On Saturday night, the NBA's historical relationship with the concept of
star power received two more demonstrations of why it
matters.
Offering evidence were the Philadelphia
76ers, working in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series
with the Boston Celtics, and the plucky Denver Nuggets, who were
battling the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of a Western Conference
opener.
Based on circumstance, the Sixers and Nuggets
currently find themselves without a single player ranked -- whether
objectively or subjectively -- among the league's elite. In more
specific terms we often hear or read about, they lack an offensive
closer. But that hasn't prevented Denver coach George Karl and Philly
coach Doug Collins from riding a team-first, by-committee approach to
accomplish some good things.
Unfortunately, the
sixth-seeded Nuggets and eighth-seeded Sixers (who rode an
injury-procured absence of star power for the Chicago Bulls into the
semis) were unable to convert this all-for-one schematic into
fourth-quarter points.
In their collapse against
Boston, the Sixers missed nine of their last 13 field-goal attempts and
generated a meager 20 points during Saturday's final period. Boasting
several really good players but nobody truly capable of creating an open
look for himself or a teammate, the Sixers were unable to climb the
defensive wall the Celtics built.
The Nuggets had a
similar predicament in the fourth quarter of their loss in L.A.,
managing just 19 points. After the Lakers assigned Kobe Bryant to guard
red-hot Ty Lawson down the stretch, the Nuggets' point guard went 0 for 5
and failed to score. Through three quarters, Lawson had made 11 of 14
shots and checked in with 24 points.
Well, sure, it
was great for the Lakers to have a defender of Bryant's caliber against
Lawson. But Denver, like Philly, also was done in by not having a player
with the offensive chops to either break down a defender one-on-one --
creating help, rotation, etc. -- or inspire double-teaming tactics from
the opposition.
Since contending teams often save
their top defensive coverages for late in the game (including the tactic
of switching every screen), the absence of an elite scoring threat
makes scoring even more difficult when role players are asked to
contribute in playoff road games.
It should
be noted that the Indiana Pacers -- who managed to secure the Eastern
Conference's third seed primarily through strong team play -- lack an
upper-shelf closer and failed to make a field goal over the last 4:51 of
Sunday's series-opening loss to the Heat in
Miami.
Do such incidents mean the Nuggets, for
example, would have been in much better fourth-quarter shape with
Carmelo Anthony? Maybe in terms of having a lead scoring option, but
beyond his desire to put Colorado in his rear-view mirror, 'Melo's
inability to elevate his teammates' performances while he played for the
Nuggets resulted in similar playoff fates.
Truly
great players typically set the tone -- in terms of energy and toughness
-- for a team, especially on defense.
While the
communal efforts of the Nuggets and Sixers are encouraging, the
specificity of those Saturday losses demonstrates why teams are so
intent on identifying their next
superstars.
MISSED
OPPORTUNITY
The Sixers may have had a
better chance to prevail Saturday had Collins instructed point guard
Jrue Holliday to miss a free throw on purpose.
This
would have been in response to a tactical decision made by Celtics coach
Doc Rivers, who -- with his team holding a three-point lead in the
waning seconds -- chose to give a foul. The result was Holiday standing
at the foul line with only 3.4 seconds to play, Boston holding a timeout
with which it could advance the ball to mid-court and Philly needing to
foul twice in order to put the Celtics on the
line.
After making the first free throw (cutting the
deficit to two), Holiday also stroked the second instead of missing on
purpose, giving himself and his teammates an opportunity to snag the
rebound on their end of the floor. They could have then tied the score
with a regular field goal or won it with a 3.
That
would have shoved Rivers into the postgame cross-hairs of
second-guessers.
But the Sixers didn't, so after they
trimmed Boston's lead to a point, the Celtics took that timeout,
prepared to inbound the ball on their end of the floor, and ran a
misdirection play involving Ray Allen. But with Allen as decoy, Rajon
Rondo sprinted into the backcourt, took the inbound pass and dribbled
out the clock.
Sure, the Celtics could have thrown
the ball away on a conventional inbound play in their forecourt, but
with only 3.4 seconds remaining and the ball in Philly's end, the
Sixers' strategy was interesting.
AT A LOSS
OVER ROSS
During independent chats with two
NBA personnel guys, both mentioned that University of Washington
shooting guard Terrence Ross may be the most underrated draft prospect
currently sitting on most mock lists.
"Everyone knows
about him," one of the two said in reference to the 6-foot-6 sophomore.
"But unless the campaign of misinformation is really high this year, I
don't hear much about him as a lottery guy right now, and he has the
potential to be a really, really good player."
For
the record, Suns fans, I haven't seen Ross listed in anyone's mock top
13 thus far.
"That should change," the same personnel
guy said, "if his agent can get him into some workouts against wing
players supposedly ranked ahead of him."
