#deathlineup

At the start of 2016, more than a third of the way through the NBA season, what are the 30 NBA coaching staffs thinking about?

Eight are worried about next year’s draft lottery.

Seven are worried about sneaking into the playoffs this year.

Six are worried about a first round playoff exit, needing to avoid the 7th or 8th seed at all costs.

Five are worried about jumping into the 2nd or 3rd seed, earning home court for the first round.

And two – The Spurs and Cavs, to be exact– are worried about…

Draymond Green.

Why? Dray is the catalyst for #TheDeathLineup: the Dubs’ five-headed small-ball, ultra-fast configuration of cybernetic organisms that will play the most critical minutes of every playoff game four and a half months from now. 

All five can shoot the three. All five can pass out of the double team. All five can start a fast break off a defensive rebound. All five can take it coast-to-coast. All five can switch with relative effectiveness on pick and rolls. All five have quick enough hands to generate a steal or pressure turnover. All five have above average to VERY HIGH basketball IQs. All five will T1000 you into such oblivion that even Kyle Reese going back in time can’t change your future. Did I explain why it’s called #TheDeathLineup?

Steph may be the scariest player in the league to guard but Dray makes the scariest lineup in the modern NBA possible.

The 6′7″ 235-lbs Dray will guard your lumbering 7-footer straight up and absolutely torch him at the other end of the floor. So teams are forced to counter by sitting their big man and putting another shooter on the court. However, that plays right into the Dubs’ hand because their five will always be faster, smarter and better-shooting than your five. 

This is what the two teams who have the best chance to take the crown from the Dubs have to worry about:

The Western Conference Finals will come down to Popovich being forced to bench EITHER HOFer Tim Duncan or The $80M Lamarcus “Future of the Franchise” Aldrige to keep pace with #TheDeathLineup. Yikes.

The NBA Finals will come down to Blatt being forced to bench BOTH starting center Mozgov AND $120M starting power forward Kevin “Maybe we shoulda kept Andrew Wiggins” Love when #TheDeathLineup shows up from the future in a crackling ball of plasma. Wowzers.

Worrisome decisions. All because of Dray.