Entertainment

The Ultimate Matchup: 2019 Warriors (In Their Prime) vs. 2021 Nets (In Their Prime)

admin
by admin March 20, 2021

What if we told you that an ultimate NBA Finals could have existed? That Father Time was just a couple of years too late in making one of the greatest NBA championships exist. The 2019 Golden State Warriors featured five All-Star caliber players and two MVP selections on their team. Four of the five starters had won back-to-back NBA championships, with one player winning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards.

Their opponent would be a superteam in the present. The 2021 Brooklyn Nets feature that same player but with some pretty incredible support players. That includes a three-time scoring champion, one of the best dribblers we have ever seen, and two members from the infamous “Lob City.”

In their prime, this 7-game series would be epic. Let’s see who would win.

2019 Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins

2021 Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan

 

Point Guard: Steph Curry vs. Kyrie Irving

Curry is going to go down as one of the best shooters of all time but Irving is making a case as a great shooter this year. Let’s put the numbers together. Curry is averaging 29.3 points per game while shooting 47.3% from the field with 6.3 assists. Irving is averaging 27.6 points per game on 52% shooting with 5.8 assists. Irving made the move to shooting guard to complement the addition of James Harden but has thrived in his new role. It easy to say that Irving is in the midst of his prime years as this is the second straight season that he is averaging over 27 points per game.

However, Curry has the advantage. Curry could be in the last year of his prime seasons but when he was Irving’s age, he was a unanimous MVP selection and made the 50-40-90 club. Irving has never averaged over 30 points per game for a full season, while Curry did in 2015. Curry has actually already bested Irving two times in his career, having defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers on three separate occasions in the NBA Finals. Irving is making a case to be a Hall of Famer if he stays in the league long enough, while Curry is a Hall of Famer today.

 

Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson vs. James Harden

Thompson’s prime years easily stretched from 2015 to 2019 where he was a five-time NBA All-Star and two-time All-NBA Third-Team selection in 2015 and 2016. Thompson was known as a solid two-way defender, guarding the best player on the opposite side, while also posting over 20 points per game. Without Thompson, there was no “Splash Bros” when paired with Curry. The last two seasons have derailed his career due to injury, but when fully healthy, he makes the Warriors a championship contender.

With that said, Harden has the advantage because the three-time NBA scoring champion has been an MVP candidate for the last five seasons. Although Harden does not own the postseason hardware like his counterpart, Harden is a walking triple-double and can single-handedly change the outlook of a game. Despite a slow start in Houston, that ended in a trade to the Nets, Harden has vaulted himself into the MVP conversation this season with Joel Embiid and LeBron James. Harden is lethal in every way shape or form. This year, his assists, which lead the NBA, are a career-high (11.3), as well as his rebounds (9.2). His scoring is very well above 25 points per game, but with Irving and Durant next to him, he doesn’t have to score as much. We know he can score, see his 36.1 points per game in 2018, so altogether Harden’s prime is significantly better in comparison to Thompson.

 

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Kevin Durant

Since Durant could be seen as entering the tail end of his prime years, let’s compare his best Warriors season with his current season with the Nets. We could go back to his days of throwing up 32.0 points per game with the Thunder, but we are measuring the same player, so we are going to attack from another avenue. In 2017, Durant averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game. This season, through 19 games due to a lingering hamstring injury, Durant averaged 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game.

When healthy, Durant is easily a top-3 player in the league. He was inserting himself into the MVP conversation before he went down with an injury. He did all of this after missing last season with an Achilles injury. In the end, Durant’s prime numbers are good enough to get him into the Hall of Fame. The two-time NBA Finals MVP will look to solidify his legacy with a championship in Brooklyn if he can make it back. At this point, it’s virtually the same player going against the same player.

 

Power Forward: Draymond Green vs. Blake Griffin

Green may not get into the Hall of Fame but he has done enough to get his jersey retired with Golden State. Green, paired with Thompson and Curry, was the third of the drafted trio that won three NBA championships. Green made the All-Star team three straight seasons from 2016 to 2018, as well as two All-NBA selections. The 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year is a five-time All-Defensive selection, as well as a steals leader (2017). Green has never been known for offense but is resilient at taking care of the little things such as rebounds, steals, and hard defense. The emotional leader could go toe-to-toe with anybody.

Watching prime-time Griffin go at it with Green would be an intense match. Griffin is a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Star. Griffin is a powerful force in the paint, known for his thunderous dunks. The 2011 Rookie of the Year, and former Slam Dunk champion, made “Lob City” a national entity when he played with Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan with the Los Angeles Clippers. Green would have his hands full in containing Griffin’s athleticism, especially since Griffin has three inches of extra height and 20 pounds of extra muscle.

 

Center: DeMarcus Cousins vs. DeAndre Jordan

Primetime “Boogie” would win this matchup for a variety of reasons. Before Cousins suffered an Achilles and ACL injury before the 2018 season, he was one of the most dominant centers in the league. In seven seasons with the Kings, Cousins averaged 21.1 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Before he got injured, during his standout season with the Pelicans, he was averaging 25.2 points and 10.7 rebounds. When it came to playing under the basket, guarding Cousins was a difficult task.

With that said, if Cousins got a shot off, he was only going to get one chance because prime time DeAndre Jordan was a fiend on the boards. The 2017 All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection, has landed on two All-Defensive First Teams, as well as led the league in rebounds in 2014 and 2015. In a league that has transitioned away from traditional centers, Jordan is a replica of what an old-school center looked like. The stat line would likely favor Cousins by the end of the night; however, Jordan would make it tough for anybody in the lane.

 

Series Analysis

Clearly, this would go down to a seven-game series given the tightness of the talent. The prime-time Nets team would jump out to a 2-0 lead. The combination of Irving, Harden, and Durant would be too much for the Warriors to keep up. All three would team up for at least 80 points alone, forcing the Warriors to rush down the court and take tough contested shots. The combination of Jordan and Griffin would keep the Warriors out of the paint, meaning that the team would take close to 35 three-point shots a night. While the defense would be non-existent for the Nets, the Nets would score 140 points in each of their first two games.

Steve Kerr, the architect of the Warriors dynasty, is no slouch coach, so he would make some adjustments. Instead of Curry running as the point guard, he would allow Thompson to run the offense. He would have Thompson focus more on defense than offense. Thompson would be paired with slowing down Harden, while Green would be shifted from guarding Griffin to Durant. He would move Durant to guard Griffin. With Durant’s long frame, and Griffin’s inability to shoot from outside, it would not wear down Durant as much on the defensive end. Given Irving’s past of not being able to deliver in clutch situations, he would be fine with making Irving be the person to step up and make big shots.

The Warriors would go on to win the next three games. The Net’s offense would be stifled and held to 20 points less each game. The combination of Curry, Thompson, and Durant would get back to letting the defense dictate their team’s direction and get out in transition. By getting out quickly, the open three-point shots would be back and the “Splash Bro’s” would reign supreme. With that said, Green would average a triple-double in two of the three wins, while the Nets’ version of Durant is held to just under 20 points two of the three times as well. Curry leads the team in scoring all three nights with scoring outputs of 37, 35, and 38 points.

In Game 6, the Nets would find a way to get an unexpected 20-point game from DeAndre Jordan with 15 rebounds. The surprise performance jolts the rest of the Nets in a “lose or go home” situation. Irving and Harden combine for 70 points and Harden has a triple-double. The Nets would have to travel back to California to play in Game 7.

The Oracle is loud, fierce, and ready to claim this championship. With the fan’s push, the adrenaline rush takes over the Warriors. Curry has a 40-point game, while Green secures his third triple-double of the series. Durant is held to 15 points, while Harden has his worst shooting performance of the series. Not only do the Warriors win, but they win by 20 points. Cousins has his first double-double of the series in big fashion, and even secures the thunderous dunk in transition to put the Warriors up by 20  points in the fourth quarter. In the end, the experience is key, given that most of the Warriors lineup has won on the grand stage before.

Final Result

2019 Golden State Warriors vs. 2021 Brooklyn Nets 4-3

Next

MVP Power Rankings: James Harden Leads The Race, LeBron James Is 5th

Golden State Warriors Were One Pick Away From Creating A Trio Of Steph, Dame, And Klay

5 Superstars That Boston Celtics Didn’t Land Even Though They Had A Big Chance

Ranking The Best NBA Power Forwards By Tiers

Ultimate Player Comparison: Jayson Tatum vs. Zion Williamson


Post a Comment

0 Comments