Day 1 of our Greatest NBA Draft Ever tournament is in the books, and as expected, Michael Jordan's 1984 and LeBron James' 2003 draft classes ran away with first round wins.
Now, the tough part of the competition starts, as James gets the unenviable task of taking on Magic Johnson in the second round of the LeBron Region. Over in the Jordan region, Steph Curry and James Harden go head to head with Jerry West and Oscar Robertson in what should become a bona fide shootout.
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Sporting News compiled what we think are the 16 best NBA Draft classes of all time, then picked out a starting five and sixth man for each of them and seeded those starting fives into a bracket. The result? The Greatest Draft Ever bracket, which pits draft classes from the 1950s to the 2010s against one another, head-to-head, until a champion is crowned.
Remember, this isn't about which class produced the best careers, but which starting five would win a hypothetical, regulation basketball game. Would Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant simply outscore the rest of the field and lead the 1996 team to victory? Or would Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon's 1984 class be too much to overcome?
We have our theories, but we're guessing you have yours too. That's why we're leaving this one up to the fans. You can vote on the bracket throughout the week here, and make sure to keep up with our matchup breakdowns along the way.
The second round voting will be held from Tuesday at 11 a.m. through Wednesday at 10 a.m.
The semifinals will take place from Wednesday at 11 a.m. through Thursday at 10 a.m. The final voting will go from Thursday at 11 a.m. to Friday at 10 a.m. (If you have trouble seeing the full voting module on mobile, scroll past in the story and then return to the module. We apologize for the inconvenience.)
Here are the matchups for the second round, split into the Jordan Region and the LeBron Region:
JORDAN REGION
(1) 1984 NBA Draft vs. (4) 1998 NBA Draft
1984 team
PG John Stockton / SG Michael Jordan / SF Charles Barkley / PF Otis Thorpe / C Hakeem Olajuwon / 6th man Sam Perkins
1998 team
PG Jason Williams / SG Vince Carter / SF Paul Pierce / PF Rashard Lewis / C Dirk Nowitzki / 6th man Antawn Jamison
We expected nothing less from Jordan in the first round. After easily dispensing Kevin Garnett and co., the 1984 team has a stiffer test in the second round.
The "White Chocolate experiment," as we're calling it, worked perfectly, with Williams throwing lobs to Vince Carter all game. With Jordan now guarding Carter, that gets a little tougher -- His Airness doesn't like getting dunked on. So if 1998 wants to have a chance, Paul Pierce and Dirk will need to get hot from outside.
Meanwhile, the 1984 team still has an astounding array of offensive threats and score from any position on the court. Even if Pierce can contain Jordan for a while, Stockton, Barkley and Olajuwon just seem like they're too much to handle.
(2) 2009 NBA Draft vs. (3) 1960 NBA Draft
2009 team
PG Stephen Curry / SG James Harden / SF DeMar DeRozan / PF Blake Griffin / C Taj Gibson / 6th man Ty Lawson
1960 team
PG Lenny Wilkens / SG Jerry West / SF Oscar Roberston / PF Tom Sanders / C Darrall Imhoff / 6th man Al Attles
This is the Stephen Curry - Oscar Robertson duel we deserve. Oh, and did we mention the logo, Jerry West? This could easily be a semi-final matchup if the bracket was structured differently, and it's a shame one of these teams has to be knocked out so early. But to be the best, you have to beat the best.
The biggest concern in this one is who guards Robertson? He's playing slightly out of position at the '3', and no offense to DeMar DeRozan, but that's not an ideal matchup for 2009. They could put Curry on Robertson, but then West is guarded by Harden and Lenny Wilkens goes at DeRozan.
The most likely scenario is this is an offensive shootout for the ages, with Curry and Harden forming the "Splash-ier Brothers" and Robertson and West matching them. Maybe Griffin gets freed up slightly by all the perimeter action, but Al "The Destroyer" Attles might have other ideas for how to handle the former No. 1 pick.
LEBRON REGION
(1) 2003 NBA Draft vs. (4) 1979 NBA Draft
2003 team
PG Dwyane Wade / SG Kyle Korver / SF LeBron James / PF Carmelo Anthony / C Chris Bosh / 6th man David West
1979 team
PG Magic Johnson / SG Sidney Moncrief / SF Jim Paxson / PF Bill Laimbeer / C Bill Cartwright / 6th man Vinnie Johnson
For years, the response to LeBron-Jordan debates has been that Magic is more accurate comparison. This puts it to the test.
And with little doubt, this one comes down to the two point-forwards. 2003 has a better surrounding cast, but don't underestimate how badly Laimbeer could bloody them up.
Look, we'd love to see Johnson and James match each other shot for shot, pass for pass and rebound for rebound just as much as the next guy. But the fact that James has Bosh, Wade and Anthony probably gives his team the eventual edge.
(2) 1996 NBA Draft vs. (6) 1987 NBA Draft
1987 team
PG Kevin Johnson / SG Reggie Miller / SF Scottie Pippen / PF Horace Grant / C David Robinson / 6th man Reggie Lewis
1996 team
PG Steve Nash / SG Allen Iverson / SF Kobe Bryant / PF Jermaine O’Neal / C Marcus Camby / 6th man Ray Allen
Is there a better fit team in this tournament than 1987? We're doubtful. The mix of Miller's attitude and Robinson's hustle rounds out the team nicely, and Scottie Pippen certainly doesn't hurt either. The question is whether they can match Iverson, Allen, Nash and Bryant. on offense.
If 1996 can simply figure out how to get everyone enough touches, they'll be in a great position. Expect to see a lot of Nash distributing to Allen, Bryant and Iverson as those three rotate for fresh legs. The problem is who can guard Miller at the '2'. Iverson was Big East Defensive Player of the Year at Georgetown, but Bryant seems like the likely choice. That said, expect Miller to go off, but 1987 to fall short of 1996's offensive explosion.
If nothing else, fans will be salivating over the potential of an Iverson-Miller chirp-off, and honestly, we are too.