The conference finals are about to get underway in the NBA playoffs, with the Indiana Pacers taking on the Boston Celtics, and the Dallas Mavericks going up against the Minnesota Timberwolves. And the best part of having the conference finals is that now we get to have a little fun: by comparing NBA players to anime characters.
Bleacher Report does these amazing videos called Hero Ball, which is the NBA done in the style of anime, and so I figured I might as well give it a shot! Let’s do it!
Minnesota Timberwolves
Anthony Edwards is Yuji Itadori, Jujutsu Kaisen
Edwards gets the Itadori comparison for a couple of reasons. The first being the natural blend of humor and leadership, with Itadori immediately boosting the group of Megumi, Nobara and Gojo like Edwards did with the rest of the Timberwolves. He brings a lot of energy to the court and is becoming a superstar before the NBA’s eyes.
Karl-Anthony Towns is Tenya Iida, My Hero Academia
It’s probably for the best if both of these guys are supporting characters rather than the main, but that doesn’t mean that both are inherently bad. Towns and Iida both are very good in their roles for their respective teams, and both have come up big in big moments. Also, both are a little corny, but you know their intentions are good most of the time.
Rudy Gobert is Usopp, One Piece
Both catch a LOT of flak (most of the time it’s deserved), and can absolutely fall apart in some bad situations, but serve their roles really well. Gobert is a very good defender who can roam and cause havoc, but on offense, he kinda lacks, but still serves a nice role.
Jaden McDaniels is Gin Gagamaru, Blue Lock
One of the many super role players left in the playoffs, McDaniels does the dirty work for the Timberwolves, picking up the best offensive wing player on the opposing team and supplying athleticism and length on the offensive side. Gagamaru doesn’t speak much in Blue Lock, but it becomes clear he was a critical piece of Team Z’s survival in the team stages.
Mike Conley is Leif Erikson, Vinland Saga
Both Erikson and Conley have seen and done it all. Traveling across the country to play basketball, Conley might be up there in age, but he’s there to help provide support for the younger Edwards and the youth on the Timberwolves. Just as Erikson tries to help a young Thorfinn and searches around the world for him, Conley’s ability to provide stability for the team has helped Minnesota get to this point.
Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic is Trafalgar Law, One Piece
Both Law and Doncic are extremely calculated, choosing to go at their own pace and their own way to dictate the flow of the game. If you step on a court with Doncic, you enter his room, with the ability to knock down stepback threes or throw wizard-like passes across the court.
Kyrie Irving is Gaara, Naruto Shippuden
The arc of Gaara is a pretty interesting one in the world of Naruto. He starts off as the big bad villain, but then becomes an ally to the Hidden Leaf Village in his later years in Shippuden. Irving kind of comes along the same way, having been seen as the villain ever since he left Cleveland, but is now seemingly getting everyone back on his side during this run. We can’t forget the biggest part though: both Gaara and Irving are extremely, extremely talented and can completely take over if they want to.
PJ Washington is Gajeel Redfox, Fairy Tail
A player acquired at the midpoint of the season who helps in a major way down the line, Washington and Gajeel both were opposing side the main team to start, but now are on the same side.
Derrick Jones Jr is Shinra Kusakabe, Fire Force
This one is pretty simple: both Jones and Kusakabe are explosive, with their firepower coming from the lower body. In the same way that Shinra has the extreme speed using his fire, Jones can get up off the ground in a hurry.
Daniel Gafford is Franky, One Piece
Another character added later to the group, Franky and Gafford are the tanks of their respective teams. Both provide a toughness and support to the main characters that is crucial to their success later down the line. I’m unsure of if Gafford likes cola, though.
Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton is Hawks, My Hero Academia
After All Might goes out of service, the world of My Hero Academia needed more heroes to step up. Hawks, although unconventional in his approach to being a hero, is super versatile and is one of the leaders of the new generation of heroes. Haliburton doesn’t always play the game like the new age point guards that are his contemporaries, but doing it his way has led the Pacers to this point so it works.
Paskal Siakam is Jimbei, One Piece
Just as Gafford and Washington were midseason acquisitions made by the Mavericks, Siakam serves the same role on the Pacers. He’s the stabilizer of the team, someone who can get tough buckets inside the arc when Indiana needs him to. Jimbei came to the Straw Hats later in the show, but he’s the rock of the pirates, providing stability as well as extreme power in being a former warlord.
Myles Turner is Takeshi Hinawa, Fire Force
Both Hinawa and Turner are snipers from long distance, but can provide support on both offense and defense. Hinawa is the second in command of the 8th division, and while he’s a bit more stoic than Turner, both are vital support to the captain of the team.
Aaron Nesmith is Ejiro Kirishima, My Hero Academia
A character who is better suited for support than being in the limelight, Kirishima’s hardening makes him excellent on defense and protecting others. Against all the top guards Indiana has faced during this playoff run, Nesmith has been the point of the spear, playing tough defense while providing timely shotmaking.
Andrew Nembhard is Reno Ichikawa, Kaiju No. 8
While he isn’t the focus of the guards in Indiana’s backcourt, Nembhard is a sure shooter who also provides one of the better moments for Pacers fans during this run. Just like how Ichikawa is continuing to get better in his role, Nembhard is growing alongside Haliburton.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics don’t get any, because they are the worst.
