LA vs PBSL
Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 10:44 pm
Mamba and Greeple, sitting in a tree...well, we shouldn't be. By all accounts we should be trying to claw at each other for a brutal finish in the finals, but oh how things have changed...! In the offseason LA doubled down on both sides of the Staples Center, each pulling blockbuster trades so that once again they could sit atop the league and finally stare one another down. But 2034-35 is a different time. PBSL's most seasoned vet GMs are ready to grab another (or their first) title, and the newer LA GMs suddenly have much more competition than ever.
I went for Mamba's throat before he posed a threat. Before either of us posed a threat...or perhaps when we decided to become threatening. At any rate, no more! Mamba has his hands full with the Bulls and the underdogs du jour, the Mavericks. Meanwhile, I have the Johnson Division. We'll start there.
Lakers’ Battle in Alpha
After 1 sim, the best time for any prediction, the top 5 (of 7) teams in Johnson have clear paths to the playoffs, yet statistically less than half of us will see the semifinals. Let's go from 1-5 and assess our chances.
Pauly P and the Pacers
Picking up De'Aaron Fox this offseason, the Pacers are as true a threat as any other team in Johnson. Historically sitting at the top after the first sim, they have many reasons to stay. Their starting lineup averaged approximately 91 of the teams nearly 120 points per game, with their backcourt pair of Fox and John Stoll claiming 50 of those starting points. Their schedule included a tough Bulls defensive backcourt in Norris Turney and Silky Johnson, clearing 50 points while holding these fine young players to half of that. Even against the Nuggets back court - an arguably tougher defensive pairing of Carl Howard and David Leiker - Fox and Stoll cleared 60 points, holding Howard and Leiker to less than 30. Though their front court is not quite as strong, Chad marsh holds near PG-like ball-handling skills with ferocious interior defense and blocking, with solid scoring support from Fortunato and huge rebounding from his backup man Thomas Navarra.
We Lakers will be keeping an eye on these guys. We don't think they'll peter out with these tremendous guards leading their team - many more victories to come. We'll be watching closely how Cam Reddish stands up against Quintin Kidd and Luka Doncic next sim, too.
Xist2Inspire and the Wizards
Speaking of Quintin Kidd, we've slept on this guy. What a mistake! He’s been putting up All-star - neigh - All league numbers against some very stiff competition in the first sim. Swinging over to shooting guard (though listed as SF), Kidd stood opposite league great Bjorn Ironside (who also swung over to SG for the game) and more than held his own, sinking 30 points to Bjorn’s 11, nearly pulling a double double (had Philip Cuomo not led the Wiz in assists against the Bucks...oddly). They are well rounded with Cuomo, a strong defensive big, and have one loss by 1 point to the Mourning’s current #1 Nets (but also a win over them in their first meeting, too). They even took out the Spurs who have been stomping us Lakers hard so far this season.
I was not looking at the Wizards at all. I thought they were still rebuilding! But seeing them return to the top, and having danced with Xist up there, I know that he is extremely motivated by these results and may even make a move or two to put his team firmly atop the Johnson division if they do not make it with this roster. I have two games against them next sim and uhh
Could get ugly anyway moving on to
Eazy P and the Spurs
Like I said already, these guys spanked me hard, twice. My boy Delmar has not quite hit his peak yet, and boy did Daniel Yandell prove that, allowing only 16 minutes of floor time to Delmar due to foul trouble in the first meeting, and straight fouling out in 25 minutes in their second meeting. I was surprised to see Yandell at SF, but if Eazy keeps him there, Delmar better get ready to learn...and Yandell may not even be the Spurs strongest asset (which is saying a lot). Though Grayson fell to b/b this offseason, he’s a perennial league leader and the team’s lead scorer with a rapidly developing Jonathan Lewis not far behind. Did I mention Clifford Paugh? Seriously, what the eff with these guys.
Eazy has not won a title in nearly 10 seasons, and I think he’s ready to end that streak. He’s been in the league since its inception, won three titles, and may well prove he has the savvy to run it all back in his 2035 Playoff run. These boys are a scary crew, especially to my Lakers.
Greeple and the Lakers
We’ll circle back here.
Syndicate and the Nuggets
I’ve been in negotiations with Syndicate for several seasons on West, and it took losing Wanderlei and the subsequent allure of Sabonis to release Leiker to the Nuggets and acquire West, cause I love me some Laker Leiker banter. I was sad to see Syndicate even mention trading Leiker for the right package (I have my doubts that package will come) in his Q&A portion of his presser, but I shouldn’t hate the player. He’s playing the game and I like it even when it hurts (that's what she said). Seriously though, with a 6-2 start, I know Syndicate was not planning a big year, but how could he resist this kind of start? Leiker has become an elite defender in the league and can score inside easily, too. Why wouldn’t this be the team to go deep into the finals? I think if Ryan wanted to he definitely could, but it would seem as if he’s biding his time for now which is the sole reason I’m confident I can finish ahead of them in Johnson.
While the rest of the Mourning division is rebuilding, the Bucks are likely to lead and take things deep into the playoffs, so let’s address the slime king himself and talk about what he brings to the (slimy) table.
IamQuailman and the Bucks, the perceived leaders of Mourning
No disrespect to the Nets (or Sixers for that matter), but I would like to see a few more games played before I can assess their strength in the division. The Bucks have proven a true threat with Rodriquez’s scoring and Ironside’s continued excellence, their versatility to play multiple roles, and Schumann as their 3rd starter with 20+ ppg. Conrad McRae is putting up super strong numbers at center, and Ja is ready and waiting to dish the ball to any one of these cats for a quick bucket (or just sink a three his dang self). With players littering the top 5 across 5 categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals AND FG%), the Bucks dominance is hard to ignore. Don’t be fooled by their 7-3 start - one bad sim from the Nets and the Bucks slide into 1st with ease. Only their loss to the Blazers proved mystifying, and while the Nuggets backcourt may be a challenge over two games next sim, the Bucks should at least split wins here and should stay out of foul trouble against the Mavericks’ well-paid referees.
So back to my Lakers...
How do we stand up against all this madness? We didn’t touch on the Nets, or the surging Sixers, and while both of these teams are tough outs, I only have so much time to devote to league media.
West and Pete are a great combo. Delmar is coming into his own, and Sabonis and Bulter pair well, too.
So yeah, we’re going to smash all y’all. You too, Eazy, we were just taking cat naps. You’re only gonna lose to us for the rest of - neigh - the next several seasons. I’ll bet (no) points on that.
Clippers’ battle in Omega
Lakers and Clippers are the same side of a different coin. Picking up BDJ, Mamba and the Clippers are ready to go all the way. Even a dead Boban (and he’s not dead yet) will wreck most of the league, and BDJ was the key player that played him out of his first ever finals trip. Can’t beat’em? Join’em! What could go wrong?
The Bulls could pick up RJ Barrett is what could go wrong, so
garbageman and the Bulls
Did they ever truly rebuild? I guess they missed the playoffs two seasons ago, but when I picked up Wanderlei from garbageman at the time, shipping an athletic pile of scraps in Gary Loredo his way in exchange, I thought he’d ride the bottom for at least two or three seasons, but he beat top-of-the-league Thunder in Rd1 in the playoffs (even to his surprise) and dang near Boban’d Loredo in the process. That is not a team that is in full rebuild...except they were. It was a fluke! They’re even stronger now. Shipping Loredo for RJ Barrett may have been the plan all along, but only a player like Loredo could be enticing enough to release RJ, no matter the tax trouble. RJ can fly at just about any position, and with Silky dropping him dimes and JJJ banging up the frontcourt, the Bulls became so versatile that shifting RJ’s starting position can simply break almost any other team in the league. He’s the Bulls’ ace in the hole, and garbageman could see his second title in less than 5 years.
The Clippers paid big for an elite team of vets in Boban and BDJ, members of a dreamy starting lineup, and can Silky withstand BDJ? Can JJJ stand up to Sabo or Boban? Will any RJ matchup be enough to deal with these three players alone? Time will tell, but the battle for Kemp shall begin next sim. This will be a good one, folks.
Last but maybe least
Letsplayhorse and the Mavericks
I kid, I kid. But many jokes have been made about the Mavs success, and it’s no surprise. Letsplayhorse isn’t exactly the most active GM in the league, and yet he’s built a pretty solid squad. One of the top 5 scoring teams in PBSL thus far, the Mavs are supported by Jarrett Allen with mad rebounds, blocks, steals and scoring, likely an All Star third year in a row, but Burt Gibson is grabbing big points for the Mavs too. Geoff Rickly has been developing for some time now and Josh Okogie is putting up good numbers as well. Though we never expect it, I think it’s time the Mavs get some earned, due respect as a contender, even if they are not a favorite to go all the way.
Head to head, though, I think Okogie folds against BDJ and Jarrett Allen can compete with but not overcome the Clippers front court, even with solid support from A.C. Williams.
I feel like I’m forgetting something… Hmmm…
NickMalone77 and the Pelicans
Seriously, what in the world happened in Sim 1? They certainly faced some stiff competition but dropped an unfortunate game to the Thunder at home. I think this was a very unlucky sim for the Pels, and the rest of the season will erase it from the team’s memory. They can lay claim to a big win against LA though, proving that, yes (!), their starting five can compete with one of the top starting fives in the league today. Wanderlei and Deuce held their own against Boban and Sabo, and Trae Young stood up to an always tough BDJ who was held to 2 points and 21 minutes of play due to foul trouble. Even with 9 assists it had to be one of BDJ’s worst games in the last several seasons, so this is promising for the Pels even if they dropped their next meeting with the Clips in LA.
Should they meet in the playoffs, who wins? Early indications would show that whomever pulls home court advantage may have the edge, which means if the Pels do excel to their perceived level and win the division, they might take it if the Clippers don’t pull more wins than the Bulls.
So there you have it, PBSL readers. LA is the city to beat this year, but the competition is stiff. I would love to ignite a cross-town rivalry in the 2035 Finals, but both of us have a long journey ahead to make that a reality.
I will destroy you all - thanks for reading.
I went for Mamba's throat before he posed a threat. Before either of us posed a threat...or perhaps when we decided to become threatening. At any rate, no more! Mamba has his hands full with the Bulls and the underdogs du jour, the Mavericks. Meanwhile, I have the Johnson Division. We'll start there.
Lakers’ Battle in Alpha
After 1 sim, the best time for any prediction, the top 5 (of 7) teams in Johnson have clear paths to the playoffs, yet statistically less than half of us will see the semifinals. Let's go from 1-5 and assess our chances.
Pauly P and the Pacers
Picking up De'Aaron Fox this offseason, the Pacers are as true a threat as any other team in Johnson. Historically sitting at the top after the first sim, they have many reasons to stay. Their starting lineup averaged approximately 91 of the teams nearly 120 points per game, with their backcourt pair of Fox and John Stoll claiming 50 of those starting points. Their schedule included a tough Bulls defensive backcourt in Norris Turney and Silky Johnson, clearing 50 points while holding these fine young players to half of that. Even against the Nuggets back court - an arguably tougher defensive pairing of Carl Howard and David Leiker - Fox and Stoll cleared 60 points, holding Howard and Leiker to less than 30. Though their front court is not quite as strong, Chad marsh holds near PG-like ball-handling skills with ferocious interior defense and blocking, with solid scoring support from Fortunato and huge rebounding from his backup man Thomas Navarra.
We Lakers will be keeping an eye on these guys. We don't think they'll peter out with these tremendous guards leading their team - many more victories to come. We'll be watching closely how Cam Reddish stands up against Quintin Kidd and Luka Doncic next sim, too.
Xist2Inspire and the Wizards
Speaking of Quintin Kidd, we've slept on this guy. What a mistake! He’s been putting up All-star - neigh - All league numbers against some very stiff competition in the first sim. Swinging over to shooting guard (though listed as SF), Kidd stood opposite league great Bjorn Ironside (who also swung over to SG for the game) and more than held his own, sinking 30 points to Bjorn’s 11, nearly pulling a double double (had Philip Cuomo not led the Wiz in assists against the Bucks...oddly). They are well rounded with Cuomo, a strong defensive big, and have one loss by 1 point to the Mourning’s current #1 Nets (but also a win over them in their first meeting, too). They even took out the Spurs who have been stomping us Lakers hard so far this season.
I was not looking at the Wizards at all. I thought they were still rebuilding! But seeing them return to the top, and having danced with Xist up there, I know that he is extremely motivated by these results and may even make a move or two to put his team firmly atop the Johnson division if they do not make it with this roster. I have two games against them next sim and uhh
Could get ugly anyway moving on to
Eazy P and the Spurs
Like I said already, these guys spanked me hard, twice. My boy Delmar has not quite hit his peak yet, and boy did Daniel Yandell prove that, allowing only 16 minutes of floor time to Delmar due to foul trouble in the first meeting, and straight fouling out in 25 minutes in their second meeting. I was surprised to see Yandell at SF, but if Eazy keeps him there, Delmar better get ready to learn...and Yandell may not even be the Spurs strongest asset (which is saying a lot). Though Grayson fell to b/b this offseason, he’s a perennial league leader and the team’s lead scorer with a rapidly developing Jonathan Lewis not far behind. Did I mention Clifford Paugh? Seriously, what the eff with these guys.
Eazy has not won a title in nearly 10 seasons, and I think he’s ready to end that streak. He’s been in the league since its inception, won three titles, and may well prove he has the savvy to run it all back in his 2035 Playoff run. These boys are a scary crew, especially to my Lakers.
Greeple and the Lakers
We’ll circle back here.
Syndicate and the Nuggets
I’ve been in negotiations with Syndicate for several seasons on West, and it took losing Wanderlei and the subsequent allure of Sabonis to release Leiker to the Nuggets and acquire West, cause I love me some Laker Leiker banter. I was sad to see Syndicate even mention trading Leiker for the right package (I have my doubts that package will come) in his Q&A portion of his presser, but I shouldn’t hate the player. He’s playing the game and I like it even when it hurts (that's what she said). Seriously though, with a 6-2 start, I know Syndicate was not planning a big year, but how could he resist this kind of start? Leiker has become an elite defender in the league and can score inside easily, too. Why wouldn’t this be the team to go deep into the finals? I think if Ryan wanted to he definitely could, but it would seem as if he’s biding his time for now which is the sole reason I’m confident I can finish ahead of them in Johnson.
While the rest of the Mourning division is rebuilding, the Bucks are likely to lead and take things deep into the playoffs, so let’s address the slime king himself and talk about what he brings to the (slimy) table.
IamQuailman and the Bucks, the perceived leaders of Mourning
No disrespect to the Nets (or Sixers for that matter), but I would like to see a few more games played before I can assess their strength in the division. The Bucks have proven a true threat with Rodriquez’s scoring and Ironside’s continued excellence, their versatility to play multiple roles, and Schumann as their 3rd starter with 20+ ppg. Conrad McRae is putting up super strong numbers at center, and Ja is ready and waiting to dish the ball to any one of these cats for a quick bucket (or just sink a three his dang self). With players littering the top 5 across 5 categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals AND FG%), the Bucks dominance is hard to ignore. Don’t be fooled by their 7-3 start - one bad sim from the Nets and the Bucks slide into 1st with ease. Only their loss to the Blazers proved mystifying, and while the Nuggets backcourt may be a challenge over two games next sim, the Bucks should at least split wins here and should stay out of foul trouble against the Mavericks’ well-paid referees.
So back to my Lakers...
How do we stand up against all this madness? We didn’t touch on the Nets, or the surging Sixers, and while both of these teams are tough outs, I only have so much time to devote to league media.
West and Pete are a great combo. Delmar is coming into his own, and Sabonis and Bulter pair well, too.
So yeah, we’re going to smash all y’all. You too, Eazy, we were just taking cat naps. You’re only gonna lose to us for the rest of - neigh - the next several seasons. I’ll bet (no) points on that.
Clippers’ battle in Omega
Lakers and Clippers are the same side of a different coin. Picking up BDJ, Mamba and the Clippers are ready to go all the way. Even a dead Boban (and he’s not dead yet) will wreck most of the league, and BDJ was the key player that played him out of his first ever finals trip. Can’t beat’em? Join’em! What could go wrong?
The Bulls could pick up RJ Barrett is what could go wrong, so
garbageman and the Bulls
Did they ever truly rebuild? I guess they missed the playoffs two seasons ago, but when I picked up Wanderlei from garbageman at the time, shipping an athletic pile of scraps in Gary Loredo his way in exchange, I thought he’d ride the bottom for at least two or three seasons, but he beat top-of-the-league Thunder in Rd1 in the playoffs (even to his surprise) and dang near Boban’d Loredo in the process. That is not a team that is in full rebuild...except they were. It was a fluke! They’re even stronger now. Shipping Loredo for RJ Barrett may have been the plan all along, but only a player like Loredo could be enticing enough to release RJ, no matter the tax trouble. RJ can fly at just about any position, and with Silky dropping him dimes and JJJ banging up the frontcourt, the Bulls became so versatile that shifting RJ’s starting position can simply break almost any other team in the league. He’s the Bulls’ ace in the hole, and garbageman could see his second title in less than 5 years.
The Clippers paid big for an elite team of vets in Boban and BDJ, members of a dreamy starting lineup, and can Silky withstand BDJ? Can JJJ stand up to Sabo or Boban? Will any RJ matchup be enough to deal with these three players alone? Time will tell, but the battle for Kemp shall begin next sim. This will be a good one, folks.
Last but maybe least
Letsplayhorse and the Mavericks
I kid, I kid. But many jokes have been made about the Mavs success, and it’s no surprise. Letsplayhorse isn’t exactly the most active GM in the league, and yet he’s built a pretty solid squad. One of the top 5 scoring teams in PBSL thus far, the Mavs are supported by Jarrett Allen with mad rebounds, blocks, steals and scoring, likely an All Star third year in a row, but Burt Gibson is grabbing big points for the Mavs too. Geoff Rickly has been developing for some time now and Josh Okogie is putting up good numbers as well. Though we never expect it, I think it’s time the Mavs get some earned, due respect as a contender, even if they are not a favorite to go all the way.
Head to head, though, I think Okogie folds against BDJ and Jarrett Allen can compete with but not overcome the Clippers front court, even with solid support from A.C. Williams.
I feel like I’m forgetting something… Hmmm…
NickMalone77 and the Pelicans
Seriously, what in the world happened in Sim 1? They certainly faced some stiff competition but dropped an unfortunate game to the Thunder at home. I think this was a very unlucky sim for the Pels, and the rest of the season will erase it from the team’s memory. They can lay claim to a big win against LA though, proving that, yes (!), their starting five can compete with one of the top starting fives in the league today. Wanderlei and Deuce held their own against Boban and Sabo, and Trae Young stood up to an always tough BDJ who was held to 2 points and 21 minutes of play due to foul trouble. Even with 9 assists it had to be one of BDJ’s worst games in the last several seasons, so this is promising for the Pels even if they dropped their next meeting with the Clips in LA.
Should they meet in the playoffs, who wins? Early indications would show that whomever pulls home court advantage may have the edge, which means if the Pels do excel to their perceived level and win the division, they might take it if the Clippers don’t pull more wins than the Bulls.
So there you have it, PBSL readers. LA is the city to beat this year, but the competition is stiff. I would love to ignite a cross-town rivalry in the 2035 Finals, but both of us have a long journey ahead to make that a reality.
I will destroy you all - thanks for reading.