I think that any all time 5 man team can be beaten. What i mean is that it doesn't matter which 5 man team you pick, I can pick another 5 man team that can beat your 5 man team based on exploiting matchups. e.g. let's take C- Wilt PF - Duncan SF - Bird SG - Jordan PG- magic this is a very uncontroversial all time lineup, however i am almost sure that the following team can beat it. C - Russell PF - Dream SF - Lebron SG - Pippen PG - Isiah Thomas my logic is that Russell and Dream will play Duncan and Wilt to a standstill because they are better defensively, Pippen guarding jordan is the best possible matchup. Meanwhile, you have larry bird trying to guard lebron, and magic trying to guard isiah. basically there are more exploitable matchups the second team can go to, and therefore win the game. See if you can create a team that beats my second team and provide the rationale.
c - Shaq pf - Mark Eaton sf - Kobe Bryant sg - Clyde Drexler pg - Chauncey Billups I think with Shaq and Eaton protecting the basket, you would force scottie and lebron to take more jumpers than they normally would. Eaton has been known to give Dream the most trouble defensively. Having two big guards in kobe and clyde would allow them to switch off and on to guard lebron, while also making him work on defense. Chauncey would be able to take isiah into the post.
C- Charles Barkley - The only player who can defend Shaq one on one without needing a double team because he can hold his ground, and once you get rid of Shaq's bulldoze to the basket, he's limited to lower % hooks shots away from the basket, also wouldn't be intimidated. PF - Dirk Nowitzki - Take Eaton outside and rain jumpers on him all day, also take him away from the paint. SF - Pippen - can guard kobe SG - Jordan - Can dominate clyde PG - Penny Hardaway - Will dominate Chauncey on the offensive end by taking him off the dribble, and will also be too big for chauncey on the defensive end. Also, because of the elite wing defenders, the lack of shot blocking by the front court is negated.
How do you think Chauncey would have any room to operate in the post with both Shaq and Eaton also on the floor?
I would beat it with a 9-man rotating team of John Stockton Gary Payton Alvin Robertson Scottie Pippen Kevin Garnett Dwyane Wade Larry Johnson Stacy Augmon LeBron James Formula - apply full court pressure for 48 minutes, we win going away I think. Edit: Sure we'd get murdered in the post (though Garnett and James would be surprisingly capable against Duncan & Chamberlain, IMO) because our guards are smaller - but how would the Jordan-Bird-Magic team inbound the ball? I mean you have to let Magic or Larry Inbounds the ball, Jordan has to be the guy to get open, and Payton/Augmon/Stockton/Robinson/Wade are going to be hounding him relentlessly scrapping for every loose ball. The alternative is to bring Duncan or Wilt up to catch the lob - I like my chances of one of my guys picking it off, or just let them catch it and trap them in the backcourt. What's wilt going to do, dribble the ball up the court while trapped by Stacy Augmon and John Stockton? That's a steal or a backcourt violation.
Because this is the last one to "follow the rules" imo I will reply to this one. C-David Robinson PF- Dirk SF- Elgin Baylor SG- Jerry West PG- John Stockton Why? I'm using David Robinson to just make Shaq work on the defensive end of the floor and give me rebounds. I ask nothing from him on offense. Dirk would destroy Eaton by taking him to the perimeter all game long and your team would have no one to rotate to play him out there that couldn't then be exploited. Elgin Baylor is on the team only to be a scorer, I accept that he can't do much to Kobe Bryant (though I think using him as your 3 is a little cheap) Jerry West couldn't stop Drexler, but he'd give him fits on the other side of the court. Stockton would abuse Billups. The major problem though with your team is that I think they'd struggle offensively. Drexler and Kobe would not co-exist imo on the court as they both need to dominate the ball.
Walton Webber Wilkins Ray Allen Maravich I don't know if they'd win, but with Maravich driving, Allen spotting up, Wilkins slashing, and two superior interior passers, this team would get lots of open looks anywhere they wanted.
C - Hakeem PF - KG SF - Lebron SG - Jordan PG- Kobe Walton can't hold Hakeem 1 on 1 so there will be double teams. No way you leave anyone else open or you get murdered. Kobe/Jordan are interchangable at PG/SG and can take turns being faciliator/scorers. On defense, all 5 are great and will make the other team work for EVERYTHING.
Although Tim Duncan is the best "power Forward" The most dominating lineup by far would be PG: Magic Johnson SG: Michael Jordan SF: Larry Bird F: Wilt F: Kareem
You know if it's a mismatch one way, it's most likely a mismatch the other end too, especially if you're taking all time greats C- Shaq PF - Dirk SF - Kemp SG - Jordan PG - Payton No matter who you pick to guard Dirk it's a mismatch both for him and whoever is left guarding Kemp, while on the other end Kemp can cover physical PFs for Dirk, with Shaq at the basket. Also Kemp + Payton for teammates bonus Jordan doesn't even have to score
OK Add any 4 additional players you want to your lineup - Any number of 3-guard, 2 forward lineups from my pressing team would give them huge trouble even if you added Kobe, Chris Paul, whoever to your conventional team. Garnett, James, Wade, Stockton, Payton - like I said I'd like to see them try to get past full court pressure of that team. or Garnett, Pippen, Wade, Robertson Payton Garnett Johnson Augmon Wade Stockton etc etc etc Take any permutation. If I can get 5 guys who can really press, they will outquick every single player on the Dream Team with the exception of Jordan. Why would I attack a team at their strength and try to match them up one on one? Attack their weaknesses, which is the lack of quick perimter players. Come to think of it I would probably also include Allen Iverson. Magic couldn't guard him.
Somebody can just copy your team but replace Bird with Pippen, definitely works better for them on the defensive end Jordan O > Jordan D
