NY Times: Phoenix Pays a Little Homage to Much Faster Times

[arthurracoon]

Phoenix Pays a Little Homage to Much Faster Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/sports/basketball/09hans.html
DENNIS HANS
1/9/05

The Phoenix Suns are a much-needed breath of fresh air for an N.B.A. that remains far too bruising and boring. After 32 games, they were averaging a league-best 109.3 points, an astonishing 7.9 points more a game than the Dallas Mavericks, ranked No. 2 in that category.

But for those who become winded watching Steve Nash and his buddies run up and down the court, consider this: The Suns average 85 field-goal attempts a game. The 1960 N.B.A. champion Boston Celtics averaged 120.

Take a minute to let that sink in. We're talking 41 percent more attempts than today's run-and-gun Suns. On average, the 1959-60 Celtics would hit the Suns' average of 85 attempts with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.

The Suns are headed in the right direction, and I hope they run all the way to the N.B.A. title. Nothing would make me happier than Mike D'Antoni becoming a coaching role model.

D'Antoni learned the game from his father, a legendary high school coach in West Virginia whose teams turned on the crowd by running the opposition right out of the gym. It was a style that kept the focus on the players on the floor, not on the "genius coach" on the sideline. Most important, it was a style that made kids want to play basketball.

Critics say the Suns cannot race their way to an N.B.A. title, but the record shows D'Antoni is on the right track. The Suns' up-tempo style is reminiscent of that of the greatest teams in history, most of which ran at every opportunity and led the league in scoring or field-goal attempts or were near the top. The greatest team over a prolonged stretch - the Bill Russell-era Celtics of 1957 to 1969 - won 11 titles in 13 seasons. They led the league in field-goal attempts every season from 1959 to 1965 and won the title each of those seven years.

Two of the greatest single-season teams, the 1967 Sixers and the 1972 Lakers, each led by Wilt Chamberlain in his moderate-scoring phase, led the league in scoring. The Sixers averaged 125 points, on an average of 100 field-goal attempts, and the Lakers averaged 121 points, on 98 field-goal attempts, each without benefit of a 3-point shot.

When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson joined forces for the 1970-71 season, they led the Bucks to the scoring title (at 118.4 points a game) and the N.B.A. title.

Magic Johnson's Lakers and Larry Bird's Celtics were always near the top in scoring, and those teams combined to win eight titles from 1980 to 1988, when the league scoring average was about 110. The other title team in that stretch - the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, led by Moses Malone and Julius Erving - ran its way to a 112 average.

The N.B.A.'s second-greatest dynasty, the Michael Jordan-era Bulls from 1991 to 1998, led the league in scoring in two title seasons and scored well above the league average in each of its six championship years. That team also served as a beacon in the dark days of the slow-paced Thug Era, first by dethroning the Bad Boy Pistons, then by serving as the worst nightmare for Pat Riley's Broadway Bullies.

In comparing today's go-go Suns and the early-1960's Celtics, it must be noted that the Boston teams played in a league without the 3-point shot. If we convert the Suns' 9.1 3-pointers a game to 2-point shots made, their scoring average would plummet to 100.2. The lowest-scoring team in the 1960's, the 1969 Bulls, averaged 104.7.

To be fair to the Suns, a portion of their staggering field-goal-attempt deficit compared with the early 1960's Celtics is not their fault. Rather, it is a reflection of the walk-it-up, milk-the-clock, prevent-fast-breaks-at-all-costs philosophy of some opposing teams shackled by control-freak coaches. (Thankfully, their numbers are dwindling, and a few of the worst offenders have started to lighten their grip.)

Such coaches did not haunt the league when Red Auerbach was running the Celtics. The closest thing to a slow-down team in 1960 was the Cincinnati Royals, and they fired 104 field-goal attempts a game, 22 percent more than today's beep-beep Suns.

Fans of the Suns can take comfort in another feature of the early Celtics: their running did not prevent them from being a great defensive team. That greatness was predicated on quickness, which they had in abundance.

Alas, the Suns do not have Bill Russell as their last line of defense, but they do have active, athletic players who get their hands on an awful lot of passes, dribbles and shots. If the Suns can remain above average in field-goal defense and sustain that in the playoffs, their efficient, reasonably brisk offense could carry them to the N.B.A. crown.

The 2005 crown, that is. The 1960 Celtics would run them right off the floor.

 

[Azlen]

An excellent article. Required reading for those with short memories who don't think a running team can win an NBA championship.

 

[jibikao]

I want Suns to prove it that running teams can win!!!!

Jimmy

 

[George O'Brien]

What was not mentioned was that the defensive rules of the 1960's were very different than now. There was no double teaming and fouls were actually called, so quick teams were allowed to run around.

The main reason that most teams don't run is that there aren't many fast break point guards who aren't a liability in the half court. When most teams try to run, they end up making turnovers or taking bad shots which kills their defense.

One paradox of defense oriented teams is that they often play defensive specialists at wing positions such as Prince with the Pistons and Hassell/Spreewell of the Timberwolves. But if the team is forced to slow the game down, having defensive specialists on the floor makes it even harder to score in the half court offense.

During last year's playoffs, the Nets ran off three wins in a row against the Pistons before losing in the seventh game. As good as the Piston's defense was, it was not effective when the Nets ran. It should be noted, the Nets were not an exceptional offensive team as they averaged only about 90 ppg.

 

[jibikao]

This brings up a good question.

Do you think it's possible to have a team that averages 120pt like what Boston did?

Honestly, I don't think so. The players we have now are way more athletic and I think the rules are different.

So for Suns averaging 109 is quite amazing! Suns already runs the court all the time and they have pretty impressive shooting %. I really doubt we are going to see another 120pt team unless some rules have changed.

This also shows that refs are indirectly affecting the shape of the game.

Jimmy

 

[Errntknght]

George, "What was not mentioned was that the defensive rules of the 1960's were very different than now. There was no double teaming and fouls were actually called, so quick teams were allowed to run around."

The defensive rules were quite different then but you're dead wrong about double teaming - there has never been any time in history when double teaming was not allowed. You were not allowed to double team a man not in possession of the ball but that's quite a rarity anyway. The big difference is that zones were not allowed, of course - but scoring and pace was way down before zones were okayed.

You're also somewhat off on the calling of fouls - there was a good deal of hand checking allowed on the perimeter back then. It did vary some from year to year but, in general, it happened a good deal more than they are allowing this year. There were some guards back then that kept their hand on the man they were guarding all the time - it was only considered a foul if they impeded his progress and that was often quite called quite laxly. In the playoffs they allowed considerably more physical play all over the floor, including the perimeter.

In my recollection if you go back to the fifties the perimeter defenders simply didn't put their hands on the body of the player they faced so who knows whether a foul would have been called. When it first started happening some players would slap the guys hand away and get quite testy if he persisted - like it was rude or even improper. After a couple of years the refs called a foul for repeatedly slapping a hand away so that mostly disappeared.

 

[Joe Mama]

In my recollection if you go back to the fifties the perimeter defenders simply didn't put their hands on the body of the player they faced so who knows whether a foul would have been called. When it first started happening some players would slap the guys hand away and get quite testy if he persisted - like it was rude or even improper. After a couple of years the refs called a foul for repeatedly slapping a hand away so that mostly disappeared.

Well, the refs called a foul for repeatedly slapping a hand away until Michael Jordan came into the league. He used to do it and get away with it all game long. Of course traveling rules also went out the window with him.

Joe Mama

 

[jibikao]

Ok, I have another dumb question.

When I played in high school, the coach told us NOT to put our "hands" on the opponent because it's a foul. The most we can do is our "arm + elbow" but not like your whole hand on the opponent.

So, Hand Checking is a foul right?? Or it's one of those NBA rules?

Jimmy

 

[elindholm]

Of course traveling rules also went out the window with him.

And hooking with the off arm, which all star players do now.

 

[devilalum]

The only reason the Suns don't average 120 points a game is that their opponents run most of the time off the clock walking the ball up the court and running down the shot clock on every possession.

Those run and gun teams of he past played against teams that also ran up and down the floor and took shots quickly. There's no way the Suns can get off 120 shots against a team like Indian. We scored 124 points and had 94 shots but how many times did Indian shoot with less than 5 seconds on the shot clock. The Suns have no control over that element.

If the Suns win a title this year or next and their style of play catches on things could change. If the Suns played the Suns both teams would easily take 120 shots.

 

[zett]

No team in the sixty's would compete with todays atheletes, If every team runs then the averages will go up, If just the suns are running the other teams walk the ball up It takes away time on O. Less time on O = lower scores The defense played back then was nothing compared to the quickness of todays defenders, The suns would run them out of any gym!

 

[SweetD]

Ok, I have another dumb question.

When I played in high school, the coach told us NOT to put our "hands" on the opponent because it's a foul. The most we can do is our "arm + elbow" but not like your whole hand on the opponent.

So, Hand Checking is a foul right?? Or it's one of those NBA rules?

Jimmy

I asume you are talking about in the post. A few years ago the change the NBA rules to not allow the arm to be extended in the post and you could only use the your forarm or elbow. This rule is hardly called now.

 

[jibikao]

I asume you are talking about in the post. A few years ago the change the NBA rules to not allow the arm to be extended in the post and you could only use the your forarm or elbow. This rule is hardly called now.

What about guarding perimeter? I thought that wasn't allowed in high school as well.

I am asking because I keep hearing the refs were told to call more of those hand checking, so I assume that hand checking is a foul but they just didn't call too many of them. Without hand checking, it will benefit more to the running teams like Sonics, Suns, Wizard and Magic, doesn't it? I am just curious...

Jimmy

 

[Errntknght]

The rule or interpretation that SweetD gave only applied to play in the paint, not on the perimeter. And it was with one arm only - any touch with the other hand was a foul and very frequently called. It really bordered on the ridiculous for a few years. If you had one forearm on Shaq and he lurched back into you, touching your other hand, it was a foul on you.


I have no idea how high schools come up with their rules. I remember about six-eight years ago the league announced they were disallowing any contact initiated by the defender on the perimeter and they pretty much called it that way until the playoffs. The next year it was not enforced as stringently and subsequent years progressively less so. Until this year when they announced they would start enforcing the perimeter rules again - I'd say they are about 3/4ths of the way back to the most stringent version of the rule and, of course, they're not all that consistent about it.