tlongII
03-29-2011, 01:14 PM
http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/gerald-wallaces-renaissance-in-portland/?src=twrhp
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/03/28/sports/basketball/28wallace-offthedribble/28wallace-offthedribble-articleInline.jpg
Gerald Wallace of the Trail Blazers, right, blocking a shot by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka on Sunday in Oklahoma City
The traditional box score is a tool primarily designed to measure offense, and as a result, the work of some of the N.B.A.’s top defenders can go unnoticed. Without a quantitative point of reference to indicate who is succeeding on defense, an accurate assessment often requires a deliberate viewing approach. Nick Collison’s rotations and Toney Douglas’s blanketing of ball-handlers may not show up in an easily countable form, but those who know where to look can see the quiet defensive impact of either player.
But there are also those players whose defense is anything but quiet. Dwight Howard does all of the little things on defense, but he also swats shots into the crowd and gobbles up rebounds. LeBron James jumps passing lanes and chases down opponents for blocks. And Gerald Wallace, who was dominant on both ends in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, plays a physical, active brand of all-purpose defense that is simply impossible to ignore.
Wallace earned the nickname Crash with a reckless style that often sent him tumbling to the floor, but it is an equally appropriate description for his attention-demanding defensive play. If basketball is an ensemble, Wallace’s defense perhaps best parallels the interjection of a crashing cymbal; his play is external to the game’s clear melodic lines, but he nonetheless ensures that his impact does not go unnoticed. Each block, contested shot, dive, bump and leap is downright percussive.
Yet, for the first few months of the season, Wallace was uncharacteristically muted. His tenure as a Bobcat was over long before he was actually traded from the team, and whether Larry Brown, Charlotte’s struggles or Wallace was to blame for that is anyone’s guess, though the most likely answer is some amalgamation of the three. Regardless, the energy that had defined Wallace’s career had unexpectedly diminished, and the greatest player in Bobcats history rarely seemed himself during his final half-season in Charlotte.
A change of scenery has made all the difference. The deadline deal that sent Wallace from the water-treading Bobcats to a legitimate playoff club has seemingly re-energized him, as he has been spectacularly productive and efficient as a Portland Trail Blazer. But Wallace’s stylistic return to form has been just as palpable.
Sunday’s game provides a convenient example. Although he picked up just a single steal and block in 45 minutes, he attacked Kevin Durant on defense. Wallace held one of the league’s most productive scorers to 5-of-18 shooting and almost single-handedly prevented him from making a field goal in the game’s final 28 minutes. When at his best, Wallace’s defense is its own offense. It’s not merely smothering or limiting, but a pointed assault on a given target. Wallace locked in and destroyed Sunday, even if his team was narrowly defeated.
Between stellar defensive sequences, Wallace dropped 40 points of his own, continuing in the tremendous two-way performance that has been par for the course during his time with the Blazers. The fact that Wallace sat for only three minutes is quite telling; Portland simply could not afford to have him on the bench, as every bit of playing time for Wallace came with its own offensive and defensive rewards. Scoring performances of this magnitude are not exactly the norm for Wallace, but let this outburst serve as the “cymballic” crash of sorts in the box score. He did not register a ton of steals or blocks – though he’s no stranger to stat-stuffing in either regard – but Gerald Wallace is back, and playing as well as ever.
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2011/03/28/sports/basketball/28wallace-offthedribble/28wallace-offthedribble-articleInline.jpg
Gerald Wallace of the Trail Blazers, right, blocking a shot by Thunder forward Serge Ibaka on Sunday in Oklahoma City
The traditional box score is a tool primarily designed to measure offense, and as a result, the work of some of the N.B.A.’s top defenders can go unnoticed. Without a quantitative point of reference to indicate who is succeeding on defense, an accurate assessment often requires a deliberate viewing approach. Nick Collison’s rotations and Toney Douglas’s blanketing of ball-handlers may not show up in an easily countable form, but those who know where to look can see the quiet defensive impact of either player.
But there are also those players whose defense is anything but quiet. Dwight Howard does all of the little things on defense, but he also swats shots into the crowd and gobbles up rebounds. LeBron James jumps passing lanes and chases down opponents for blocks. And Gerald Wallace, who was dominant on both ends in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, plays a physical, active brand of all-purpose defense that is simply impossible to ignore.
Wallace earned the nickname Crash with a reckless style that often sent him tumbling to the floor, but it is an equally appropriate description for his attention-demanding defensive play. If basketball is an ensemble, Wallace’s defense perhaps best parallels the interjection of a crashing cymbal; his play is external to the game’s clear melodic lines, but he nonetheless ensures that his impact does not go unnoticed. Each block, contested shot, dive, bump and leap is downright percussive.
Yet, for the first few months of the season, Wallace was uncharacteristically muted. His tenure as a Bobcat was over long before he was actually traded from the team, and whether Larry Brown, Charlotte’s struggles or Wallace was to blame for that is anyone’s guess, though the most likely answer is some amalgamation of the three. Regardless, the energy that had defined Wallace’s career had unexpectedly diminished, and the greatest player in Bobcats history rarely seemed himself during his final half-season in Charlotte.
A change of scenery has made all the difference. The deadline deal that sent Wallace from the water-treading Bobcats to a legitimate playoff club has seemingly re-energized him, as he has been spectacularly productive and efficient as a Portland Trail Blazer. But Wallace’s stylistic return to form has been just as palpable.
Sunday’s game provides a convenient example. Although he picked up just a single steal and block in 45 minutes, he attacked Kevin Durant on defense. Wallace held one of the league’s most productive scorers to 5-of-18 shooting and almost single-handedly prevented him from making a field goal in the game’s final 28 minutes. When at his best, Wallace’s defense is its own offense. It’s not merely smothering or limiting, but a pointed assault on a given target. Wallace locked in and destroyed Sunday, even if his team was narrowly defeated.
Between stellar defensive sequences, Wallace dropped 40 points of his own, continuing in the tremendous two-way performance that has been par for the course during his time with the Blazers. The fact that Wallace sat for only three minutes is quite telling; Portland simply could not afford to have him on the bench, as every bit of playing time for Wallace came with its own offensive and defensive rewards. Scoring performances of this magnitude are not exactly the norm for Wallace, but let this outburst serve as the “cymballic” crash of sorts in the box score. He did not register a ton of steals or blocks – though he’s no stranger to stat-stuffing in either regard – but Gerald Wallace is back, and playing as well as ever.