Buy a Team - Derail a Dynasty!

Dynasties never become dynasties without some kind of hindsight, the current Golden State Warriors team just seems like a train that won't stop any time soon and we're fairly certain that's how the Knicks felt about MJ's Bulls, the 76ers felt about Shaq and Kobe's Lakers and how the Pacers felt about LeBron's Heat team. Teams get buried year after year by the same familiar faces, it's destroyed the immediate future of many franchises because star players have left to find greener pastures or to join friends and foes alike. Most recently, just look at how the Toronto Raptors were destroyed year after year by LeBron, leading to DeRozan being shipped to San Antonio for Kawhi. So with hindsight in mind, we've decided to create priced lists of NBA players from different eras, with $15 to spend on a 5 man roster - hoping to defeat the starting fives of some of the greatest dynasties of all time. After countless conversations of what would've, could've and should've been - we think we're up to the challenge. 

1996-97 Chicago Bulls

vs 1996-97 Chicago Bulls (69-13 W/L - Champions)

Michael Jordan

Toni Kukoc

Scottie Pippen

Dennis Rodman

Robert Parish

Jake's Starting Five:

PG: Gary Payton ($4)

SG: Reggie Miller ($4)

SF: Glenn Robinson ($1)

PF: Penny Hardaway ($2)

C: Patrick Ewing ($4)

Before I begin, I'm going to put it out there that I don't think any team we create within our rules could beat the 96-97 Bulls, they were absolute dynamite to play against - they had MJ dropping almost 30 points a night, Rodman averaging over 16 rebounds a game and Pippen dropping over 150 three pointers in an era where the shot was basically a novelty. They were meant to win the league in that season, MJ reached 25,000 points faster than any player in league history, Steve Kerr won the 3pt shootout, Bulls home games sold out for a 489th time - also the most in league history. The super season was capped off with a super playoff run, losing only 2 games in their first 3 series before dominating the Jazz 4-2 and the Bulls winning their 2nd consecutive title. But the fun is really had in trying to theoretically beat this team... so let's begin.

First off I've got Gary Payton at the 1, The Glove isn't going to give Jordan any nights off or any freebies, he's also going to be able to match MJ's ridiculous trash talk game - if there's one guy who's going to bring my team's intensity to any game, home or away, it's Gary Payton. He was dropping over 20 points per game during this season alongside 2.4 steals and a 31% 3PT clip. That's basically prime Paul George numbers, so if PG was able to match up against LeBron on a nightly basis just five years ago, then I'd bank on Payton making things as difficult as possible for the G.O.A.T. At the shooting guard spot I've gone for Reggie Miller a.k.a. The Knick Killer - although I'm going to hope he gains a new nickname as the Bulls Blaster, because he's going to need to knock. Down. Shots. He was hitting a sweet 42.7% from downtown during this season for 21.6 points per game. I need a go-to scorer on this squad and it's probably going to be a toss up between him and Penny. 

At small forward I've gone for The Big Dog himself, Glenn Robinson. He's going to be pivotal when taking turns with Penny and Ewing to battle Dennis Rodman in the paint, not because he's going to get rebounds all night - but because I need someone with a big frame to box The Worm out. At the 4 I've gone with Penny Hardaway, I mean - the guy played PG, SG and SF throughout his career, why not make a mark on history by sliding into the small-ball PF spot? At 6-7 and 195lb, he'd definitely be undersized, but I'm going to rely on his quickness off the dribble and 31.8% from three to pull Rodman away from the paint a bit. At center I've decided to rejuvenate some rivalry for old-times sake. Patrick Ewing will be manning the paint for my squad and attempting every night to not get dunked on by Jordan or Pippen. He averaged a 20 and 10 for the Knicks during the 1996-97 season as well as 2.4 blocks per game, so he'd definitely be someone I'd want to battle down low with Luc Longley, he's getting buckets. 

Like I said, I'm not sure if there was a single theoretical team from that era who could have dethroned the three-peating Bulls squad, but I'm sure my squad would fight a tough series before MJ's late game heroics take over. I'd call the Bulls to beat my squad in 6 or 7 games.

Chad's Starting Five:

PG: Stockton ($4)

SG: Glen Rice ($2)

SF: Grant Hill ($3)

PF: Karl Malone ($5)

C: Shawn Bradley ($1)

In essence, the 1997 & 1998 Utah Jazz ‘roided up on a heavy dose of Michael’s Secret Stuff that Shawn Bradley stole from the Space Jam set. The Utah Jazz, led by Malone and Stockton took those legendary Bulls teams to six games in back-to-back NBA Finals in which both Game Sixes were won on game winning shots by Kerr and Jordan. In the 1998 Finals after Jordan hit “The Final Shot” on what some deem a push-off, Stockton had an attempt to win the game that just missed. The Jazz were that close to taking it back home for Game Seven. Those Jazz squads consisted of Stockton, Bryon Russell, Jeff Hornacek, Malone, and Greg Ostertag. When comparing my lineup, Shawn Bradley averaged 3.4 blocks to Ostertag’s 2.1 and was 4 inches taller which is saying something considering Ostertag was a gargantuan 7’ 2”. Grant Hill was still injury free and a freak athlete thought to be the next coming of M.J. himself. Hill was averaging 21, 8, and 7 as a third year NBA star. Except for the slightly lower scoring average those are LeBron numbers. Byron Russell was averaging 10 points and rebounds and assists not even worth mentioning. And then G-Money from Charlotte, NC rocking the purple and teal was averaging 26 points on 47% from three. 47%!!! So nearly every other three he shot was going in. He was in the MVP race with those numbers. Well I enjoyed watching old man Hornacek light it up from downtown, come on now.

But that’s the nature of this experiment. Our teams are inevitably gonna be more talented than real times of the time. But could this squad have beat the Jordan and Pippen Bulls the year they won 72 games? Hell yeah! And that’s coming from a huge Jordan-era Bulls fan. It makes me feel good inside watching Jordan play basketball. But without a doubt this team beats the Bulls. We know from reality what Stockton and Malone could do with a subpar supporting cast. So you add Glen Rice who was third in scoring under Michael Jordan of course and, you guessed it, Karl Malone. Plus Grant Hill who was wrongly compared to Jordan. He was much more like a younger version of Pippen. Stockton and Malone win their matchups just like they did in the real series. But the big thing here is that while Jordan and Pippen are still better than the Jazz players at their positions (Rice and Hill), they aren’t THAT much better. That sounds blasphemous but really. Rice was on fire in ’97 and Hill could hold his own with Pippen. This all-star level extra firepower puts the Jazz way over the top. I believe this remixed Jazz squad wins in five games versus the 1997 Bulls. Again, that sounds blasphemous but if you don’t believe me you may need to go searching through some classic games and watch Rice and a young Grant Hill.

2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers

vs 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers (56-26 W/L - Champions)

Derek Fisher

Kobe Bryant

Rick Fox

Robert Horry

Shaquille O'Neal

Jake's Starting Five:

PG: Mike Bibby ($1)

SG: Ray Allen ($4)

SF:  Vince Carter ($4)

PF: Kevin Garnett ($5)

C: Arvydas Sabonis ($1)

I actually LOVE this team. This is the type of team I'll actually go home and load into 2k, hoping to dominate/change history in my own theoretical world. Well that's my plans tonight sorted. I'm taking down the Shaq-Kobe dynasty by pure hard work and exceptional 2-way play. 

At point guard matching up against Derek Fisher, we've got Vancouver Mike Bibby - averaging 8.4 assists (4th in the league), 1.3 steals and a 37% three point clip - he's going to be the ideal guard to stick to Fisher the whole game and prevent those damn wide open threes he always used to get from the double teams Shaq and Kobe would cause. Speaking of Kobe, what better way to make him work for an entire series than to plug Jesus Shuttleworth and Air Canada onto him for seven games? Although Ray Ray hasn't earned the best reputation as a defender, he was still versatile and young enough at this point in his career to put maximum effort into the defensive end each game - and Vince was pretty much in his defensive prime (1.5 steals per game) and as bunny-like as ever. He was dropping 27 points per night during that season, so I'll happily pick him as a my go-to scorer while also working on pick and pops with Garnett. That's right, I picked The Big Ticket himself - I've already ranted about how much I love Garnett's intensity - but if there's one guy who can even come close to matching Kobe's in-game intensity and rattle Shaq, it's him. With Garnett it's more of a mental pick than a stat-pick, I need him to channel the leadership that defined his career and bring these guys through every game with a winner's mentality. Finally, I picked Arvydas Sabonis, an underrated player and possibly one of the sweetest passing big men - not named Nikola Jokic - the league has ever seen. I need him to throw Shaq off on a nightly basis with his behind the back pass magic and craftiness on the defensive end, I don't want the Big Diesel to get into any kind of rhythm - he needs to be challenged physically and mentally during every single play. 

I think my team has enough talent to really take it to the 2000-01 Laker team, they're basically outmatched on 3 out of the 5 positions, so as long as my key players matching up with Shaq and Kobe can do enough to get them out of their rhythm and flow on a night to night basis then I think the 2-way talent my team possess would be enough to get them over the hump. My team beats the Lakers 4-2. 

Chad's Starting Five:

PG: Mike Bibby ($1)

SG: Peja Stojakovic ($2)

SF: Tracy McGrady ($5)

PF: Chris Webber ($3)

C: Vlade Divac ($2)

I promise this wasn’t planned, but I’m sticking to the theme of building a hyped up version of a squad that nearly slayed the giant. In this case I’m building my team as the early 2000s Sacramento Kings plus T-Mac. And no, that doesn’t add up to $15 but I’m cool with that. In 2000 the Kings took L.A. to five games in the first round which back then consisted of a max of five games. In 2002 they took the Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference Finals. So no slouch here and then you replace Doug Christie, who I actually liked, for one of the most lethal scorers of the era. A piece those Sacramento teams quite frankly were desperately lacking. They made up for it in team scoring but having T-Mac would be a game changer. In recent interviews McGrady hasn’t minced words when talking about how he loved to go against Kobe because they were two lethal long scoring guards. That counter to Kobe’s competitive drive would’ve been a key factor in my video game version of the 2001 Kings being able to knock off the Lakers. 

I could talk about each and every piece and how they played back in the 2000s and what that would mean for this team but I won’t waste your time. The only thing that really matters here is that McGrady could’ve gone bucket for bucket with Kobe. Not a thing many people can claim. Which means it comes down to the big fella. When looking at the point differential a year later the Kings won the series by two in total point differential. All of their losses by seven points or less. I think McGrady makes up for this in spades if everything else goes the same. The problem here is with Shaq there’s no telling what happens. Does he set his giant-ass foot down and demand the ball earlier on in the game? Does Kobe crave winning so bad that he willingly gives the ball to The Big Diesel to ensure the win? Ultimately I think the 2001 Lakers who didn’t lose a single playoff game are still too much for my squad. I think Shaq would’ve straight up strangled Kobe and left him to die courtside in-front of Jack Nicholson had he not given him the ball every. single. time. down the floor. As great a scorer as McGrady was no one was as efficient as Big Shaq when he caught the ball on the block. Divac may have retired after the series from all the abuse he would’ve taken. All that said, if McGrady happened to go on a historic scoring run averaging 35+ I’d probably take my chances in Vegas on the Kings taking this series.

2007-08 Boston Celtics

vs 2007-08 Boston Celtics (66-16 W/L - Champions)

Rajon Rondo

Ray Allen

Paul Pierce

Kevin Garnett

Glen Davis

Jake's Starting Five:

PG: Chris Paul ($4)

SG: Kobe Bryant ($5)

SF:  Kevin Durant ($2)

PF: Chris Bosh ($3)

C: Al Horford ($1)

The Boston Celtics 2007-08 team was a problem. They destroyed the regular season with a 66-16 record, then dismantled the Hawks and Cavs in 7 games to cruise into the Eastern Conference Finals, where they took care of the Pistons in 6. They played the LA Lakers in The Finals and the rest is history. If like the great KG says "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLEEEEEEEEEE", then I'm going to use that as inspiration to take down this legendary team - they were almost like the Warriors before the Warriors, putting together an exceptionally talented four-man wrecking ball who suffocated opponents on defense (1st in the league) and unpicked them on offense (10th in the league). That is until the Warriors landed DeMarcus Cousins and made the first "big five" ever, but we'll get to beating that later... For now I'm looking to put together a team that can break through the Celtics' ridiculously strong defense, a tall order when it features the Big Ticket manning the middle and Rondo sat in opposing players pockets. 

First lets add some fuel to the fire and sell out this series - Chris Paul at point guard is going to cause some sparks, both him and Rondo have a storied history of dislike for one another, so give me a series of CP3 trying to destroy Rondo's ankles on every play. Not to mention that CP averaged a career high 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals during the 07-08 season, so despite Rondo's huge wingspan I'd bet on CP to use his peak athleticism to find gaps around the court and Celtics' no.9. I couldn't leave Kobe out of this one, he's one who was robbed of a title by this very Celtics team. He dropped 30.1 points per game during the series on a 47.9% field goal clip - I could picture him being deadly with a dangerous offensive supporting cast to pass t-...I mean, use as decoys on offense. You know for a fact that Kobe's playoff defense was on a whole different level to his regular season efforts, the guy was locked. In. Ray Allen's never going to have an uncontested shot during this series. 

The 07-08 season was the least efficient of KD's career, but he still dropped 20+ points a game and won Rookie of the Year, he wasn't quite the offensive weapon we see today - but he'd make a great high screen mismatch situation and a bail out option on the weak side. Paul Pierce's shifty play might cause some trouble for him on defense over a seven game series, but KD's pretty much always been able to shoot over anyone. Sliding next to him at the 4 spot is probably one of the most underrated players in league history, Mr Chris Bosh himself - deadly from midrange, he was shooting almost 50% from the field and 40% from three, it honestly wouldn't have taken much leeway for him to drop a 50/40/90 split during that season. He's the ideal pick and pop partner with Chris Paul and was a willing underrated passer. But his main job in this line up is to draw Garnett away from the paint area, The Big Ticket was averaging 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks a game, I need to keep his long frame away from driving lanes - CB is the ideal distraction. I only had $1 to spend for the center position, so I picked Al Horford - he hadn't developed the three point range in Atlanta that we see him use in Boston nowadays, but he was a shifty defender (3 win shares per game and 1.1 defensive plus/minus on a terrible team) and should be able to cause Glen "Big Baby" Davis some problems in the post. 

Honestly, I think my team could defeat the 2007-08 Celtics, they'd be playing a 4 out 1 in style that would cause problems for KG by pulling him out of the paint. KG was the heart of the Celtics team so if I can throw him off his game then hopefully the team wouldn't be as fully functioning as the one we saw dismantle the Lakers. Positions 1-4 on my team can shoot from three, attack the paint and Kobe, Durant and Bosh could all switch on pick and rolls relatively comfortably. I'd have my team winning the series 4-2.

Chad's Starting Five:

PG: Chris Paul ($4)

SG: Manu Ginobili ($1)

SF: Kobe Bryant ($5)

PF: Lamar Odom ($1)

C: Tim Duncan ($4)

Breaking from the theme a bit, but not completely. For this Celtics beater squad I wanted two guys who actually ended up beating the Celtics in the Finals two years later, Kobe and Odom. Odom may have been a child in a man’s body who had a sad ending to his career but he was very underrated in what he brought to those Lakers teams. Then we have two of the stars of the Spurs two decade long dynasty in Ginobili and Duncan. Duncan is the reason Kevin Garnett isn’t considered the best power forward of the 2000s. And we’re gonna get Chris Paul a ‘ship. Here’s how…

Rondo was special for these Boston Celtics squads. It was the perfect example of how chemistry and the right organizational fit can boost a player’s production and potential. That said, Chris Paul was still a better all-around player than Rondo. Manu was a better all-around player and gamer than Ray Allen although Ray could shoot from long range far better. So we’ll call that a wash. There’s a reason Draymond told Paul Pierce he wasn’t getting a farewell tour during his final season because quote, “They don’t love you like that.” I agree with Draymond 100% which is why it gives me great pleasure to say that Kobe wins this matchup hands down. The tape would agree with me if we go back and watch the two Finals series. Lamar Odom was no doubt better than Big Baby Davis. And as I mentioned, Garnett wasn’t even the best power forward of his generation because of Tim Duncan. I don’t think I really need to type anymore. That’s 4-1. Not even close. Case closed.

2012-13 Miami Heat

vs 2012-13 Miami Heat (66-16 W/L - Champions)

Mario Chalmers

Dwyane Wade

Shane Battier

LeBron James

Chris Bosh

Jake's Starting Five:

PG: Steph Curry ($5)

SG: Kyle Korver ($1)

SF: Kevin Durant ($5)

PF: Paul George ($3)

C: Larry Sanders ($1)

The 2012-13 Miami Heat team was legendary for several reasons - Shane Battier held a mysterious team talk post-Super Bowl in Toronto and the team went on to post the second longest winning streak (27) in NBA history, Mike Miller hit a three while wearing only one shoe, Ray Allen hit that shot, LeBron won his 2nd ring, D Wade won his 3rd ring (he said this was the sweetest because during his first two 'ships the focus was on Alonzo Mourning and LeBron James) and their victory over the Spurs led to San Antonio playing some of the most beautiful basketball in the history of the sport. This team had many different looks, Udonis Haslem earned the most starts at the center position, but Shane Battier averaged more minutes than him per game while also starting a lot - giving the Heat multiple offensive playing styles (2nd in the league), effectively being able to play 5 players outside and having D Wade make his iconic back door slashes to the basket, or playing 4 in 1 out with Haslem and Bosh handing off to King James flying through the lane. They became known for their style of defense too (9th in the league), swarming opponents with high traps and having big men hedge hard on screens while relying on help defense behind them. In a period of league history when teams hadn't leaned fully into deploying multiple players who could shoot threes, the defense was suffocating and proved too much for anyone they met in the playoffs, leading Miami to snatch the title for a second straight year. 

Man, I could talk about this team a lot. Instead I'm going to commit the cardinal sign for a Heat fan and work out how to destroy it. Like I mentioned before, the league hadn't fully bought into the efficiency numbers of shooting three pointers (D'Antoni and Daryl Morey hadn't worked their magic yet) - so my take is that Miami's stifling defense could have been exposed by a team throwing as many versatile, three point shooting, multiple position players as possible at them through a seven-game series. I'll start with someone who's not known for his positional switching but is known for destroying LeBron-led teams, Steph Curry. I want to give Mario Chalmers nightmares each night of this series, despite the fact he's a feisty defender - he's not stopping Chef from cooking. Curry might be liable to go off for 50 on any given night of this series, something this team could need to steal a game in Miami. Next to him in the back court I'll take one of the most accurate shooters the NBA has ever seen (45.5 3PT% in 2012-13) - Kyle Korver. Now Dwyane Wade isn't known for lockdown defense, or being the fittest player on the floor, so I'm going to have Korver running laps all night long, he's averaged the most in-game miles in the league before and his game is predicated on running and cutting through screens all over the floor to get open for shots. I want Flash to lose some spark by getting worn down chasing after Korver through a series. 

At the three spot I'll take KD, despite being dismantled by the LeBron-led Heat just a year before, he recorded a 50/40/90 season while dropping 28.1 points per game. He'd cause problems for Shane Battier or LeBron every game, being able to play as a spot up shooter from Curry's flashes inside or go iso-ball down the stretch against Battier. I love Battier as a player and defender in general, but KD has 20 pounds on him and at least 2 inches (I'm certain KD is taller than 6-9...), he's going to need some help throughout most of the game, which could cause KD to be double-teamed, bringing me to the forward starting next to him... Paul George earned a level of respect from 'Bron during their 7 game series in the 12-13 season - it was his breakout series and he went head to head with The King on a nightly basis and held his own defensively, he was also dropping 36% from downtown that year - effectively making him an elite 3 and D player compared to the superstar he is today. Ideal fit on Team Jake. 

Finally, I need a defensive stopper in the paint - someone to meet LeBron and Wade at the rim every time, no matter how embarrassing it might be. Larry Sanders is my man, he was averaging 2.8 blocks over 78 games that year and made a living in the paint despite his slight frame. It was a true shame to see him need to take some time away from the game after the 2014-15 season due to depression. He came back to spend one season with the Cavs a year later, but never made it into the rotation and hasn't had a chance since. But in this hypothetical team, stats and production rule - and this dude was like Roy "verticality" Hibbert's clone with added springs in his shoes. I'll take him at the 5 spot as a rim protector and roll man. I think this hypothetical team could bring enough trouble to the Heat each night to take them down in 6 or 7 games - LeBron would have multiple elite defenders to get past at every turn and each player on this squad is a willing passer with a high basketball IQ - enough to break down the Heat's swarming defense and steal the title from them. 

Chad's Starting Five:

PG: Rajon Rondo ($2)

SG: Paul George ($3)

SF: Andre Iguodala ($1)

PF: Kevin Durant ($5)

C: Tim Duncan ($4)

For this Heat beater I went less for who would win an individual matchup and more how would the two teams play. We know how the Heat played and we know that the Spurs style of basketball was their kryptonite. Had it not been for Ray Allen’s luck-of-the-bounce the Heat would’ve gone 1-3 in the Finals under LeBron’s leadership. So with that in mind I tried to piece together a team that I believe could play Popovich basketball while putting up so many points the Heat would have no way to counter. Rajon Rondo and his intellect could definitely play for the Spurs. He’d be like Tony Parker without a jumper. So with him running the show and knowing from more recent history that Durant and George can both play off the ball extremely successfully. I think this could be a nightmare for the Heat to try to defend. And then I tossed in Iguodala for his defensive prowess. Although we weren’t saying it during the Heat’s run, once LeBron went back to Cleveland we were all hailing Iguodala as the LeBron stopper. The guy won a Finals MVP for guarding LeBron. And honestly I didn’t even think he did that good a job but confidence is everything and he clearly believed in himself. I think that under Popovich’s tutelage and Duncan’s leadership this team would have such great ball movement which would create some of the easiest plays these MVP candidates have ever experienced on a basketball court. It would be like the final year of the LeBron-to-Miami experiment where the Spurs wiped the floor with the Heat except potentially even worse. I take my squad 4-0.

2018-19 Golden State Warriors

vs 2018-19 Golden State Warriors

Stephen Curry

Klay Thompson

Kevin Durant

Draymond Green

DeMarcus Cousins

Jake's Starting Five:

PG: Ben Simmons ($2)

SG: Jimmy Butler ($2)

SF: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($5)

PF: LeBron James ($5)

C: Rudy Gobert ($1)

I'm not looking for exciting basketball here. I'm looking for an effective anti-warriors scheme that's going to give them no room to operate. So let me introduce to you, the longest damn team in the league. Their combined wingspan is 36ft exactly - with only Jimmy Butler (6-8 wingspan) having a reach below 7ft. The Warriors starting five have a combined 8 defensive win shares, mine have 14.6. The Warriors starting five has a combined 2.5 defensive box plus/minus, mine has a 15.5. So not only on paper are my team a defensive wrecking ball compared to the Warriors, but they also have a ridiculously high potential to become an offensive juggernaut too. Antetokounmpo and James are both averaging 25+ points a night as well as being nightly triple double threats. Jimmy Butler is an ideal third option despite his ego, he should respect the work ethic of everybody on this team and therefore slide into that role nicely as an iso/cutting scorer. That's all without recognising Ben Simmons' deadly fast break offense and Rudy Gobert's rim rocking dunks. 

This teams playing style would differ hugely from the Warriors, with a lack of incredible shooters (Jimmy Butler leading the team with 36.1 3PT%) they would need to rely on using their length and athleticism to play fast and hard. This team would probably lead the league in pace as well as least three pointers attempted. I see them playing a pick and roll heavy offense against the Warriors to break down Steph and Boogie with mismatches and multiple screeners. Any player on this squad could be used as a roll man, popping if they're LeBron or Jimmy and rolling if they're Gobert, Giannis or Simmons. The Warriors' switch-heavy defense is going to struggle with this on a night to night basis, because my players are all capable of going head to head with anyone who's switched onto them. Defensively I've got some of the best switching defenders in the league (Gobert who's made huge high pick and roll defense improvements and Simmons), some of the best 1 on 1 defenders (Butler and Giannis) and one of the most effective "free safeties" the league has ever seen in LeBron. Ben Simmons should do a nice enough job getting a hand in Steph's face on his threes and smothering him on every drive, and equally Jimmy Buckets should give us the best shot to keep Klay in check throughout the game while tailing him all across the floor. We've got Giannis and LeBron taking turns guarding KD as well as pushing Draymond out of his comfort zone and Gobert should have no problem using his ridiculous length to neutralise passes coming anywhere near Cousins, and in the event Boogie actually gets the ball, I'd bet on Gobert making it incredibly difficult to actually get a clean look. 

Overall, I think my team edges the Warriors 4-3.

Chad's Starting Five: 

PG: Ben Simmons ($2) 

SG: Jimmy Butler ($2)

SF: Khris Middleton ($1)

PF: Kawhi Leonard ($5)

C: Anthony Davis ($5)

At first this was a depressing one to try to pick. I couldn’t come up with a team that I thought had any chance to beat these Warriors while staying within the $15 salary cap. But then it hit me. What is Golden States biggest weakness? Steph Curry’s size. I’m gonna beat the living hell out of him night in and night out with Ben Simmons. Back his ass down. We may drop the first two games in Golden State but that’s fine. We’re gonna wear Curry’s ass out. With him a non-factor relatively speaking, Jimmy Butler can guard Klay as good as anyone, Kawhi is arguably one of the top five players in the world along with Durant and is a better defender, and Khris Middleton and Draymond will cancel each other out in a very odd matchup to watch. And with Boogie coming off his injury I don’t think he’ll be 100% come playoff time which means Davis is winning that matchup. Not to mention I think this team will play really well together. Everyone wants to win and with the exception of Jimmy’s explosion in Minnesota and Kawhi’s refusal to play in San Antonio they aren’t a very selfish bunch. I’m not saying this team DEFINITELY beats the Warriors but they certainly give them a run for their money. I take my squad in seven games with Kawhi hitting a pull-up jumper from the right elbow over the outstretched arms of Kevin Durant which we’ll come to know as the shot that sent K.D. to N.Y.

Got any of your own takes on teams that would destroy these superteams? Try using our pricing grids and post your own teams below!