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All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks have had a pedestrian existence in the modern-day NBA. In 2015, they made their first conference finals appearance since 1970. Their rich history in St. Louis, where they made four finals appearances in five seasons (winning one), is often discounted. The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, are one of the glamour teams of the modern NBA. In the 1990s, they won six titles in eight seasons, behind the most marketable athlete in basketball history. Their pedestrian history beyond that run is often overlooked, as they’ve never made the NBA Finals before or since. While some may assume the match between the All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks is one-sided, a deeper look into their respective histories shows that this series could be one of the most competitive of our tournament.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks

Key Matchups

Chicago’s perimeter defense vs. Atlanta’s firepower: Atlanta’s high-scoring perimeter options (namely, Lou Hudson, Dominique Wilkins, and Pete Maravich) will have to overcome the greatest collection of perimeter defensive talent in this tournament. Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, and Luol Deng were all plus defenders, combining for 30 appearances on all-NBA defensive teams. This group will also disrupt Atlanta’s ballhandlers (Lenny Wilkens and Mookie Blaylock), who will struggle to find open passing lanes, and who will also have to avoid turnovers when Chicago utilizes a full-court press.

Bob Pettit vs. Chicago’s forwards: Bob Pettit, who averaged over 26 PPG and 16 RPG throughout his career, will be a load for Chicago’s forwards to handle. Bob Love, Chicago’s nominal starting power forward, will initially match up with him, but will struggle to contend on the boards with the relentless legend. On the other side of the court, expect Love to use his quickness advantage to make Pettit work on defense. Chicago will also allot minutes to Horace Grant, who can better contend on the boards (especially on the offensive side, where he ranked in the top six of the league in offensive rebound percentage three years in a row), and Toni Kukoc, who has no chance of defending Pettit but will give him problems on defense with his all-court offensive game. Chicago’s best chance to contend with Pettit will be throwing these three distinct looks at him throughout the series, and making him work on the defensive end of the court.

Biggest Mismatches

The athleticism of Chicago’s starting backcourt vs. Atlanta’s guard rotation: In addition to their defensive brilliance, the Bulls feature perhaps the most athletic starting backcourt pairing in the tournament. Jordan and Pippen have a chance to overwhelm Atlanta’s smaller, less athletic defenders. Mookie Blaylock, Atlanta’s perimeter defensive ace, stood at only 6’0”, and will be more effective guarding Derrick Rose than either of these two wings. Atlanta’s ability to mitigate the damage that these two inflict may be the deciding factor in the series.

Atlanta’s three point shooting advantage: As great as Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich were, they would have been even more dominant with a three-point line, which was not in the league during their tenures with the Hawks. Expect them to take full advantage of this rule during this series. Chicago’s main weakness is their lack of three-point shooting. Because of their potential spacing issue, Coach Phil Jackson may give Toni Kukoc more minutes than anticipated, to open up space for Jordan, Pippen, Chet Walker, and Artis Gilmore inside. This may not work perfectly, however, since Kukoc was a mediocre three-point shooter in his time with the Bulls (.327 percent).

X-Factor

Can Atlanta overcome Chicago’s defensive onslaught? The Hawks have a well-balanced team, that may be deeper than Chicago’s. However, down the stretch of close games, can Atlanta find room to score? Expect Chicago to utilize a closing defensive lineup of Van Lier or Sloan, Jordan, Pippen, Horace Grant, and Joakim Noah. Atlanta will have to rely on the greatness of Pettit and their perimeter stars to overcome this unit.

Results

These two teams go back and forth in a seven game classic. Chicago’s defense is suffocating, but Atlanta proves resilient behind the great Pettit. In the closing game, Jordan and Pettit go mano a mano in a close encounter. The Bulls are able to shut down Atlanta’s other options, and pull away in the end.

All-Time Chicago Bulls vs. All-Time Atlanta Hawks — Pippen and Jordan help the Bulls pull away in game seven. Copyright © Lipofsky Basketballphoto.com

Chicago wins, four games to three.

Next Round

Chicago faces the winner of the All-Time Pistons vs. All-Time Clippers.

All-Time Atlanta Hawks Team

The All-Time Atlanta Hawks team is…deep. So deep, in fact, that you could make a competitive team with those individuals who didn’t make the cut: Doc Rivers, Joe Johnson, Steve Smith, Bill Bridges, Kevin Willis, Josh Smith, Clyde Lovellette, and Walt Bellamy, among others. Even though they’ve had many unremarkable seasons in their 66 years of existence, their all-time team is full of Hall-of-Fame and all-star level performers, and they’ll present match up problems for all opponents in our tournament.

Lenny Wilkens and Mookie Blaylock will split time at the lead guard position. Wilkens made five all-star game appearances in his eight seasons with the franchise, and finished second in the MVP voting in 1968, when he averaged 20.0 PPG and 8.3 APG. Blaylock was a defensive menace who led the league in steals per game twice and made six all-NBA defensive teams as a Hawk. “Sweet” Lou Hudson and “Pistol” Pete Maravich will share time at the two. Hudson has a great case to make the Basketball Hall of Fame (compare his numbers with recent inductee Mitch Richmond and try to justify one being in over the other), and was one of the top scorers in the league in his prime. Maravich only spent four seasons with the franchise, but was a brilliant play maker in that time, and both will benefit from having a three-point line in their tournament matches.

The starting frontcourt consists of three Hall-of-Famers who each brings a critical component to the team. Dominique Wilkins was one of the NBA’s best players in the 1980s, and was the last player to lead the league in scoring before Michael Jordan won seven straight scoring titles through 1993. I’ve already argued that Bob Pettit is the second greatest power forward of all-time; he’s the premier player in franchise history, and is one of the best scorers and rebounders in NBA history. Recent Hall-of-Fame inductee Dikembe Mutombo provides them with a great defensive and rebounding presence, and will help to compensate for the defensive shortcomings of his offensive-minded teammates.

Off the bench, Cliff Hagan and John Drew will provide more firepower from the forward position. Hagan worked beautifully with Pettit during the team’s glory years, while Drew was a talented and efficient scorer before personal problems ended his time in the NBA. Dan Roundfield was one of the league’s best all-around players during his prime, averaging a double-double from 1978 to 1983, and making the all-NBA defensive team every year from 1980 to 1984. Al Horford is one of the best and underappreciated players in today’s game; his versatility and all-around game are ideally suited for a team with this much talent. Similar to Horford, Zelmo Beaty was an undersized center, but he was also a multiple-time all-star who provides great depth at the center position.

This team has a nice mix of explosive scorers (Pettit, Wilkins, Maravich, Hudson) and dominant defenders (Mutombo, Roundfield, Blaylock). With one championship, they are seeded 14th in our tournament, and have an opening round match against the all-time Dallas Mavericks.

Coach: Lenny Wilkens (our first coach who will be leading multiple teams)

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .498

All-Time New York Knicks vs. All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers

Our next match up features two teams who have suffered a lot of pain in their respective histories. One franchise has not won a championship since 1973, while the other is still waiting for their first ring. They’re united in their hatred of this man, who caused both franchises much misery during his reign of dominance. They’ve both been around long enough, however, to field competitive all-time franchise teams, each of whom can advance in our tournament. Who would win the battle between the All-Time New York Knicks vs. All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers? Each team holds several key advantages.

New York’s Advantages

Depth: The Knicks have been around for 24 more years than the Cavaliers, and this difference is reflected in their respective benches. Every Knicks bench player was a multiple-time all-star with the team (other than Walt Bellamy, who’s a Hall-of-Famer), while the Cavs only have two players off the bench with these credentials (Terrell Brandon and Zydrunas Ilgauskas – neither of whom is a future Hall-of-Fame player). The Cavs’ starters will play heavier minutes than their counterparts, and may wear down over the course of the series.

Rebounding: New York features six players who averaged a double-double in scoring and rebounding on their team, while the Cavs don’t feature any. While part of this is due to generational differences (see below), the Knicks should maintain an advantage in this area.

New York’s Question Marks

Two-Center Lineup: How will Willis Reed and Patrick Ewing co-exist alongside one another? Both are natural centers, even though each has experience in a twin towers lineup (Reed with Walt Bellamy, and Ewing with Bill Cartwright). Expect Dave DeBusschere and Harry Gallatin to get plenty of minutes alongside each starter, with Willie Naulls occasionally mixed in as well.

Cleveland’s Advantages

James-Price Two-Man Action: What a perfect pairing. LeBron James is the one of the great playmakers ever, and Mark Price is one of the great shooters ever. In addition, Kyrie Irving, Terrell Brandon, and World B. Free are all capable shooters who should play well off of LeBron.

Multiple Points of Attack: Cleveland has multiple ways they can attack an opponent and initiate their offensive sets. They have three players in their starting lineup who can play point guard (Price, Irving, and James), and a great passing center in Brad Daugherty. Expect this offense to thrive, especially when the starting unit is on the floor.

Cleveland’s Question Marks

Depth: How many minutes can James play while guarding one of New York’s multiple perimeter threats? LeBron has averaged 39.9 minutes per game for his Cavaliers career, but that type of workload isn’t ideal when guarding Bernard King and Carmelo Anthony.

High Usage Scorers: James, Irving, and Free are all high usage players who are accustomed to having the ball in their hands. Each will have to adjust to not having the ball every possession, and Coach Lenny Wilkens will have to design an offense that emphasizes ball movement over one-on-one play.

X-Factor

When adjusting for era, will the Knicks maintain their statistical advantage on the glass? Rebounding percentage is not available in the basketball-reference.com database prior to the 1970-71 season, so it’s difficult to compare the raw totals of several of the Knicks’ pioneering big men to their modern-day counterparts. However, in the latter stages of Reed’s career, he still held an edge in this category over Larry Nance’s career total, as Ewing did over Daugherty. DeBusschere’s mark from 1971 on eclipses the total of Nance and Hot Rod Williams. While Naulls and Gallatin are difficult to contextualize, the Knicks should still maintain their advantage on the glass, even without major contributions from these two.

Results

In the words of sports writer Bill Simmons, “God hates Cleveland.” The Knicks have a deeper, more physical roster, and wear the Cavs down over the course of the series. Walt Frazier, the Knicks’ Mr. Clutch, wreaks havoc on the Cavs’ talented backcourt, and leads the team to victory.

New York wins, four games to two.

Next Round

New York faces the All-Time 76ers team.

All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers Team

Our next franchise has struggled for much of their history. They only made the playoffs four times in their first 17 seasons, and have somehow earned the number one overall pick in the NBA draft six times. While many of those picks have been more solid than spectacular (and in one case, completely disastrous), they were able to acquire one franchise-changing talent who seemed destined to take them to the Promised Land. This Chosen One has taken them to two NBA Finals appearances, but, unfortunately, had his greatest success with another franchise. Now that he’s back, they may finally be on the verge of winning their first ring. Does the All-Time Cleveland Cavaliers team have enough talent around him to advance in our tournament?

Mark Price is the second greatest player in franchise history, and was the leader of the team during their first great run in the late 1980s to early 1990s. One of the greatest shooters that has ever played in the NBA, he’s currently second in NBA history in free-throw percentage. He’s paired in the backcourt with another primary ballhandler, Kyrie Irving. Even though he’s just starting his career, Irving is one of the most skilled players in today’s game, and is another excellent shooter who can stretch the floor. They’re backed up by Terrell Brandon, who Sports Illustrated once touted as the best point guard in the league. Brandon became a star as the team played at a mind-numbingly slow pace (last in the league in both of his all-star seasons), and peaked in the 1996 season, when he was sixth in the league in PER and third in win shares per 48 minutes. World B. Free is one of the unique characters in league history, but he was also a great scorer who some credit with saving professional basketball in Cleveland. Austin Carr was the first number one overall pick in franchise history, and was a solid scorer who’ll also get minutes at shooting guard.

LeBron James, the aforementioned Chosen One, is the starting small forward, and the centerpiece of this team. James is the only MVP in franchise history, and has led the team to its only two NBA Finals appearances. He’s joined in the frontcourt by Larry Nance, who was an excellent all-around player who will serve as the team’s best rim-protector (similar to his role on the All-Time Suns team). They’re backed up by two solid scorers, Mike Mitchell and Campy Russell, along with another premier rim-protector, Hot Rod Williams.

Brad Daugherty was an overlooked player during a golden age for NBA centers, but he was a five-time all-star who became an excellent scoring threat as his career progressed. In 1993, he led the league in true shooting percentage, and he doubled as an excellent passing big man, averaging nearly four assists per game over the course of his career. He’s backed up by 7’3” Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a two-time all-star who was an offensive threat from both inside and out.

This team has one transcendent star, surrounded by a group of all-star level performers. They should be an excellent passing team, that will be better on the offensive end of the court. The 23rd seeded team in our tournament, they have a first-round match against the All-Time New York Knicks team.

Coach: Lenny Wilkens

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .459

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder vs. All-Time Milwaukee Bucks

Our first matchup features two very intriguing teams, the All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder vs. All-Time Milwaukee Bucks. It’s a shame that one of these teams will be eliminated so early, but this shows the depth of talent in our tournament. Below is a breakdown of this classic battle.

Oklahoma City’s Advantages

Perimeter Defense: Specifically, the defense of former Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton. The Bucks starting lineup does not feature a traditional point guard, and Payton’s presence will force them to use more of Oscar Robertson and/or Sam Cassell as the primary ballhandler. When one of these two replaces Ray Allen, there’s less spacing around Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; when one of them replaces Sidney Moncrief, the Bucks perimeter defense is severely compromised. If the Bucks play lineups featuring Robertson or Cassell, Allen, Moncrief, and Marques Johnson, then they’ll suffer on the boards, despite the presence of Jabbar.

Frontcourt Length: Kevin Durant, Shawn Kemp, and Jack Sikma are all over 6’10”, which will cause problems for the Bucks on both ends of the floor. If the Bucks try to play small ball against this unit, they’ll get murdered on the boards, and Durant and Kemp’s athleticism won’t allow Milwaukee to have a large edge in quickness on the perimeter.

Three Point Shooting: This team, featuring one of the greatest groups of three point shooters in this tournament, will never be out of a game. Lineups with Durant at the 4 will be particularly unguardable, and the Bucks won’t be able to physically dominate him on the other end of the court unless they play Vin Baker alongside Jabbar. Baker would have no chance against Durant on defense, so the Bucks will avoid using this lineup as a counter.

Milwaukee’s Advantages

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: If Oklahoma City decides to double Kareem, then the Bucks have the perimeter firepower to make them pay. Lineups with Ray Allen and Michael Redd will be particularly difficult to defend from beyond the arc. Sikma is a crafty defender, but he doesn’t have the size or length to effectively defend Jabbar one-on-one, and if he gets in foul trouble, Oklahoma City doesn’t have another true center on the roster.

Defending Durant: Marques Johnson will make Durant, Oklahoma City’s best scorer, work very hard on the defensive end of the floor. In late game situations, expect the Bucks to put Moncrief on KD, despite the size mismatch. Smaller defenders have had some success against Durant (Jason Kidd, for example), since he doesn’t have the bulk to dominate them down low. He can shoot over anybody, but Moncrief will make him work for everything.

X-Factor

Foul trouble and Roster Depth: Both teams have plenty of backcourt depth, but don’t have a deep roster of big men. Can the Thunder’s bigs stay out of foul trouble defending Jabbar? When Sikma sits, Kemp will serve as his primary defender, so player/coach Lenny Wilkens will have to stagger their minutes and play Spencer Haywood and Detlef Schrempf alongside both big men. Vin Baker will have to step up in case Kareem gets in foul trouble, which (needless to say) is a big downgrade for Milwaukee on both ends of the court.

Results

These two teams go back and forth in a seven game battle. Oklahoma City proves to have a deeper bench, but Milwaukee has the best player in the series. Down the stretch of the deciding game, Durant hits a three to put the Thunder up by one. Seven seconds remaining. Larry Costello knows exactly what to draw up:

Bucks win four games to three.

Next Round

Milwaukee faces the number one seeded Boston Celtics.

All-Time Oklahoma City Thunder Team

It’s hard not to feel terrible for Seattle sports fans. Their basketball team was in the middle of one of the greatest draft runs in NBA history when they left town. After three straight laughable drafts featuring Robert Swift (2004), Johan Petro (2005), and Mouhamed Sene (2006), the franchise did a complete 180, and drafted Kevin Durant (2007), Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka (2008), then James Harden (2009). The one thing they can hang their hat on is the terrible luck that their former team has had in Oklahoma City, with key injuries seemingly halting every run since their 2012 NBA Finals appearance (thanks Lil B!). Small consolation I’m sure, but at least they haven’t turned into the dynasty that they seemed destined to become. Hopefully the NBA rectifies this situation soon, and awards Seattle a new team, but for now, since the history books mark this as one franchise, I’ll highlight the all-time Oklahoma City Thunder team, featuring (gulp) the great players in Seattle Sonics history.

And what a fun team it is! In the backcourt, there are a plethora of options, and I went with Gary Payton and Ray Allen as the starters. Ironically, these two were traded for one another, as the Sonics saw that GP was near the end of the line, and got five peak Ray Allen years in exchange. The depth of this backcourt is insane, with Lenny Wilkens, Russell Westbrook, Gus Williams, and Downtown Freddy Brown providing ample firepower off the bench. They’ll play plenty of three guard sets and be a nightmare for opponents to guard.

Kevin Durant and Shawn Kemp are the starting forwards, one of the more athletic pairings in the tournament. Spencer Haywood definitely has a case to start, but he’ll get plenty of minutes off the bench, along with three point bomber Dale Ellis, and the multitalented Detlef Schrempf. Jack Sikma is the man in the middle, and he’ll have to play a lot of minutes as the only true center on the team. For stretches of each game, this team will have to embrace small ball and put Durant or Schrempf at the four and Kemp or Haywood at the five, which isn’t ideal defensively, but can devastate opponents on the offensive end.

There were many tough omissions in the process of selecting this team. Dennis Johnson, Rashard Lewis, Bob Rule, Xavier McDaniel, Tom Chambers, and Serge Ibaka all have intriguing cases for inclusion. I decided to select (those who I feel are) the 12 best players in franchise history, regardless of position, but there are many different ways to build this team effectively.

Three-point shooting is an enormous strength, with Allen, Durant, Ellis, Brown, and Schrempf capable of overwhelming opponents from beyond the arc. They might struggle against opponents with strong interior play, with a lack of big-man depth off the bench. The 16th seeded team in our tournament, the Sonics/Thunder franchise has a very intriguing first round match up with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Coach – Even though George Karl had a higher winning percentage, I’ll go with Lenny Wilkens, who helped guide them to their only championship.

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .536

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