Recently, a hypothetical matchup between two teams made up of NBA greats was shared around social media, and made its way to the Phenom NBA chat.
The heated debate in that chat tempted me to make this article, giving my two cents:
Team A
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Lebron James
PF: Giannis Antetokounmpo
C: Shaquille O’Neal
Team B
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Michael Jordan
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Tim Duncan
Now, lets breakdown the matchups:
Curry vs Kyrie
It’s not like either one of them is going to outplay the other. Steph is better than Kyrie, but when matched up against each other they are pretty evenly matched. if I had to choose, Curry may have the edge in the end.
Kobe vs Jordan
This should be an obvious one.
Michael Jordan is better than Kobe Bryant on EVERY level except for maybe 3 point shooting.
Kobe Bryant’s game was an attempt to replicate Jordan’s and potentially take a step up from that, and I think we can all agree that Kobe didn’t manage to be more successful in his NBA career than Jordan.
LeBron vs Kawhi
We saw a prime LeBron get locked down by Kawhi Leonard who didn’t even hit his prime yet… and Kawhi STILL hasn’t disappointed.
Yes, prime LeBron is better, but in this case, Kawhi can make LeBron a much less efficient player.
Although, I still think LeBron has the slight edge.
Giannis vs Durant
Prime Durant can score from ANYWHERE and do it efficiently and effectively on a nightly basis. Kevin Durant’s will to win and his scoring ability makes him one of the most unstoppable players of all time.
Giannis is definitely more dominant closer to the basket and is a more aggressive player, but I think the edge will go to KD.
Shaq vs Duncan
Prime Tim Duncan is probably one of the most underrated talents in NBA history. Not saying it blows away the talent of prime Shaq, but Duncan can definitely contain Shaq to a certain extent.
For a side-note: Duncan did take down Shaq’s Lakers in the 2003 Western Conference semi-finals.
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To conclude my opinion, Team B would defeat Team A in a game.
Photo: INCENT LAFORET / Getty Images
