A 76ers Vs. Nuggets NBA Finals Would Give Hoops Fans Something They Haven't Seen In Almost 30 Years

Mitchell Leff. Getty Images.

It's no secret, with the NBA rules adjusted to make hand checking a foul, over the years the game has become Guard dominated. You've got exceptions of course with players like LeBron and Giannis that will win titles as monster sized forwards, but it's so rare to see a legitimate seven footer lead their team to a title in the modern NBA. In today's game there are two dominant Bigs with their head above the rest: Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Denver's Nikola Jokic. Not only are they their team's respective alphas, but they are both in their prime. They represent the last three winners of the NBA's Most Valuable Player. 

Looking back at NBA Finals history, we haven't seen two legitimately dominant seven footers match up in an NBA Finals since Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon and Orlando's Shaquille O'Neal in 1995. 

The Rockets swept the series as Shaq was still a few years from reaching his prime he would later be remembered for as a Laker. But the year before, Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets played Patrick Ewing's Knicks in the NBA Finals and that series went the full seven games.

If these two teams were to meet in the finals it would be a throwback of epic proportions. When Big Men ruled the game and Guards were there to make post entry passes, knock down open shots, and defend their asses off. These two only squared off once this season as Embiid missed the second contest. In that game, the current MVP went OFF with 47 points 18 boards and 5 assists in an electric Saturday afternoon contest. Jokic had a fine game himself with 24 points 8 boards and 9 assists, but Embiid was clearly trying to make a statement. It would be an absolute treat to see those two teams square off in a best of seven to see who is really the most dominant Big Man in today's game.