- Team Green features two 30.0 points per game scorers from the 2022-23 season
- Team Blue features five MVP awards between three different winners in the last decade
- Nine of the 10 players featured in this matchup were All-Stars in 2022-23
There are many different examples of various matchups based on the appearance of a player’s jersey that we have done in the past. We have broken down the all-time red superteam vs. the all-time gold superteam, as well as an all-time matchup between the best players to ever wear the number 23 and the number three. Today, we thought we would switch it all up by doing a matchup between Team Blue and Team Green using nothing but active NBA players in a 7-game series.
These two superteams will consist of 10 of the best players in the NBA today as they go head-to-head in a hypothetical yet riveting 7-game series. We will go position by position through this matchup to bring to you everything you could expect from this series and more. Through that process will arise advantages for each team that could carry them through to victory in a real matchup between these two teams.
The matchup between Team Blue and Team Green will clearly favor one team if we just look at it on paper, but once we go a little deeper, it will begin to balance out quite a bit. Before we get into the main event, let’s meet the two teams squaring off today.
Team Blue: Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid
Team Green: Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Robert Williams III
Now that we have met the superstars that will represent Team Green and Team Blue let’s get into this highly-anticipated matchup.
Stephen Curry vs. Jrue Holiday
Our first matchup at the point guard position will be between one of the best offensive perimeter players in the game against arguably the best perimeter defender in the game. Stephen Curry is going to be a tough assignment for any opponent, regardless of their defensive accomplishments. In this offense for Team Blue, he will be even more lethal.
That is because where Stephen Curry is most dangerous on the court is when he is moving without the ball. With this lineup, he doesn’t have to worry about being a playmaker or a shot-creator. He has Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Nikola Jokic to handle for him. This is going to allow Curry to move around screens and run around without the ball freely. There is no more effective way for him to find his shot than this, and with the abilities of his playmaking teammates, it could be a long night for Team Green.
Holiday is no slouch on the offensive end either, and Team Blue isn’t exactly lining up Gary Payton across from him. There will be ample opportunity for Holiday to penetrate Team Blue’s first line of defense in order to use his chemistry with Giannis to his advantage, as well as get Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown some open looks. Of course, this will all depend on how exhausted Holiday is going to be after chasing Stephen Curry down for nearly the entirety of this series.
Kyrie Irving vs. Jaylen Brown
At first glance, this may seem like a massive advantage for Team Blue, and in many ways, it is. It also isn’t as big of a gap as one may think either. Kyrie Irving is one of the best isolation players in the game and is an efficient scorer from all three levels. He can go off at any moment himself, or he can excel at getting his teammates involved as defenses adjust to his play. Using the greatest ball-handling skills we have ever seen, Irving consistently frees up space to either work as a scorer or facilitator. Where he has struggled in the past is against bigger, more physical opponents, which is exactly what Haylen Brown will be for Team Green.
Over the last few seasons, Jaylen Brown has evolved into one of the best second options in the NBA. With his faw skill and incredible athleticism, Brown has become a tough assignment on the defensive side of the ball as well as one of Boston’s better defensive players. Brown should be able to keep Kyrie slightly at bay with his physical brand of defense and as the slightly bigger player. He can also attack the weaker front line of Team Blue in order to create short mid-range shots for himself or opportunities for teammates.
Luka Doncic vs. Jayson Tatum
This matchup at small forward will definitely be one of the main attractions between Team Blue and Team Green. Despite being in the small forward spot, I would expect the ball to be in Luka Doncic’s hands more often than not while running the offense. Of course, Doncic’s decision-making from the perimeter is a major bonus when Curry, Irving, and Jokic are also on the floor. Mostly, it will be Doncic slowing the pace and picking apart the defense as a passer and scorer that Tatum will have the most difficulty with.
With that being said, Jayson Tatum is one of the most talented scorers in the game as well. Using his length to his advantage, Tatum should have no issues getting off his patented side-step three-point shot. Tatum should also find success when driving to the rim, considering his ball control and tough shot making has gotten far better than in his younger years. Once again, this matchup should fill the arenas and be a deciding factor in who wins the series as it goes deeper.
Nikola Jokic vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Doncic/Tatum matchup will only merely be an undercard compared to the two Titans prepared to do battle at power forward. Team Blue gets yet another elite playmaker added to their lineup, but Nikola Jokic is much more than that as well. Jokic’s passing and scoring are what make him the ultimate offensive weapon. Joining forces with three other elite playmakers could form the most efficient offense we have ever seen.
The real issue that Jokic’s presence will present is the inside-outside game that could come to fruition with himself and Stephen Curry. Team Green will have their hands full trying to keep track of where the ball is, and it will be impossible to predict where it’s going. Luckily for Team Green, they have the best two-way player in the game today to try and figure it out.
If there is any player from Team Green who will disrupt the flow of the offense for Team Green, it will be Giannis Antetokounmpo. With a unique mix of elite athleticism, size, and skill, Giannis is the best chance for Team Green to stay in the series. He will undoubtedly be their anchor on defense as well as their primary offensive target. If Giannis is at his absolute best, Team Green can stretch this series to six or seven games.
Joel Embiid vs. Robert Williams III
This is the first severe mismatch in favor of one team throughout this entire matchup. Team Blue is trotting out the last three MVP award winners with the addition of Joel Embiid to the lineup. Embiid packs a complete offensive punch that includes dominant post moves and the touch on the ball from the mid-range and even from three. On the defensive end, Embiid is a very good defender who can block and alter shots at an extremely consistent and upper level.
In this case, Embiid will be facing off with Robert Williams III of the Boston Celtics. First, let me say that Williams is an extremely talented and stifling defender who has had success against Embiid in the past. The only thing holding Williams back is his health and ability to consistently stay on the court. On offense, Williams is almost non-existent unless it is as a rim-runner or on offensive rebounds. He does not possess many effective moves in the post. I would expect Embiid to wind up absolutely dominating his matchup with Williams for Team Blue.
Team Blue Advantages
The first of Team Blue’s advantages in their series over Team Green is a point I have been driving home this entire time. The fact that Team Blue has four of the most elite playmakers in the NBA in their lineup is going to be their biggest advantage. Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Stephen Curry can all score at an elite level but can also effectively pick apart opponents with their high IQ passing and court vision. There is no way to stop a lineup with that kind of offensive attack.
The other glaring advantage in favor of Team Blue is going to be their offensive attack from the perimeter. With the wall that Team Green will be able to build with both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Robert Williams, Team Blue will need a perimeter attack as efficiently as possible. Well, having the greatest shooter in NBA history, along with two guards who can attack at will, will be the perfect solution to that problem. Stephen Curry is going to thrive in an offense in which he will not need the ball in his hands in order to be effective.
Team Green Advantages
Despite this being a mismatch in favor of Team Blue, Team Green does still have some advantages they can exploit in order to possibly win the series. The first advantage is the defensive frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Robert Williams III. Giannis and Williams will be able to work together in order to force Team Blue to take shots further and further away from the basket. Whether blocking or altering shots, the duo of Williams and Antetokounmpo will be a major factor in if Team Green can pull off the victory.
The biggest advantage, no pun intended, that Team Green has over Team Blue is the sheer size of their players on the perimeter. Jrue Holiday’s size will be an issue for Curry regardless of his off-ball movement. Jaylen Brown’s size and athleticism may be the only way to slow Kyrie Irving in this lineup. Jayson Tatum will be tasked with doing the same thing with Luka Doncic with his significant length advantage in their matchup. Will this be something they can use to gain the upper hand in this series? That remains to be seen.
Who Would Win This Matchup In A 7-Game Series?
Game 1 of this series could not have started off any better for Team Blue and their superstar lineup. The backcourt of Doncic, Irving, and Curry worked in perfect sync with each other, getting their bigs involved at a high level as well. Curry would lead the way with 43 points on 11-14 shooting from three. He was mostly fed by Nikola Jokic, who found Curry cross-court multiple times and finished the game with 12 dimes. Team Green was led by Giannis’ 32 points and 13 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome Team Blue’s relentless attack. Team Blue wins Game 1, 122-107.
Game 2 would start the same as Game 1 finished with Jokic and Curry locked in on each other. Unfortunately for Team Blue, Jrue Holiday would have his best defensive performance of the entire series, patiently reading Jokic and Doncic’s eyes when looking for Curry and disrupting the entire offense. Giannis would lead Team Green once again with 34 points, while Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each added 24. Team Green would eke out a win over Team Blue in surprising fashion, 120-113.
As we head into Game 3, it was clear that Team Green had a hangover from their Game 2 win. This time, it was Joel Embiid, who the defense had seemingly forgotten about, that would step up and take over. Embiid made Robert Williams II look silly on numerous occasions, especially when he pulled the ball out and began knocking down mid-range jumpers. Embiid would finish with 35 points and 14 rebounds, while Luka Doncic added 29 points and 11 assists as Team Blue got back on track and locked up Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead with a 131-118 win.
Game 4 would be a dogfight and the toughest game of the entire series. It was a back-and-forth battle, with things getting chippy between Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic. Tatum used the altercation as a bit of extra motivation to have a career night with 51 points on 21-29 shooting from the floor. Tatum’s efficient performance was accompanied by 27 points from teammate Jaylen Brown as Team Green pulled off another upset win and evened the series at two games each with a 119-106 win.
The ever-important Game 5 would come down to the final moments down the stretch. In the first three quarters, it was a battle between Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo once again. The two traded buckets and impressive assists to keep the game within four heading into the fourth quarter. In the fourth, it would be all Stephen Curry with an incredible shooting display for Team Blue. Curry would go off for 18 of his 45 total points on 6-6 shooting from three in the last frame. Team Blue would pull away to a 111-106 victory to take a 3-2 series lead.
Game 6 would be a little closer in the beginning, with Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, and Giannis Antetokounmpo clicking on all cylinders. Defensively and offensively, they looked as if they were ready to push this series to a seventh game. Unfortunately for them, Stephen Curry and Nikola Jokic would find their rhythm with too much time left on the clock. With the attention on Curry, Jokic picked apart the interior with buckets of his own and handoffs down low to frontcourt partner Joel Embiid. Team Green would fight valiantly, but in the end, Team Blue’s star-studded team of playmakers would prevail and wrap up the series in six.
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