We have reached another installment of our legendary matchups between superteams. We have topped our last matchup with an even bigger blockbuster, this time between the best teammates of both Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal. Now these can be teammates of any players that each of Shaq and Curry played with at any point in their careers. To make it more interesting, we will even make these versions of each player their peak form, making for the highest level of basketball played on the court.
Each team will be filled with former NBA champions, Finals MVPs, MVPs, and some of the greatest players of the last three decades in the NBA. Curry and Shaq will both be included in these lineups and find themselves in different matchups than they have ever seen before. As a spoiler alert, one of these headliners will be in one of their easiest matchups yet, while the other takes on his easiest opponent.
As always, this matchup will be broken down into five matchups, with each team’s advantages being highlighted and a seven-game series recap to round it all out. Sit back and enjoy our best superteam matchup yet.
All-Time Stephen Curry Superteam: Chris Paul, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green
All-Time Shaquille O’Neal Superteam: Penny Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal
This is the matchup between the all-time Stephen Curry superteam and the all-time Shaquille O’Neal superteam.
Chris Paul vs. Penny Hardaway
Our first matchup between our starting point guards is one we have never seen before. Chris Paul gets the nod for Stephen Curry’s superteam after being traded to the Warriors this summer for the 2023-24 season. In Paul’s prime, he was the best point guard and two-way guard overall in the game, excelling as a passer, playmaker, scorer, and defender. Paul will be the perfect point guard to run with a team full of shooters and scorers such as the ones he will be surrounded by on the all-time Stephen Curry superteam.
His matchup will be against Penny Hardaway from Shaq’s days with the Orlando Magic. Paul will have his hands full dealing with a much larger Hardaway. Penny’s smoothie handles and scoring prowess will be tough for Paul to slow down on any day. Hardaway is a former MVP candidate who, in his prime, was a consistent 20.0 PPG scorer and a well above-average distributor. With all of the focus going elsewhere for Team Shaq, Hardaway will have plenty of room and opportunity to let his skills shine.
Stephen Curry vs. Dwyane Wade
The next matchup will be that that pits two completely different playstyles against one another. Stephen Curry is our first headliner to be covered here as he takes on a monster matchup with Dwyane Wade. Curry will be challenged like never before on the defensive end as he attempts to slow down the uber-athletic Wade. On offense, Curry will provide his usual 25-30 points, given the fact that no defender has been able to slow down Curry on a consistent basis. With Wade being one of the most talented defensive guards ever, Curry will work off the ball and around screens to get his shots rather than trying to create his own.
Wade’s plan of attack will be as simple as can be. Every chance that he has to touch the ball, Wade must take it and try to go directly at Curry’s chest. As far as strength and athleticism go, Wade holds a significant advantage over Curry in that department and must use it to exploit Curry’s defensive flaws. With a quick first step and superior finishing skills, Team Curry will have no choice but to send double-teams, opening up opportunities for the even more talented scorers on Team Shaq to shine.
Klay Thompson vs. Kobe Bryant
The next matchup features two shooting guards playing out of position for the sake of the most entertaining possible game between these two teams. Klay Thompson is another serious three-point threat on Team Curry, who will have his hands full trying to get free of the grips of Kobe Bryant’s defense. For a player who is a catch-and-shoot type player like Thompson, it will be tough to get free of a smart and reputable defender like Bryant. Of course, Thompson will have his moments with Bryant inevitably helping on Curry but for the most part, I could see him being a non-factor in this series.
On the other hand, Kobe Bryant will be the premier perimeter scorer for Team Shaq. Not even a prime Klay Thompson could do a job well enough on Kobe Bryant on defense to slow him down or throw him off. I am sorry to all of the Warriors fans who think so but Bryant will prove to be much too fast and strong for Thompson to do a good enough job for close to 48 minutes. Bryant will want to attack Thomspon off the dribble and from the mid-range where he thrived for 20 years on the court and won five NBA championships.
Kevin Durant vs. Kevin Garnett
For our fourth matchup, we have the battle of the Kevins between the two best to ever step foot in the NBA. First, there is the efficient and three-level mastery of Kevin Durant’s scoring. Durant can take the game to any of these three levels he wants but staring across at a defender like Garnett, Durant will likely keep it to the three and mid-range spots. That being said, getting free of Garnett’s defense will not be easy, but if anyone can create more opportunities for themselves after adapting to a defense, it’s Kevin Durant.
Garnett will serve as one-half of one of the best frontcourts ever put together. His role on this team will be as the main defensive anchor of a team that is absolutely loaded offensively. Garnett will be focused on slowing down one of the greatest scorers ever, but as we saw in his 2004 MVP season, Garnett took no issues with switching off and on between guards, forwards, and other bigs. Garnett’s versatility will help slow down Durant, giving Team Curry but will never stop him completely. Team Curry will be able to counter Garnett’s defensive abilities with their ball movement and screens that they love to run for their best scoring options.
Draymond Green vs. Shaquille O’Neal
I would love to apologize to all of the Warriors and Draymond Green fans out there before I say this. This is the biggest mismatch of the entire series. Draymond will be able to serve a valuable role as the leader of Team Curry’s defensive unit and as a playmaker, but when it comes to slowing down a prime Shaq, there’s just no way. With all respect to Green, there is just no chance he is stopping the behemoth of a man O’Neal is in the paint and certainly will not be able to stop him without getting into foul trouble.
Where O’Neal will struggle, though, is guarding the pick-and-roll that Team Curry will very clearly run, which will allow Green to be the successful playmaker he is. For O’Neal, he will want to take the fight to the paint and the post where some of the greatest interior defenders ever have both tried and failed. As far as mismatches go, though, this one is as big as it gets and honestly could be the tipping point between both of these superteams.
Team Curry Advantages
The advantages for both sides are glaringly obvious after taking a look at each matchup, so let’s review them. For Team Curry, it all starts and ends with their ability to shoot the ball from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and even Chris Paul are all dangerous shooters from beyond the arc and ones you cannot allow to gain an ounce of momentum in that regard. The amount of open shots they receive will depend on their other advantage we will get to in a minute, but as far as three-point shooting goes, it will be what keeps this series from being a clean sweep.
The other advantage that I was referring to will be their playmaking abilities from everywhere on the court. Things will start with their backcourt, as Paul and Curry are two of the game’s great playmakers. Curry will use the attention he warrants as an outside threat to open up his teammates, as Paul will do with his ability to read defenses and adapt accordingly. It will be a lethal combination of shooting and playmaking from Team Curry, especially when you factor in the underrated playmaking of Durant and the elite playmaking of Draymond Green.
Team Shaq Advantages
When it comes to Team Shaq, it is my opinion that they have significant advantages over Team Curry. The first glaring advantage for Team Shaq will be their defensive unit. Every player at every position was at one point considered to be among the best in the NBA defensively except Penny Hardaway, who was no defensive pushover either. This defensive unit will be the toughest matchup Team Curry has ever seen, and considering the perimeter will be where they want to operate from, the sheer size of Team Shaq’s lineup will be a problem offensively for Team Curry.
The other advantage will be on the interior as far as rebounding and scoring go. I expect Durant and Green to put up a decent fight against Garnett and Shaq, but not one well enough to cancel out the discrepancies in size and dominance of the paint. Garnett and Shaq will inevitably control the rebounds on both ends, and giving a lethal team like Team Shaq second chances only spells doom for Team Curry. With these two advantages, it is hard to imagine any team overcoming them with just the ability to shoot the ball.
Who Would Win This Matchup In A 7-Game Series?
Game 1 of this series kicks off exactly how it was anticipated in our breakdown. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson got some early momentum going with their jump shots from beyond the arc, but as soon as Team Shaq was able to adapt, they did. Team Curry had zero answers for the frontcourt of Team Shaq, and the on-court partnerships between Kobe Bryant and O’Neal was on full display. Shaq would end up with 40 points and 16 rebounds, while Garnett and Bryant each finished with 24 points, and Team Shaq took an early 1-0 series lead with a 120-103 victory.
In Game 2, it would be all about Team Shaq once again, as Team Curry did their best to make up for their interior shortcomings. With double-teams being switched from Shaq to Garnett and vice versa, this allowed Kobe and Wade to do their thing from the outside. Wade and Bryant would combine for 60 points, with Curry and Klay struggling to slow them down in any capacity as Team Shaq opens up what seems like a commanding 2-0 series lead.
Game 3 would start the comeback for Team Curry as they scrambled desperately to avoid a 3-0 series hole. The Splash Bros. came out on fire leading Team Curry to an early lead. Of course, Team Shaq hung in there once again due to their gargantuan advantage in the frontcourt. The difference on this night would be a 39-point game for Kevin Durant that put Team Curry over the top and cut the series lead to 2-1 for Team Shaq in a 111-100 victory.
Game 4 was the most important game in the series for Team Curry, as only one team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in a championship series. The game opened up with Kobe Bryant as the aggressor for Team Shaq as they got out to an early lead. His 41 points on the night would not be enough, however, as both Curry and Kevin Durant would go off for 30 points on a combined 16 three-pointers made. Team Curry would make a statement as they defeated Team Shaq for the second game in a row and tied the series at two games apiece, heading into a crucial Game 5.
Game 5 would be the return to normalcy for the series as Team Shaq came out more motivated than ever. They knew there was no way they could lose this series, and the heroes for them in Game 5 would be Shaq himself and Dwyane Wade. Shaq would lead the way with 33 points and 14 rebounds on the night, while Wade could hardly be stopped with 29 points of his own. In a 121-102 rout, Team Shaq would take what seemed like a massive 3-2 lead in the series.
Game 6 would be a battle as Team Curry fought to keep the series alive using their spectacular three-point shooting. Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry would be the only reason that Team Curry would stay in the game as they combined for an outrageous 73 points with a combined 20 three-pointers on just 34 attempts. Unfortunately for them, Shaquille O’Neal had other plans than to let them storm back in the series. O’Neal capped off an incredible six-game stretch with 45 points and 18 rebounds and a Team Shaq victory in six games as they downed Team Curry 134-122 in the highest-scoring affair of the series.
Final Result: All-Time Stephen Curry Superteam vs. All-Time Shaquille O’Neal Superteam 2-4
Series MVP: Shaquille O’Neal
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
