Friday, December 23, 2005, 08:47 PM EST
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NBA]
About a third of the way through the NBA season, a quick glance at the standings shows that Detroit and San Antonio are the class of the league. The Knicks are an overpaid, underacheiving band of misfits, Allen Iverson is leading the league is scoring, Ron Artest isn't dressing for Pacers' games, and the Atlanta Hawks are one of the worst teams in the NBA. In fact, with the exception of the surprising LA Clippers, there isn't much to distinguish this season from the 2004-05 NBA campaign.
The Pistons haven't missed a beat with the arrival of Flip Saunders in Motown. As a matter of fact, the beat has gotten faster: going into Friday night's game, Detroit has had a higher scoring average as compared to last year (99.9 points per game vs. 93.3 PPG in 2004-05), due in large part to the uptempo offense brought in by Saunders. The defensive intensity ushered in by Larry Brown two seasons ago still remains, so expect to see the Pistons make another run deep into the postseason.
The easiest way to describe the Spurs is to call them "The New England Patriots of the NBA." The core group of players has been together for years, their coach is immensely talented (yet largely unheralded) and they always seem to turn it up notch when the playoffs come around. Despite a rash of injuries to starting guard Manu Ginobili, coach Gregg Popovich has kept the ship steady, leading the Spurs to a 20-6 record. Tony Parker has taken his game to the next level, averaging 20.1 PPG and 6.5 APG on 54% shooting. Tim Duncan continues to be the most consistent (and most anonymous) superstar in the NBA, contributing 20.6 points and 11.9 boards per game during the Spurs' hot start. Don't be surprised if a Detroit-San Antonio Finals rematch becomes a reality come June.
For some strange reason, Larry Brown actually thought that he could convince the 15 men who currently comprise the New York Knicks roster "to play defense" and "share the basketball" - phrases which are completely foreign to them. Perhaps he believed that he and Isiah Thomas could trade some of the malcontents for veterans like Eric Snow who could show the younger players the tenets of the Larry Brown system. Personally, I think Brown would have a better chance teaching the Knicks to be fluent in Mandarin Chinese than in getting them to "play the right way." It's not going to happen.
At least Brown himself realizes this after his team's dismal (6-18) start. In a recent interview, he stated that "[t]his is much more difficult right now than I ever imagined." There are older players (Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson) who live by the "shoot first" mantra, and there are younger guys (Nate Robinson, Channing Frye, Trevor Ariza) who, while talented, continue to make mistakes that young players tend to make. Add in the fact that there is no veteran leadership whatsoever, and it shouldn't be a surprise that the New York experiment was doomed from the start. Larry Brown, please pick up the white courtesy phone...
We all know that the Los Angeles Clippers won't still be playing when it matters the most, and that's just the way it is. It doesn't matter that Elton Brand is having a phenomenal season (25.0 PPG and 10.7 PPG). It doesn't matter that they're doing this largely without their second-leading scorer (Corey Maggette), who is battling a foot injury. It doesn't even matter that they're currently tied with Phoenix for the Pacific Division lead. All that matters is that across the front of the uniform, it still reads "Clippers." The name of a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game since 1993. And that is enough to hasten their return to mediocrity, and all will be right with the NBA world once again.
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