96 Sonics would dominate today's game?

[Dirks_Finale]

Good shooters (Detlef, Perkins, Hawkins, Nate, etc)

Good defense. (2nd overall behind GOAT Bulls)

Fearless leader in Payton.

Kemp would excel today.

Yeah, I think BTM is correct. Sonics were punished by being in the wrong era, when MJ didn't let anybody eat.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=689cdvAXJmk

[lefty]

Interesting idea tbh

But outside of Kemp that team lacked athleticism

[ambchang]

They’d be one of the better teams but I’m not sure about dominating. Payton’s outside shooting could be problematic. His style of defence also won’t fly in :lol today’s nba. Payton maybe able to adjust but that’s an unknown. Schrempt, Kemp, Perkins would fit well.

[spurraider21]

"good defenders" in the 90s would all just foul out in 8 minutes these days where you cant just mug people

[Dirks_Finale]

They’d be one of the better teams but I’m not sure about dominating. Payton’s outside shooting could be problematic. His style of defence also won’t fly in :lol today’s nba. Payton maybe able to adjust but that’s an unknown. Schrempt, Kemp, Perkins would fit well.


Not only his defense, but his taunting and his politically incorrect slurs would not be tolerated either. :lol Chris Paul would probably call the police on him and hide under the scorer's table.

We would need those 90's or 00's refs, tbh

[Dirks_Finale]

"good defenders" in the 90s would all just foul out in 8 minutes these days where you cant just mug people

Agree that it was much more physical back then.

[Isitjustme?]

Interesting idea tbh

But outside of Kemp that team lacked athleticism
Payton was very athletic and Nate McMillan was fairly athletic too but yeah, Hersey Hawkins and Detlef don't inspire much confidence as wing stoppers

[Isitjustme?]

"good defenders" in the 90s would all just foul out in 8 minutes these days where you cant just mug people

The refereeing of defense is about the same as FIBA today which allows physical play and creates a style of play that is a thousand times more watchable than today's NB:lol

[spurraider21]

The refereeing of defense is about the same as FIBA today which allows physical play and creates a style of play that is a thousand times more watchable than today's NB:lol
im not arguing which version is better. just that those players would't know how to play defense today

[lefty]

Payton was very athletic and Nate McMillan was fairly athletic too but yeah, Hersey Hawkins and Detlef don't inspire much confidence as wing stoppers

Nate was athletic in his younger days, not so much in 96 tbh

[Isitjustme?]

im not arguing which version is better. just that those players would't know how to play defense today

Took like 2 weeks for the team USA to figure out FIBA basketball which is very physical and allows people to bump bodies

[spurraider21]

Took like 2 weeks for the team USA to figure out FIBA basketball which is very physical and allows people to bump bodies
easier to adjust that way than the other way around (on defense)

[ambchang]

Payton was very athletic and Nate McMillan was fairly athletic too but yeah, Hersey Hawkins and Detlef don't inspire much confidence as wing stoppers

True. Hawkins and Schrempt likely would be the worst defensive teammates in the league. That said the sonics were a solid trapping and switching team, though I’m not sure how they’d care going against these three point shooting teams of :lol today’s nba.

I’d be interested to see those run dmc teams in :lol today’s nba.

[monosylab1k]

easier to adjust that way than the other way around (on defense)

But also, refs tend to adjust when teams foul excessively and they let more things slide, that was the entire strategy of the “grit n grind” Grizzlies.