Ric Bucher: I dont see a Tmac-led team winning a chip, EVER

Wade's run 2 years ago was certainly on that level. He shot an insane FG% series after series and was breaking all defenses down relentlessly. It is interesting that Wade and Lebron tore up basically the same defense that took out Kobe in the finals. It isn't because they have longer range on their jump shot or a better jump shot, or prettier individual skills, they don't, but they are superior at breaking down opponents whole defenses off the dribble and either finishing with efficiency or getting the ball to their teammates in ideal spots.

IMO the 3 perimeter players whose games are most effective for playoff runs are Wade, Nash and Lebron. They are not better natural scores than Kobe or Tmac, but they have other attributes that make them better in playoff style ball where you have to win game after game, series after series. Got to break down the best defenses from the inside out, and no matter how good your individual skills are (no player illustrates this more than Kobe) it isn't enough if you don't have the knack of when and where to get the ball to your teammates.

 

wade is just so damn explosive. hes quick and very strong, and when guys back up off of him to stop penetration his midrange is just sick. t-mac needs more help than a guy like wade does.

 

Bull crap he dosent. go Watch the game 7 of the suns series to seasons ago. kobe pulled a AWOL of the highest magnatiude.

He's team lost by 30 and he had a pathetic shoting night. he looked dis-interested. tracy atleast showed up and had a 29-13 performance.

As deset scar rigtly pointedout, a wing player can only team so far if he has willing participants. tracy had none of that.

 

If you wach that dallas series, you would see the mavs were playing Wade 1-1. they were playing collapse defense on shaq. thats the effect shaq has.

The jazz however were not respecting yao in that manner. they had Okur playing yao straightup, but there main focus was getting help defense for AK-47 on tracy.

Not trying to diss wade here, but in noway he had so many guys hanging off he's balls hat tracy had against the jazz.

 

exactly. there was no straight up double on tracy unless it was a pick and roll. but deron was ALWAYS sagging off of alston. and ak47 was a roamer who helped on tmac and yao. they were basically zoning up on tmac basically.

wade didn't face much double teams in the first 4 games. avery johnson simply focused on shaq. the double teams came in game 5 but by then, the heat had all the momentum and the refs were helping them a lil bit too.

 

Exactly be it reputation or whatever, shaq still has that effect. you can argue he is washedup or whatever, but you cant deny that just the sheer size of he's frame still draws double teams.

 

This is not how that series went down. The Heat did better in fact with Shaq entirely off the court and Zo in there. That was the group that stole game 3, and basically the best group thereafter. It was because at that point they just handed it to Wade and had him beak the defense down from the outside-in.

Remember Wade and Lebron have been the only two perimeter guys to just shred the Pistons' defense (remember the Wade injury probably saved the Pistons from an EC loss 3 years ago, and they havn't had much an answer for Lebron the last 2 years either). Kobe couldn't break them down in the finals despite having an even better Shaq with him, I don't think Tmac could either. Wade and Lebron just have some things on the court they do that Kobe and Tmac don't have to the same degree (even more explosive 1st step, better sense of teammates and when/where to get them the ball)--and things things are more important than Kobe and Tmac having better jumpshots beyind the line.

It doesn't mean Tmac or Kobe are great or not all nba worthy. But more is required to carry your team to playoff series wins against top teams if you are asked to make up for other deficits relative to your opponents.