Sports Illustrated: What If?

[SWC75]

The current issue of SI, (a double issue dated 4/17-24/17) and showing Sergio Garcia winning the Masters on the cover), has a terrific article speculating what would have happened if certain decisions or circumstances in sports had been reversed. I was UTL the article on their website, (probably because they want you to buy the current issue) but they do have this montage of alternative covers:

What If... Sports Illustrated's covers went the other way?

Maybe the biggest headline maker of their speculations is that they think that Houston would have beaten the Bulls for the NBA title even if Michael Jordan hadn't gone off to play baseball because Olajuwon would have "shredded" Luc Longley. (Sure but it was never your center against our center with the Bulls.)

But what jumped out to me was this item:

"Alternate Universe: Pistons nab Carmelo Anthony over Darko Milicic in '03. New Ending: Detroit still wins '04 finals with Melo coming off the bench. He emerges in '05 as the Pistons beat the Spurs in Game 7. Two years later Kobe Bryant doesn't veto trade to Detroit: era's first Superteam forms."

Darko's storied career:
Darko Milicic Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
The "Human Victory Cigar" ?!?

 

[MikeSU02]

The current issue of SI, (a double issue dated 4/17-24/17) and showing Sergio Garcia winning the Masters on the cover), has a terrific article speculating what would have happened if certain decisions or circumstances in sports had been reversed. I was UTL the article on their website, (probably because they want you to buy the current issue) but they do have this montage of alternative covers:

What If... Sports Illustrated's covers went the other way?

Maybe the biggest headline maker of their speculations is that they think that Houston would have beaten the Bulls for the NBA title even if Michael Jordan hadn't gone off to play baseball because Olajuwon would have "shredded" Luc Longley. (Sure but it was never your center against our center with the Bulls.)

But what jumped out to me was this item:

"Alternate Universe: Pistons nab Carmelo Anthony over Darko Milicic in '03. New Ending: Detroit still wins '04 finals with Melo coming off the bench. He emerges in '05 as the Pistons beat the Spurs in Game 7. Two years later Kobe Bryant doesn't veto trade to Detroit: era's first Superteam forms."

Darko's storied career:
Darko Milicic Stats | Basketball-Reference.com
The "Human Victory Cigar" ?!?

Cool thought experiment.

But I guarantee you Melo would have barely played for Larry Brown on that '04 team and those two would not have survived each other.

 

[SWC75]

And here is the article: Greatest Sports What Ifs: Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, more