The Greatest NBA Player: 5 on 5 Clone Game

[_MeDotOrg]

This is a geeky sports question, but in thinking about who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the NBA, it is always hard to compare guards with centers. So my idea is a 5 on 5 clone game: Clone any player and have him play 5 on 5 against any other player in history. Who wins?

What this does is bring versatility into the equation. Shaquille O'Neil and Spud Webb wash out pretty early. How many different ways can you help a team? Can you guard a big man or a small man? Can you score over a small man and drive around a big man? How well can you perform at all 5 positions?

The other weird intangible: How well would they play together? Michael Jordan could be very unforgiving of mistakes. Is that always a plus when you have five Michael Jordans on the floor? Would Kobe Bryant ever pass to himself?

To my way of thinking, it is probably the tallest player who can still remain versatile. You want a smart, quick player with good footwork. So you think MJ and LeBron, maybe Kevin Durant. Tim Duncan should actually be an interesting choice. I still remember when Magic Johnson was a rookie guard, he scored 40 points playing CENTER (Kareem was out with a migraine) to win the championship against Julius Erving's 76'ers.

Put a gun to my head and I still say Michael Jordan wins. But please, be a contrarian and post your own candidate.

[_honorentheos]

I kinda stopped caring about the NBA after the players strike in the late 90s so I only superficially pay attention these days. But it's an interesting hypothetical. I think you're right that the best candidate would need to be the most versatile big man who can get the ball in others hands but also have weapons when it's in his. My old school interests would be to see a tournament with Jordan, Magic, the Admiral, LaBron, Curry and Duncan for sure with Kyrie, Duncan, and maybe Kobe and Durrant as well, and play it out. Maybe get whatever the latest most realistic XBox game is and customize the clone teams and just see. Best of 5 to flatten out for best player rather than a one-off win knocking out someone and see?

What's really interesting to me is the idea that the great players tended to make everyone around them better, too. The late 80s Lakers starting 5 were legendary. The Bulls were unstoppable. Yet many of those players would play in other lineups and be pretty good but not exactly the same. So what happens to a team of Jordans? Magics? Steph Curry's? James's? Are 5 LaBrons better than 6 normal players or do they start to get in each other's way and some all stars end up worse for being one among equals? For whatever reason I think Magic, Curry and Tim Duncan stike me as players whose abilities would be maximized by having 4 equals on the court while many of the other names might not. And maybe that includes Jordan as I think at least 2 Jordans would be against 2 Jordans in the locker room. Even if they are all pros, there isn't a lot of give when they are playing 5 Magic Johnson's or LaBron James's.

[_moksha]

Five John Stockton's would win against five Pistol Pete Maravich's due to a willingness to pass the ball.

Five Shaquille O'Neal's would win over five Kareem Abdul Jabbar's provided the ref did not toss them out for slugging the opposing players.

[_honorentheos]

5 Stocktons would beat 5 Shaqs. It would be a game of constant steals and sending Shaq to the line. It might even be a blow out.

A more entertaining game would be 5 Malones v 6 Shaqs. It might need it's own hospital wing attached to the court, though.

[_EAllusion]

I'd take 5 Steph Curry's. The floor spacing they would create would be unguardable and 3 points, after all, is worth 1.5 times as much as 2 points.

Their defense in the paint would be atrocious, but a few harassing stops and the efficiency of draining 3's all day over 2's would more than neutralize that problem.

5 Shaq's would be murdered by 5 Steph Curry's. Even if Hack-a-Shaq were banned, they could just let him have two points every single trip and still pull away by hitting open three's all day. 5 Shaq's would not be able to stop a Steph Curry from getting wide open every single trip. They'd get above 70% no problem.

[_EAllusion]

If we are doing 90's hand-check rules, I'd go to 5 Kevin Garnett's. A defensive nightmare for any team and good enough in all other facets of the game at all points on the floor to keep pace.

[_Kevin Graham]

I'd take 5 Steph Curry's. The floor spacing they would create would be unguardable and 3 points, after all, is worth 1.5 times as much as 2 points.

Their defense in the paint would be atrocious, but a few harassing stops and the efficiency of draining 3's all day over 2's would more than neutralize that problem.

5 Shaq's would be murdered by 5 Steph Curry's. Even if Hack-a-Shaq were banned, they could just let him have two points every single trip and still pull away by hitting open three's all day. 5 Shaq's would not be able to stop a Steph Curry from getting wide open every single trip. They'd get above 70% no problem.

Problem is, for every 11 three point shots Steph throws up, he makes only 4 of them. Are five Stephs likely to get the rebounds from those 7 missed shots?

If Shaq is guaranteed 2 point pass-dunks every time to himself then I would think the odds definitely work in his favor.

[_honorentheos]

The Jordan/Curry match up would probably be the most interesting, or at least tied with the Jordan/James match up.

I have a harder time seeing Curry beating Jordan, though.

The thing about the Shaqs v Currys is I can't see 5 Shaqs hustling back faster than 5 Currys so coaching starts to come into this. Would Shaq figure out a system of rotating around between drives without all 5 ending up thinking it's their turn to rest and wait for the cherry pick pass?

[_Markk]

This is a geeky sports question, but in thinking about who is the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the NBA, it is always hard to compare guards with centers. So my idea is a 5 on 5 clone game: Clone any player and have him play 5 on 5 against any other player in history. Who wins?

What this does is bring versatility into the equation. Shaquille O'Neil and Spud Webb wash out pretty early. How many different ways can you help a team? Can you guard a big man or a small man? Can you score over a small man and drive around a big man? How well can you perform at all 5 positions?

The other weird intangible: How well would they play together? Michael Jordan could be very unforgiving of mistakes. Is that always a plus when you have five Michael Jordans on the floor? Would Kobe Bryant ever pass to himself?

To my way of thinking, it is probably the tallest player who can still remain versatile. You want a smart, quick player with good footwork. So you think MJ and LeBron, maybe Kevin Durant. Tim Duncan should actually be an interesting choice. I still remember when Magic Johnson was a rookie guard, he scored 40 points playing CENTER (Kareem was out with a migraine) to win the championship against Julius Erving's 76'ers.

Put a gun to my head and I still say Michael Jordan wins. But please, be a contrarian and post your own candidate.

I think 5 Lebron's would defeat 5 Jordan's...it would be fun, or Magic against either.

One that would be crazy fun to watch would be 5 Allen Iverson's against 5 Kyrie Irving's...this would be epic and the most exciting match up I can think of. There would be a few broken ankles from cross overs in this game.

How about 5 Pistol Pete's against 5 Jason Williams?

Maybe the most powerful and bloody, might be 5 Karl Malone's, against 5 Charles Barkley's

Put a gun to my head, I would take Labron against the field.

[_EAllusion]

Problem is, for every 11 three point shots Steph throws up, he makes only 4 of them. Are five Stephs likely to get the rebounds from those 7 missed shots?

That's what Steph makes in NBA games with defenses capable of guarding 1 Steph Curry. In shooting practice, Curry can hit over 90% of his shots. He's automatic. You put 4 more Curry's on the floor and have a relatively lumbering center guard each of them, and every single possession is an open shot for a Curry. It's just shooting practice for him. It doesn't matter if Shaq scores every single trip. Once Curry is burying 75% of his shooting practice gimmes, he'll just pull away. 2.25 > 2.

Just one Steph Curry causes NBA teams to bend the entire geometry of the defense when he's on the court. His mere presence causes the whole floor to shift to keep him honest. He's the most dynamic offensive threat in the league, but what he's doing to break defenses isn't as obvious as a James Harden taking a person one on one.

4 other players just like him on the floor would be nigh unguardable for even elite defenses. You can pass a ball faster than a person can run. And Curry's range is so deep that they can spread the floor deep and make it impossible for defenses to run down their passes. Eventually someone is getting a clean look fairly often. Against slower players? It's a wide open shot every single time.