Magic, Larry, and Michael vs KD, Steph, and LeBron

[HookEm 2463]

Magic and Bird on the same team? Those guys are amazing passers. Amazing. They would be finding Jordan for dunk after dunk.

And Bird was 2x All-Defense in an extremely competitive era.  He was a better defender than Magic.  He was also a borderline dirty player. First attempted dunk by LeBron and he would be on his ass to send a message.

[Guest]

8 hours ago, BradInATX said:

 

Cool, and whoever is guarding Curry (probably Bird's slow ass) will just get 3s bombed in his face all day. Team modern wins 21-14. It would be much uglier than that. It the old heads got 10 I'd be shocked, unless it's 80s/90s Pistons WWF Rules.

 

Larry is beatable on D because why?  He wasn't slow and was not a defensive liability at all. Either he or MJ would have Steph sitting in a corner sucking his thumb in the fetal position.  LeBron would quit on his team...because none of the MML dudes ever did, and they would get in his head too.

KD would get his points.  Who is the weakness on MML team?  Larry fucking Legend?   LOLz.  Prime MJ with today's officiating would be like a red hot knife through butter.  Oh and nice guy, big ole smiles Earvin Johnson?  Assassin who was MORE versatile than LBJ with a much, much stronger mental toughness.

Old guys in a sweep.

Edited July 25, 2021 by slorch

[Post Oak 20208]

3 hours ago, Thatguy said:

   Well, you guys have done it! It's now official. Congrats. We are now like the old dudes that used to tell us when we were young that Prime Jordan wasn't a match for Oscar Robinson, Elgin Baylor, and Bill Russell. Hard truth, just like Oscar Robinson and the like were no match for the stars of the 80's and 90's, our guys are no match for peak KD, Bron, and Steph. 90's hand checking would have no effect, because this era guys are too herky jerky to stay connected to them. 90's rules also meant you could iso. People had to stay within 5 feet of their man. Whoever is guarding peak Bron is getting dunked on every single time. Steph is getting whatever shot he wants, and no one in that group wants any part of a 6'11 guy with that handle and shooting ability. On the other side, outside of Jordan's athletic ability, no one on the current squad would be particularly impressed with anything the old hats could do. Amazing back then? Sure, but who from this era can't handle and shoot? Bottom line, Jordan would have his way with Steph, but the other two would struggle against Peak KD and Peak Bron.

   Also, whoever made the Elway example about not being good because he didn't pass a lot back then. Those quarterbacks also weren't throwing into the teeth of the elaborate combo defenses we see now. Back then the now defunct Tampa 2 defense was this amazing thing. That was before someone realized that you could send an athletic tight end up the seam and be open every single time.

   You cannot compare eras. People are simply bigger, stronger, and more skilled than they ever were then.

 

 

[Thatguy 8679]

2 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

The difference in athleticism in pro athletes isn’t as stark from the late 80s (basically when steroids had arrived in earnest) forward as this suggests.   In fairness, Bird and Magic were before the late 80s Bash Brothers / Karl Malone / Tony Mandarich generation of athletes who were as roided out and physically imposing as today’s athletes, but Bird and Magic were also outliers in their generation who were still able to match up with the steroid era guys.

There was a giant warp from early 80s to late 80s / early 90s as everyone got on the good PEDs and started taking weight training seriously much more than a slow and steady evolution in getting bigger/stronger/faster.  If MML could compete then, they could compete today.

In 1985, Refrigerator Perry was a freak for being 300 pounds.  By the early 90s every OL and DT was 300 pounds.   By the late 90s / early 2000s you had WRs like David Boston and big guys pushing 400 pounds like Leonard Davis, Aaron Gibson, Gilbert Brown, etc., which we don’t even really have today post-BALCO.   Baseball was the most obvious with half the league hitting 30+ HRs and some absolute cartoon characters at the top throughout the 90s and early 00s.  The NBA’s low scoring physical era from the 90s and early 2000s was full of bodies that looked like Karl Malone, Anthony Mason and Ben Wallace.  

Right before the crackdown on BALCO was probably the peak for pro sports athleticism.  

   When I say "athleticism" I mean more than physical strength. I am talking about guys who have no business being able to run, cut, and jump the way they do for the size they are. The 90's had some muscleheads for sure. However, for the large part they were just plodders, out there clogging up lanes and giving out fouls. Most of those guys couldn't shoot, or stay in front of anyone with some foot speed. Thus the issue with the low scoring in that era, pick and roll coming to the forefront, and literally driving traditional big men out of the game. Back then we were in awe of Jordan's athletic ability but now the league is full of people who can run and jump like that. We are now bored of guys doing 360's while putting the ball between their legs. It'sa different era.

[realgreggym 835]

The old guys would crush the kids and little labronny would get to see up close and personal what a GOAT really looks like. 

[Not a cat 5652]

13 hours ago, BradInATX said:

Conceded. You're right.


 

Someone with your post count should know this, but we do not say this on the surl.  Ever.  You might was well bang less than supermodels and make under 500k while you're at it.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

14 hours ago, BradInATX said:

 

Cool, and whoever is guarding Curry (probably Bird's slow ass) will just get 3s bombed in his face all day. Team modern wins 21-14. It would be much uglier than that. It the old heads got 10 I'd be shocked, unless it's 80s/90s Pistons WWF Rules.

 

Yeah, no. 

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

12 hours ago, BradInATX said:

My dudes never quit their sport for 

 

12 hours ago, BradInATX said:

12 hours ago, BornOrange said:

 

My dudes never quit their sport for two years...

No, they just take days off during the season because they're tiiiiired.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Onboard 2.0

[aggie08 21489]

2 hours ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

 

No, they just take days off during the season because they're tiiiiired.

Yeah, it was much better when real men played until their backs and knees dissolved into mush and forced them into early retirement a la Larry Legend.

[Slacks 6819]

Now do 80s/90s rules.

[shadow_operative 15932]

1 hour ago, Snacks said:

Now do 80s/90s rules.

MML sweeps. Steph hangs out in an ice bath for an hour after it's over.

Edited July 26, 2021 by shadow_operative

[UDontKnow 10439]

21 hours ago, gsoda3 said:

wait, who's steph supposed to be guarding? 

Trick question because Steph can't guard anyone.

 

Also after reading some of these hot takes, I think this is an appropriate reaction.

 

 

They didn't call him Larry Legend for no goddamn reason.

[closetohumping 17435]

Bird couldn’t guard his own shadow.  I’m an old but the millennial team wins

 

 

[runthebone 7967]

Bird was on the All-NBA defensive second team three times.  For fucks sake, some of you have no clue how great he was.

 

Edited August 2, 2021 by runthebone

[Eskimohorn 5630]

Prime Bird was best player in the league and 2nd-team all defense. He was fluid and smooth and could move well in small spaces. He probably has Durant and does what he can. Magic gets Bron, sags off when he can. They’re all massively talented players, but have weaknesses, compounded in the half court.

Old Man Weakness-
Magic/Jordan outside shot not elite
No transition game for Magic

Young Bucks-
Curry will not have a position to guard, box out
No transition game to leverage athleticism
Difficulty defending post
Lebron free throws (if applicable) and outside shot

So who does Curry guard? Basically Jordan with today’s rules cannot be guarded. You have to put Lebron on him. That creates all sorts of problems.

This is a mismatch. Now Kobe or Kawhi for Steph???

[cmontexas 3270]

Defense was illegal in the 80s and 90s

[Murfdogg21 4412]

I knew this would be an “ok boomer” thread. 
 

I think modern rules definitely favor today’s team, and could see them coming out to an early big lead with KD and Steph dropping bombs. Then I think Jordan and Bird would get pissed off and beat the shit out of everyone. KD and to some extent Lebron would fold. Steph gives up serious height to all 3 old dudes. 3-on-3 lends itself to a lot of isolation, which I think actually would favor the old guys going to the basket against Steph or KD more than it helps Steph and KD getting deep shots off against Jordan, Magic, or Bird. 

[formermav43 4606]

16 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Bird couldn’t guard his own shadow.  I’m an old but the millennial team wins

 

Curry can’t guard Bird’s shadow either.

Im a millennial, and the old guys win hands down.

[TexArcher 37765]

Magic/Bird/MJ in 5.

The defense and post scoring are on completely different levels.  

Larry and MJ were two of the best one-on-one players ever.  Seriously, have y'all not seen the footage of Larry scoring over and over from any range with a hand in his face?  And Magic creating for those two?  Good lord.

And what's Steph gonna do with MJ on him? 

This is an ass kicking.

Edited August 5, 2021 by TexArcher

[TexArcher 37765]

Get off my lawn with this shit.

[Deej 76755]

On 7/25/2021 at 11:03 PM, Snacks said:

Now do 80s/90s rules.

LeBron would quit, making false claims it was really about Bird saying racist shit. 

[Speedway 152]

The bigger question would be if this matchup could ever be started at all.  Would MML want the National Anthem played?   Would MML play if it were not?   If the National Anthem is played and KLS kneels or sits then MML is going to confront KLS, and you have hockey instead of basketball.  MML wins the "hockey" game hands down, and it's not even close.   Anyway, no basketball would be played.

If the National Anthem is not played then this is a pickup game at the Fonde Recreation Center.  I take MML in their prime with Fonde rules, against anyone, every day and twice on Sunday.