Jazzketblog
Friday, May 25, 2007
Rooting for the Jazz and Suns on principle
I've been rooting for the Suns ever since they decided to go run and gun with D'Antoni at the helm, and now that Nellie is back in Golden State I am pulling for the Warriors to succeed as well. The Spurs and Detroit might be better teams but their brand of basketball is like a coffee from Li'l Cricket - works to keep you awake, barely, and isn't very tasty. Defense might win championships, but a final score 80-75 means a big steaming cup of sucky basketball for fans... or at least to me.
To a lot of folks the NBA's peak was the era of Magic and Bird where games could have both teams scoring over 100 points with good defense in the 4th quarter making the difference. To its credit the NBA recognized the product was getting ponderous and made two key adjustments: reducing how much hand-checking happens on the perimeter, and adding the confusing yet still beneficial defensive 3 seconds rule. But there is one thing left that needs to be addressed IMHO - the isolation play. To watch a player dribble the ball for 15 seconds at the top of the key, then go one-on-one against the defender while his teammates scratch and stare... well, it's just plain irritating. Passing to catch the zone in rotation, creating mismatches with the pick and roll, guards driving and dishing to an open shooter, or a quick entry pass to a big man who goes to work inside is good basketball both fundamentally and visually. But since the isolation play is within the rules, and can be effective for teams that rely on a star player, how do you discourage coaches from calling it ad nauseum? I think some sort of 5 second rule would be a great idea to keep the game moving.
To a lot of folks the NBA's peak was the era of Magic and Bird where games could have both teams scoring over 100 points with good defense in the 4th quarter making the difference. To its credit the NBA recognized the product was getting ponderous and made two key adjustments: reducing how much hand-checking happens on the perimeter, and adding the confusing yet still beneficial defensive 3 seconds rule. But there is one thing left that needs to be addressed IMHO - the isolation play. To watch a player dribble the ball for 15 seconds at the top of the key, then go one-on-one against the defender while his teammates scratch and stare... well, it's just plain irritating. Passing to catch the zone in rotation, creating mismatches with the pick and roll, guards driving and dishing to an open shooter, or a quick entry pass to a big man who goes to work inside is good basketball both fundamentally and visually. But since the isolation play is within the rules, and can be effective for teams that rely on a star player, how do you discourage coaches from calling it ad nauseum? I think some sort of 5 second rule would be a great idea to keep the game moving.
Labels: basketball, offense, suns, warriors
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