Out of all the reasons for the Suns' demise, the loudest has been the least convincing. From Sir Chuck to DCollins, Lig elders have closed ranks to condemn D'Antoni's system. Fire up the torches. I smell a witchhunt! 'Defense wins championships'...'The playoffs are a different game'...'You can't get the ship by outscoring the other team'...and on and on. And yet, the evidence suggests a myriad of circumstantial causes for the Fall of Phoenix, none of which should discredit Dantoniball and the EBA.
The list of reasons for the Suns' demise is surely a long one. Here have been the most prominent:
1) During a toss-up series with the Spurs, Amare lost his head and got a one-game suspension.
2) Lockerroom drama with Marion and Amare eventually could not be reconciled.
3) Sarver's cheap antics led the team to sell off its draft picks (including Rondo) and, more importantly, forced the release of Kurt Thomas, who, wouldn't you know, was instrumental in the Spurs' sweep this playoffs.
4) Nash's prime came when Amare was young and then injured. Bad timing. The stars didn't align.
5) The Spurs were just a better team, better players. And the Lake-show before them.
What do these circumstances add up to? The stars didn't align. The ball bounced off the rim. NOT an inherent flaw in D'Antoni's system. If you have ever heard Collins call a GState game, you know exactly how frustrated he gets with Nelly-ball. Collins believes in defense-first. Legitimate? Completely. But the sad reality is that D'Antoni's system has challenged that Lig dogma. And that has not sat well. He was a rebel and now that he has stumbled, it's payback time.
And to what effect? Certain Lig elders still maintain a stranglehold on the discourse. Most often I find them fascinating and hone my own views with theirs in the front of my mind. But in this case, the discourse has stifled actual analysis.
As I have listened to Chicago Sports Talk Radio the last few days, I have heard the echoing of the "Defense First Crowd" (DFC.) The radio has been filled with Chicagoans and their sports experts condeming the D'Antoni hire already. They repeat the same maxims. And, to my bafflement, have not seen that the Bulls could potentially be the most exciting team in basketball. Instead, Chicagoans have harped on the same old same old, D...F...C...'defense wins championships.'
You cannot be serious! You're better than that...!...Alas, I guess beggars can be boo-birds.
It would be a shame if the take-home from the Nash years will be a lesson in defeat. It will be a shame if the once future of basketball becomes buried in the past. D'Antoni-ball and the EBA is a legitimate challenge to the 'play the right way' strategy. And, in the words so recently repeated...It's not deficient. It's just different.
Great article! I hope this isn't the demise of D'Antoni-ball.
Posted by: Ellen (And One) | May 10, 2008 at 12:47 AM
i hear ya sister!
the other question is how exportable is it? is dantoni the difference or can the EBA survive in Memphis and Toronto with different coaches?
Posted by: phdribble | May 10, 2008 at 12:55 AM