Michigan, they have a deeper bench, well, they actually have players to come off the bench.
Ok smart guy :-). I will allow them to add a few of their alums theyāre not currently in the NBA Like Adrien (sp) Payne, Nick Ward or whoever
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Honestly it would depend on who has home court IMO
Iād go with us though. A lot of MSU guys were having really rough seasons, while a lot of Michigan guys broke out. Iād add Jamal and Trey and even Charles to our squad if possible.
Starting lineups:
MSU
Valentine
Harris
Bridges
Green
Jackson
Bench: Forbes
UM
Poole
Hardaway
Levert
D. Robinson
Wagner
Bench:
Wilson
G. Robinson
Iggy
Hate to say it, but MSU wins
Itās an interesting matchup. I lean towards MSU but Draymond is getting a bit washed. JJJ is the X factor. I think heād be the best player on the floor and heād be a matchup nightmare for Michigan.
Michigan would put Caris out there a spread the floor with some very good shooters. Would be potent on O but I think MSUs defense wins them the series in 5
Spartans gonna really be able to pass the ball around, in addition.
Payne should be ineligible due to the fact that he should be in prison.
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Yeah no doubt. I think MSU may have 5 of the best 7 players
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Izzo and Coach Beilein coach the teams of course
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MSU:
Harris
Forbes
Bridges
Green
Jackson
Valentine, Ward, Payne
UM:
LeVert
THJ
GRIII
Duncan
Wagner
Iggy, Poole, Burke
Green at this stage of his career is a very poor player offensively. Gary Harris has regressed a LOT, and so has Forbes to an extent. Bridges is relatively inefficient but he and JJJ would keep them going.
I like our guys for our elite shooting and spacing 1 through 5; we have three 40% 3-point shooters including arguably the best shooter in the NBA right now. I think weād hold up defensively with LeVert, GRIII, and Wagner (yes Wagner) being good defenders in the NBA. Our bench is also better than theirs.
MSU looks very good with individual defensive, but thereās no one really for them to guard one-on-one other than Caris. Iām confident that the Caris-Moe pick and roll/pop, and Duncan running around screens for DHOās will be enough to open up a lot of things to mitigate their individual defense. I donāt even feel like Iām being biased but maybe I am lol
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Michigan could definitely get hot. The shooting is quite impressive.
Youāre not wrong about Harris who has been in a 2 season shooting slump, but donāt think itās fair to say the same of Forbes. Dray canāt shoot but heās still a fantastic passer, defender, and leader. The type of player that would elevate the players around him. Bridges would have to get some buckets. But as I said before JJJ is the best player and I think heād win them the series.
It really is a fascinating matchup though.
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I donāt know about that, but they are in the NBA despite playing for Tom Izzo, so that in and of itself is impressive.
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Would swap Duncan with DJ Wilson for added height/defending. Heās actually a decent player but is just on a team loaded with talented players. He could fill a Jarret Allen role with LeVert, catching easy lobs in the PnR or shooting 3s in the pick and pop.
Duncanās not as valuable on a team that already can shoot well from 3. The Heat are not a great 3 point shooting team outside of Duncan, which is why he starts for them.
Interestingly enough, I follow enough Spurs games and their fans to know that they do not like Bryn Forbes as a starter, and think heās a failed experiment. His regression is one of the reasons that despite DeRozan having maybe the most efficient season of his career, the Spurs suck. I think heād also be the worst defender on the court my a large margin (although Iām not sure we have anything to exploit that).
I agree that JJJ would be the best player on the court, and Iāll give you that Dray still has other valuable skills and intangibles that are conducive to winning.
I canāt see that at all. DJ should definitely be on the team but he should not be starting over Duncan. Heās on a completely different level of shooter as everyone else on the team. Instead of saying Duncan would lose value being next to other shooters, Iād say the other shooters (like THJ) lose value next to Duncan. Heās the next best option after Caris to run our offense through. Heās that good.
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I mean I have no idea if Bryn Forbes should start for the Spurs but I was talking strictly shooting his numbers say heās doing that quite well this season. He would be a spot to attack for the Michigan team though
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Honestly, I think Duncan has a case to be the best and most important Michigan player. Even on the Heat, who have two all stars in Butler and Adebayo, his on/off stats trump everyone else on the roster. I think itās a mistake to overlook how important heād be to any team, no matter the lineup, if heās used similarly to how heās used in Miami. Heās one of the main reasons I think Michigan beats MSU in this scenario; if he didnāt exist, I donāt think UM stands a shot.
If you were to add DJ though to the starting lineup, I think you can swap him with either GRIII or THJ, not Duncan. I admit I forgot about DJ when making that lineup haha
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I like you starting lineup as is. Itās the 5 best players. MSUās team isnāt particularly long aside from JJJ. Iām not scared of Ward or Payne.
I was watching the 2013 Michigan Indiana game and I still canāt believe they fired Crean. Guy was a character and they underwhelmed in the tournament sure, but I was 20 times more afraid of Crean than I am Archie Miller
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