Los Angeles Lakers 21st Century Team vs. Golden State Warriors 21st Century Team

Since the new century, there are plenty of players that have starred on their respective teams. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors have won nine combined championships. Those championship teams feature some of the best players to ever wear the team’s uniform. Because these two franchises have been dominant, it’s only safe to assume that a battle of their best players since the new millennium would be an ultimate Finals.

As for the Lakers’ 21st Century Team, the combination of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant is a basketball fan’s ideal pairing. Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol were running mates of Bryants when the team made 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. With that said, Bryant won two Finals MVPs of his own in 2009 and 2010, while James won his Finals MVP in 2020.

Three of the players on the Golden State Warriors 21st Century Team feature members of the four-championship dynasty. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, the Oracle is going to need to make room for the team’s numbers when they get retired. Kevin Durant was a two-time Finals MVP and played in three Finals with these players. As for Baron Davis, while he was not a champion, he was an All-Star who once led the eight-seed Warriors past the one-seed Mavericks back in the day.

Rosters for the 21st Century Lakers Team and 21st Century Warriors Team:

21st Century Lakers Team: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Shaquille O’Neal

21st Century Warriors Team: Baron Davis, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green

Let’s take a look at who would win in a battle between the Los Angeles Lakers 21st Century Team and the Golden State Warriors 21st Century team.

LeBron James vs. Baron Davis

During the 2000s, these two players saw each other 17 times during the regular season. James won the matchup by winning 12 of the 17 meetings. James averaged 24.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks against teams with Davis on the roster. James also shot 45.5% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range. With James running the point, the possible opportunities on the offensive side are limitless, given his passing abilities.

As for Davis, he averaged 17.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals. When these two met, Davis was in his prime years with the Warriors, while James was entering the earlier stages. With that said, James played the better brand of basketball. Davis would need to step up in this matchup to help the 21st Century Warriors Team.

Kobe Bryant vs. Stephen Curry

These two players met each other 15 times in the regular season. It was a fair battle between the 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 effective shooting from the floor, shooting 42.5% and 80.8% from the free throw line, but he shot a horrid 25.8% from three-point range.

Curry produced a solid stat line as well. He averaged 22.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.5 steals. Curry might have gone 6-9 against Bryant but did not have an All-Star cast of Thompson, Green, and Durant around him at the time. With Curry’s ball handling, he could switch with Davis on the point and allow Davis to penetrate the line more often, or Curry could slide open to shoot from outside. Curry shot 38.4% from three-point range and 93.9% at the free-throw line.

Lamar Odom vs. Klay Thompson

The data for these two players is scarce. The two players met five times in the regular season, and Odom was heading out the door of the NBA. Thompson won four of the five games and averaged 16.2 points while shooting 41.2% from three-point range. Meanwhile, Odom was averaging 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. If we look at prime careers, Thompson is the point with what he could provide in this matchup.

Odom was a key part of the team’s championship runs. With the Lakers, Odom averaged 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds. He was a former Sixth Man of the Year that would slide into this starting rotation with ease. It would come down to his defensive abilities and how it was used. Would he stay down and help rebound, or would he be forced to guard Thompson outside? This could be a matchup that Thompson could exploit based on the defensive nature of the 21st Century Lakers Team.

Pau Gasol vs. Kevin Durant

Gasol and Durant met each other plenty of times in their career. If we total the regular season and playoffs, that includes 46 total meetings. Gasol got the best of Durant in the regular season with a 17-9 record, while Durant was 14-6 in the playoffs. Gasol averaged 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in those meetings in the regular season. With Gasol’s length, he would be able to guard Durant in the post and likely force Durant to shoot more shots from outside.

Durant was 45.5% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range during the regular season matchups. Durant averaged 25.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during those times. While Gasol would be helpful on the boards, Durant proves that he can still shoot midrange and a fairly successful outside shooting clip. Given his ability to draw defenses over to help, he could be a primary passer in setting up Curry and Thompson outside.

Shaquille O’Neal vs. Draymond Green

The only players on the roster that do not have any data against each other are Shaquille O’Neal and Draymond Green. O’Neal was the team’s dominant center for eight seasons. While with the Lakers, O’Neal averaged 27.0 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 blocks. He was the biggest and best finisher inside the paint. At 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds, O’Neal was a tough player to stop, which is why he won three consecutive Finals MVPs in the NBA Finals. O’Neal owned a career two-point field goal percentage of 58.3%. With the Lakers, he shot 74.5% from zero to three feet away from the basket for his career.

Green would be the best defensive option for this. A former Defensive Player of the Year winner, Green would have a size disadvantage, though. Green is listed at 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds. While Green is agile and a pure defensive standout, there is something to be said about stopping a player that makes nearly three out of four shots around the basket and owns almost 100 pounds on his defender. With that said, Green is the better passer and could help this small lineup in transition if the team can buckle down defensively.

Los Angeles Lakers 21st Century Team Advantages

The rebounding is a huge advantage. Odom, Gasol, and O’Neal are bigger. Plus, we forget that Bryant and James are statistically solid rebounders as well. There is no way that the Warriors 21st Century Team will even out-rebound this team. There are a lot of second-chance points on the board for the Lakers 21st Century Team. Given the number of second chances, the team can get plenty of offensive putbacks or draw fouls to get to the line.

While history shows that O’Neal and Bryant are the team’s dominant scorers of the century, one has to look at the matchup of James and Davis. The Warriors would need to be crafty on the defensive side to help Davis because he was not a defensive standout, and James is a special player in his own right.

Golden State Warriors 21st Century Team Advantages

The outside shooting is an obvious advantage. The combination of Curry and Thompson would force the Lakers to play more on the wing because they couldn’t leave either of these players open. Given that the defense is spread with more options, the team could play Durant in the middle more often. Durant could get more open shots inside, or he could kick out the ball to an open shooter. Plus, Davis was a powerful downhill dribbler that could draw contact and find one Green, who could also find one of the team’s three best offensive players.

The team’s transition game is better as well. With the small lineup, the team could get plenty of baskets in turnover because O’Neal is not quick enough to hang with this lineup. While Bryant and James are quick athletes, the five-person lineup can outrace Odom, Gasol, and O’Neal. If the team can lock it down defensively, there are a lot of fastbreak points on the board.

Who Would Win This 7-Game Series?

The Lakers 21st Century Team took advantage of their size by winning the first matchup. Two players ended with double-doubles with points and rebounds, while one player had a double-double of points and assists. O’Neal led the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds, while Gasol added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, James had 10 points and 10 assists as the Lakers 21st Century Team ran away with the 100-89 victory.

Needing to shoot their way back to tie the series, the second game featured a slew of three-point shots. With 30 points combined from three-point field goals alone from Curry and Thompson, the Warriors 21st Century Team came out with the 105-92 victory. The 10 three-point field goals from the star shooters did not count the three treys from Durant and the two threes from Davis to help the team make 15 total three-point field goals.

The Warriors 21st Century Team made it a close game in the third matchup. With Durant helping Green on defense, the team was able to limit O’Neal on offense. However, that opened up opportunities for James and Bryant to barrel downhill and get to the line. O’Neal had one of his best passing games. O’Neal scored eight points but was able to utilize the kick out pass to James and Bryant. After getting fouled numerous times, free throws were the name of the game. James and Bryant combined to shoot 22 of 25 at the free throw line to hang onto the 109-100 victory.

With Durant having a quiet performance in the third game, he took it right to Gasol inside the arc. The Warriors 21st Century Team took advantage of the hot hand. Durant torched Gasol for 34 points, while Durant also found Curry for multiple outside looks. Curry added 23 points with four three-point field goals but also had 12 assists, with many coming to Durant. With the 99-95 victory, the series was tied back up at 2-2.

Going back to the basics, the Lakers 21st Century Team took advantage of the clear mismatch. James continuously rolled past Davis on the offensive side. James was all over the court with 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. The triple-double overshadowed a strong shooting night from Bryant as well, who had 30 points of his own. With the two superstars taking over, the Warriors 21st Century Team had no chance in the 105-84 blowout loss.

Needing a win to stay alive, the Warriors 21st Century Team saw their original dynasty take over. Curry put the team on his back by making back-to-back three-point shots to pull away after the score was tied 90-90. Thompson had a huge blackout on Odom when he went up for an offensive rebound. Green nearly had a triple-double with nine points, nine rebounds, and nine assists. He provided great defense on O’Neal by holding him to just 18 points and 12 rebounds. With the 98-90 win, the series went to the final game.

Going into the final game, there was a feeling in the air that the Lakers 21st Century Team was going to pull out the win. There was a look in the eyes of James, Bryant, and O’Neal that felt like the stars were aligning. That is exactly what happened in the final game. James led the way with a triple-double of 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Bryant shot 55% from the field on his way to 26 points, while O’Neal was the most dominant player in the post. O’Neal finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Gasol and Odom let the stars work the floor and facilitated in any way as the Lakers 21st Century Team closed out the series with a 112-101 victory.

Final Result: Lakers 21st Century Team vs. Warriors 21st Century Team 4-3

Finals MVP: LeBron James

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