[Grantland] Blue Chips: An oral history of Shaq, Penny, and the Magic's lost NBA dynasty (Rockets me

Exactly, lol. They “rested” by playing 39 minutes and losing.

 

Did they mention that 23 yrs ago today started their downfall.

 

Le$'s a stolen championship...

 

The funniest part of that signing was Tracy Murray coming out of the tunnel with Clyde; waiving to the crowd as if he was the reason for the standing ovation!! Lmao

 

I can't wait for the Oral History of the OKC Thunder in 10 years.

 

I can still remember watching that game on TV. I could have sworn it took 10 mins for Clyde to get to his seat.

 

I really miss Grantland...

 

Tracy Murray would dominate in Morey Ball... or was it Tracy Morey...

 

I love this idea that Hakeem was just a finesse guy. What made him so great is that he could kill teams any way necessary. Before Shaq came along, people said Hakeem was strong as an ox and could do the power game as well as anyone, but of course he also developed and extended his shooting range so he could also do stuff like the fadeaway. It's just that Shaq was so big that he really distorted everyone's idea of a power player, like you weren't really playing strong unless you knocked a guy into the stands with your shoulder before dunking it hard

 

Here's the missing Nick Anderson part of the story:

*phone rings*

"Hello?"

"Hi, Nick, this is Jonathan Abrams from Grantland. We're doing a feature story about the Magic almost-dynasty. I was wondering if I can get some quotes from you about the '95 finals against the Rockets."

*click*

"Nick? Nick?"

 

I hear ya... don't get me wrong... I think we got this! I honestly believe we can win it all this year!
From that point, I start thinking... ok, where are we gonna get screwed? (How can u be a fan for decades and not go there? lol)
Going into the season my concerns were:
1) Chemistry/attitude - hoping we didnt get some diva-bs or divisiveness that was gonna kill us... That doesn't look to be an issue. We have great comradery, everyone seems good with their role, love what guys like Green and CP3 are bringing... no longer a concern...
2) Lack of depth - particularly in the front court.... With the recent acquisitions (GG, JJ, Wright) thats no longer a concern...
3) MDA and his short rotations burning guys out... TBD...

People point out that Harden and CP3 are running fewer minutes... but here's the real....
vs Last Year Harden's minutes are down .6 minutes a game - less than 2%... and thats after missing games due to injury and coming back... less 2% when the dude ran out of gas last year... Granted with CP3 he's not having to kill himself night in night out... but I still gotta hope for a lot more rest between now and the playoffs...
vs Last Year CP3 is a year older, already missed multiple games, and actually +.5 minutes a game...

I just pray we got enough guys that MDA will be willing to play at this point...

I'm enjoying the season and think we should win it all... I just hope it doesnt blow up in our faces due to MDA's stubborness... this is the same guy who just a few weeks ago was ready to relegate GG to the bench because 'the rotation is what it is' prior to the Ariza injury...

 

Oh yeh, 've been watching since Moses...Malone that is - lol!
I agree that you had far less minute management than nowadays... but you had a lot more half court sets and an overall slower game (except for maybe the showtime lakers...). Typically a lot more physical - but not as much high power running...
I stand by my statement... had MDA been coaching the team with his 7 second offense and running guys to the degree he does - we would not have won that ring.
Looking at that squad, do you really disagree?

 

Hard to say because when you compare the actual pace, despite it appearing faster now, the difference isn’t huge (1-2 possesions more). Look at pace stats by year if you want a surprise. I certainly didn’t expect SSOL Suns to only play a little faster than 90s teams.

Of course, pace is a two way street - if your opponents are slow, you’ll also get fewer possessions. So it doesn’t really tell the whole story. But I don’t think you can make an assumption that running fast on offense and then playing 24 second defense is harder than the way they played.

Plus when you have Hakeem, you have no reason not to play inside out ball vs spread PnR. Closest team in the current era would be 2009 Magic.