Former NBA champion Rasheed Wallace caused quite the stir when he claimed that his 2004 Detroit Pistons, widely regarded as one of the best defensive teams of all time, "would've beat the s**t" out of the 2017 Golden State Warriors, a dynastic team that featured the likes of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, during an episode of the Sheed & Tyler podcast this past Thursday.
"We would've beat the s---out of them because for the simple fact that they couldn't match up with us at any position. Steph's [Curry] not a defender. He would've had to guard Rip [Hamilton]. How many screens Rip coming off? Or whoever they would have tried to put at point would have been too little for Chauncey [Billups]."
"Who gonna guard Tay? [Tayshaun Prince]... They're not used to the physicality. Draymond is too little."
Well, Draymond Green was having none of it.
The Warriors star took to X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday and responded to Wallace's claim, blasting the former 16-year NBA veteran in the process.
"Sheed we would’ve smacked yall," Green wrote. "Yall was scoring 72 points per game. That’s not winning a half. And we putting you and them big ass forces in every pick and roll. Let’s see you move them feet. That one ring was great though big bro. We all appreciated it!"
The '04 Pistons held opponents to 84.2 points per game in the regular season, the third-lowest total ever, then defeated the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the '17 Warriors led the league in scoring as a team, then blitzkrieged their way through the playoffs, losing just one game en route to the NBA title.
Any hypothetical series played between these two teams would need, aside from a working time machine, clarification on rules. Wallace's Pistons played in an era where defenders were allowed to hand-check and points were more difficult to score, whereas Green's Warriors thrived in an offense-friendly environment aided by the permanent banning of hand-checking in 2004, the league's spacing revolution and officials' propensity to blow the whistle more frequently.
In terms of pound-for-pound talent, it's hard to top the '17 Warriors. But we'll never truly know who would ultimately emerge victorious between the two.
One thing is for sure, though. Green and Wallace will agree to disagree.
TIM CAPURSO
