As the first day of the second round of SB Nation's NBA 3 on 3 Tournament continues, the West's top seed, the San Antonio Spurs, faces a team made of players left off their respective 3 on 3 teams. Don't assume for a second that this team of leftovers will be a pushover.
This Spurs team is among the most recognizable in the tournament, and without question the team with the most experience playing together. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan have been Spurs' teammates for a decade, winning three NBA championships together in that time. A 3 on 3 title is, however, one honor that has eluded them so far. The talent and chemistry are there, but they are facing a size disadvantage in this series.
The West Leftover team makes you ask yourself how good these guys' regular teams must be. Sixth Man of the Year James Harden is the least decorated of the three, teaming up with All Stars Zach Randolph and Pau Gasol. So that means Ginobili will have to defend either Z-Bo or Pau, and vice versa. It's a big mismatch both ways, no matter how you look at it. J.R. Wilco of the Spurs blog Pounding the Rock called these guys an amalgam of an apostasy in the first round -- so they've got that going for them.
Let's see what our panel of experts has to say.
- Tom Ziller, SB Nation NBA, Sactown Royalty -- San Antonio wins 15 of 20
- Andrew Sharp, SB Nation NBA -- San Antonio wins 17 of 20
- Steve Perrin, SB Nation NBA, Clips Nation -- San Antonio wins 12 of 20
- CA Clark, Silver Screen and Roll -- Leftovers win 11 of 20
- Adam Francis, Raptors HQ -- Leftovers win 12 of 20
- Probability of winning any given game -- San Antonio 61 percent; Leftovers 39 percent
- Probability of winning series -- San Antonio 66.23 percent; Leftovers 33.77 percent
Expert Comments:
I will ride with San Antonio and Tim Duncan's mystical game forever. (Or at least until they face the Clippers or Lakers.) -- Ziller
Ahhhhhhhh I really really wanted to pick the West Leftovers here -- Harden, Z-BO, and Pau -- but there's just no way they can guard this Spurs trio. Manu and Tony Parker would destroy them over and over and over again. Giving them three games is probably being too kind. -- Sharp
These are the fun ones -- two teams configured completely differently. Does the size of the Westovers pummel the Spurs into submission? Or does the Spurs quickness run circles around them? There's no real way to know, so I'll give SA the edge based on experience playing together. -- Perrin
Strangest possible matchup in the tournament. Crazy mismatch between one of SA's guards and one of WEST's power forwards, in both directions. When in doubt, size wins because 5-foot post moves are easier than 15-foot jumpers. -- Clark
SAS has chemistry on its side, but I think in the 3 on 3 setting, the West leftovers' size wins out. -- Francis
The Bottom Line
It's a split panel, with three experts picking the Spurs and two picking the West Leftovers. Overall, the panel gives the Spurs the edge at 61 percent to win any single game, which translates to a two-in-three chance to win the series.
We'll roll the dice to decide each game of course. The Spurs want rolls of 61 or lower to win and move on.
Which team do you think would win this cross-matching nightmare?
The results will be posted at 5 p.m. ET.
For a complete look at the SB Nation 3 on 3 Tournament, check back with this StoryStream.
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