NBA Fantasy Finals: 2000 Pacers vs. 1992 Trail Blazers
Miller Time
To clarify: Our NBA Fantasy Finals have nothing to do with the stat-driven “fantasy basketball” you play online. We’re taking NBA Finals teams throughout history and pitting them against each other to see what you think would happen. Assume both lineups are healthy, and the older team gets homecourt. Today it’s Reggie vs. Clyde in what sounds like the World Series of Dominoes, but really isn’t …
2000 INDIANA PACERS (56-26)
G – Mark Jackson (8.1 ppg, 8.0 apg)
G – Reggie Miller (18.1 ppg)
F – Jalen Rose (18.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.0 apg)
F – Dale Davis (10.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
C – Rik Smits (12.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg)
Bench – Travis Best, Austin Croshere, Al Harrington, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin
Coach – Larry Bird
1992 PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (57-25)
G – Terry Porter (18.1 ppg, 5.8 apg)
G – Clyde Drexler (25.0 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 6.7 apg, 1.8 spg)
F – Jerome Kersey (12.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg)
F – Buck Williams (11.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg)
C – Kevin Duckworth (10.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg)
Bench – Cliff Robinson, Danny Ainge, Mark Bryant, Ennis Whatley, Robert Pack
Coach – Rick Adelman
Who would win a best-of-seven series?
Archive
1996 Bulls vs. 1986 Celtics
2003 Nets vs. 1995 Rockets
2008 Celtics vs. 1993 Suns
2004 Pistons vs. 1994 Knicks
2006 Heat vs. 2001 Sixers
2007 Spurs vs. 1998 Bulls
2008 Lakers vs. 1995 Magic
May 28th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
David_Brandon says:
i think adelman gets his chip finally.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
K Dizzle says:
Wow. This matchup is bananas. Perfectly matched squads. Action ve Porter, future HOFers Reg and Glyde, front courts got some scorin, some bang, centers who could put up numbers and the benches are solid, bu I gotta give the edge to Indy’s pine. Bird vs Adelman……Damn. Homecourt gets the win…
May 28th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
money says:
pacers. reggie and jalen provided a lot of firepower and smits had some good games inside. The pacer’s bench is also better. Plus, if it’s ever reggie versus anybody else (except for kobe and shaq…and mj and pippen) then i’m taking reggie. the dude owns the playoffs
May 28th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
a train says:
This Indy team was my favorite growing up. I would have to say Pacers in 6 or 7. They played the Lakers tough that year and were within a few big plays of swinging that series the other way.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Baby Huey says:
I have to go with the Blazers, they took the Bulls to 6 games and I don’t think Reggie is quite on Jordan’s level, so CLyde and the boys would have an advantage at the 2 where they didn’t before. Blazers in 7
May 28th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
bsteezy3 says:
I’m goin’ with the Pacers here for no reason other than I’m a fan of that team. It was full of stars and role-players plus Larry B as the coach. Do you remember what Bird said after his team was eliminated from the playoffs (I think it was the previous year)? When asked who he thought would win the finals, he says: Who cares? We’re not in it… That’s the coach I wanna play for! He gets the nod over Adelman.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
hahns says:
as a knicks fan- rik smits was one of the most underrated big men ever. stats arent that impressive here- but i remember hating the dunkin dutchmen bc of all midrange game
May 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
hucklebuck says:
Porter over Jackson-Jackson can’t stop drive, assists will even between the two.
Drexler over Miller-Miller will defnitely score, but if Jordan was the best in the east, Drexler was the best in the west
Kersey over Jalen-Jerome was took quick for Jalen’s game. They wouldn’t get in a fight, but they would probably step chest to chest at some point in the series.
Buck and Dale would be even-these two guys would probably get tangled up and annoy each other until one takes it another step and they begin to fight. at this point Reggie would dive in, then fly back like he was hit.
Smits has SLIGHT edge over Duckworth, SLIGHT-height and touch from 12 ft and in. Duckworth has quickness and strength over Smits, and his pattented one arm shot.
Bench-SLIGHT advantage to Pacers, only cuz they would have a couple more extra productive players than the Blazers. BUT I would say Ainge bumps Croshere at some point, then gets into it with Reggie. As they struggle to get a grip on each other during the scrap, Bird second guess on who to save-his former teammate on those Celtics teams, or his best All-Star player on the team.
Blazers in 6. Blazers were younger team, they would pound on the Pacers.
Drexler MVP.
May 28th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Chaos says:
Man this is the toughest to call cuz the Blazers gave the bulls all they could handle in their series and the pacers gave their version of the bulls plenty of problems so its a hard call. i think the blazers starting 5 were better than the pacers but the pacers bench was better. its an even series. i just think the blazers were tougher physically
May 28th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Ian says:
baby huey yeah the blazers took the bulls to six but which team is the only team to male the bulls play seven and barely squeeze out the win on their championship seasons? One the pacers.
Reggie wins in 6 dropping 12 in the final 2 secs of game 6 to come back from 11 down.
May 28th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Student Of The Game says:
The Pacers come away with this one. The Pacers’ bench has a huge edge and the Miller/Rose combo would be too much although Clyde would get his. When it comes down to it, it’s all about the role players and when you have Chris Mullin, Sam Perkins, hustlin Croshere, and a young athletic Al Harrington off the bench im takin the Pacers
May 28th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Sheedfan87 says:
Very good pairing here, but a starting 5 that all averages double digits is too much to overcome. Plus your bringing Cliff off the bench who can light it up. Blazers in 6, but I believe every game would be competitive.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Jayo says:
Blazers in 6!
No way Jalen, Reggie, & MJ could hang w/ TP, The Glide, & Kersey in the open court. Nobody has to guard Dale Davis b/c he was like Ben Wallace & couldn’t shoot. So the Blazers could guard Smits w/ any big man they chose.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
hucklebuck says:
student of the game
-what is ur reasoning behind pickin the Pacers? why?!
May 28th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
yoda says:
i think antonio davis played for those pacers, but not 100% sure. can’t be bothered to check now
May 28th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Kevin says:
@hucklebuck — What makes you think Porter and Action Jackson will be even on assists? Jackson is #2 all-time in dimes.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
hucklebuck says:
well, according to the stats at the beginning of the article, Jackson is only averaging 2 more assists than Porter.
So..
The 2000 Pacers were not a running team at all, so Porter is capable of gettin the break started and finding Drexler, Kersey, or Robinson on the break.
Defensively, the Blazers were very good, quick, and would be able to switch off screens with Reggie-thus allowing 1-2 less opportunities for assists for Jackson. and since they are not a running team, the chances lower.
Porter was a very underrated PG like Derek Harper was in a previous NBA Finals Fantasy Matchup.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
hucklebuck says:
oh yeah, and Porter is 12th all time in assists.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
doc says:
Everybody except Magic went 6 with Mike so that dont mean much in my book.We got this thing of saying somebody went a certain amount of games but in reality it dont mean shit if the other team got 4 wins.Close matchup but I would take the Pacers in 7.Why?Because I want to dammit.
May 28th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Al says:
I got Portland in this series
May 28th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Ian says:
Good post doc
May 28th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
j says:
danny ainge and uncle cliffy put blazers over the top. I would love to see buck vs davis though, that would show if players are soft these are these days. if buck abuses him it shows how tough they were in the 90s, if not, i’d be mildly surprised
May 28th, 2009 at 9:13 pm
Marvin says:
You know what? Duckworth might have been Sabonis (remember he was drafted by portland in 86′) and history would have changed.
May 28th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Ian says:
marvin
the blazers beat the bulls if they had an in his prime sabonis back then also the 90 title vs the pistons might have gone the other way.
May 29th, 2009 at 3:59 am
Hatorade says:
in 98 this same pacers team came within 2 minutes of beating the bulls in game 7. the only time an mj team was really tested during the 6 ring run. Pacers in 5.
May 30th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Dave says:
Tough series … I’m picking Blazers in 7. Too many weapons.
July 24th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
Alex Akopyan says:
The 98′ Bulls were an aging dynasty team on its last leg. Jordan was 35, Pippen 32, Rodman 37, Ron Harper 34, Steve Kerr 32, as they were nowhere near as athletic as the 92′ Bulls that the Blazers took to 6 games. The 92′Bulls had all the key players in their prime, and would steam-roll the 98′ Bulls that the Pacers took to 7 games.
With that said, the 92′ Blazers would beat the 00′ Pacers in my opinion, because they were a superior rebounding team. Other than Buck Williams, Kevin Duckworth, Jerome Kersey & Cliff Robinson were all solid rebounders. Plus, Clyde Drexler was a real good rebounding 2-guard. Other than the Davis brothers, the 00′ Pacers did not have any other solid rebounders on their roster.
September 12th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
clajdzik says:
Clyde would own Miller Too strong too quick Title in six for the Blazers