The Boston Celtics marched through the regular season with an NBA best 66 regular season wins.
After beating the Atlanta Hawks by an average of 21 points in Game’s 1 and 2, most people had them penciled in for their first NBA Finals appearance since 1987.
But the Hawks aren’t going down without a fight.
After shooting 38 percent in the first two games of the series, Atlanta has shot 47 percent in the last two games.
How have they managed to get back into the series?
By playing fast perimeter oriented basketball and getting down the floor before the Celtics can set up their defense. [Read]
The 6-11 forward led the Celtics in rebounds with a 9.2 average (7.3 defensive rpg), to go along with 18.8 points, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals. He recorded a team season-high seven blocks against Chicago on Dec. 12.
Garnett helped the Celtics to league-best records of 66-16 (.805) overall and 31-10 (.738) on the road. Boston held opponents to just 90.3 points (second in the NBA) after allowing 99.2 points per game a season ago. Garnett led the Celtics to the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history as the team won 42 more games this season than in 2006-07 (24-58), surpassing the previous record of 36 games, set by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1997-98 season.
As a Laker fan, I want my team to win the NBA championship every season.
Every NBA fan feels that way about their team.
But a part of me will be pulling for Kevin Garnett and the Boston Celtics this postseason.
Why?
Because I believe Kevin Garnett represents all that is right about the NBA and basketball in general.
He is a selfless superstar who leaves it all on the floor every single night.
I admire his passion for the game and his dedication to his craft.
Before this season, I oftentimes wondered if Garnett and Duncan's legacies would have been switched had KG been afforded the opportunity to play with two superstars like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili.
I got a glimpse of what KG's career might have been like if he had been surrounded by a championship caliber supporting cast this season when Garnett was traded to the Celtics and teamed with superstars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.
The Celtics were the best team in NBA this season but none of that matters now.
The only thing that matters is an NBA championship. Tim Duncan has four of them. KG doesn't have one
We'll never know what may have been had KG been drafted by an organization like the San Antonio Spurs but an NBA championship would silence many of his doubters.
The Most Valuable Player is presented to the NBA player who receives the highest point total from a panel of chosen sportswriters. These sportswriters cast a vote for their first, second, and third place selections. First place votes receive five points, second place is worth three points, and third place is worth one point. The player who receives the highest point total is then awarded the distinction of Most Valuable Player.
The MVP has historically gone to the best player on one of the teams with the top record in the NBA. No player whose team has won less than 50 games has won the award in the past 25 years.
The Most Valuable Player Award is one of the greatest honors in basketball. It should be regarded with distinction. It shouldn't be a popularity contest controlled by PR much like the ridiculousness that has become the NBA All-Star Game.
The distinction of MVP should not blindly award the best player on the best team. The voting panel needs to do their job or a new committee or criteria should be developed in order to guarantee that the NBA player who is of the most value to his team receives the credit that he rightly deserves.
Team success should not be the barometer by which an individual player is considered to be of most value to his team. Rather than award the title of Most Valuable Player to the best player on the top team, it should go to the NBA player who is of most value to his particular team, with less significance placed upon that team’s win-loss record. Basketball is a team sport. No one player can win consistently without the luxury of a quality-supporting cast.
The value o####reat player encompasses a myriad of basketball intangibles that sadly, are not always guarantors of victories.
Nowhere is this more evident than the Most Valuable Player Award tallies of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Bill Russell won the MVP award in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, and 1965. The Celtics won the NBA championship in every one of those seasons but 1958.
Wilt Chamberlain didn’t enter the NBA until the year after Russell won his first MVP. Chamberlain was MVP in 1960, his rookie season, and again in 1966, 1967, 1968. Wilt was 1st team All-NBA every season he was MVP. [Read]
The
NBA playoffs are almost upon us, basketball’s biggest stage. The stage
that differentiates those who play to "feed their families" from those
whose purpose is to leave a lasting basketball legacy. Recent champions
Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Hakeem
Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Manu
Ginobili, Dwyane Wade, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker have given those who appreciate
the beauty of basketball memories to last a lifetime, memories of
pride, drive, determination and the will to win.
I
believe that there are time-tested characteristics of championship
teams. This season's eventual NBA Champion will embody the following
characteristics and more.
Veteran leadership:
the NBA regular season pales in comparison to the intensity of the playoffs. The regular season is an 82 game grind but when the stakes
become win or go home, veteran players do what it takes to succeed.
Veteran players understand that each possession is critical and their
concentration level rarely wavers.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix
Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Los Angeles
Lakers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Teams that miss the cut: New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks.
Team defense:
the game of basketball can be fickle. Team shooting percentages
consistently hover around 50%. Even great teams aren’t immune to off
shooting nights. When this happens, championship teams fall back on
their time-tested defensive prowess. They dig deeper when adversity
strikes.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics.
Teams that miss the cut: Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks.
Steady playmaker:
playmaking encompasses more than assists. Playoff playmakers are
practically immune to pressure. They are able to quiet the storm in a
hostile environment and lead their team to victory from the guard/forward
positions.
Teams that fit the bill:
San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili), Phoenix Suns (Steve
Nash), Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd), Denver
Nuggets (Allen Iverson), Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher), Cleveland Cavaliers (LeBron James), Utah Jazz (Deron Williams), Boston Celtics (Sam Cassell), Detroit
Pistons (Chauncey Billups).
Teams that miss the cut: New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks.
Championship caliber low-post scorer:
high percentage shots are essential in playoff basketball. Low-post
scoring opens the game up for perimeter play. Championship low-post
scorers have delivered in intense situations and against top
competition.
Teams that fit the bill:
San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan), Phoenix Suns (Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal),
Detroit Pistons (Rasheed Wallace), Boston Celtics (Kevin Garnett), Utah Jazz (Carlos Boozer).
Teams that miss the cut: Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks..
Championship strategist:
team leadership must come from the sideline as well as on the
basketball court. Contrary to popular opinion championship players want
to be coached. They want to be led by men who know what it takes to win.
Teams that fit the bill:
San Antonio Spurs (Greg Popovich), Los Angeles Lakers (Phil Jackson), Utah Jazz (Jerry Sloan).
Teams that miss the cut: New Orleans Hornets, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks..
Clutch performer:
clutch plays are often times the difference between a win and a loss.
Being clutch requires great focus and mental strength. This
characteristic turns great players into legends. There will be many
pivotal playoff moments. The player who seizes the opportunity and
delivers in the most pressure-packed situations will ultimately lead his
team to the title.
Teams that fit the bill:
San Antonio Spurs (Manu Ginobili, Robert Horry), Los Angeles Lakers
(Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher), Boston Celtics (Paul Pierce, Sam Cassell), Detroit Pistons, (Chauncey
Billups), Cleveland Cavaliers (LeBron James) Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks).
Teams that miss the cut: New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks.
The San Antonio Spurs are the only team that fits the bill on each of my championship characteristics.
For the Lakers, Jazz, Celtics, or Pistons to win the championship, someone will need to step up.
The Los Angeles Lakers need a return of Andrew Bynum or for Pau Gasol to play the role of championship caliber low-post scorer. They will also need to be more consistent defensively.
The Detroit Pistons will need a return of the elite defense that took them to two straight NBA Finals and for Flip Saunders to prove his worth.
The Utah Jazz will need Deron Williams to play big in the clutch.
The Boston Celtics will need Doc Rivers to make impeccable in-game adjustments and be a calming force when the pressure mounts.
These will be the greatest NBA playoffs of all-time.
The NBA lifted Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s locker room ban on
credentialed bloggers last week.
"It's a new media age, and there are
more ways for people to get information than ever before," said Brian McIntyre,
the NBA's senior vice president for basketball communications. "That creates a
lot of challenges for all of us who deal with the media, but we will deal with
it."
Cuban instituted the ban last month in what many perceived to be a
direct response to an article Dallas Morning News blogger Tim MacMahon
wrote that was critical of coach Avery Johnson. MacMahon cited Fireavery.com and questioned
Johnson’s decision to bench newly-acquired superstar Jason Kidd in the closing
seconds o####ame against the San Antonio Spurs, a game the Mavs lost.
Cuban claimed he never read the article. An explanation that is simply
unbelievable since Cuban is known as a voracious reader who believes the "consumption
of information" gives him an "advantage"
in business.
This isn’t a man
who became the owner of an NBA franchise by chance or inheritance. Mark Cuban
has studied the ins-and-outs of every business he’s been involved with and the
Mavericks are no different. He knows everything that’s going on with his team
and he knows everything that is being written about them as well. Mark Cuban
read Tim MacMahon’s article. Maybe that was what prompted the locker room ban.
Maybe not. [Read]
Chris Webber announced his retirement after 15 NBA
seasons on Wednesday. Webber finished with career averages of 20.7 points, 9.8
rebounds and 4.2 assists. Becoming one of six players to to average at least 20
points, nine rebounds and four assists. Four of those players (Larry Bird, Wilt
Chamberlain, Billy Cunningham and Elgin Baylor) are in the Hall of Fame. One of
them (Kevin Garnett), will surely be inducted once he decides
to call it quits.
Will Chris Webber join that hallowed list of Hall of Famers?
Webber’s numbers are border line Hall of Fame worthy. Yet his career
averages are very similar to Hall of Fame power forwards Dave DeBusschere (16.1
ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.9 apg), Elvin Hayes (21.0 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.8 apg), and Jerry
Lucas (17.0 ppg, 15.6 rpg, 3.3 apg). [Read]
The Denver Nuggets, 40-27, are on pace for a 49 win season. But if the playoffs were to begin today, they would be on the outside looking in. Short of moving the team to the East coast, how can the Nuggets get to the next level and whose responsibility is it to get them there?
On Sunday, Denver set an NBA season high for points in a game with a 168-116 rout of the Seattle Supersonics. Last night, they gave up 136 points in a 136-120 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Such is the enigma that has become the Nuggets. They are equal parts offensive brilliance and defensive incompetence.
Typically, great team defense begins with a team’s best player and trickles down to the supporting cast. Perennial All-NBA defenders Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett set the tone for their teams defensively. The Nuggets have 2006-2007 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby but Carmelo Anthony is Denver’s best player. Anthony has never been committed defensively and aside from Camby, Melo’s teammates have followed his lead. [Read]
- Please feel free to contact me via e-mail (foxblogs24@hotmail.com) with comments or questions
"He's overrated," DeShawn said. "And you can say I said that."
LeBron James is far from overrated but I loved what I saw from Stevenson and the Washington Wizards the other night. Normally, players shake hands and exchange other pleasantries before the game begins. DeShawn chose to get right up in LeBron's grill and offer some choice words. His exact words are unclear, but the message that he wasn't going to back down was sent.
Stevenson talked the talk, then went out and walked the walk in holding LeBron to 9-for-22 shooting, 1-for-7 from the 3-point line. He also drew a key foul on the King with 19.4 seconds remaining. James was driving with a chance to tie — the Cavaliers trailed 96-94 — when he lowered his left shoulder into Stevenson for a foul. James' potential game-winning 27-footer, again with Stevenson guarding him, hit the front of the rim and bounced away as time expired.
LeBron is a great player. My choice as this season's MVP. That being said, I'm tired of watching opposing players and teams literally leave a red carpet for him to get to the basket. Foul him, send a message, make him earn two at the line. Brendan Haywood delivered a punishing blow that knocked LeBron to the ground late in the game. Hard foul yes, dirty play no. It was the type of play that epitomized the late 80's Detroit Pistons and early 90's New York Knicks.
I've always had a great deal of respect for those Knicks and Pistons teams. Unlike the majority of the league, they weren't intimidated by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Xavier McDaniel, Anthony Mason, and John Starks made MJ work for everything he got. Yet Jordan persevered through physical play time and time again. Earning more than their respect in route to wining six NBA championships and becoming the greatest player of all-time.
I hope more teams and players follow DeShawn Stevenson and the Washington Wizards lead so we can see what the King is really made of. Charles Barkley once said, "see Tony Parker's good, but we just don't know how good Tony Parker really is. He aint never been hit." LeBron James got hit the othernight and DeShawn Stevenson and the Washington Wizards won the ensuing battle.
The Miami Heat won 52 games in the 2005-2006 season, earning them the #2 seed and a first round match up with the Chicago Bulls in the 2006 NBA playoffs. A 50 win season is impressive by most standards but not as impressive when you consider the fact that Miami struggled versus the NBA's elite.
Miami's record versus San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Detroit during the 2005-2006 season was 3-10.
Fortunately for Miami, the teams which posed the biggest threat to their championship hopes resided on the west coast.
The Heat squared off against an inexperienced Bulls team in the first round. The Bulls turned out to be surprisingly resistant before being dispatched in 6 games. Kirk Heinrich defended Dwyane Wade admirably, holding him to a modest 24.7 per game average and a 44% field goal percentage.
Miami steamrolled the Nets in the Conference Semifinals and met the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Championship.
Detroit was the league's best regular season team in 2005-2006. The Pistons began the season at a torrid pace, they were 37-5 after 42 games and many thought they had a legitimate shot at 70 wins. In celebration of their outstanding team success, four Pistons (Billups, Hamilton, B. Wallace, and R. Wallace) were named to that season's NBA All-Star team.
Unfortunately for Detroit their regular season pace would prove detrimental to their championship hopes. The team was admittedly fatigued from the extended minutes accessed to their starters by Coach Flip Saunders. Detroit's postseason play was hardly reminiscent of their regular season domination as the Heat easily defeated them in six games.
Miami captured the 2005-2006 NBA Championship in dramatic fashion. Despite being thoroughly outplayed in the Final's opening two games they bounced back and defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the series' next 4 contests.
Dwyane Wade was the Finals MVP and played like a champion. The Mavericks chose to focus their defensive efforts on Miami's legendary center Shaquille O'Neal. Dallas double and triple teamed the Diesel the entire series. Their strategy was effective in its efforts to stop Shaquille (he averaged a Finals career low 13.9 points and 10.2 rebounds) but essentially laid a red carpet for Wade to single-handedly defeat them.
Defeat them he did. Wade put on a show for the ages. Dwyane averaged 34.7 points versus Dallas, the third highest Finals average in history.
Despite the Heat's Championship last season, I don't believe they were a great basketball team then, nor do I believe they are a great team now.
Shaquille O'Neal was forced to the Heat's injured reserve for over 30 games this season, forcing Dwyane Wade to be their lone offensive option. Without the luxury of Shaquille's low post presence, Dwyane struggled. Dwyane averaged 27.4 points per game but also led the league in turnovers with a 4.24 average. With D. Wade at the helm and Shaquille on the bench, Miami struggled to stay above .500 in the inferior Eastern Conference.
Dwyane suffered a shoulder dislocation in a game versus the Houston Rockets on February 21, 2007 and many (myself included) thought the Heat's playoff hopes were all but finished. Luckily for Dwyane and the Heat, 'Superman' saved the season.
Shaquille's return to the lineup instantly rejuvenated the Heat; as they would go on to win 11 of their next 14 games and 9 in a row. O’Neal’s reemergence combined with the Eastern Conference’s mediocrity allowed Miami to claim the 4th seed in this year’s playoffs.
Miami fought hard to secure a middle seed in the playoffs but has failed to consistently raise their play to that of the NBA's elite. Their 2006-2007 regular season record versus San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, and Detroit is identical to the 2005-2006 record of 3-10.
Although the Heat have shown flashes of their 2006 NBA Final brilliance, their deficiencies remain. They are a weak defensive team. Jason Williams and Antoine Walker are the definition of defensive liability. Shaquille and Gary Payton no longer possess the foot speed to play effective man to man or rotation defense.
Shaquille’s decline in skill was obvious versus Dallas. The Shaq of today can be neutralized. He will be rested and ready this postseason but foul trouble and effectively timed double teams (like Dallas implemented) will ensure that he doesn’t carry Miami to the championship.
It will ultimately come down to whether Dwyane Wade can perform heroically once more and carry the Heat to the championship?
I don’t think he can.
The Eastern Conference, while nowhere near the Western Conference, has improved. Due partly to injury, Dwyane will not be the player he was in last season’s playoffs. Due to the opposing defenses he will likely face, he will not be nearly as effective either.
Last season’s Dallas Mavericks were a very good basketball team but the game of basketball is all about match ups. The Mavericks were routinely abused by opposing star guards that entire season. Dallas’ path to the Finals was much more difficult as well. While Dallas slugged it out with the NBA’s next best teams in San Antonio and Phoenix, Miami benefited from early round opponents Chicago, New Jersey, and the implosion of the Detroit Pistons.
Both Chicago and Detroit stand in the way of Miami’s championship hopes this season and each team has improved. Chicago in particular, has all of the defensive tools to defeat Miami. No one can stop Shaq one on one but the addition of Ben Wallace combined with the length of Chicago’s perimeter defenders will create double teams twice the like that took him out of last season’s NBA Final. Nocioni, Deng, Duhon, Gordon, and especially Heinrich will make things very difficult for Dwyane both offensively and defensively.
My opinion of the Heat is based upon their play in it’s entirety, from the 2005-2006 NBA season to the present. I’ve seen far too much of the Heat team that has for two years, struggled against the NBA’s elite teams and was dominated by the Mavericks in the NBA Final’s first two games to believe there will be a sustained return of the Miami team who played brilliantly in winning the Final’s games 3-6.
The NBA playoffs are a three month test of will and fortitude. Any team can get hot for four consecutive games. This year’s NBA Champion will consistently prove their basketball superiority. They will rise to the occasion and perform like champions.
Without a doubt, Miami will show flashes of brilliance. Those flashes of brilliance will not be enough to carry them through four competitive 7 game series’ and a repeat of last year’s championship.
The NBA playoffs are almost upon us, basketball’s biggest stage. The stage that distinguishes those who play to "feed their families" from those whose purpose is to leave a lasting basketball legacy. Recent champions Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Isaiah Thomas, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, and Dwyane Wade have given those who appreciate the beauty of basketball memories to last a lifetime, memories of pride, drive, determination and the will to win.
I believe that there are time-tested characteristics of championship teams. This season's eventual NBA Champion will embody the following characteristics and more.
Veteran leadership: the NBA regular season pales in comparison to the intensity of the Playoffs. The regular season is an 82 game grind but when the stakes become win or go home, veteran players do what it takes to succeed. Veteran players understand that each possession is critical and their concentration level rarely wavers.
Teams that fit the bill: Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers.
Teams that miss the cut: Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, and Washington Wizards.
Team defense: the game of basketball can be fickle. Team shooting percentages consistently hover around 50%. Even great teams aren’t immune to off shooting nights. When this happens, championship teams fall back on their time tested defensive prowess. They dig deeper when adversity strikes.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Detroit Pistons.
Teams that miss the cut: Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards.
Steady playmaker: playmaking encompasses more than assists. Playoff playmakers are practically immune to pressure. They are able to quiet the storm in a hostile environment and lead their team to victory from the guard positions.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs (Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili), Phoenix Suns (Steve Nash), Dallas Mavericks (Jason Terry), Miami Heat (Dwyane Wade), Denver Nuggets (Allen Iverson), Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant), Chicago Bulls (Kirk Heinrich), New Jersey Nets (Jason Kidd) and the Detroit Pistons (Chauncey Billups).
Teams that miss the cut: Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets.
Championship caliber low post scorer: high percentage shots are essential in playoff basketball. Low post scoring opens the game up for perimeter play. Championship low post scorers have delivered in intense situations and against top competition.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs (Tim Duncan), Phoenix Suns (Amare Stoudemire), Detroit Pistons (Rasheed Wallace), Miami Heat (Shaquille O’Neal), and the Dallas Mavericks (Dirk Nowitzki).
Teams that miss the cut: Orland Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Denver Nuggets.
Championship strategist: team leadership must come from the sideline as well as on the basketball court. Contrary to popular opinion championship players want to be coached. They want to be led by men who know what it takes to win.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs (Greg Popovich), Dallas Mavericks (Avery Johnson), Los Angeles Lakers (Phil Jackson), Utah Jazz (Jerry Sloan), Chicago Bulls (Scott Skiles) and the Miami Heat (Pat Riley).
Teams that miss the cut: Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets, New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets.
Clutch performer: clutch plays are often times the difference between a win and a loss. Being clutch requires great focus and mental strength. This characteristic turns great players into legends. There will be many pivotal playoff moments. The player who seizes the opportunity and delivers in the most pressure-packed situation will ultimately lead his team to the title.
Teams that fit the bill: San Antonio Spurs (Manu Ginobili, Robert Horry), Los Angeles Lakers (Kobe Bryant), Miami Heat (Dwyane Wade), Detroit Pistons, (Chauncey Billups).
Teams that miss the cut: Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, New Jersey Nets, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Orlando Magic.
The San Antonio Spurs embody all of these characteristics and more. Parker, Ginoboli, Duncan, Bowen, and Horry have gone to battle with one another and emerged victorious time after time. Despite having the NBA's most difficult path to the Finals they know what it takes to claim basketball’s greatest prize and they will be this year’s NBA Champion.
The Most Valuable Player is presented to the NBA player who receives the highest point total from a panel of chosen sportswriters. These sportswriters cast a vote for their first, second, and third place selections. First place votes receive five points, second place is worth three points, and third place is worth one point. The player who receives the highest point total is then awarded the distinction of Most Valuable Player.
MVP has historically gone to the best player on one of the teams with the top record in the NBA. No player whose team has won less than 50 games has won the award in the past 25 years.
Team success should not be the barometer by which an individual player is considered to be of most value to his team. Rather than award the title of Most Valuable Player to the best player on the top team, it should go to the NBA player who is of most value to his particular team, with less significance placed upon that team’s win-loss record. Basketball is a team sport. No one player can win consistently without the luxury of a quality-supporting cast.
The value o####reat player encompasses a myriad of basketball intangibles that sadly, are not always guarantors of victories.
Nowhere is this more evident than the Most Valuable Player Award tally’s of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Wilt Chamberlain was the most dominant player in the history of basketball. He once averaged over 50 points and 20 rebounds for an entire season! Chamberlain ended his career with a total of four MVP’s and two NBA championships. Russell, his on-court nemesis of that period, won the MVP award five times, and the NBA championship a record 11 times.
The Boston Celtics of the 1960’s were the definition of a sports dynasty. The Celtics won eleven NBA championships during Russell’s thirteen year career. Russell was surrounded by seven-future Hall of Famers during his eleven year career: forwards Frank Ramsay, Tom Heinsohn, Jim Loscutoff, and guards Bill Sharman, K.C. Jones, John Havlicek, and Bob Cousy.
Chamberlain’s teams were never as adept from top to bottom as Russell’s. Despite the lack of talent surrounding him, Wilt managed to lead his team to six NBA Final appearances. Four of those appearances ended in defeat at the hands of Bill Russell and the Celtics.
Russell was the defensive anchor of those championship Celtic teams and was the most important element to their success but Wilt Chamberlain was always of more value to his team than Russell was to Boston. Russell had the luxury of proven playmakers and scorers to shoulder the burden. Red Aurbach surrounded Russell with players who knew their role and complimented one another perfectly.
Wilt was never afforded the same benefit. Chamberlain was forced to assume practically all of the scoring, rebounding, and defensive workloads in order for his teams to attempt to compete at Boston’s championship level.
The MVP award should have gone to Chamberlain each year that he was able to lift his team to excellence. Wilt’s basketball mastery was such that he could have gone to any NBA team and made them a title contender due to his complete offensive and defensive dominance. Hypothetically, if he had been afforded a spot on Boston’s championship roster there is little doubt that he would have been capable of meeting and more than likely exceeding Russell’s production. Furthermore, if Chamberlain and Russell were subtracted from their respective teams, Wilt’s would have languished in obscurity while Russell’s Hall of Fame teammates would have undoubtebly continued to compete for NBA titles.
The awarding of Most Valuable Player has always been flawed due to the voting panel’s total lack of naivety concerning one player’s impact upon their team’s success. Michael Jordan is the almost consensus pick for greatest player ever but even he failed to win the award consistently until the Bulls begun to win championships. Jordan was recipient of the MVP fives times but only one of those honors came in a season in which the Bulls failed to win the title.
MJ’s first MVP honor came in the 1987-1988 season. The Bulls were a mediocre team that season but their mediocrity had nothing to do with MJ’s value. Not only did he capture the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award but he snagged the Defensive Player of the Year Award as well. Despite the championship success of Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers and the great teams led by the likes of Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas, MJ was awarded for being of more value to his team than those players were to theirs. Lamentably, this season was a rarity in the history of the MVP.
Recent award winners are glorified mainly for their team’s win-loss record with little to no attention payed to that player’s defensive ability, offensive system, or the talent surrounding him.
Offensively, Steve Nash has played brilliantly since signing with Phoenix. He has been crowned the MVP the past two seasons and has statistically improved upon those this year. With Nash running the Suns’ high energy run n’ gun offense, their production has been mind boggling. Phoenix has become a joy to watch and their regular season success is the reason Nash has garnered two Maurice Podoloff tropies.
Despite Phoenix’s recent success, I don’t think Steve Nash was deserving of the title of Most Valuable Player the past two seasons. Nash was without a doubt very valuable to his team but Shaq and Kobe were far more valuable to theirs the previous two years. They were swindled in much the same fashion that Chamberlain was.
The trade of Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat before the start of the 2004 season ensured that Miami would be a title contender for years to come. The pairing of Shaq and Dwyane Wade surpassed early expectations as they quickly claimed the best record in the Eastern Conference. Miami marched to the Eastern Conference Finals where they were defeated by the Pistons in a tightly contested Game 7. Shaquille resurrected that franchise. He made them winners and for that he should have been the Most Valuable Player. If Shaq had not been traded, Miami likely would have been a 7 or 8 playoff seed that season and certainly wouldn’t have won the championship the following year.
The 2005-2006 season was highlighted by some of the greatest individual performances the NBA has ever seen. Kobe Bryant won the league's scoring title, averaging 35.4 points, the most since Michael Jordan’s 37.1 average in the 1986-1987 season. Bryant was spectacular. He tallied 62 points in only three quarters of play against what would be the NBA Finals runner up Dallas Mavericks, outscoring the entire Mavs team by himself, 62-61. Kobe also scored 81 vs. Toronto on January 22nd, 2006.
Bryant carried his team to an eleven-game improvement over the previous season and a 7th seed playoff birth in a very competitive Western Conference.
Unfortunately, it was Kobe’s much maligned reputation which kept him from being awarded MVP that season. He finished fourth-place in the voting for MVP but received 22 first place votes, second only to winner Steve Nash.
The Most Valuable Player Award is one of the greatest honors in basketball. It should be regarded with distinction. It shouldn't be a popullarity contest controlled by PR much like the ridiculousness that has become the NBA All-Star Game.
The distinctinon of MVP should not blindly award the best player on the best team. The voting panel needs to do their job or a new committe or criteria should be developed in order to guarantee that the NBA player who is of the most value to his team receives the credit that he rightly deserves.
The 2006-2007 season has been relatively devoid of surprises. Dallas and Phoenix have maintained the top two records in the West while Detroit and Cleveland have a stranglehold on the East's top two spots.
The Western Conference has once again displayed its dominance over the East. As of Friday, March 23rd the top five seeds in the Western Conference (Dallas: 56-11, Phoenix: 52-16, San Antonio: 47-20, Utah: 44-23 and Houston: 44-25) had records greater than the number one seed in the East (Detroit: 43-24). Further proof that it's time to undergo the change to the NBA's regular season and playoff structure. Each team should play one another an equal amount of times so that the playoffs can be seeded 1-16 without regard to Conference and based upon regular season record. I suggested this on my blog back on December 5th of last year.
MVP
Traditionally, the Most Valuable Player Award has been given to the best player on one of the top teams in the NBA. No player whose team has won less than 50 games has won the award in the past 25 years. I suppose this makes the selection process simple for the voters but I’m not sure that it accurately awards the player who is of the greatest value to his team. For the sake of argument, we’ll focus on the top two candidates…
Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash have both played MVP caliber basketball. Dirk is the favorite to win MVP since his team currently enjoys the league’s best record while Steve Nash has done nothing but statistically improve upon his previous two MVP seasons.
So which player is more valuable to his team?
It can be argued that Steve Nash has a better supporting cast since the Suns have two genuine All-Stars in Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. Marion and Stoudemire are amazing players but Nash provides the spokes that make that wheel go round. With Steve Nash at the point guard position the Suns’ offense is a beautiful thing to watch but impossible to imitate. Nash is an unbelievably athletically gifted player. That’s right, I said athletic. Athleticism encompasses more than just running and jumping. Nash can dribble and pass equally well with either hand. He moves in angles that are impossible for other players to maneuver.
Dirk has played exceptionally well this season and seems to add another dimension to his game with each passing year. Josh Howard is not an All-Star caliber player, leaving Dirk as the Mavs’ only player deserving of star status. While Dirk has played great he is not as valuable to his team as Nash. Dirk has the luxury of playing for one of the top 3 coaches in the game and his team is more talented from top to bottom than any in the league. The Mavericks have a backcourt consisting of Jason Terry, Devin Harris, and bring Jerry Stackhouse (a player who once averaged 29 points per game for the Pistons) o
