Tri-Weekly Pre-Sim Pick 'Em Panel - Sim 2 (11/15 - 11/26)

[IamQuailman]

Greetings everyone! Here on ESPN we like to bring you various broadcasted bits like First Take and SLOE Podcasts, but we are always challenging ourselves to bring new and unique ideas to the table... which brings us to this show! I present to you...the Tri-Weekly Pre-Sim Pick 'Em Panel! Before every sim, I will message 1 GM from each division and ask them to participate in this panel.  I will present them with 6 match-ups each week. Each will then be tasked with the chance to pick the winners of each of their matchups. On top of those 6 picks, they will also have 1 wildcard pick, where they can pick their favorite match-up from the sim.  On top of picking the winners, they must provide an argument for each pick (a few sentences would be fine).

Incentive: Everyone will get 1 point to add to their media/article write-ups. Whoever has the most correct picks will receive 1 additional point for winning (ties included).

Once the thread is posted, the participants are welcome to post their arguments for their picks WITHIN ONE POST (please).  After everyone posts their picks, I will post up mine before the sim.

Let's get started on Sim 2: 11/15 - 11/26!

This sim's invited participants are...

From the Central Division... WigNosy (Atlanta Hawks).

From the Atlantic Division... rpf (New Jersey Nets).

From the Midwest Division... TheJNR (Minnesota Timberwolves).

From the Pacific Division... Ballsohard (Los Angeles Lakers).

Don't worry, everyone will get their chance to participate!

So... onto the picks!

11/15/92 - Pistons @ Nets
11/16/92 - Grizzlies @ Spurs
11/18/92 - 76ers @ Clippers
11/21/92 - Wizards @ Cavs
11/24/92 - Bucks @ Bulls
11/25/92 - Knicks @ Warriors

PLUS your wildcard pick!

So, panelists... ball is in your court! Post up your picks!

(All others, please refrain from posting until after all picks are in... THANKS!)

EDIT:

NOW! I said there would be a newly added twist....

AND THERE IS!

Initially I mentioned that panel participants receive 1 point towards their media total (capped at 10 points) and then the most accurate panelist would receive an additional 1 point. Well, we are scrapping that.. with another "division-pride" caveat!

At the end of the season, I will tally the total of correct pick from each panelist and note that in their division totals. At the end of the regular season, the division with the highest total number of correct picks WINS! The prize for winning you may ask? Each team in that division will receive 5 points as a reward. These points do NOT count towards the 10-pt article max... so it's another avenue for earning training points.

Keep in mind... if you did NOT participate in at least 1 panel, you will not receive 5 points if your division wins. So if you're in it, you can win it.

EDIT 2:

My picks don't count towards the division tallies... mine are just for fun. Also that gives each division 7 teams to represent them (where as if I was included in the Central, we'd have 8 teams).

[JNR]

11/15/92 - Pistons @ Nets
- I'm going to go with the Pistons because their offense is pretty fantastic so far.

11/16/92 - Grizzlies @ Spurs
- Picking the Spurs because even though the Grizz defense is great, the Spurs are at home and we haven't seen the Grizz play on the road yet.

11/18/92 - 76ers @ Clippers
- One of the best offenses so far against one of the worst defenses so far. I'll take the Clippers at home

11/21/92 - Wizards @ Cavs
- Without Wilkins, I'm not sure how the Cavs do going forward. Give me the Wiz.

11/24/92 - Bucks @ Bulls
- Chris Mullin be ridiculous right now. Sorry, Quail. Bulls.

11/25/92 - Knicks @ Warriors
- I'm pretty sure David Robinson is a robot. Knicks.

WILD CARD PICK!
11/18/92 - Timberwolves @ Mavericks
- You're going down commish. Wolves!

[WigNosy]

11/15/92 - Pistons (4-2) @ Nets (4-2) pick: NETS

The Pistons have seen Dominique Wilkins repeatedly injure himself trying to come back too quickly from injuries and will be scared into sitting PG Michael Adams until he is fully recovered from a broken foot. While they've been impressive early, they rolled up their monstrous stats against less-than-stellar competition. The Nets, by contrast, had a nasty schedule out of the box with 5 of 6 being on the road, and in the comfy confines of home, I think the Nets win in a close game.

11/16/92 - Grizzlies (2-3) @ Spurs (4-3) pick: GRIZZLIES

The Grizzlies have been one of the stingiest teams in the league defensively in the early going, and already beat the Spurs once this season by 22 points. The Grizzlies also pack this game's most obvious offensive mismatch in the person of Brad Daughtry (sic), who should keep Danny Manning busy on the defensive end. The Spurs being without Drazen Petrovic won't help them, either - they needed all scoring hands on deck and without Drazen, the Grizzlies win ugly. Over-under on this game's combined score is currently sitting at 175 and I'm not sure the under isn't the right play.

11/18/92 - 76ers (2-4) @ Clippers (3-3) pick: CLIPPERS

The Clippers have been ridiculously efficient shooting the ball this season, and that's a good thing because they haven't done much of anything else well. Problem is, they're not stopping anyone either. It's a team that's a completely jump-shot happy bunch and they'll live - and die - by the three. The 76ers... are an inside-happy team that graduated from the Blue Bayou school of defense (as in, "hey, man, your dude just blew by you!"). Going to give the nod to the Clippers only on the hopes that they're more likely to see their threes fall at home than on the road, but this is really a coin flip. Much rather watch this game than the Griz-Spurs game... the over-under on this puppy is 275.

11/21/92 - Wizards (2-3) @ Cavs (2-5) pick: WIZARDS

Two words can explain the pick in this game: "Dominique's Concussion." The Cavaliers only have two offensive weapons (Barkley, Marciulionis) while 'Nique is out and the Wizards have actually done a pretty good defensive job so far this season. The Cavs will struggle to find enough points unless they can convince Moses Malone that he's 5 years younger. The Wizards should win ugly, as their offense is nothing to write home about, but they should be favored.

11/24/92 - Bucks (3-2) @ Bulls (5-1) pick: BULLS

One of the things that fascinates me about the Bucks is that they are constructed in almost the same manner as my Hawks are... grinding and rebounding teams to death. The Bulls, of course, come in with Stockton-to-Mullin and a league-leading offense and do a great job taking care of the ball... something the Bucks (like the Hawks) don't always do well. The Bucks will probably make up some possessions on the glass, but those extra possessions will be offset by their turnovers... and then the question becomes whether or not you expect a team at home with Stockton at the controls to shoot better than the Johnny Dawkins-orchestrated Bucks. Yeah, I'll take the Bulls, too.

11/25/92 - Knicks (5-1) @ Warriors (4-2) pick: KNICKS

Also known as the "Clash OP the Titans" as Robinson and Kemp go at it. While the Muggsy Bogues/Michael Williams battle at the point will be fun to watch, we all know this will be won in the trenches. Kemp is foul-prone. David Robinson is not. Robinson has Roy Tarpley to lean on at Power Forward. Kemp has... um... Joe Kleine? Yeah, even if you expect Kemp and Robinson to cancel with the benefit of home court refereeing, Roy Tarpley is the difference here... either he guards Kemp and sucks up the fouls that might have been used to put Robinson on the bench... or Tarpley beasts enough to give the Knicks the edge. The Knicks are a DARN good squad.

WILDCARD: 11/15/92 - Jazz (3-4) @ Suns (2-4) pick: JAZZ

Had to pick on this game because it's a matchup of "superstar solo acts" in Jordan vs. Hakeem. With Laimbeer out, the Suns are even thinner than Nicole Richie, and will ask Danny Ainge, Chuck Person, and Scott Skiles (average age: 29.7, average combined PPG three not much better at 33.6) to contribute more offensively. The Jazz will hope the combined 31.9 ppg they get from Jordan's college teammate Sam Perkins and Sherman Douglas (average age: 28.5) will be enough. These are teams that should probably look at moving their icons for more depth because they've got nothing around them and risk losing them after next season in Free Agency to teams that actually, you know... win. Because you know these guys aren't watching their window close. They're watching the windows get boarded up after the building was condemned. The only good news for fans of either of these teams is both of them still have their own first-round pick this year.

[Deleted]

11/15/92 - Pistons @ Nets
Nets
I'm going to be frank. I could see this going either way but two small things push me towards the Nets.
1.) Michael Adams being out.
2.) They're at home.

11/16/92 - Grizzlies @ Spurs
Grizzlies
We all know LocoLouie experiments to start the season. Needless to say the square wheels on his Oregon Trail buggy didn't work. He makes adjustments and wins a huge away game. Spurs without Rocky foe Drazen Petrovic is another big reason to taKe the Grizz.


11/18/92 - 76ers @ Clippers
Clippers
I want so badly to pick the 76ers in this one. And if Jangles gave half a fuck to fill his roster to over 8 guys before the first sim, i'd pick the 76ers. But i'm going to pick the Clippers here. Same theme with home teams winning like 70% of the time, and the fact that the 76ers don't have 1 perimeter defender over 70.



11/21/92 - Wizards @ Cavs
Cavs

This is my version of a reach. The wizards are more talented with the Wilkens injury, but i think Barkley saves the day here and goes ape shit over Kim Jong-Rodman.


11/24/92 - Bucks @ Bulls
Bulls
Stockton

11/25/92 - Knicks @ Warriors
Warriors
God i hope i'm wrong on this. The big difference here to me is the Warriors are healthy and at home. I think Kemp shuts down Tarpley and makes Robinson a one man show.

Wild Card
Hornets @ Knicks
Knicks

WHAT MORE DO I HAVE TO SAY

[bojangles837]

Just wait balls. I'm trying to get some defenders on this damn team

[IamQuailman]

Due to a conflicting schedule, RPF is replacing SsjGohan for this sim.

[rpf]

Thanks for asking me to take part in this.

11/15/92 - Pistons @ Nets

Nets - I think the loss of Michael Adams on the road will be too much.

11/16/92 - Grizzlies @ Spurs

Grizzlies - Mark Price is playing the best ball of his Spurs career but I think they will miss the offense of Drazen Petrovic.

11/18/92 - 76ers @ Clippers

Clippers - 76ers defense won't be able to stop the Clippers @ home.

11/21/92 - Wizards @ Cavs

Wizards - Poor JHow, Dominique just cant stay healthy and the Wizards have too much firepower. This one won't be close.

11/24/92 - Bucks @ Bulls

Bulls - John Stockton + Chris Mullen

11/25/92 - Knicks @ Warriors
Warriors - Simple reason here, FUCK THE KNICKS.

*Wildcard* 11/19/92 - Magic @ Hawks
Hawks - The Magic wants to test themselves against the G.O.A.T. (133-37 Sim League record) of SLOE but in the end he'll be the Hawks bitch like everyone else who tried to tug on Superman's cape.

[IamQuailman]

ALRIGHT! With all the panelist picks in, I'll just throw my picks out there real quick... and then add ONE MORE TWIST to this ongoing panel!

11/15/92 - Pistons @ Nets

Pistons have come out the gate swinging this season, with a newly retooled front court and a desire to live up to the lofty league predictions. And he'll need his A-game against the Nets, a team that also did some retooling... everywhere. This wouldn't be a defensive battle for sure, with the team winning that takes care of the ball the best winning. Two matchups in this game to look out for: Eddie Johnson v. Steve Smith AND Kenny Smith v. David Wesley.  Neither of the starting 3s for these teams are known for their defensive prowess, so it'll be interesting to see who wins this battle. David Wesley has come out playing great so far this season in a fill-in role, but will it be enough to handle Kenny Smith, who is having a great start to the season.  It'll be a close one - with the Pistons edging it out.

11/16/92 - Grizzlies @ Spurs

The Grizzlies came out a bit flat in the first sim, but their coaching staff has a penchant for trying out new things at the beginning of the season and then really start grinding it out with Grizzlies basketball by mid-December. However, one thing is clear: they miss Sarunas's offensive production. The Spurs is also going to be missing some offensive production from their stud shooting guard Drazen for the next month.  So what this will come down to is stingiest defense vs. not-as-stingy-but-still-stingy-as-hell defense, with stingiest coming out on top. Grizzlies to win in a game that produces a total of 145 points.

11/18/92 - 76ers @ Clippers

Everyone in pre-season was enamored with the 76ers and their team... everyone except the 76ers themselves, who decided to enter the season with a skeleton crew. Vlade, PJ, D-Scott, Bobby Phils, and Hardaway can get it done, but they need support. They have to play extended minutes, wearing themselves out in the meantime. The 76ers aren't known for their defense this season, and as we've seen in past seasons, that's okay if you can constantly outscore your opponents. Add in the fact that players are playing 40+ minutes night in and night out, and that spells disaster for defense. Speaking of disaster for defense, the Clippers are just as bad on the defensive end of the ball. However, they live by that former Buck mantra of "live by the O, die by the O". Clippers won't have to worry about getting the D in this game, as we can expect a high-scoring affair, with the Clippers edging it out in the final seconds.

11/21/92 - Wizards @ Cavs

Yikes, can I turn the channel? Just kidding. The Wizards, injury kings of last season, face off with the Cavs, a team trying to dethrone them with ailments of their own. Cavs suffered a tough injury in the first week of the season, losing Dominique Wilkins for almost 2 months to a concussion. While its a tough injury to overcome as a team, I think the team reverts back to years past, where Barkley becomes the focal point. Toughest part is that Barkley matches up against the Wizards best post defender in Dennis Rodman.  If Rodman can negate Barkley in this game, the Wizards have the firepower elsewhere to beat the struggling Cavs. And I think that will be the case, Wizards winning by double digits. PS - FREE AVERY JOHNSON.

11/24/92 - Bucks @ Bulls

All homerism aside, this should be an interesting match-up, as it pits two teams that are known for scoring against one another.  Outside of that, each team excels in different areas, with the Bulls being a great passing team and the Bucks dominating the boards in the league (outrebounding opponents by a margin of 11). However, the Bulls average the fewest turnovers in the game while forcing the quite a bit. The Bucks on the other hand are the opposite, averaging a little over 14 turnovers a game and not forcing many turnovers. I think in this matchup, it will come down to turnovers and the free throws. The Bucks average only 22 free throw attempts a game, while the Bulls average 30. I want to say it'll be a close one, but my gut tells me the Bulls win by an 8-12 margin.

11/25/92 - Knicks @ Warriors

Battle of the powerhouse bigs. I think that this game will be a fun one to look at, as it won't really matter what Kemp or Robinson do... as much as it would for their supporting casts. Can Bogues take care of the ball and get it to Harper and Newman... or someone else who can score? Will someone off the bench score for the Warriors? Will Ron Tarpley (early candidate for MIP) continue to dominate down low and shoot at an extremely efficient 56%? These are the questions that will determine this game. And I think the Knicks have more firepower right now than the Warriors do in this matchup... Knicks by a handful of points.

WILDCARD! 11/24/92 - Pistons @ Kings

This is truly one of the first Offense v. Defense matchups this season... and it could be a doozy. Can the Law Firm of Laettner, Dudley, and Lang handle the god hammer of Karl Mathor? I think in a one-on-one matchup setting, defense wins. But since we are gameplanning for a whole sim, you can't focus your line-up to negate 1 or 2 aspects of a particular opponent's game. That's why I will give my tip of the hate to the Pistons in this matchup.

[IamQuailman]

NOW! I said there would be a newly added twist....

AND THERE IS!

Initially I mentioned that panel participants receive 1 point towards their media total (capped at 10 points) and then the most accurate panelist would receive an additional 1 point. Well, we are scrapping that.. with another "division-pride" caveat!

At the end of the season, I will tally the total of correct pick from each panelist and note that in their division totals. At the end of the regular season, the division with the highest total number of correct picks WINS! The prize for winning you may ask? Each team in that division will receive 5 points as a reward. These points do NOT count towards the 10-pt article max... so it's another avenue for earning training points.

Keep in mind... if you did NOT participate in at least 1 panel, you will not receive 5 points if your division wins. So if you're in it, you can win it.

[NOLa.]

Jan 24, 2014 11:09:58 GMT -6 IamQuailman said:

But since we are gameplanning for a whole sim, you can't focus your line-up to negate 1 or 2 aspects of a particular opponent's game. That's why I will give my tip of the hate to the Pistons in this matchup.

[IamQuailman]

Nola... did you notice I said "tip of the hate"

[NOLa.]

Jan 24, 2014 11:27:54 GMT -6 IamQuailman said:

Nola... did you notice I said "tip of the hate"

[IamQuailman]

Sim 2: 11/15 - 11/28 Results

11/15/92... Piston @ Nets --> Pistons
11/16/92... Grizzlies @ Spurs --> Spurs
11/18/92... 76ers @ Clippers --> 76ers
11/21/92... Wizards @ Cavs --> Cavs
11/24/92... Bucks @ Bulls --> Bucks
11/25/92... Knicks @ Warriors --> Warriors

The JNR's Wildcard:
11/18/92... Timberwolves @ Mavericks --> Timberwolves

WigNosy's Wildcard:
11/15/92... Jazz @ Suns --> Suns

Ballsohard's Wildcard:
11/24/92... Hornets @ Knicks --> Knicks

RPF's Wildcard:
11/19/92... Magic @ Hawks --> Hawks

IamQuailman's Wildcard:
11/24/92... Pistons @ Kings --> Kings

[IamQuailman]

Division Tallies for Correct Picks:

Atlantic Division: 2/7
Central Division: 0/7
Midwest Division: 3/7
Pacific Division: 3/7
IamQuailman: 1/7

Thanks for participating fellas! Please feel free to claim your 1pt in your banks (this counts towards your media 10pt max)...

Invites for Monday's sim will be going out shortly!

[IamQuailman]

(Per Darth)QUAIL AWARDED 5 POINTS! THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

Participants please remember to claim you +1 point for participation... this counts towards your 10-pt article cap.