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Since the new century, many players have played for their respective teams. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have combined nine championships. These championship teams have some of the best players ever to wear their uniforms. Because these two teams have been so dominant, it’s safe to say that a showdown between their best players since the new millennium will be a definitive Finals matchup.
As for the Lakers’ 21st Century team, the combination of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is an ideal pairing for basketball fans. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were Bryant’s running mates when the team reached the Finals in 2008, 2009 and 2010. As for Shaquille O’Neal, he won three Finals MVPs from 2000 to 2002 while playing alongside Bryant. That being said, Bryant won his own two Finals MVPs in 2009 and 2010, while James won his own Finals MVP in 2020.
All three players on the Golden State Warriors’ 21st Century team are members of a quadruple-winning dynasty. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Oracle will need to make room for the team’s numbers as they retire. Kevin Durant is a two-time Finals MVP and played in three Finals with these players. As for Baron Davis, although he is not a championship, he is an All-Star player who once led the eighth-seeded Warriors to defeat the first-seeded Mavericks.
Rosters for the 21st Century Lakers and 21st Century Warriors:
21st Century Lakers: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O’Neal
21st Century Warriors: Baron Davis, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green
Let’s take a look at a matchup between Los Angeles Lakers 21st Century and Golden State Warriors 21st Century and who will win.
LeBron James vs. Baron Davis
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During the 2000s, the two players met 17 times during the regular season. James has won 12 of 17 games. Against teams with Davis, James averaged 24.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. James is shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from three. With James’ ability to handle the ball, the possibilities on the offensive end are limitless given his passing ability.
As for Davis, he averaged 17.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. When the two met, Davis was in the prime of the Warriors and James was in an earlier phase. That being said, James played a better brand of basketball. Davis needs to step up and help the 21st Century Warriors in this game.
Kobe Bryant vs. Stephen Curry
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The two players met 15 times during the regular season. This is a fair fight between two superstars. Bryant finished with a 9-6 record against Curry-led teams. Bryant averaged 26.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Bryant was shooting efficiently from the floor, shooting 42.5 percent from the free-throw line and 80.8 percent from the free-throw line, but he shot a horrific 25.8 percent from three.
Curry also produced solid statistics. He averaged 22.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Curry may have gone 6-9 against Kobe, but he didn’t have an All-Star cast of Thompson, Green and Durant around him. With Curry’s ball-handling ability, he can rotate scoring with Davis, allowing Davis to get to the baseline more, or Curry can slide and shoot from the perimeter. Curry made 38.4 percent of his three-pointers and 93.9 percent of his free throws.
Lamar Odom vs. Klay Thompson
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Data for these two players is scant. The two players have faced each other five times during the regular season, and Odom is about to leave the door of the NBA. Thompson has won four of five contests, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 41.2 percent from 3-point range. Odom, meanwhile, is averaging 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. If we look at the peak of his career, Thompson is the key to what he has to offer in this game.
Odom is a key member of the team’s championship. With the Lakers, Odom averaged 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He was the sixth man of the year and can easily enter the starting rotation. It will come down to his defensive ability and how he uses it. Will he stay to help with rebounding, or will he be forced to guard Thompson on the perimeter? Depending on the nature of the Lakers’ defense in the 21st century, this could be a matchup that Thompson could exploit.
Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Durant
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Gasol and Durant have met many times in their careers. If we add up the regular season and playoffs, that includes 46 games. Gasol was 17-9 in the regular season and Durant was 14-6 in the playoffs. In those games during the regular season, Gasol averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. With Gasol’s size, he’ll be able to guard Durant in the paint and possibly force Durant to take more shots from the perimeter.
During the regular season, Durant shot 45.5 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three. During that stretch, Durant averaged 25.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. While Gasol will help on the glass, Durant proved he can still hit the mid-range and reasonably successful outside shots. Given his ability to draw defenses to help, he could be a primary passer for Curry and Thompson in perimeter setups.
Shaquille O’Neal vs. Draymond Green
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The only players on the roster without any stats against them are Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green. For eight seasons, O’Neal was the team’s dominant center. During his time with the Lakers, O’Neal averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. He’s the biggest and best finisher in the paint. At 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, O’Neal was a formidable player, which is why he was named Finals MVP three times in a row in the NBA Finals. O’Neal has made 58.3 percent of his career two-pointers. With the Lakers, he shot 74.5 percent of his career shots from zero to three feet from the rim.
Green would be the best defensive option. As a former Defensive Player of the Year winner, Green has a size disadvantage. Green is 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. While Green is quick and pure defensively, there’s something to be said for stopping a player who shoots nearly 3s near the rim and has nearly 100 pounds of weight on his defender. That being said, Green is the better passer and could help this small lineup in transition if the team can hold their ground on the defensive end.
Los Angeles Lakers 21st Century Team Strengths
Rebounding is a huge plus. Odom, Gasol and O’Neal are bigger. Plus, we forget that Kobe and James are also statistically reliable rebounders. The Warriors 21st Century can’t even out-rebound this team. The Lakers 21st Century had plenty of second chances to score. Considering the number of second chances, teams can get plenty of offensive tip-ins or fouls to get to the free throw line.
While history suggests O’Neal and Kobe are the team’s dominant scorers of the century, we’ll have to look at James and Davis. The Warriors need to slyly help Davis on the defensive end, because he is not a great defensive player, and James is a special player in his own right.
Golden State Warriors 21st Century Team Strengths
The outside shooting advantage is obvious. The combination of Curry and Thompson will force the Lakers to play more on the wing because they can’t keep either player open. Considering that the defense has more options, the team can make Durant appear in the middle more often. Durant can get more open shots inside, or he can kick the ball to open shooters. Plus, Davis is a strong downhill dribbler who can get close and find a Green, who can also find one of the team’s best three offensive players.
The team’s transition game is also better. With small lineups, teams can get a lot of baskets on turnovers because O’Neal isn’t quick enough to be consistent with this lineup. While Bryant and James are both quick athletes, a five-man lineup can outshine Odom, Gasol and O’Neal. If the team can lock down on defense, then the fast break points are very much.
Who will win this 7-game series?
The Lakers 21st Century won Game 1, taking advantage of their size. Two players ended in double-doubles with points and rebounds, while one player scored and assisted in double-doubles. O’Neal led the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Gasol had 12 points and 10 rebounds. James, meanwhile, had 10 points and 10 assists in a 100-89 Lakers 21st victory.
Game 2 needed a shot to tie the game, and they hit a string of 3-pointers. With 30 combined 3-pointers from Curry and Thompson, the Warriors won 105-92. The star shooter’s 10 three-pointers did not count Durant’s three-pointers and Davis’ two three-pointers, helping the team make a total of 15 three-pointers.
The Warriors 21st Century team played evenly in Game 3. With Durant helping Green on defense, the team can limit O’Neal on offense. However, this opened up opportunities for James and Bryant to go downhill and up the line. O’Neal had one of his best passing games. O’Neal scored eight points, but was able to pass the ball to James and Bryant. After numerous fouls, free throws became the name of the game. James and Bryant made 22 of 25 shots from the free throw line to seal the victory 109-100.
Durant dribbled a through pass to Gasol from inside the 3-point arc after a lackluster third. The Warriors 21st Century team strikes while the iron is hot. Durant scored Gasol 34 points, and Durant also found Curry to perform outside many times. Curry made four 3-pointers for 23 points, but also had 12 assists, many of which came from Durant. With the 99-95 victory, the series was tied at 2-2.
Going back to basics, the Lakers 21st Century team took advantage of the apparent mismatch. James ran over Davis consecutively on the offensive end. James scored 32 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. The triple-double also overshadowed a strong shooting night for Bryant, who scored 30 points of his own. With two superstars at the helm, the Warriors 21st Century stood no chance in a 105-84 blowout loss.
Needing a win to stay afloat, the 21st Century Warriors saw their original dynasty take over the game. With the score at 90-90, Curry hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull the team apart. When Odom stepped up for the offensive rebound, Thompson let him down. Green almost scored a triple-double of 9 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists. He provided excellent defense for O’Neal, holding him to just 18 points and 12 rebounds. With the 98-90 victory, the series went to the final game.
Heading into the final game, there was a sense in the air that the Lakers’ 21st Century would emerge victorious. The look in the eyes of James, Kobe and O’Neal seemed to be a group of stars. That’s exactly what happened in the last game. James led the way with a triple-double of 32 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Bryant shot 55 percent from the field and scored 26 points, while O’Neal was the most dominant player in the low post. O’Neal had 18 points and 15 rebounds. As the Lakers’ 21st Century team closed out the series with a 112-101 victory, Gasol and Odom made the stars work on the floor and facilitated in any way…
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