Joe Viray’s Decision: Team Neema 4, Team Corban 3

This was a pretty difficult decision for me because I think both teams have extremely viable arguments for winning a series against each other. On one hand, Team Neema has, in my opinion, the perfect combination of defensive versatility and offensive juice to power through just about any team that’s put in front of it. On the other hand, Team Corban has what Luka Doncic has always needed: shooters, and not just the league-average kind – I mean, bona fide SHOOTERS. Coupled with just enough defensive help, it can also power through almost any team you put in front of it.

However, what makes me choose Team Neema in a close series win is how perfectly built it is to take advantage of it’s one main strength: pace. In order to beat teams with pace, you need to catch opposing defenses on the back foot constantly. How do you do that? You make sure not to take the ball out of the basket as much as possible – and you do that with tough, hard-nosed defense, which this team has in spades. Compared to Team Corban, Team Neema also has much more rebounding talent, which will be important for them to immediately trigger the break. Ja Morant is the perfect point guard to play such an uptempo style. The wing trio of Wiggins, Porter, and Edwards is a unique blend of length, wing defense, and a powder keg that can provide explosive offense. Gary Payton II is an absolute hound and can make life difficult for any opposing ball handler. Looney and Clarke provide the hustle on the boards.

Ultimately, I think Team Neema may be a bit too much for Team Corban and its lack of athleticism beyond Jonathan Kuminga and lack of rim protection/deterrence beyond Draymond Green. Relentless rim pressure, dogged defense, and constant uptempo basketball will tire Team Corban out, especially Luka, who thrives in the deliberate nature of the half-court game but may be forced to sprint constantly against such an athletic team. Which is why I think Team Corban will eventually run out of gas as the series progresses. Team Neema takes it all the way.

Eastern Conference

Round 1, Series 1: Team Larro vs. Team Josh A.

#4 Seed – Team Larro

The pitch: One of the best offensive generators in the NBA in Donovan Mitchell and one of the best defensive tandems in the NBA in Marcus Smart and Jarrett Allen. I’ve also added shooting and defense around this group with additions of: Jae Crowder, Grayson Allen, Kevin Love(mostly shooting), and Khris Middleton isn’t a bad defender himself.

Rotation:

• Marcus Smart/ Donovan Mitchell
• Donovan Mitchell/ Grayson Allen
• Khris Middleton/ Grayson Allen
• Jae Crowder/ Khris Middleton
• Jarrett Allen/ Kevin Love

vs. #5 Seed – Team Josh A.

The Pitch: Surrounding the league’s most proficient scorer with versatile complementary skill sets on both ends of the ball. Offensively, this team oozes with pick and roll creation, connective passing, quick decision making, perimeter shooting, screening, and ability to score in isolation. Defensively, the team has two rim protectors making sure that there is a deterrent at the rim at all times, even when a big is pulled into guarding a pick and roll.

Rotation: 

• Darius Garland / Derrick White
• Derrick White / Caleb Martin
• Dorian Finney-Smith / Caleb Martin / Jalen McDaniels
• Robert Williams / Jalen McDaniels
• Joel Embiid / Robert Williams

Steph Noh’s Decision: Team Josh 4, Team Larro 2

Team Josh A. is going to take this one down in 6 games. The NBA is a star-driven league. As good as Donovan Mitchell has been, Joel Embiid is a tier above him. Embiid is going to be able to carry Team Josh A. in this matchup. 

In fairness to Team Larro, Embiid has struggled against the Cavs this season. Struggling for him though is still scoring 28 per game on 60 percent true shooting. And while Team Larro has Jarrett Allen, a great defender, to put on Embiid, Embiid is going to eat Kevin Love alive in the minutes where Allen sits. 

Team Larro also has Darius Garland, who has had one of the more underrated seasons in the league and been overshadowed by Mitchell’s superb year. Garland can help spread the floor for Embiid and set the big man up with his great court vision. 

Mitchell is liable to go off for a big number in this game. He’s averaged 37.5 points per game across four contests with the Celtics this season. But the spacing on that team is going to be iffy, with Smart and Crowder both streaky shooters and Jarrett Allen a non-shooter. Love and Grayson Allen could help alleviate some of those spacing issues, but Love is going to be tough to play in this series because of that Garland-Embiid pick-and-roll.

Round 1, Series 2: Team Oscar vs. Team Josh U.

#3 Seed – Team Oscar

The pitch: Led by Jimmy Butler and Jaylen Brown, this team offers a tantalizing package of all-world pullup shooters, elite and rangy defensive talent to counter any flavor of offensive star, and reliable spacers to play off of their pair of star wings.

Rotation:

• PG: Tyrese Maxey / Jevon Carter
• SG: Jaylen Brown / Jimmy Butler / Jevon Carter
• SF: Jimmy Butler / Jaylen Brown / Tobias Harris
• PF: Grant Williams / Tobias Harris / Jimmy Butler
• C: Mitchell Robinson / Grant Williams

vs. #6 Seed – Josh U.

The pitch: 3 quality drivers surrounded with spacing + a vertical threat. An Elite rim protector + 2 POA defenders + size to switch.

Rotation:

• Malcolm Brogdon / Tyler Herro
• Quentin Grimes / Tyler Herro
• Jayson Tatum / Royce O’Neale
• Royce O’Neale / Yuta Watanabe
• Nicolas Claxton / Yuta Watanabe

Samson Folk’s Decision: Team Oscar 4, Team Josh U. 2

So, my initial lean is that Team Oscar wins in 6 games. Tatum is the best player here, no doubt, but I do think that Team Josh U.’s offense could be greatly affected by an aggressive gameplan to overload on him. Grimes, Brogdon, Herro, all impressive players in their own right, and with Herro obviously being able to scale up as a primary creator for stretches. Blitz Tatum, and I’m fairly confident that over the course of the series that Team Oscar will be able to delete the dangerous areas on the floor and zone up the big areas often enough to move them into the deep shot clock. For posterity, I’m assuming that the talent on top teams has flattened out because of a fantasy draft, but I also think that Team 1 will be more limited in their offensive counters than Team 2 will be. 

Obviously Brown has some off-ball defense warts, but I think you can have a lot of fun by using him as Tatum’s primary defender. I also think that Team Oscar eventually swaps Williams and Harris – to a positive effect. 

I think Team Josh U. is going to have a Maxey problem. He can easily work off of either of Butler or Brown, and when it comes to punching gaps afforded by his fellow stars, Maxey can be the elite play finisher at all 3 levels and he can make progressive passing reads out of them. With Butler and Brown ready to collapse the defense at any point in time, that’s good eating. Butler is also uniquely gifted among wings when it comes to creating for bigs, and I think that creates the potential for a couple big games from Robinson. 

Considering how much switching would go on in this series, and the mobility on both sides, this series would probably be extremely fun to watch.

Round 1, Series 3: Team Pow vs. Team Will

#2 Seed – Team Pow

The pitch: Max switchability with plus passing everywhere. My team has plenty of options to take down the matchups with the top talent in the East as they search for air space

Rotation:

• Jrue Holiday / Immanuel Quickley
• Immanuel Quickley / RJ Barrett / Cam Thomas
• Julius Randle / RJ Barrett
• Bam Adebayo  / Julius Randle
• Al Horford / Bam Adebayo

vs. #7 Seed – Team Will

The pitch: Featuring a mega-star who pressures the rim and bends defenses like no other. We have surrounded Giannis with a mixture of capable shot-makers, creators, and advantage continuers. Don’t expect to score at the rim against our long, active backline

Rotation:

• Jalen Brunson / Spencer Dinwiddie
• Spencer Dinwiddie / Josh Hart
• Josh Hart / Sam Hauser 
• Giannis Antetokounmpo / Bobby Portis / Sam Hauser
• Brook Lopez / Giannis Antetokounmpo / Bobby Portis

Rob Schaefer Decision: Team Will 4, Team Pow 2

I landed on six games because this would be a highly-competitive matchup, but when picking an upset, it’s always more likely the underdog will close it out on their home floor.

As for the reasons for leaning towards Team 2: I certainly see the specter of a highly versatile defense with Bam Adebayo and Al Horford in the frontcourt and Jrue Holiday the head of the snake on the perimeter. And the isolation shot creation up and down the rotation is intriguing in close games.

What concerns me is Team 1’s offensive upside. Holiday and Quickley’s pull-up shooting could certainly foil what I imagine will be a drop-heavy scheme between Antetokounmpo, Lopez and Portis. But over the course of a seven-game series, I’m banking on Antetokounmpo and Lopez winning the math equation for Team 2 by erasing the painted area and mitigating the pressure points that Dinwiddie and Brunson defending at the point of attack could present. I foresee the ball sticking a bit for Team 1, which plays to their isolation strengths, but could also bog them down against such a proven defensive formula.

Antetokounmpo, of course, is also the best player in this hypothetical series by leaps and bounds. Adebayo and Horford have both been as effective as one could ask for in checking the Greek Freak in the past. I’m just wanting for different players than Thomas or Barrett off the bench for Team 1 that would be more reliable ball-movers, floor-spacers and defenders. I think Team 2 has a few more ways to adjust over the course of a seven-game series by, say, sliding Antetokounmpo to the 5 and Portis to the 4, or inserting Hauser (who’s no defensive liability) for Brunson, Dinwiddie or Hart if knockdown spot-up shooting is needed.

It would be close. It would be back-and-forth. But so says my gut.

Western Conference

Round 1, Series 1: Team Tyler vs. Team Avinash

#4 Seed – Team Tyler

The pitch: Kevin Durant, the greatest shotmaker of all time, surrounded by physical and versatile defenders, walking heat-check Jamal Murray, with the Point God himself running the show.

Rotation:

• Chris Paul / Jamal Murray
• Jamal Murray / Donte DiVincenzo / Dillon Brooks
• Kevin Durant / Dillon Brooks
• Aaron Gordon / Kevin Durant 
• Steven Adams / Aaron Gordon / Kevin Durant

vs. #5 Seed – Team Avinash

The pitch: Imagine running a lineup composed of the most talented offensive and defensive centers in the league, surrounded by a bevy of on-ball creators with slashing and pull-up goodness. The perfect counter to small-ball, teams lacking size or positional utility are especially prone to being eaten alive by this versatile lineup. Let’s be real: who’s stopping a Jokic-Gobert pnr, especially when they are surrounded by personnel hungry to capitalize on even the most minute of advantages afforded by their size?

Rotation:

• Mike Conley/Jordan Poole
• Desmond Bane/Jordan Poole
• Josh Green/Josh Okogie
• Nikola Jokic/Josh Okogie
• Rudy Gobert/Nikola Jokic

Shamit Dua’s Decision: Team Tyler 4, Team Avinash 1

Normally when evaluating teams, I am looking at size, creation, and shooting. In this situation the creation and shooting of Team Tyler far exceeds the size advantages of Team Avinash. On a surface, the team starting those two bigs is going to cede significant ground on battle behind the 3 point line and when the game slows down, I do believe Team Avinash will have to decide between one of the two bigs to deploy during crunch time.

Zooming in a little bit, Team Tyler having home court advantage cannot be overlooked. Teams are 516-714 on the road this season. In addition, having the ability to deploy complimentary players around Kevin Durant at all positions is a great boon. Steven Adams, one of the league’s strongest bigs, matches up with Jokic in the post quite well. Meanwhile, this frees one of Kevin Durant or Aaron Gordon to roam off of Rudy Gobert. The reverse can also be true – Team Tyler can attach Aaron Gordon to Jokic and double with Adams off of Gobert. There is more lineup versatility on Tyler Tyler on both ends of the ball.

Meanwhile, the ability to deploy Brooks and Divincenzo at the point of attack greatly slows Team Avinash’s secondary creation options behind Jokic. Mike Conley seems to have found a similar fountain of youth that Chris Paul has, but as a grueling series goes forward, team 1’s ability to lean on Jamal Murray is a greater advantage than Jordan Poole.

Ultimately, I really do like the idea of Team Avinash, this just seems to be the worst possible matchup for them. The lack of size on the wing will significantly impact their ability to defend Kevin Durant – especially once team 1 goes “small” and spaces the bigs out. Frankly, a lineup of Chris Paul, Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, Kevin Durant, and Aaron Gordon is terrifying.

I have Team Avinash winning one of their home games because Jokic is THAT good and I do believe this team is capable of winning the possession battle via rebounds and free throws, but I do not see a competitive series unfolding.

Round 1, Series 2: Team AJ vs. Team Corban

#3 Seed – Team AJ

The pitch: Well balanced team on both ends of the floor. Our mix of athleticism, defense, and half court scoring give us the versatility to match up well with anyone

Rotation:

• De’Aaron Fox/Devin Booker/Bruce Brown
• Devin Booker/Bruce Brown
• Reggie Bullock/Jaden McDaniels
• Jaden McDaniels/Maxi Kleber
• DeAndre Ayton/Maxi Kleber

vs. #6 Seed – Team Corban

The pitch: Balanced team basketball with explosive offensive upside, length, and positional flexibility

Rotation:

• Luka Doncic / Malik Monk
• Klay Thompson /Luka Doncic
• Jonathan Kuminga/Klay Thompson
• Keegan Murray/ Jonathan Kuminga
• Draymond Green / Christian Wood

Ricky O’Donnell’s Decision: Team Corban 4, Team AJ 2

I felt confident about a Team Corban victory initially, but questioned myself the more I thought about it. Ultimately, I’m going with Team Corban for a few reasons: 1) Luka is the best player in the series, 2) there’s a spot for him to hide defensive (on Bullock), 3) the Monk/Klay/Keegan contingent can bomb threes with volume and get out to a lead that will be very difficult for Team AJ to wipe away given their lack of volume shooting, and 4) I fully believe in Draymond’s ability to solve problems as they present themselves. 

I am a bit scared of the lack of defensive interior depth on Team Corban as I don’t believe in Wood’s ability to impact a playoff series much, but it’s possible Kuminga can even handle some small-ball five minutes and blitz more pick-and-rolls. I love the Brown-Kleber bench for Team AJ and the defensive versatility it gives them. The swing factor in this series is Klay’s ability to guard Fox – I cautiously think he’s up for it but ideally you have a better POA defender around. I have no idea who the Booker matchup is here, but I think Keegan and Kuminga at least have the size to slow him down, and I’m not sold on Booker hitting the gas to burn them to the cup.  Ultimately I think Luka surrounded by such great shooting is just too much, and Draymond can magically fix most of what ails this team defensively.

Round 1, Series 3: Team Neema vs. Team Charlie

#2 Seed – Team Neema

The pitch: My team exemplifies the NBA’s highest standards of pace and athleticism. Paired with specialists at each position as well as plenty of skill along the wings, this team makes up for their lack of height with grit, speed and strength. Outrunning and out-working our opponent will be our key to a deep playoff run.

Rotation:

• Ja Morant/Gary Payton II
• Anthony Edwards/Gary Payton II
• Andrew Wiggins/Michael Porter Jr/Anthony Edwards
• Michael Porter Jr./Andrew Wiggins/Brandon Clarke
• Kevon Looney/Brandon Clarke

vs. #7 Seed – Team Charlie

The pitch: spamming Steph/Sabonis handoffs with a smattering of PNR, elite spacing and solid wing defense to counter the lack of rim protection

Rotation:

• Steph Curry/Cameron Payne
• Kevin Huerter/Cameron Payne/KCP
• Kentavious Caldwell-Pope/Harrison Barnes
• Harrison Barnes/Naz Reid
• Domantas Sabonis/Naz Reid

SJ’s Decision: Team Neema 4, Team Charlie 2

I chose Team Neema to win in a playoff series because I believe they have a better mix of  shooting, defense, rebounding and rim pressure than Team Charlie. While Anthony Edwards is an inconsistent defender, it’s mainly due to effort. With that being said, I like him and Andrew Wiggins on the wings defending with Kevon Looney manning the middle. They also have good POA defense with GP2 coming off the bench. Team Charlie’s shooting will win them a few games but Team Neema will ultimately win the series because of their defense and rebounding. Sabonis is the best rebounder when looking at both teams but Team Neema overall has a collection of better rebounders than Team Charlie.

I acknowledge (and so do you) that there are defensive schemes where both Sabonis and Naz Reid could look decent on defense but Team Charlie’s offense will be their biggest strength on defense. In a playoff setting I am usually wary of teams like this, especially given that I think Team Neema has the tools to exploit the weak defenders on Team Charlie. My biggest concern regarding Team Neema is their lack of playmaking. I think in this hypothetical universe if they did play and lose, it would’ve been because of the lack of playmaking. Team Charlie has 3-4 positive playmakers that can keep the ball moving which is definitely a strength of their team in addition to the shooting. The playoffs is *typically* a halfcourt game and Team Charlie definitely has the edge in the halfcourt because of this but coaching could mitigate some of the halfcourt concerns I have about Team Neema. 

Overall, I am more partial to defense and rebounding in the playoffs and I think lineup versatility is becoming more valuable which is why I went with Team Neema.