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Here's where stretch, Ponky etc. turn red with anger.
http://www.hoopshype.com/columns/suns2_johnson.htm
Phoenix just better than Dallas
by Eddie Johnson / January 24, 2007
THE AUTHOR:
EDDIE JOHNSON
I know even before I write this article that I will be accused as being a homer. I can just imagine the type of e-mails I will get from Mavericks fans about my honesty because I happen to broadcast for the Suns – in my estimation, the best team in the NBA and the most exciting squad I have ever seen. Phoenix is indeed the best team in the league, although the Mavericks have beaten them twice this year. I will go on the record and say the Suns will beat them handily when they meet in the Conference Finals in May and here is why... But again, before I start Maverick fan, hear me out!
I have never been accused of being a great defender, but yet I carved out a 17-year career. I heard a story Larry Bird once told at a camp about the importance of great offense. He said, "Take a look at that gentleman standing underneath the basket on the other end of the floor. He was one of the best defenders I have ever seen play basketball. But guess what? He never played a minute in the NBA. Now let’s talk about shooting and scoring the basketball."
My message to all these gurus of how to win a championship: You need to settle down and stop looking at what the Pistons of the 80s and what the great Bulls did on the defensive end and take notice of what they did on the offensive end of the court.
Offense creates good defense, not the other way around. Detroit and Chicago controlled the tempo with the way they balanced the floor offensively. They always knew where the shot was coming from and because of that, they had a balanced floor. So when they retreated defensively, they were not vulnerable to a fast break or high-percentage shots.
The great Lakers and Celtics championship teams led by Bird and Magic Johnson were exactly the same. But they were uptempo like the Phoenix Suns are today. They ran with a purpose and had assignments based on the position they were in on a fast break – which enabled them to keep a balanced floor.
So when I hear that the Suns can’t win with their style of play, I say go ask Larry Bird and Magic Johnson if that is true. I say that because they know the secret to fast-break success.
Here it is!
You must first have a point guard who is a born leader and a threat to score 20-plus points and add 8 to 12 assists every night. But most importantly, you must have a frontcourt player with similar skills. This allows continuation and flow of the break – especially when the fast break moves to the secondary stage. You see most breaks fizzle out after the first thrust, but those Lakers and Celtics teams hit you hard on the secondary movement of the break.
That’s the secret to the success of the break and that is why teams might want to play like the Suns, but they can’t because selfishness creeps into their game – thus surprising teammates and creating an unbalanced floor for defensive breakdowns on the other end.
One important note is that the point guard does not have to be a speed demon. Dennis Johnson is my first example.
Johnson played point guard for the Celtics and most players could outrun him not going at full speed. But he and Bird gave Boston two passers that kept things in motion and made their break extremely dangerous. With Bird normally handling the ball in the frontcourt during the secondary break, the ball always found the right hands with a balanced floor – thus the good defense on the other end.
Here’s another example...
The Lakers had Magic. He had good, but not blazing speed. Then they had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. L.A. happened to be blessed with the best passer ever and two more excellent passers in Worthy and Kareem. The scouting report for most teams before the game against the Lakers was retreat and retreat fast thus ignoring any offensive rebound attempts – which was basketball suicide because the Lakers normally led the league in field-goal percentage. That meant teams had no chance to win if they attempted less field goals against them.
That’s why the Kings were so good with Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac. But the triangle offense and the inside-outside dominance of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant was too much for them to overcome.
But here is the difference... There are no inside-outside dominant combinations in the Western Conference. Definitely not in Dallas. That's the reason why the Suns are the best team in the league and will beat the Dallas Mavericks in May.
The Suns have the blueprint for fast-break success to a championship. Steve Nash's and Boris Diaw's excellent passing abilities have given the Suns what the great fast-breaking Lakers and Celtics teams had in the past.
Yes, Dallas beat the Suns in the Conference Finals last year and are up 2-0 so far this season, but when you dig deeper you will find out why the Suns will prevail in the end.
Lets dig!
Dallas' success over the last few years has come against a Suns team affected by injuries. In the back of their minds, they know they wouldn't have beaten the Suns at full strength.
Amare Stoudemire did not play last year and was rounding into shape the first two encounters this season. Kurt Thomas was coming back from a foot injury and Raja Bell pulled a calf muscle and struggled after Game 2 of the series. Yet the Suns took the Mavericks to Game 6. I don't think the Mavericks would have won a game had they lost Josh Howard or Jason Terry.
The Mavericks have no answer for Amare Stoudemire. They have to stay big because Dirk Nowitzki cannot and will not guard him fearing foul trouble. So the Mavericks lose the extra scorer they need on the floor because they have to play Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop.
The Suns have the bodies – Diaw, Shawn Marion and James Jones – to wear Dirk down over a seven-game series, especially with Amare and Kurt Thomas in the paint to negate him from posting up freely and rolling to the basket.
The Mavericks will be the tired team because they depend on three players – Nowitzki, Howard and Terry – to put up big numbers, while the Suns have seven players on their roster that can score 25 points any given night and their scoring comes off the catch-and-shoot instead of the bumping and grinding Dirk and Howard go through every night.
Finally, the Steve Nash factor. Dallas has no answer to negate him. If they double off the screen-and-roll, the Suns will get open three-point attempts. If they switch, then Amare gets 40 points. Finally, if they go under the screen-and-roll, Nash scores 30-plus points.
Everybody, including Charles Barkley, says the Mavericks are a great defensive team and that’s why the Suns can’t beat them. Well, let’s look at the numbers.
- The Mavericks allow 92 points a game and score 99; 7 point differential. The Suns allow 102 points per game and score 111; 9 point differential.
- The Suns and Mavericks both hold the opposition to 45 percent from the field.
- The Mavericks average 42 rebounds per game. The Suns average 41 rebounds per game.
- The Mavericks allow opponents six less rebounds, but the Suns have taken over 300 more three-point shots – giving opponents more attempts at rebounds.
- The Mavericks and Suns both average 5 blocks and 6.5 steals per game.
- The Suns force one more turnover a game than the Mavericks.
- Here is the scariest stat of all for you defensive gurus... When the Suns play in a game when both teams are below 100, they are 5-1. That loss came against Dallas on a buzzer beater by Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs, on the other hand, are 5-6 when teams score over 100 points against them.
Both teams are truly the class of the NBA and Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni should be truly admired for what they have accomplished so far. It is truly remarkable how two teams can be this focused especially after subpar starts to the season. The Suns could be going for their 33rd win in a row if the snow doesn't hold them up in Denver before losing to the Wizards and without that last-second shot by Nowitzki a few days later. Dallas is just plain ridiculous as well. They are 34-4 since starting the season with four straight losses.
But the Suns get the edge.
Just wait!
Eddie Johnson is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com
Here's where stretch, Ponky etc. turn red with anger.
Good article. Of course he's going to make a case for the Suns. Most unbiased NBA "experts" are making the case for the Mavs right now though. I'd say 4 of every 5 cases I've read or heard are for the Mavs. I did hear Tim Legler make a case for the Suns yesterday. I can sit down and write a great case for the Suns (like Eddie did) or a great case for the Mavs...big deal. In the end they gotta find out on the court.http://www.hoopshype.com/columns/suns2_johnson.htm
Phoenix just better than Dallas
by Eddie Johnson / January 24, 2007
THE AUTHOR:
EDDIE JOHNSON
I know even before I write this article that I will be accused as being a homer. I can just imagine the type of e-mails I will get from Mavericks fans about my honesty because I happen to broadcast for the Suns – in my estimation, the best team in the NBA and the most exciting squad I have ever seen. Phoenix is indeed the best team in the league, although the Mavericks have beaten them twice this year. I will go on the record and say the Suns will beat them handily when they meet in the Conference Finals in May and here is why... But again, before I start Maverick fan, hear me out!
I have never been accused of being a great defender, but yet I carved out a 17-year career. I heard a story Larry Bird once told at a camp about the importance of great offense. He said, "Take a look at that gentleman standing underneath the basket on the other end of the floor. He was one of the best defenders I have ever seen play basketball. But guess what? He never played a minute in the NBA. Now let’s talk about shooting and scoring the basketball."
My message to all these gurus of how to win a championship: You need to settle down and stop looking at what the Pistons of the 80s and what the great Bulls did on the defensive end and take notice of what they did on the offensive end of the court.
Offense creates good defense, not the other way around. Detroit and Chicago controlled the tempo with the way they balanced the floor offensively. They always knew where the shot was coming from and because of that, they had a balanced floor. So when they retreated defensively, they were not vulnerable to a fast break or high-percentage shots.
The great Lakers and Celtics championship teams led by Bird and Magic Johnson were exactly the same. But they were uptempo like the Phoenix Suns are today. They ran with a purpose and had assignments based on the position they were in on a fast break – which enabled them to keep a balanced floor.
So when I hear that the Suns can’t win with their style of play, I say go ask Larry Bird and Magic Johnson if that is true. I say that because they know the secret to fast-break success.
Here it is!
You must first have a point guard who is a born leader and a threat to score 20-plus points and add 8 to 12 assists every night. But most importantly, you must have a frontcourt player with similar skills. This allows continuation and flow of the break – especially when the fast break moves to the secondary stage. You see most breaks fizzle out after the first thrust, but those Lakers and Celtics teams hit you hard on the secondary movement of the break.
That’s the secret to the success of the break and that is why teams might want to play like the Suns, but they can’t because selfishness creeps into their game – thus surprising teammates and creating an unbalanced floor for defensive breakdowns on the other end.
One important note is that the point guard does not have to be a speed demon. Dennis Johnson is my first example.
Johnson played point guard for the Celtics and most players could outrun him not going at full speed. But he and Bird gave Boston two passers that kept things in motion and made their break extremely dangerous. With Bird normally handling the ball in the frontcourt during the secondary break, the ball always found the right hands with a balanced floor – thus the good defense on the other end.
Here’s another example...
The Lakers had Magic. He had good, but not blazing speed. Then they had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. L.A. happened to be blessed with the best passer ever and two more excellent passers in Worthy and Kareem. The scouting report for most teams before the game against the Lakers was retreat and retreat fast thus ignoring any offensive rebound attempts – which was basketball suicide because the Lakers normally led the league in field-goal percentage. That meant teams had no chance to win if they attempted less field goals against them.
That’s why the Kings were so good with Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and Vlade Divac. But the triangle offense and the inside-outside dominance of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant was too much for them to overcome.
But here is the difference... There are no inside-outside dominant combinations in the Western Conference. Definitely not in Dallas. That's the reason why the Suns are the best team in the league and will beat the Dallas Mavericks in May.
The Suns have the blueprint for fast-break success to a championship. Steve Nash's and Boris Diaw's excellent passing abilities have given the Suns what the great fast-breaking Lakers and Celtics teams had in the past.
Yes, Dallas beat the Suns in the Conference Finals last year and are up 2-0 so far this season, but when you dig deeper you will find out why the Suns will prevail in the end.
Lets dig!
Dallas' success over the last few years has come against a Suns team affected by injuries. In the back of their minds, they know they wouldn't have beaten the Suns at full strength.
Amare Stoudemire did not play last year and was rounding into shape the first two encounters this season. Kurt Thomas was coming back from a foot injury and Raja Bell pulled a calf muscle and struggled after Game 2 of the series. Yet the Suns took the Mavericks to Game 6. I don't think the Mavericks would have won a game had they lost Josh Howard or Jason Terry.
The Mavericks have no answer for Amare Stoudemire. They have to stay big because Dirk Nowitzki cannot and will not guard him fearing foul trouble. So the Mavericks lose the extra scorer they need on the floor because they have to play Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop.
The Suns have the bodies – Diaw, Shawn Marion and James Jones – to wear Dirk down over a seven-game series, especially with Amare and Kurt Thomas in the paint to negate him from posting up freely and rolling to the basket.
The Mavericks will be the tired team because they depend on three players – Nowitzki, Howard and Terry – to put up big numbers, while the Suns have seven players on their roster that can score 25 points any given night and their scoring comes off the catch-and-shoot instead of the bumping and grinding Dirk and Howard go through every night.
Finally, the Steve Nash factor. Dallas has no answer to negate him. If they double off the screen-and-roll, the Suns will get open three-point attempts. If they switch, then Amare gets 40 points. Finally, if they go under the screen-and-roll, Nash scores 30-plus points.
Everybody, including Charles Barkley, says the Mavericks are a great defensive team and that’s why the Suns can’t beat them. Well, let’s look at the numbers.
- The Mavericks allow 92 points a game and score 99; 7 point differential. The Suns allow 102 points per game and score 111; 9 point differential.
- The Suns and Mavericks both hold the opposition to 45 percent from the field.
- The Mavericks average 42 rebounds per game. The Suns average 41 rebounds per game.
- The Mavericks allow opponents six less rebounds, but the Suns have taken over 300 more three-point shots – giving opponents more attempts at rebounds.
- The Mavericks and Suns both average 5 blocks and 6.5 steals per game.
- The Suns force one more turnover a game than the Mavericks.
- Here is the scariest stat of all for you defensive gurus... When the Suns play in a game when both teams are below 100, they are 5-1. That loss came against Dallas on a buzzer beater by Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs, on the other hand, are 5-6 when teams score over 100 points against them.
Both teams are truly the class of the NBA and Avery Johnson and Mike D’Antoni should be truly admired for what they have accomplished so far. It is truly remarkable how two teams can be this focused especially after subpar starts to the season. The Suns could be going for their 33rd win in a row if the snow doesn't hold them up in Denver before losing to the Wizards and without that last-second shot by Nowitzki a few days later. Dallas is just plain ridiculous as well. They are 34-4 since starting the season with four straight losses.
But the Suns get the edge.
Just wait!
Eddie Johnson is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com
That article holds about as much article as Mark Followil writing one about how the Mavs are the best...none.
what is this bunch of ? it makes no sense at all. Did an 8th grader write this?
Hoopshype.... a GREAT source of unbiased articles....
I thought the best way to find out which team is better is to play each other? Ok, so they have played twice, once when both were struggling out of the gate and another when both were playing well, and the Mavs won both. One home, one away. To me, you can compare numbers or all that if you want, but head-2-head is what determines it. If a group or "experts", analysts or random past players want to write articles stating their "opinions", then thats fine and fun to read, but does it mean anything in the grand scheme of things? Nope, face-2-face, head-2-head, Mavs have that edge right now. Things could change obviously, but right now, Mavs have that advantage.
Don't worry about what happened on the court, try to "dig deeper" than that and you'll understand where Eddie is coming from
Lol, obviously. IMHO, if you have to dig THAT deep, then we already know what the truth is.Don't worry about what happened on the court, try to "dig deeper" than that and you'll understand where Eddie is coming from
To be fair, he does make some good points but why put an article written by a Sun's homer on here? Eddie is paid by the Sun's organization, do you think he'd say that the Mavs are better?Lol, obviously. IMHO, if you have to dig THAT deep, then we already know what the truth is.
no. i will simply let my team do the talking. the fact is, history has proven that a run and gun team that plays little defense and sucks at rebounding always fails in the playoffs, while teams that know how to make clutch plays, rebound, play defense, and has good teamwork, wins championships.
actually, i read the name of the writer, the first sentence, laughed out loud, read the first sentence out loud to my bf, he laughed and then i continued with more important things...no need to clutter my mind with bull
It's funny how everybody talks about a healthy Amare being a difference. All I know is that be careful what you wish for Suns fans. Last year Dampier was relegated to being a DNP because he couldn't follow Tim Thomas out on the perimeter. He can't guard Amare Stoudamire either but that's his defensive assignment and it'll keep Dirk off of him and out of foul trouble. And while Damp is a flawed player and way overpaid, he does contribute and help his team. Without him in there, the Mavs lost a considerable rebounding advantage, which is an absolute necessity if you're going to beat Phoenix.
These two teams are the class of the NBA, and barring injuries/other intangibles, they're going to meet in the conference finals. Such a series will go at least 6 games, the only thing we don't know is who will win Game 5 to take the lead and where Game 6 will be played. Anything else is useless speculation and conjecture. The only thing I will say about a potential series between these two teams is that last year the Suns just simply ran out of gas, and that's where Dallas's depth comes in. It was clear in Game Six who had the fresher legs. Phoenix basically goes with a 6 man rotation -- Nash, Diaw, Marion, Amare, Bell and LB all go for 30+ minutes a game. James Jones and Kurt Thomas are the only other guys who get significant minutes - they each average about 15 minutes a game. Dallas has only 3 guys who play 30+ minutes a night. They have SEVEN guys who play as much or more than Thomas or Jones. Nash has always run out of gas the deeper the playoff run. The Suns are entertaining as and they can run the dregs of the league out the gym, but it takes its toll after 100 games.
Up to this point, Dallas is CLEARLY a tiny bit better. Better overall record, better record against winning teams, they won both head to head matchups and they've done it against a much tougher schedule than Phoenix. Comparing the Suns to the 96 Bulls, the 86 Celtics or the Showtime Lakers is a bit much when they're not even the best 06-07 team yet.
Got to admire the respect the Suns get, huh?
This has nothing to do with respecting or not respecting the Suns. I'm sure everyone respects the out of the Suns...I know I do. This has to do with you posting an article written by a Sun's employee saying that the Suns are the better team
Not really. Being the second-best team in the NBA, they have my respect. We've taken 6 out of the last 8. Run your mouth again in June IF the Suns can reach the Finals.
from who? you sound insecure as does the eddie johnson having to start out the article with a disclaimer. mavs and suns have the two best records in the league, why not just leave it at that?
how many times are you lames gonna argue the same ass bull ?
all mavs fans = NO THE MAVS ARE BETTER
all suns fans = NO THE SUNS ARE BETTER
there problem solved...... now all you s can go end your lives
Article sounds like it was written by a forum poster.
It was probably just difficult for whoever wrote it to put down into words what Eddie was saying to them.
why is your mouth so filthy fillmoe?? sheesh... ha... still love the avatar tho!!!!
i do agree with your quick assessment tho - i been sayin... erybody just agree to disagree...
still not interested in what EJ has to say about the Mavs/Suns.... or anyteam for that matter... who cares what his opinion is? Not this chick.
DAMMNIT, and here I thought he actually went and sought Magic and Larry's actual opinions on the Suns over the Mavs! Thanks for making me wait, eejit!http://www.hoopshype.com/columns/suns2_johnson.htm
Phoenix just better than Dallas
by Eddie Johnson / January 24, 2007
So when I hear that the Suns can’t win with their style of play, I say go ask Larry Bird and Magic Johnson if that is true. I say that because they know the secret to fast-break success.
Just wait!
bad habit?
i just like quick solutions....... and these mavs/suns fans are pissing me off about whos better...... and it doesnt help when the kings are sucking more than a crack .......
Someone's awfully touchy on the whole "Suns are soft on defense" thing.
my team could be soft on defense if they were 33-8.......... i could care less
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