duncan228
12-23-2010, 05:08 PM
Experience paying off for top teams (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/12/23/nba.mailbag.dec.23/)
Ian Thomsen
SI.com
In this holiday season let us show respect for a most important and underrated dynamic in the NBA season thus far. I'm talking about family.
A sense of family -- togetherness -- has helped separate the top four teams from the rest of the league over these opening months. The Spurs, Celtics, Mavericks and Lakers have been together for years, and that's a big reason why they've coasted along at a combined 92-20. Not only are they talented, experienced and coached exceedingly well, but they also know each other.
Don't discount the importance of unity. It is a quality sought by all NBA teams and embraced by few. The Heat (21-9) have yet to make the most of their talent because they're still learning to play with each other. They are 0-3 against the top four, and they'll be underdogs in Los Angeles when they challenge the champion Lakers on Christmas Day.
"There's a great confidence that comes when you've been together for some time,'' 76ers coach Doug Collins said. "If you and I are buddies and we've been together a long time, I can look out on the floor and know what you're going to do before you even do it, and vice versa. I can see by the look on your face what you're getting ready to do. I know just because I've been with you so much.''
The league-leading Spurs share in that group understanding. They've gone 25-3 with nothing more from highly anticipated rookie Tiago Splitter than 11.7 minutes and 4.5 points per game. They are pacing Tim Duncan with averages of 29.4 minutes and 14 points, but making up for that is the 14.1 points they're receiving from a more comfortable and confident Richard Jefferson after he invested a full year of struggles in getting to know his teammates and their system. They are 9-1 in games decided by six points or fewer in no small part because they know what they're doing, and other teams don't.
Togetherness enables the Mavericks (23-5) to augment their defense by incorporating center Tyson Chandler without setting back the teamwork that has been growing in layers around Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd year by year. That's why owner Mark Cuban has been quick to shoot down talk that he may break up this team in order to trade for Carmelo Anthony -- he doesn't want to ruin the cohesiveness that is awfully hard to come by.
The Celtics lose quarterback Rajon Rondo to a sprained ankle, but Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen know each other so well that they can share the playmaking and finish four victories -- stretching their winning streak to 14 -- without their All-Star point guard. So, too, do the Lakers glide along without center Andrew Bynum, as both of last year's finalists have deepened their benches without disrupting the winning identity that has been under construction for several years.
"It's everything,'' Collins said of the shared understanding, "because you learn under pressure where you can go. You don't panic. You get down six or eight, and you know you're two or three stops from getting back in the game. All of those teams are very good defensively, they're all good road teams, they've all got stars that under pressure can make big plays.''
Most teams have talented players, and most of those players don't know how to help one another.
"It's a big part of this business, especially when you're a team that's trying to be a champion,'' Collins said. "When you get in the playoffs, there's so much emotion and volatility from game to game, and you lose a game and it's like the end of the world and you have to sit there in another city for two or three days. I've always felt like it comes down to the teams that can navigate the emotional waters of the playoffs, that can keep that even keel.''
No coincidence that the winningest stars this season are those who have learned to rely on and be liberated by their teammates. Miami looks less clunky with each month that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh spend playing together, but will they have enough time to develop a flow to carry them through the playoffs? Think of how the Celtics struggled throughout much of their postseason run to the 2007-08 championship -- they were still learning to play together even after winning 66 games that regular season.
Even if the Magic are able to make another trade to fill out their frontcourt, will they instantly become title contenders? Probably not, because acquiring talent is but the first step. As hard as it is to find stars, it's harder still to develop relationships through them. The Lakers, Celtics and Spurs, in particular, are defined by team play, and can anyone beat them on their terms? The Mavericks are positioning themselves for that challenge, the Heat hope to get there and everyone else is running out of time.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/12/23/nba.mailbag.dec.23/index.html
Ian Thomsen
SI.com
In this holiday season let us show respect for a most important and underrated dynamic in the NBA season thus far. I'm talking about family.
A sense of family -- togetherness -- has helped separate the top four teams from the rest of the league over these opening months. The Spurs, Celtics, Mavericks and Lakers have been together for years, and that's a big reason why they've coasted along at a combined 92-20. Not only are they talented, experienced and coached exceedingly well, but they also know each other.
Don't discount the importance of unity. It is a quality sought by all NBA teams and embraced by few. The Heat (21-9) have yet to make the most of their talent because they're still learning to play with each other. They are 0-3 against the top four, and they'll be underdogs in Los Angeles when they challenge the champion Lakers on Christmas Day.
"There's a great confidence that comes when you've been together for some time,'' 76ers coach Doug Collins said. "If you and I are buddies and we've been together a long time, I can look out on the floor and know what you're going to do before you even do it, and vice versa. I can see by the look on your face what you're getting ready to do. I know just because I've been with you so much.''
The league-leading Spurs share in that group understanding. They've gone 25-3 with nothing more from highly anticipated rookie Tiago Splitter than 11.7 minutes and 4.5 points per game. They are pacing Tim Duncan with averages of 29.4 minutes and 14 points, but making up for that is the 14.1 points they're receiving from a more comfortable and confident Richard Jefferson after he invested a full year of struggles in getting to know his teammates and their system. They are 9-1 in games decided by six points or fewer in no small part because they know what they're doing, and other teams don't.
Togetherness enables the Mavericks (23-5) to augment their defense by incorporating center Tyson Chandler without setting back the teamwork that has been growing in layers around Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd year by year. That's why owner Mark Cuban has been quick to shoot down talk that he may break up this team in order to trade for Carmelo Anthony -- he doesn't want to ruin the cohesiveness that is awfully hard to come by.
The Celtics lose quarterback Rajon Rondo to a sprained ankle, but Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen know each other so well that they can share the playmaking and finish four victories -- stretching their winning streak to 14 -- without their All-Star point guard. So, too, do the Lakers glide along without center Andrew Bynum, as both of last year's finalists have deepened their benches without disrupting the winning identity that has been under construction for several years.
"It's everything,'' Collins said of the shared understanding, "because you learn under pressure where you can go. You don't panic. You get down six or eight, and you know you're two or three stops from getting back in the game. All of those teams are very good defensively, they're all good road teams, they've all got stars that under pressure can make big plays.''
Most teams have talented players, and most of those players don't know how to help one another.
"It's a big part of this business, especially when you're a team that's trying to be a champion,'' Collins said. "When you get in the playoffs, there's so much emotion and volatility from game to game, and you lose a game and it's like the end of the world and you have to sit there in another city for two or three days. I've always felt like it comes down to the teams that can navigate the emotional waters of the playoffs, that can keep that even keel.''
No coincidence that the winningest stars this season are those who have learned to rely on and be liberated by their teammates. Miami looks less clunky with each month that LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh spend playing together, but will they have enough time to develop a flow to carry them through the playoffs? Think of how the Celtics struggled throughout much of their postseason run to the 2007-08 championship -- they were still learning to play together even after winning 66 games that regular season.
Even if the Magic are able to make another trade to fill out their frontcourt, will they instantly become title contenders? Probably not, because acquiring talent is but the first step. As hard as it is to find stars, it's harder still to develop relationships through them. The Lakers, Celtics and Spurs, in particular, are defined by team play, and can anyone beat them on their terms? The Mavericks are positioning themselves for that challenge, the Heat hope to get there and everyone else is running out of time.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ian_thomsen/12/23/nba.mailbag.dec.23/index.html