(Note: My first NGS assignment is the post previous to this one)
For the last three years I have prayed for some combination of Dallas, Phoenix, and Sacramento to be in the Western Conference Finals. In my perfect world, they would be playing in The Finals for all the marbles. The reason is simple - they're fun to watch, and the NBA desperately needs teams like them.
Finally, I've gotten my wish, and I'm allowing everyone on the bandwagon.
Game 1 was an exciting 121-118 thriller won by the amazing Suns. The unreported story in this series, if not the entire postseason has to be the incredible job done by coach Mike D'Antoni. He's starting a so-called "3" in Shawn Marion at power forward, and 6-8 Boris Diaw, listed very generously at 220 pounds, as basically a point center. The Lakers tried to take advantage inside with 7-footer Kwame Brown and 6-10 Lamar Odom, with some success. The Clippers tried to work them over in the same manner with Chris Kaman (7') and Elton Brand (6-11), yet the Suns are still standing.
Every series you, Joe/Jane Fan are told, "You can't win with a fast break team!", "The Suns are too small!", "Steve Nash can't play defense!", "The playoffs are different - the Suns are too soft!" - in short, every week we're told by the so-called purists and pundits that the Suns are a gimmick that will fail.
58 wins should have told us otherwise. Coming back from 3-1 on the Lakers, and winning two Game Sevens should tell the world that win or lose, this team is special.
And while all of those same purists (Poor Charlie Rosen of Foxsports.com is probably guzzling Pepto-Bismo by the quart) are scrambling to hail the Dallas defense as their new key to victory (with some justification), it's worth noting that the Spurs were lit up for 100+ points in every Dallas win.
These two teams play up-tempo basketball. As former NBA star and current analyst Eddie Johnson said about the Suns, "Some teams run part-time, some teams run a lot of time - the Suns run ALL the time... They are committed to running. I love how people talk about how you can slow down a running team. A running team can't be stopped from running, if you want to push the tempo, you can if you want to..." Keep that in mind.
These two teams are special because they have two things in common:
1. They can put four to five players on the floor that can score at all times: Dallas is starting four players who can score and they bring Jerry Stackhouse and Keith Van Horn off the bench. The Suns have five starters who can score (and that’s with Amare and Kurt Thomas hurt!), plus James Jones and Eddie House can light it up on a given night.
By contrast, most NBA teams have two or three players who can create a shot for themselves. At most. The other players would be lucky to break double figures in an empty gym. No wonder defense rules.
Or perhaps it isn't the D after all. Boris "3D" Diaw couldn't get any burn on a horrible Atlanta team, but he comes to Phoenix and wins Sixth Man of the Year. Don't give all the credit to Nash. The Phoenix system highlights what he does well, and D'Antoni allows Diaw to operate inside as well. Check that game-winner in Game 1. Textbook upfake, drop step turnaround jumper. I've seen Diaw channel Kevin McHale and Hakeem Olajuwon all year.
Raja Bell set a career high in scoring and led the NBA in 3 pointers. Are you telling me that the desert air helped his shooting eye? Tim Thomas spent the first eight seasons of his career as a human heart donor. Is it a salary drive that has turned him into a valuable asset? Or maybe someone has found out what he does well?
2. Dallas and Phoenix have coaches that trust players on the offensive end: I forget the number of times that I've seen Dirk, Jason Terry, Nash or Raja Bell pull up and nail a transition three, sometimes with no one under the basket. But what is really telling is the number of times I've seen them MISS a three and D'Antoni simply nods. Dallas coach Avery Johnson preaches defense, but allows offensive freedom. It’s hard to picture a Mike Fratello not blowing a blood vessel in the same situation.
And maybe that’s why he’s home while the Suns and Mavs are playing.
Watching these teams (and Sacramento a couple of years ago) makes me wonder, why can’t more teams emulate them? I love Steve Nash and his game, but I really doubt that he’s the only point guard who can play this style. Off the top of my head, Chris Paul, J-Kidd, and Sam Cassell could probably pull it off (although Kidd’s horrific excuse for a jumper would require some adjustments). And we are always told what great athletes the NBA possesses right?
Consider that the average team in the 1960s thru the mid 1970s hoisted over 100 shots a game. Today’s teams put up about 85 per game – and that is an increase over the last few years. Hence, we are either to believe that the slower, less athletic players of the 1960s are better players than today, more reckless than today's players, or we need to look for different causes. Maybe it’s the shorts?
My gut feeling is that today's micro-managing coaches are the problem. Ego and a overriding desire to keep games close in the fourth period cause coaches to dictate every possession. Think about that. How many times do you see a team that doesn't have the coach calling 80% of the plays? Running requires a different mindset. And just like a passing coach in football has to accept that some series will be a three and out, a NBA coach that runs all the time must accept that will be some wasted possessions. Based on what I’ve seen, that’s asking a bit much of a Jeff Van Gundy or Larry Brown.
Finally, peer pressure is real. The so-called purists will have you believe that if you aren’t playing physical defense, you aren’t seeing and playing real basketball. Last I checked, all of those ‘real’ basketball teams San Antonio, Houston, Memphis, New Jersey – all of them are home watching Dallas and Phoenix.
Common sense seems to dictate that teams will get better shots if they attack quickly before the defense sets up. (Think of a football team running a no-huddle in the middle of the game.) The Suns and the Mavs believe in that. The Mavs feature a more diverse offense, which makes sense since Avery Johnson has Stackhouse's post-up game, and Dirk's improved inside game to lean on when running ops aren't there.
Prepare yourself for the contrast between the Heat and Pistons, and Suns and Mavs. No matter who wins the West, fans will be entertained by the matchup. If we get the Suns and Heat, I’m banking on Shaq needing an oxygen tank by halftime of Game 1. The Mavs run only slightly less, and one can only dream of the sight of Ben Wallace having to chase Boris Diaw or Dirk 30 feet from the basket. If Detroit comes out of the East, imagine their 7-man rotation running a track meet for 48 minutes.
The NBA is back. Hop on the bandwagon before you get left.
Thumbs Down to ABC
David Stern and ABC did fans and the league a disservice by putting so many great games on cable - not a single Suns-Clippers game was on free TV. Even in LA, Game Seven was the only game that was on free TV. Cleveland and Washington couldn’t be found on ABC at all. We all know that Game 7 of the Mavs and Spurs should have been viewed by a nationwide audience.
The NBA wants to regrow an auidence that has been lost in the post-Jordan era. When are they going to understand that the game had gotten so boring that people went elsewhere? And that the teams that they have featured are part of the problem?
No sane person expects a blackout of San Antonio - not while Eva Longoria is kicking it with Tony Parker. But to absolutely NOT show the Clippers and Wizards on free TV was a horrible business decision.
Good job Dr. The Suns and Mavericks are easily way more fun to watch and regardless of who comes out of the West I'll be rooting for them
The finals will be great to watch no matter what the matchup. The contrast of styles betweeen East and West, as you alluded to, will make things very intriguing.
Dr- Yoy are right about the entertainment value being higher with this matchup compared to Heat-Pistons. I am happy for Avery Johnso who I was fortunate enough to meet on a couple of occasions in San Antonio. Great Guy and was a great competitor and leader as aplayer. He has those same qualities working for him as a coach and the Dallas franchise is the beneficiary.
Rivjo, what I'm really hoping for is a Dallas win for one reason - just to see if David Stern gets one of those "Mission Impossible" masks of himself made for Rod Thorn to wear when he has to present to Mark Cuban! bwhahhahahaha
On the real, basketball wasn't meant to be an endless stream of 84-79 games with grabbing and grinding. I want them to widen and lengthen the court too. And I want...
obviously, the nba (along with the nfl) believe that the majority of people have cable, or have friends or family that do. that's a big reason why so many games are being shown on cable. the biggest, of course, is that tnt and espn paid huge amounts of money to show games. the nba cares less about how many people can watch than they do about how much money the cable networks are willing to pay for the rights. plus, the "free" networks dont want to give up so much of their regular programming for games almost every night. although i would think that would make more sense than paying so much for the olympics, then not showing half the stuff people want to watch.
Wow midnight, writing a piece on decision day and everything. My nerves only allowed me to leave some comments earlier today. Good job on getting in a post today. I was just swinging by to say congrats on advancing this week, but I will be back to read this post later and to leave further comments. Good job.
Good post. I too enjoy the NBA far more these days. But still I can only consitently watch the Playoffs. The regular season, I think, is filled with too many unexciting teams and I find myself extremely bored watching many of them. But I do like defense and I don't like some of the efforts to take (especially defense in the paint) away from the game.
A good post Midnight. I don't agree with all of the reasoning, but the way you presented your argument made for a very interesting read. You really captured the Suns and their style well.
When it all comes down to it, the Suns will have to win it all before their style of play will silence the purists. The teams they have faced up to this point can be dismissed in one way or another.
The fact they were one huge Tim Thomas three pointer away from falling to the Lakers in six did not help their case. Beating the Clippers helped a little, but were talking about a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in forever, and previously hadn't managed to win a playoff series in 30 years. Dallas will probably be explained to in one way or another. Past meltdowns, similar style, etc.
Beat either Detroit or Miami in the Finals. Then there are no more excuses.
good post but man Brand is no where near 6'11" and the NBA can point fingers at the major networks because ESPN-ABC is the only one that gave them a reasonable bid for TV rights and damn near everyone does have cable so it is not a big deal, but those games on NBATV are irritating.
Dr. Midnight, my congratulations on a really strong showing in the first round of the finals, and good luck with your next piece. With your name I feel like I'm competing against some kind of super villain for a spot in the elite eight. Keep up the good work.
defense is a fundamental of basketball. we could go the way of the spread option and just try to outscore people. but absolutely demand that our supposed 'stars' play defense. anyone who runs 5 on 5 knows what i'm talking about. you can win with super offense, but lack of defense implies that you have no heart and no pride. a man dropping 20 points on my head is humiliating. it means i let me team down.
i know the league has made it difficult for teams to play defense. apparently a guard can run fullspeed into a forward and get the foul but a center cant drop-step into the lane without getting a tech. you hand is part of the ball, unless youre under 6'2". the suns are not the example i want my son watching. playing defense means more than dropping 40 points. Jordan played hellified defense. Magic Johnson covered centers. Larry Bird took it as a personal affront if you scored on him. Isiah, Hakeem, Barkley... the list goes on. Meanwhile steve nash cant cover a broke-down Sam Cassell. He cant guard another point guard. WHY is he on the floor exactly?
Suns handled their business tonight for sure. So much for the premature Heat vs. Mav's finals predictions, at least as far as the West is concerned. I saw Dirk was held to under 20 pts for the first time in like 40+ games. Suns got it done at both ends of the court tonight.
Demon, let's slow that roll my friend. Magic was a medicore defender against most guards, although he was decent against bigger players. Bird was a HORRIBLE man to man defender, decent as a 'help' defender and when it came to playing the passing lanes. Cedric Maxwell and Kevin McHale usually did the dirty work of guarding high-scoring small forwards, such as Nique and James Worthy.
I'll never forget one game when Bird guarded Wilkins in the 1st half o####ame, and Nique went for 31. McHale took him in the second half. That famous duel at the Garder? Bird guarded Tree Rollins. We like to view the past through rose-#### glasses. But Jordan was the only great two-way defender that you mentioned.
Finally, I have no problem with defense being played, nor do I want 140-130 games every night any more than I want 85-80 games. But the NBA allowed more and more grabbing and clutching. The flow of offense was stifled, and that needed to change.
Oh as to why Steve Nash is on the floor? I'm not sure, but it might be the 50% shooting from the floor, 40% from 3-range, and the 10-12 dimes a game that he generates that has something to do with it. Perhaps you'd rather have Eric Snow?
'Slow my roll' touche, bro. i'd rather have Dwayne Wade for sure. Magic may have been horrible, but he worked hard the pain. he got his hands in the passing lanes. People blow past nash as if he wasnt there. i'd trade him for a legitimate defensive stopper any time. Nash doesnt even hussle or hit the floor like Bird did. when the play breaks down he's running the outlet for the break - which is why they get 30 transition points a night i guess. but it'd be nice to have that 5th body crashing the boards.
but he's a guard, he should be getting 3 steals a game. a couple rebounds. i dont have time this morning to look at the stats... its just hard for me to respect a guy getting handled by sam cassell.
The NBA is becoming a money-driven entity who jumps at opportunites(HUGE CASH PAYOUTS)! SO IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT AN ELITIST SUCH AS DAVID STERN HAS ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BECOME SO FAR REMOVED FROM HIS CORE FAN BASE. I hope he wakes up soon before the NBA is surpassed by the NHL.
Thanks for saying what I've been feeling for the past few years about the televising of the NBA games. I've felt like the last sports fan in America without cable; and, without the availability of games on free TV, each season has become less compelling. Thank all the little gods for all the information available on the net, as it's helped stave off withdrawal.
G.H. Brooks (aka "Dr. Midnight" to his loyal fan base) is a 2-time Next Great Sportswriter (NGS) Finalist. One would think that bringing game like that would net me *something* - a cool icon to mark my site, some love from Fox Sports, cash, but noooo... :-)
I'm broadcasting live from New York City after a hiatus from the blogging scene, takes on life, sports, and whatever passing thoughts are shooting through my head. The good and bad ..passionate, logical, and on point.
It's a G Thing.... you can look me up at newjack1@eart hlink.net
