az1965
Love Games!
Feeling Violated by Playoff Basketball
May 14, 2007 12:54 PM
Or it might have a lot to do with the reality that NBA playoff basketball is, by design, not as aggressively maniacal as it used to be, and no one is quite sure exactly what is acceptable at the moment.
In the meantime, it's a circus of hacks and whines: Bruce Bowen's knee to the 'nads of Steve Nash, and stealthy kick to the achilles of Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion's claw to Manu Ginobili's eye, the bloodbath of Nash's nose vs. Tony Parker's forehead, and Amare Stoudemire's message-sending fouls. There are players like Tim Duncan, Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Ginobili, and Raja Bell who could each probably be whistled for a dozen fouls a game (which is even clearer if you watch the video carefully).
The thing is -- the NBA is changing, right? It was a league where you had to have a big, elbow-throwing bruiser leading a methodical, defensive-minded approach to win a title. Now there are only three and two-thirds blue-chip big men (Tim Duncan and Carlos Boozer, with nods to Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) alive and kicking between the eight teams remaining. The squads of multi-talented speedsters, Phoenix and Golden State, are leading the league through meaningful change -- the kind of change that makes it a real consideration that somebody might draft long, speedy, multi-talent Kevin Durant ahead of more traditional big man Greg Oden.
And David Stern is apparently loving it. Without even being asked about the topic of the NBA's recent rule changes that precipitate the trend -- largely by banning hand-checking -- he volunteered in a conference call before the playoffs that the game is getting more fun to watch thanks to less fouling.
Less grabbing! Less elbowing! Less smothering defense! More skill! More scoring! It seems to be an entertainer's dream. But also, perhaps, just better; more in keeping with what sports, in general, are supposed to be. A little persective, from Bill Bradley's book "Values of the Game:"
The answer is complex. Yes, it's all good and true ... yeah, virtue ... but there's a big caveat when you get to the playoffs. There, for as long as anyone can remember, the other thing that gets rewarded is the dark art of messing with your opponents' heads and bodies well past the limits of decency. (I just heard a story about an anonymous NBA player whose favorite playoff trick is to ... no joke .. ram his thumb up the backside of opponents. Freaks them out something awful.)
Assuming he isn't about to get suspended by the league, Bruce Bowen will continue teaching lessons in these dark arts tonight.
You can forgive the Phoenix Suns, I guess, if they thought that was not what the league was about these days. The Spurs? They've been through these kinds of wars before. (Even though in the past they have even been called the soft team, or even the "milk-and-cookies" Spurs.)
ESPN's Marc Stein captured the discrepancy in mood in the Daily Dime he wrote after Game 3 , which San Antonio won to go up 2-1.
It's most apparent in the post-game press conferences (video). Phoenix Coach Mike D'Antoni was asked if it was a physical series. Somehow, over the course of a few seconds he managed to scoff at the reporter for asking such a question, taunt the league for not letting him complain openly to the media about the referees, and somewhat answer the question by saying it was an aggressive series from their side. Then he crumpled a piece of paper into a little ball and stormed out of the room looking a little puffy, like someone who's going to shed a tear, throw a punch, or both. (D'Antoni later said he was "out of his mind" acting like that.)
They asked Tim Duncan a similar question that same night. He laughed. Johnny Ludden of the San Antonio Express-News reports:
You can see that when I say it's a series with a problem, what I really mean is it's a series with, so far, a problem for Phoenix, and maybe the league and fans of free-flowing basketball. (That could change if Bruce Bowen does indeed get in serious trouble for that knee to Nash, in which case the Suns' policy of whining about the officiating has paid off, and San Antonio suddenly has a problem too.)
Jack McCallum spent much of the 2005-2006 season with the Phoenix Suns and wrote about it in his book "Seven Seconds or Less." I have written about the book before (and here). A recurring theme is that the Suns are not tough, and they know it. That is especially true when Raja Bell is out, as he was for much of last year's conference finals. Here's some locker room insight from halftime of Game 3, which the Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks -- who are not known as a super tough team themselves.
But to cross your fingers and hope you might be ... for the first time ever ... as tough as the big bad wolf? Not by the hair of your chinnie chin chin.
Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic writes:
Which are both excellent reasons for the Suns to especially remember Magic Johnson's Lakers now. They may not have been the bullies of the league, but they were plenty physical in their way. (Consider the career of Kurt Rambis. Also, watch old video of Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- I'm sure Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan have done just that.) And more than anything, when Magic Johnson's Lakers encountered extremely physical teams like the Celtics of Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish, they didn't let all that fire burn up their playbook. They were able to impose their fast-breaking style nonetheless. Even in that environment, the Lakers could often be in their element, and more often than not, Los Angeles ended up not whining at all, but smiling.
As a basketball fan who loves to see up-tempo plays and close series, I hope the Suns can show tonight that they have learned that same magic trick.
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May 14, 2007 12:54 PM
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Phoenix vs. San Antonio is a series with a problem. It's a problem that seems to have a lot to do with where this or that knee or elbow is winding up, and what is and what is not a foul.Or it might have a lot to do with the reality that NBA playoff basketball is, by design, not as aggressively maniacal as it used to be, and no one is quite sure exactly what is acceptable at the moment.
In the meantime, it's a circus of hacks and whines: Bruce Bowen's knee to the 'nads of Steve Nash, and stealthy kick to the achilles of Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion's claw to Manu Ginobili's eye, the bloodbath of Nash's nose vs. Tony Parker's forehead, and Amare Stoudemire's message-sending fouls. There are players like Tim Duncan, Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Ginobili, and Raja Bell who could each probably be whistled for a dozen fouls a game (which is even clearer if you watch the video carefully).
The thing is -- the NBA is changing, right? It was a league where you had to have a big, elbow-throwing bruiser leading a methodical, defensive-minded approach to win a title. Now there are only three and two-thirds blue-chip big men (Tim Duncan and Carlos Boozer, with nods to Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas) alive and kicking between the eight teams remaining. The squads of multi-talented speedsters, Phoenix and Golden State, are leading the league through meaningful change -- the kind of change that makes it a real consideration that somebody might draft long, speedy, multi-talent Kevin Durant ahead of more traditional big man Greg Oden.
And David Stern is apparently loving it. Without even being asked about the topic of the NBA's recent rule changes that precipitate the trend -- largely by banning hand-checking -- he volunteered in a conference call before the playoffs that the game is getting more fun to watch thanks to less fouling.
We have our third consecutive season where we set attendance records; we are proud about that and the game we think continues to look good reflecting the enforcement, emphasis and rules changes that we have had over the past several years.
Isn't That Making the NBA Better?
Less grabbing! Less elbowing! Less smothering defense! More skill! More scoring! It seems to be an entertainer's dream. But also, perhaps, just better; more in keeping with what sports, in general, are supposed to be. A little persective, from Bill Bradley's book "Values of the Game:"
Each time a father takes his son or daughter to the playground to shoot baskets for the first time, a new world opens -- one full of values that can shape a lifetime. In my experience, the feeling of getting better came with hard work, and getting better made victory easier. Winning was fun, but so was the struggle to improve. That was one of the lessons you learned from the game: Basketball was a clear example of virtue rewarded.
Anybody here against virtue? Isn't that all good and true? Isn't that what Amare Stoudemire wishes Bruce Bowen were all about too?
The answer is complex. Yes, it's all good and true ... yeah, virtue ... but there's a big caveat when you get to the playoffs. There, for as long as anyone can remember, the other thing that gets rewarded is the dark art of messing with your opponents' heads and bodies well past the limits of decency. (I just heard a story about an anonymous NBA player whose favorite playoff trick is to ... no joke .. ram his thumb up the backside of opponents. Freaks them out something awful.)
Assuming he isn't about to get suspended by the league, Bruce Bowen will continue teaching lessons in these dark arts tonight.
You can forgive the Phoenix Suns, I guess, if they thought that was not what the league was about these days. The Spurs? They've been through these kinds of wars before. (Even though in the past they have even been called the soft team, or even the "milk-and-cookies" Spurs.)
ESPN's Marc Stein captured the discrepancy in mood in the Daily Dime he wrote after Game 3 , which San Antonio won to go up 2-1.
It's most apparent in the post-game press conferences (video). Phoenix Coach Mike D'Antoni was asked if it was a physical series. Somehow, over the course of a few seconds he managed to scoff at the reporter for asking such a question, taunt the league for not letting him complain openly to the media about the referees, and somewhat answer the question by saying it was an aggressive series from their side. Then he crumpled a piece of paper into a little ball and stormed out of the room looking a little puffy, like someone who's going to shed a tear, throw a punch, or both. (D'Antoni later said he was "out of his mind" acting like that.)
They asked Tim Duncan a similar question that same night. He laughed. Johnny Ludden of the San Antonio Express-News reports:
"Did you watch last series?" Duncan said, referring to the Spurs' first-round tussle with the Denver Nuggets. "Those guys last series were a lot more physical than these guys."
That said, the Spurs also know they're facing a defense much better than its reputation. They've already succumbed to Phoenix's aggressiveness in Game 2 and the Suns - not wanting to go home in a 3-1 hole - will be playing even more desperate tonight.
"Every time you cut down the lane you're going to feel a bump," Ginobili said. "We can't set clear screens because everybody is in the paint, trying to push each other. ... so it's hard to get easy layups and stuff like that.
"That's how it usually is in the playoffs: Nobody wants to give anything."
Is this a league problem? Or a Phoenix problem?That said, the Spurs also know they're facing a defense much better than its reputation. They've already succumbed to Phoenix's aggressiveness in Game 2 and the Suns - not wanting to go home in a 3-1 hole - will be playing even more desperate tonight.
"Every time you cut down the lane you're going to feel a bump," Ginobili said. "We can't set clear screens because everybody is in the paint, trying to push each other. ... so it's hard to get easy layups and stuff like that.
"That's how it usually is in the playoffs: Nobody wants to give anything."
You can see that when I say it's a series with a problem, what I really mean is it's a series with, so far, a problem for Phoenix, and maybe the league and fans of free-flowing basketball. (That could change if Bruce Bowen does indeed get in serious trouble for that knee to Nash, in which case the Suns' policy of whining about the officiating has paid off, and San Antonio suddenly has a problem too.)
Jack McCallum spent much of the 2005-2006 season with the Phoenix Suns and wrote about it in his book "Seven Seconds or Less." I have written about the book before (and here). A recurring theme is that the Suns are not tough, and they know it. That is especially true when Raja Bell is out, as he was for much of last year's conference finals. Here's some locker room insight from halftime of Game 3, which the Suns lost to the Dallas Mavericks -- who are not known as a super tough team themselves.
Dallas is clearly the aggressor. Josh Howard's flagrant foul on Tim Thomas in the second quarter should've fired up the Suns to retaliate in some small way, but they didn't. As was the case early in the Laker series, Phoenix seems to be getting bullied.
D'Antoni tries to ignite some fire. "All five guys have to be active on every possession," he says. "It can't be two guys or three guys--it has to be all five. Forty possessions means forty times everybody goes for the rebound, everybody goes for the loose ball. We do that, we win. That's mental f---ing toughness."
More D'Antoni, from after that same game:D'Antoni tries to ignite some fire. "All five guys have to be active on every possession," he says. "It can't be two guys or three guys--it has to be all five. Forty possessions means forty times everybody goes for the rebound, everybody goes for the loose ball. We do that, we win. That's mental f---ing toughness."
"We have to show some leadership here. Somebody's going to have to step up and show something. Guys, you get here about once, twice, maybe, three times in your career. We're here! So, first, enjoy it. Two, bust ass. Three, yell and scream like crazy people out there."
The news today is full of quotes from Steve Nash, Mike D'Antoni and other Suns talking about trying to "match" the toughness of the San Antonio Spurs. I have never played in the second round of the NBA playoffs against a veteran team, but I'm just guessing you don't get over the toughness hump by aspiring to tie. If you set out to be way freaking tougher than the Spurs have ever been. Then, if you're lucky, you might end up in a tie.
But to cross your fingers and hope you might be ... for the first time ever ... as tough as the big bad wolf? Not by the hair of your chinnie chin chin.
Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic writes:
At the root of the Suns' quandary is the how the game of basketball changes in the playoffs. Even though the league claims its referees officiate in the exact same manner, it's physically impossible. Guys are playing harder than ever, exuding intensity not seen in the regular season. Tempers flare, physical contact increases, and if referees called every foul on the floor, both teams would be out of players by halftime.
Consequently, the game inevitably morphs into a thuggish brand of basketball.
Whereas champions adjust, too many of the Suns prefer to whine about officiating. They become obsessed with bad calls. It throws them out of rhythm and balance, probably because they spend the regular season playing finesse, up-tempo basketball.
Like a passing team trying to run the football, it's tough to change a physical mind-set overnight, and for the Suns, the transition into postseason is always a chore. Opponents are quick to prey on this weakness.
Remember when Raja Bell horse-collared Kobe Bryant in last year's playoffs? After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was adamant that Bell shouldn't be suspended. It was Jackson's way of getting in the Suns' collective psyche, telling the opponent that the Lakers enjoy that kind of stuff.
Raja Bell has a different idea, which actually sounds much tougher to me than what Coach D'Antoni has going. How about playing winning basketball despite the obstacles? Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reports:Consequently, the game inevitably morphs into a thuggish brand of basketball.
Whereas champions adjust, too many of the Suns prefer to whine about officiating. They become obsessed with bad calls. It throws them out of rhythm and balance, probably because they spend the regular season playing finesse, up-tempo basketball.
Like a passing team trying to run the football, it's tough to change a physical mind-set overnight, and for the Suns, the transition into postseason is always a chore. Opponents are quick to prey on this weakness.
Remember when Raja Bell horse-collared Kobe Bryant in last year's playoffs? After the game, Lakers coach Phil Jackson was adamant that Bell shouldn't be suspended. It was Jackson's way of getting in the Suns' collective psyche, telling the opponent that the Lakers enjoy that kind of stuff.
"If you try to play their game with them, you're going to lose. They're good. They've done it year in and year out. They've done the playoffs year in and year out. They've won championships doing it. You can't do that. You have to play your game. Being tough is sticking to your game plan, playing your game despite whatever is going on around you, despite what they're trying to do to you, despite what this crowd is trying to do to you ... There are a lot ways you can be tough, and they're not all physical."
ESPN's David Thorpe tells me the league is changing -- it is getting less violent. But that's no reason to show up expecting everyone to be courteous:
The Spurs know this is all she wrote. You have to win now, and it takes everything you have. I'm not talking about intentionally hurting anybody. You have to do whatever you can to get them off rhythm, whether it's in the rules or just outside. You don't want to bring a gun to a knife fight, but you want to bring the biggest freaking knife you can find.
I have been blown away at the lack of fight I have seen league-wide throughout the playoffs. The aberration is not that the Spurs are being physical, it's that so many teams still in the playoffs aren't. I can barely remember a single foul that would have started a fight.
I would be very interested to hear what Magic Johnson has to say. I bet he'd say something like "you think I got all these rings by smiling?" Remember Pat Riley's direction to his team back in those days? No rebounds, no rings. That's telling them to do whatever it takes, and they did.
All that said, I think the Suns will be fine. They're men. They can still execute their sets, and use their skills while also bringing this kind of fire. They know what's at stake, and they won't go quietly.
Thorpe's point about the Lakers is especially poignant. Weren't they the showy, fast-breaking team of their day? Didn't Pat Riley whine, much like Mike D'Antoni, about the Celtics playing dirty? Yes, and yes.I have been blown away at the lack of fight I have seen league-wide throughout the playoffs. The aberration is not that the Spurs are being physical, it's that so many teams still in the playoffs aren't. I can barely remember a single foul that would have started a fight.
I would be very interested to hear what Magic Johnson has to say. I bet he'd say something like "you think I got all these rings by smiling?" Remember Pat Riley's direction to his team back in those days? No rebounds, no rings. That's telling them to do whatever it takes, and they did.
All that said, I think the Suns will be fine. They're men. They can still execute their sets, and use their skills while also bringing this kind of fire. They know what's at stake, and they won't go quietly.
Which are both excellent reasons for the Suns to especially remember Magic Johnson's Lakers now. They may not have been the bullies of the league, but they were plenty physical in their way. (Consider the career of Kurt Rambis. Also, watch old video of Michael Cooper and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- I'm sure Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan have done just that.) And more than anything, when Magic Johnson's Lakers encountered extremely physical teams like the Celtics of Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, and Robert Parish, they didn't let all that fire burn up their playbook. They were able to impose their fast-breaking style nonetheless. Even in that environment, the Lakers could often be in their element, and more often than not, Los Angeles ended up not whining at all, but smiling.
As a basketball fan who loves to see up-tempo plays and close series, I hope the Suns can show tonight that they have learned that same magic trick.
