Championship Calibre teams...

[Diesel]

After reading some of the foolishness that has been propagated by Knight "the genuis". I think it's time to take a critical look at Championship quality teams and what makes them championship quality... For just the past few years:

Miami vs. Dallas.

Some would say that Miami's strength is Dwayne Wade and Wade alone. The truth is that their strength is being able to control the tempo of the game. What happened to Dirk in the series? He disappeared. Mainly because Dirk doesn't function well in the halfcourt game. This was Pat Riley Ball all day. Not Riley with the Lakers but Riley with the Knicks. Muscle a team into your game and make them play it.

Dallas was the above average run and gun team. They got to the finals by being the best team in the shootout. Mainly because when they need to score, there was Dirk and Howard.

San Antonio vs. Detroit

Detroit was miscoached. They should have beaten San Antonio just as they had beaten LAL. The problem was one of identity. Detroit is nothing but a halfcourt team. I know that they showed the ability to score points under Flip.. but their strength is not in their scoring but in their defense. They played a team that was a better halfcourt team than they were and were beat because they forgot about Big game Bob amoung other things.

San Antonio is the blueprint that most people should try to emulate. I know they are boring to watch for those who just want Dunk dunk dunk... But Parker to Duncan, Duncan to Ginobilli, Duncan to Horry.. that wins basketball games. When you have a inside outside game and a PG who can control tempo, you should win.

Detroit vs. LAL.

Many people wanted to blame LA losing on chemistry. The truth of the matter is that Detroit was just better. It was a case of cohesion on defense meeting cohesion on offense and everybody knowing their role. LAL was just happy to be in the finals. They didn't know that they were there to play a true monster. LAl would hve had to be on their Ps and Qs to beat Detroit.

San Antonio vs. NJ.

We've talked about San Antonio previously. However, if you look at NJ... They had Jason Kidd. probably at his best. Now Kidd is not going to be the most effiencient PG. Hell, he probably won't be the best scorer either. However, what he does well is make people better. Kmart owes his career to Kidd. RJ owes a lot to Kidd. Even though the NJ team was riddled with Holes, the difference a Good PG makes is amazing.

So what have we learned.

Controlling the tempo in basketball and having an inside outside game can lead you to the championship. It's what most championship calibre teams have.

teams that have to be considered as possible championship quality:

1. Clipps. With Sam, Brand, and Maggette, LAC has a team that can go from defensive to offensive and one that can control tempo.

2. Nuggets... All they needed was a guy who could spread the floor out. With the frontcourt rotation of Camby, Nene, and Joe Smith.. the Nuggets have become a scary team with vet bigs. The question mark that could mean everything is J.R. Smith. If this kid can become a dependable shooter.. OMG...The kid is young and he shot 37% from three. It's not great but not bad for a guy who's not yet 21.

3. Nets. Kidd is back at it again. This team, i think he has more talent. Carter, RJ, Kristic are good players to run with. They question is can they stay healthy.

4. Bulls. It's possible for the Bulls to do some championship damage. But I do believe that Wallace won't be as dominant as he was 2 years ago. I think they caught him on the way down... Still, they have some very nice players in Gordon, Hinrich, and Deng.

5.Bucks. For now, i'm like what the hell are they doing? I like the acquisition of Charlie V. You have Charlie V. and Bogut in the frontcourt. You have Redd and Blake in the backcourt. At Sf does it matter who you play. The Bucks have a good team but championship quality is questionable.

Finally the Hawks.... Well, I think we have far too much redundancy and we lack a true front court scorer... The question this season will be can Speedy be the PG we need. I have some doubts... I hate saying that but I'm not a big fan of SPeedy yet. I can't see a big difference between him and lue. However, I will trust BK on this one.

[vdunkndunk]

I think the Hawks already have all the pieces in place for a championship team right now...if we could draft a young Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal this summer.

[Packfill]

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I think the Hawks already have all the pieces in place for a championship team right now...if we could draft a young Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal this summer.

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I agree 100%

[DJlaysitup]

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I think the Hawks already have all the pieces in place for a championship team right now...if we could draft a young Tim Duncan or Shaquille O'Neal this summer.

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Yes...that one minor addition might be of some help...LOL. Anyway, I'm not one to say "who cares if we make the eighth seed, we want a championship". Sure we do but there's nothing wrong with hanging around the mid-to-low playoff level for a couple years while the young guys mature. Heck, even a one round and done would be good experience for the players and fun for us fans.

The only big danger (IMO) with real good young players is holding onto them, especially if ownership doesn't get it together.

[Diesel]

If Warren Buffet would give me a Billion Dollars, I'd be considered Rich... or at least Wealthy!

I thought there were thinking basketball minds at work here... You guys are like bad writers for the sitcom 2 guys a girl, and a pizza place.

[Nicholasp27]

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If Warren Buffet would give me a Billion Dollars, I'd be considered Rich... or at least Wealthy!

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wealthy is harder to obtain than rich

rich means u have a lot of money; nba players are rich

wealthy means u have a lot of passive income; in fact, enough to live your lifestyle without having to work

u can get a job making 500k/year and be rich, but if u then lost that job, u'd be broke unless u had invested most of the 500k into passive vehicles to earn you money

wealth u can't lose very easily; rich u can lose in an instant

[Nicholasp27]

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If Warren Buffet would give me a Billion Dollars, I'd be considered Rich... or at least Wealthy!

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wealthy is harder to obtain than rich

rich means u have a lot of money; nba players are rich

wealthy means u have a lot of passive income; in fact, enough to live your lifestyle without having to work

u can get a job making 500k/year and be rich, but if u then lost that job, u'd be broke unless u had invested most of the 500k into passive vehicles to earn you money

wealth u can't lose very easily; rich u can lose in an instant

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Good post Diesel, but you forgot one thing that all of those teams possessed.

The ability to get STOPS when you need them the most.

Phoenix is a great example of a team that controls tempo. Their tempo is 100 mph. But when it's all said and done, they can never get that key stop at the end of a game to get it done. They either have to hope someone misses a wide open jumper or they either have to be flawless on the offensive end.

Dallas got the NBA Finals off the simple fact that they were able to get key stops at the end of games. That's a trait that they never possessed before last season.

San Antonio is a basketball machine on both ends of the floor. They can play the slow tempo, up tempo, grind it out, and still be able to stop you at the end of games. If it wasn't for Manu and his mind-boggling foul on Dirk, we may very well be talking about a SA vs MIA series in the Finals. That would've been interesting.

I'll have to disagree with your assessment about the Nuggets, because they've proven time and again that they not only go ice cold on offense at the worst times, but they also have MAJOR lapses on the defensive end that KILLS that team. Having said that, Melo is positioning himself to be a serious MVP candidate this season. But the rest of the squad has to be able to play good enough team defense to make a major run in the playoffs.

And that brings us to the Hawks. We need to establish what kind of team we're going to be from the jump. Are we going to be an efficient offensive team that spreads the ball around to everybody . . like last year. Or are we going to try to be a pressure defensive team that causes turnovers and forces a lot of bad shots in the half court set?

Personally, I don't know if we have the personnel to be a great defensive team. We'll be much better than we were last year. But much better than last year may only still mean that we're the 16th best defensive team in the NBA. It's kind of like my Cincinnati Bengals and defending the run. WE can say all we want that we're going to stop the run. But if you have poor tacklers up front, you're not going to be successful. So your best bet on defense, is to do what you do best . . and that's force turnovers via fumbles and INTs.

Playing the passing lanes and not giving up a ton of easy shots, is the best the Hawks can do at this time on defense. I don't see Smoove or Marvin or Childress becoming lockdown type defenders anytime soon. And while Speedy is an upgrade defensively at the point, it's not like he's going to be a Mookie Blaylock defender for this team either.

But one of the major differences between Lue and Speedy, is that Lue hardly ever put himself in position to get a steal, a defensive rebound, or even a deflection. With Speedy at the point, that'll be the first thing that will stand out about him.

As much as people talk about Shelden, he may be the x-factor for this team winning 35 games . . or 48 games.

[bird_dirt]

good post diesel--i like the spurs analysis. good response northcyde--that's the best (realistically speaking) comments on the hawks on the defensive end i've read here. extra points for bringing up the bengals--who dey!

[CBAreject]

I think a stop is a stop. If you get a stop at the beginning of the game, it counts the same as one at the end. You just remember the last 2 minutes more. If a team is able to "get a stop when it matters", they should just get a stop on every possession. That's how Detroit won a title.

Teams that "can't get a stop when it matters" are teams that can't get stops early on, either. If you aren't getting stops throughout the game and only waiting until the end, then I have to ask why the deuce aren't you trying to shut the opposition down before the last 2 minutes?

The key is to have a good defensive team. "Getting key stops" will flow from that, unless for some psychological reason, the players just freak out in the clutch. Then you're screwed anyway.

[Diesel]

Good Point.

Getting stops is a key as well. I may have assumed that with "controlling the tempo" but you are right to point out that it's more than just controlling the tempo.

Where I disagree is that Phoenix controls the tempo. I think it's just the opposite. Phoenix puts teams into a frenzy. Sometimes that's really good because they work better in a frenzy than most... However, Phoenix' problem is when they play a team who can work in a frenzy also but has the ability to stop the frenzy and move Phoenix back to the Halfcourt... and get stops. That's what Dallas did to them. Every game was high scoring except one.

About the Nuggs, they need a shooter. I think their offense wouldn't be so stagnant if they had that one guy or 2 guys who they could count on to hit the three.

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Personally, I don't know if we have the personnel to be a great defensive team. We'll be much better than we were last year. But much better than last year may only still mean that we're the 16th best defensive team in the NBA. It's kind of like my Cincinnati Bengals and defending the run. WE can say all we want that we're going to stop the run. But if you have poor tacklers up front, you're not going to be successful. So your best bet on defense, is to do what you do best . . and that's force turnovers via fumbles and INTs.

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This is so true. BK envisions us getting out and running and do the fast break with JJ, JS, MW all breaking.. however in order to have a good fast break team, it all starts with defense and rebounding. We have to be able to stop somebody!

I think we lost out on the offensive efficiency when we traded Al. Like him or not, Al was a good low post scorer who helped give our outside guys open looks.

Finally, I can't help but agree about Shelden. If Shelden can be the guy who can defend the inside and start the break then we may have something. Otherwise our personnell is just a HodgePodge that we consider "versatile"... That word is both a blessing and a curse... That's why good GMs don't build on versatility.

[Diesel]

How many times have you seen a team dominate the early part of the game and then in the 4th qtr, it all falls apart?? If you've been a Hawks fan, too often.

A stop is not just a stop... If you can get a stop down the stretch, tempo is everything.

[Gray Mule]

A stop is a stop is a stop -- - -

Sure it is. Just like shots - - They all count - -

BUT

Usually, in a tight game, the intensity is MUCH more

in the final few minutes of the game.

Players are in and out of the game all night. Remember,

it's been said here by Hawksquawkers, in the press, they

have quoted the Hawks coaches, etc. - "Who starts isn't

as important as who finishes!"

This is where tight games are won and lost. Early

mistakes can be overcome if you can keep it close.

Almost all NBA games are close - There are a few that

are not, but check it out. Most games find the teams

within 7 or 8 points of each other with half the 4th

quarter to go. Usually closer.

This is when "The Finishers" shine. This is where most

games are won or lost. Getting those turnovers and stops

earlier were nice and helped put your team in a position

to win, but if you can't finish - - We know from watching

the Hawks, game after game, what the results are.

Speaking of football - - We know about the 2 minute drill.

This is their closing out the half or the game time.

In basketball, closing out the half or the game is just

as important and exciting - This is where many games

are won or lost - in those critical few minutes.

This, IMO, is where the Hawks MUST improve. That AND

their famous "SLEEPWALK" that they do so much.