Monday, July 2, 2012

The Olympic Basketball Playoff - Part 2

So I liked that last idea so much that I actually decided to just randomize teams myself and project how it would play out. Oh and I also decided to split it into three arenas: Los Angeles and Miami for the first two rounds (to establish who's getting on the Olympic roster) and then New York City for the final four to determine the winner of the tournament. The games will be staggered so the national TV audience will watch one game while the other game's players are warming up.

As in any bracket, the 1 and 8 seeds will play and then the winner will play the winner of the 4/5 seed game. Pretty much standard:

The Los Angeles Bracket


  1. Lou Williams, Andrew Bynum, Paul Pierce
  2. Jeff Teague, JaVale McGee, Rudy Gay 
  3. Jrue Holiday, LaMarcus Aldridge, JR Smith
  4. Rajon Rondo, Greg Monroe, Kevin Durant
  5. Mike Conley, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans
  6. Brandon Jennings, Dwight Howard, OJ Mayo
  7. Chris Paul, Josh Smith, Andre Iguodala
  8. Jameer Nelson, Carlos Boozer, Danny Granger
The Miami Bracket
  1. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Garnett, Carmelo Anthony
  2. John Wall, Roy Hibbert, Trevor Ariza
  3. Ty Lawson, Kevin Love, Joe Johnson
  4. Derrick Rose, Paul Millsap, Kobe Bryant
  5. Deron Williams, Tyson Chandler, Ray Allen
  6. Russell Westbrook, Chris Bosh, LeBron James
  7. Kyle Lowry, DeMarcus Cousins, Dwyane Wade
  8. Monta Ellis, Al Jefferson, Gerald Wallace
Being that this was entirely random, obviously some teams are a little unfair. Miami6? In Miami? Oops. That was an accident. But I love it. Chris Bosh may never touch the ball. 

Round 1
  • Los Angeles
    • LA1 beats LA8. Danny Granger goes 3-45 from the field. 
    • LA7 beats LA2. I would love to see Paul, Smith, and Iguodala play together. I think they'd complement each other nicely as a threesome. 
    • LA3 beats LA6. Dwight Howard requests a trade halfway through the game, is told he can't be traded because that would make absolutely no sense, and quits on his team. Brandon Jennings stabs him. 
    • LA4 beats LA5. This is the blowout game of the tournament. A team full of young stars against a team full of athletic guys that can't really do anything on a basketball court. 
  • Miami
    • Miami1 beats Miami8. This team can make a deep run if Kyrie and 'Melo can figure out how to play offense together. Because you know KG has the defense on lock. 
    • Miami2 beats Miami7. This is a disappointing game. It happens. Maybe John Wall can build some steam. Because his team is about to get steamrolled by...
    • Miami6 beats Miami3. I don't even care who is on team 3. Team Six is going to do big things. (And no, I didn't plan that.)
    • Miami5 beats Miami4. This is a phenomenal game. Potentially the best game of the first round. I don't see anyone guarding Kobe from outside the paint. I think that would be the trump card if not for the fact that 3's are worth more than 2's and the Williams-Allen combination with Tyson "The Rebounder" Chandler is deadly. 
Round 2 - Making the Olympic Team
  • Los Angeles
    • LA4 beats LA1. Rondo-Monroe-Durant over LouWill-Bynum-Pierce. Significantly better at two positions and only slightly worse at the third. Solid team inside and out. Durant is kind of a weak link on defense, but come on. It's Durant. 
    • LA7 beats LA3. Paul-Smith-Iguodala over Holiday-Aldridge-Smith. Significant point guard advantage and significant "Smith" advantage. 
  • Miami
    • Miami1 beats Miami5. Another phenomenal game. This comes down to two points: Williams is slightly better than Irving, and Allen can't guard 'Melo. 
    • Miami6 beats Miami 2. Who is on team two? I don't care. Team Six for the win. 
Round 3 - The Final Four in NYC
  • I can't even pick the LA4-LA7 game. All-Stars at all three positions on both teams. 
  • But you know that I can pick Miami6 to win... 
Round 4 - The Championship
  • ..and again. Honestly, a team with Westbrook, Bosh, and LeBron probably won't even lose a game to anybody. 
And as far as selecting an MVP/captain for the Olympic squad, it's gotta be LeBron. 

I understand that the logistics of this will never happen in real life. And it makes me sad.  

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