What If Another NBA Playoff Team Lost Two All-Stars
/The success and grit of the Cavaliers in these playoffs, so it seemed, caused us to believe that the Cavs and Warriors were two perfectly equal teams, and this finale was just as it should be. We became comfortable with the Cavs missing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. It is not normal for a team to lose two of its three best players and to continue winning. Of course, you can give credit to the near-Finals MVP performance of LeBron James for why the Cavs won. But the coaching staff and hustle of the remaining seven players deserve credit as well (Delly has a movie being made about him and I will absolutely be there for the premier).
I have no intention of calling out the Golden State Warriors for anything. They are the NBA Champions and nothing will cheapen that. This is an ode to the losing team of the NBA Finals, a piece to put what they accomplished into perspective before the memory of their would-have-been accomplishment fades away like the rest of the almost-champions.
Would any other playoff team have been able to accomplish what the Cleveland Cavaliers did this year? Could another team lose their second and third best options in the playoffs, win the Conference Finals, and remain competitive in the NBA Finals? What LeBron James did was incredible, my brother thinks he should have won Finals MVP, and so did four of the 11 voters for the award. But does another playoff team have enough remaining talent if they suffered similar injuries to the Cavs? Let's find out. Following is a list of the final seven playoff teams with their projected lineups minus their second and third best player, just for the sake of perspective.
Golden State Warriors
PG- Steph Curry
SG- Andre Iguodala
SF- Harrison Barnes
PF- David Lee
C- Andrew Bogut
Removed- Klay Thompson and Draymond Green
Klay Thompson is obviously the second best player on the team. Draymond Green is debatable as the third-best. I could hear arguments for Iggy, especially considering his Finals MVP hardware (don't get me started on that). But Green's contributions on defense, and his positional versatility as truly the only player among himself, Barnes, and Iggy that can guard the 5 made me remove him above those other two. Thompson and Curry provided a pick-your-poison three point backcourt. Double one and the other will make you pay. If you focus all your attention on both, Green's Swiss-army knife skill set will reek havoc from the three-point line all the way to under the basket. Minus Curry and Green and the Warriors might actually struggle to score points. This lineup is clearly slower and completely traditional (Iguodola is somewhat out of position, and you could insert Shaun Livingston or Leonardo Barbosa at the 2, but Iggy has to get more minutes than both of those guys).
Of all the teams without their second and third best players, this is the best looking team. That's testament to Golden State's depth and health, clear assets that helped enable them to a title. But they look completely beatable, especially considering Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson vaporized Bogut into the ether in the first three games of the Finals. Of course, they still have options and reliable players on the bench. Mo Speights can provide offense, Livingston and Barbosa played meaningful bench minutes all playoffs, and Festus Ezeli could provide a quicker body in an attempt to go small without Bogut. But the depth no longer exists as an arsenal to combat any style, or player on the other team. Instead its used as a safety net, and they lose a serious advantage.
Houston Rockets
PG- Jason Terry
SG- James Harden
SF- Josh Smith
PF- Terrence Jones
C- Clint Capela
Removed- Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza
This roster is absolutely decimated. At the time of the playoffs they were already down Patrick Beverly and Donatas Montejunas. Both players would come in handy regardless of this pretend scenario. But without four players, three of them regular season starters, the Rockets look rough. James Harden put up a Herculean effort throughout the playoffs, but it simply would not be good enough. Josh Smith and Jason Terry are both out of position, and Smith is now your second option on offense. His resurgence this year was predicated on taking less shots, not more.
Los Angeles Clippers
PG- Chris Paul
SG- J.J. Redick
SF- Matt Barnes
PF- Glen Davis
C- Spencer Hawes
Removed- Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan
Big Baby Davis and Spencer Hawes filling the shoes of Griffin and Jordan. Wow. I can understand the argument that Blake is better than Paul at this current juncture. Griffin had an amazing playoffs and carried the team to victory when Paul went down against the Rockets. But this team would be helpless without Paul's leadership in the long term. He has to be their best player just for his mental stability. And good luck scoring or rebounding against anyone with this roster. Hawes was a serious mistake for the money they gave him yet the only C on the roster behind Jordan, and Davis is still serviceable as a role player. Redick's game is predicated on open look three-pointers, and those will be few and far between with Griffin's passing abilities off the floor.
Atlanta Hawks
PG- Dennis Schroder
SG- Kyle Korver
SF- Demmare Carroll
PF- Mike Scott
C- Al Horford
Removed- Jeff Teague and Paul Milsap
I had a hard time just ranking their starting five. That, in a nutshell, was the biggest strength, that ultimately turned into the greatest weakness of the Atlanta Hawks. I ultimately chose Horford because he led the team in PER, and probably has more leadership value than Milsap or Teague. This team has always had depth. Mike Scott and Dennis Schroder are fine spot starters, but that starting unit is only at peak efficiency when all five of their guys are on the court at the same time. Horford cannot carry a team offensively, and without the combined game of the pick-and-roll as orchestrated by Teague and Milsap, Korver would not be able to find a single open look. In the Eastern Conference this lineup could have snuck in as an eighth-seed, but would have no chance winning a single series.
Washington Wizards
PG- John Wall
SG- Ramon Sessions
SF- Otto Porter Jr.
PF- Nene
C- Marcin Gortat
Removed- Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce
The last thing Randy Whitman and the Washington Wizards need is a two point guard system in which both guards can only drive the ball. Bradley Beal is incredibly important to the success of the Wizards in that he provides the only legitimate three-point threat on the entire roster. When he is on the court, the two classic bangers in Gortat and Nene have space, and Wall has just enough room to drive and create. Without Beal, the paint becomes a block party. And then consider the absence of the veteran, clutch Pierce, and this Wizards team does not look good at all. They certainly would be able to defend the ball incredibly well, but good luck scoring a single easy bucket.
Memphis Grizzlies
PG- Nick Calathes
SG- Courtney Lee
SF- Tony Allen
PF- Jeff Green
C- Marc Gasol
Removed- Mike Conley Jr. and Zach Randolph
I have no idea who Nick Calathes is. I am writing about him, and he deserves the decency of at least looking him up. But no. I know he's terrible. He started Game 1 against Golden State, and Memphis lost badly. Conley comes back in Games 2 and 3 and Memphis wins both. Conley is incredibly important to this team. He's a great perimeter defender, and is the initiator on offense. Without him and the paint-presence of Randolph, Gasol's Grizzlies look like a less athletic New Orleans Pelicans.
In a different world, Tony Allen would be one of the two players removed. And for a brief moment during the Wester Conference Semifinals, that world was becoming reality. Then we remembered he can't shoot.
Chicago Bulls
PG- Derrick Rose
SG- Tony Snell
SF- Mike Dunleavy
PF- Nikola Mirotic
C- Joakim Noah
Removed- Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol
This lineup actually looks decent, and is probably the second best behind the Warriors. That's due in part to the Bulls having four legitimate post players in Gasol, Mirotic, Noah, and Tashaun Gipson. Tom Thibodeau seemed to have as much trouble as me in picking the best player out of that bunch. I'm pretty sure he would still tell you it's Noah. But of the four, Gasol was the only one in the playoffs with any semblance of an offensive game. He tormented the Cavaliers in the playoffs with pick-and-pop midrange jumpers. As made evident by the hamstring injury the caused him to miss part of that series, his offensive importance to the Bulls is vital.
Regardless if you consider Butler better than Rose, losing either would result in a catastrophe. The Bulls are then relegated to one ball-handler, and the catch-and-shoot (catch-and-drive in Rose's case) threat is nonexistent. A team that struggles to score points loses it's two best scorers. The result cannot be good.
So what do you think? Would any of these teams have been able to advance all the way through the playoffs into the NBA Finals? I really don't think so. The Golden State Warriors would have had a chance, but any team in the Western Conference not operating at full strength is very likely to be knocked out. It never feels good to lose the championship, but LeBron and the Cavs have nothing to be ashamed of, they did something that no other group would have been able to accomplish. They can be proud of that.