Who wins in a 7 game series, the 2004 Pistons with Peak Kawhi or the 2024 Celtics?
What do you guys think?
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Pïstons in 5.
They beat a team with Prime Shaq, Prime Kobe, Payton and Malone. Adding Peak Kawhi kills the debate.
04 pistons imo
That Pistons team beat a Lakers super team that had Shaq, Kobe, Malone, and Payton.
Malone and the Glove were old.
Didn’t the lakers 3peat and that was their 4th consecutive trip to a finals ? If they were going to lose that was kind of the perfect time to take them out.
2000-2002 was the 3peat. Spurs won 2003.
Facts it’s no way celtics gonna handle shaq and kobe
Think about it 2004 pistons with peak kawhi would lock up the whole nba on defense.They even beat the 2004 lakers in the finals and ben wallace locked up shaq.Its no way 2024 celtics gonna beat the 2004 lakers.
Ben Wallace might have to be benched and they put Rasheed at the 5 and Tayshaun and the 4 and that’s a dangerous team.
The team that beat the lakers in the finals
In today’s era, Celtics. 2024 Celtics were an elite, versatile defense and had 5 shooters most of the time, with 3-4 of them that can create for others … Pistons defense was monstrous in the post, but would struggle against the Celtics’ spacing.
In 2004, the Pistons. Game was called differently, and I’m assuming Celtics wouldn’t take as many 3s (again, different era of basketball 20 years ago…). If this Celtics team had to play the style back then, they’re not built to beat a great interior defense.
Game is way different now. It’s called different, the rules are different too … these would/if scenarios are kinda silly tbh. You can’t just assume taking today’s playstyle and transposing it into the league 20 years ago. The current playstyle took decades of teams/coaches/players who led the charge and changed the game (7s or less Suns, Curry Warriors, etc…).
Celtics. I dont give a dam how good you think the Pistons were, were talking about the best offense and 2nd best defense in todays league.
An offense so potent that there are 5 great shooters at all times on the floor.
You aint beating them with just defense, no matter how good you think said defense is.
Even adding Kawhi would be tough. Whats Kawhi realisticly gonna do for the Pistons that would make them outpace the Celtics in scoring. As great as Kawhi is, id rather best on the Celtics locking him down tham vice versa happening.
Now this is all under the asumption that Tatum actually plays well…and lucky for him this is a matchup between 2 teams in the east, so it cant be a finals series.
Celtics
I mean, I think the 2024 Celtics are really underrated when people compare them to other champions. But adding Peak Kawhi, who was a bucketgetter while being a DPOY talent, to the greatest defensive team ever kind of makes the Pistons absolutely nutty. Given I don’t think the Pistons fare well in today’s game given all the changes but if we are comparing the teams in their respective eras it’s hard not to go with the Pistons.
I don’t think a 13 year old Kawhi is going to help the Pistons too much
It literally says peak kawhi
Pistons. Peak Kawhi would have tatum in jail completely. Tatum already suffers from finals yips. Celtics 3 pt shooting wasnt special at all in the finals. Pistons win
Peak Jaylen Brown > peak Kawhi Leonard
Pistons starting 5 would be Billups, RIP, Kawhi, Sheed, Wallace with Prince as the sixth man. The starting 5 as four shooters and Wallace, so they have modern spacing, and RIP gives them a legit movement shooter. While Kawhi and Billups give them two elite ball handling threats and Sheed gives you an elite inside scorer.
Then you take Wallace out and go Billups, RIP, Prince, Kawhi, Sheed. Now you have 5 out spacing.
04 Pistons with Kawhi is going to be insane defensively and have size at every position. Meanwhile, while the Celtics are great, they don’t really have a body to throw at Sheed.
Idk, it would be a good series, but I think Pistons would be favored. Kawhi would be the best player on the floor, they would have multiple scoring options, Sheed would be the best big on the floor, and Wallace gives you elite rim protection.
The modern spacing of an SG who averages 0.2/0.9 3PT.
RIP was a bucket getter and great movement shooter, the game was just different back then. He did shoot 45% from 3 two years later
Yeah, but coaches could never convince Sheed to stay in the post. Even when he had a mismatch he’d still wanna take him outside
Pistons and this is not me being biased.
Peak pre injury Kawhi Leonard is one of the all-time greatest players in professional sports history regardless of league or sport.
The 2004 Pistons
Pistons wo Kawhi, it’s hard to say. Pistons WITH Kawhi, I take Pistons.