Two seasons in a row, Shaq and Duncan...Duncan and Shaq. They've won a combined 8 of the last 9 championships. Same ol', same ol'. Or so we thought... We 'witness' (pun intended, Lebron) Dwyane Wade putting on a show, one for the ages to say the least. We hadn't seen a guard dominate an entire series like that since His Airness. How did he do it? By attacking the interior and refusing to settle for jumpers, only taking the occasional mid-range shot IF he must. Following season, a kid from France by the name of Tony Parker brings the anointed King and his team to their collective knees, shredding every defensive scheme and maneuvering through traffic as if he's already been down that road before. He's not quite as as big or physically strong as Wade, but he makes up for it with his relentless attack of the basket and his deceptive quickness, not to mention his almost unmatched ability to finish in the paint, better than most big men in the league even. What's the point of all this drivel, you ask? Well, nothing really, just that a "shift has been made"...a new twist to the same story.
And yet in the playoffs, the big man's precense in the paint is what seperates good teams like the Mavs, and Suns from the championship. I think the biggest thing about having a post presence is: 1. Attacking the basket is almost always gonna be harder when you have a good defensive big men in there. 2. Dumping it inside is the best way to settle a team down if things aren't going as expected. Even if you only do it once or twice a game, a good big man always have a few moves that couldn't be stopped.
Parker is a leech who simply fits in. He doesnt make his teammates better, the 1st priority for a PG. I am not saying he is bad. His FG% amazes me. But he is in the right place at the right time. He isnt a typical finals MVP.
It's mostly the rule changes and the lack of qualified refs that's making the biggest difference. All hail the death of the 5 and the midrange jumper.
someone should tell tmac how effective attacking the basket can be. when you attack the rim, good things happen. when you take long range shots more so than not, you will usually suffer a low shooting %.
shaq and duncan have been in every finals since 98. i think it will end next year tho. spurs cant repeat and miami is old
Hmm, they change the rules so you are not allowed to defend guard penetration and the finals MVP is a penetrating guard 2 years in a row. I wonder if there is some sort of connection there. For the love of basketball Stern, please change the rules back to how they were in the '90s.
Yes Miami is old, but the Spurs are too. However, the Spurs were old last season, and they were 1 minute away from the finals. They were old this season, but they got there again. They'll be old next season, but Parker is extremely young, and Ginobili and Duncan still have some in the tank. Popovich will be there and as i'm sure you know, especially with that franchise's decision making and talent scouting, that's all they really need to be a contender. The pieces around them will fit like a glove. Finley will probably stay, Horry will probably go, a big loss, but not big enough. Barry will probably stay, Oberto has nowhere TO go. Only team that could stop them is the Mavs IF they're as good as next season as they were this season and don't lose in the first round to the Warriors (which they will if they meet). Because you know the Spurs will be good next season. Maybe not through the regular season, but they'll turn it up in the playoffs. I can't believe they were better than us the whole way, and we were only a game behind them, and thne they turned it up and we got smoked. It's sad really. I hope Adelman's new Rockets have something to say to the Spurs next season.
That's pretty much what I am saying. The 'shift' has been made. The rule changes have visibly altered the game to favor quick, penetrating guards that are willing to take it inside and not fall in love with the jumper. Before now, it's been theoretical more so than reality, but now we have hard evidence to back it up. Once might be an aberration, but two years in a row, with the two most dominant players of their era on both teams not ending up with the finals MVP trophy...that got my attention.
If only the Rockets had a big man in the paint and a superstar-caliber guard. Wait! We DO! Let's just hope T-Mac was watching this series and thinking, "You know, maybe I shouldn't settle for quite so many jumpers next year."
