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The folks here at SonicsRising and Welcome to Loud City are about to bring you something that has been brewing in the heads of J.A. Sherman and myself for a long time now. During numerous Google chats and emails we would talk about how Gary Payton would crush Russell Westbrook and make him cry, and it would escalate from there.
What we've devised after these talks is a week of comparisons of players and coaches starting this coming Monday. The schedule is below:
Must Reads
Monday 8/4: Gary Payton vs. Russell Westbrook
Tuesday 8/5: Hersey Hawkins vs. Thabo Sefolosha (morning) and Detlef Schrempf vs. Kevin Durant (afternoon)
Wednesday 8/6: Shawn Kemp vs. Serge Ibaka
Thursday 8/7: Ervin Johnson vs. Kendrick Perkins (morning) and Bench vs. Bench (afternoon)
Friday 8/8: George Karl vs. Scott Brooks
Each site will write a single piece breaking down why their player is better than their opponents. Again, this is for 1996 and 2012 only. No 2014 MVP Kevin Durant sneaking into this party.
The following week we'll be running a simulated seven game series to determine who the best team is/was. I will be asking a third party to run the sim so there are no chances of cheating or bias. The sims will include a full box score and play-by-play by quarter. We'll do a "game thread" with these stats provided and also a Reply All feature so that both staffs can play talking heads and argue about why Vincent Askew stopped Durant or why Ibaka scored 30 on Kemp.
This is going to be a very fun experience, and you know I've been all about mending relationships over the past year. Remember none of the guys at WTLC have ever said a bad word about Seattle, want us to get a team back, and have even allowed me to guest write on their blog on occasion.
So I encourage some FRIENDLY banter between the two sides. It'll definitely help take your mind off certain delays that are happening in the city of Seattle right now. We have a poll asking how far you think the series will go, but I want to hear some reasoning and maybe some trash talking in the comments below of why you think it will go that way.
One more thing before I go and we start this off. Been waiting to say (type) this for a while...
Oklahoma City, prepare to get crushed by the Seattle Supersonics!