Small ball in NBA finals

 is not new. It has had a strong push for a couple years now. So, does the finals give proof that small ball works… kind of. Both teams have strengths that are unique for their team and can’t be applied to all teams.

Cavs: They have Lebron, that alone makes the Cavs different from your team from a GM’s perspective. He can play with guard like skills and provide the needed rebounding of a forward. Small ball makes sense when you have someone that veristile.

Warriors: Best shooting backcourt (of all time?). When your backcourt is even in the consideration for best shooting duo of all time, it is your responsibility to go small and take advantage of that extra point that the long ball gets you. The other teams don’t have that shooting, so small ball wouldn’t be AS effective.

I don’t see this Finals having an effect on team decisions. You see a lot of teams trying to copy the ball movement approach of the Spurs because it seems plausible. Having a player shoot like Curry and Thompson or play period like Lebron is not plausible.

 is not new. It has had a strong push for a couple years now. So, does the finals give proof that small ball works… kind of. Both teams have strengths that are unique for their team and can’t be applied to all teams.

Cavs: They have Lebron, that alone makes the Cavs different from your team from a GM’s perspective. He can play with guard like skills and provide the needed rebounding of a forward. Small ball makes sense when you have someone that veristile.

Warriors: Best shooting backcourt (of all time?). When your backcourt is even in the consideration for best shooting duo of all time, it is your responsibility to go small and take advantage of that extra point that the long ball gets you. The other teams don’t have that shooting, so small ball wouldn’t be AS effective.

I don’t see this Finals having an effect on team decisions. You see a lot of teams trying to copy the ball movement approach of the Spurs because it seems plausible. Having a player shoot like Curry and Thompson or play period like Lebron is not plausible.

 In my opinion, Cavaliers were crushing Golden State when LeBron and Mozgov are playing together, small ball of Golden State had no answer for it. However, the issue that Cavaliers face is that unless Develladova plays well they dont have anyone else that will, and they get destroyed.

Cavaliers in the finals have had production only from Lebron, Delly and MOzgov. The rest really need to step it up.

 In my opinion, Cavaliers were crushing Golden State when LeBron and Mozgov are playing together, small ball of Golden State had no answer for it. However, the issue that Cavaliers face is that unless Develladova plays well they dont have anyone else that will, and they get destroyed.

Cavaliers in the finals have had production only from Lebron, Delly and MOzgov. The rest really need to step it up.

Yeah, Willie Cauley Stein may not have a ton of range on his shot but he can protect the rim, defend pick and rolls, and even put a body on guards and effect their shots.

On offense, he is limited but you can still throw the ball up and let him dunk it.  Bottom line, he either scores or gets out of the way.  

I am less enthused about bigs who can’t do one thing great.  Okafor isn’t a freak athlete or rim protector like WCS but he is GREAT on offense and can score inside, even if his range is also limited.  Defense is Okafor’s weakness, but he can provide some low post defense.  He can clog up the middle at the very least.  Plus he is a good passer on the other side.

KAT is like a blend of both guys.  Super great on defense?  No.  A low post prodigy?  No, but he can do lots of different things.  KAT can work in either big lineups or small lineups, the slow down game or speed ball, BUT he may not THRIVE in any particular brand of basketball.  

WCS can give you a big with a small ball feel.  Even a short jump hook or a foul line jumper would improve his offense immensely.  

Okafor is THE big man in this draft who I think can anchor the center spot on offense.  He is a franchise go-to guy inside.  I am not saying yet if KAT is that same type of guy even though he has a greater all-around skill set.  

WCS can anchor a defense.  He can make a good defensive scheme GREAT.  On offense I can see him getting enough points… 

If you are gonna be a center in today’s league you have to be GREAT at one thing: defense like WCS, low post offense/inside game like Okafor, or a legit 7 footer with legit range and a soft shooting touch like Frank Kaminsky.  Karl Anthony Towns is a big, but he is not HUGE.  He will not over power people like Shaq.  He has a higher defensive potential than Okafor or Kaminksy, but he is NOT the next Bill Russell.  I think that Karl Anthony Towns would be best off as a secondary big next to a primary big who can be a beast on BOTH sides of the ball.

To me, I think you put Towns next to Anthony Davis.  Both are sort of hybrid bigs.  Both guys can score, board, and block shots.  Inside and outside.  Neither guy is the next Shaq but they each have talent and should complement each other well.  Then you get a 7 footer off the bench to block shots, box out, and play the enforcer role.

My comparison for Karl Anthony Towns is Derrick Coleman.  A great all-around power forward.  A FREAK? Well, maybe not… but a guy who can be an all-star, and one of your core guys.

One center right now that I wouldn’t throw a TON of money at is Marc Gasol.  Not a freak athhlete who can block shots, protect the rim, and soar for alley oop dunks on the other side of the ball.  He also isn’t a dominant rebounder, and while he DOES have range, even out to the 3 point line, the 3 pointer isn’t a huge part of his game.  To me, he is a solid all around big man.  If you pay attention, he isn’t even a huge low post scorer unless he is guarded by a smaller, slower, less skilled big man.  Marc Gasol is an Andrew Bogut with a softer shooting touch and more range on offense.  And Bogut can’t even get off the bench right now.

You almost need some old school combinations right now.  Like Hakeem Olajuwon and his wonderous post game, and awesome defense and stat lines, paired with a 3 and D stretch 4 like Robert Horry.  Or the classic Twin Tower duo of a rising Tim Duncan and the late model David Robinson.  What could also work?  Prime David Robinson, essentially a 7’1 video game, and defensive/rebounding/psychological genius Dennis Rodman.  

Yeah, Willie Cauley Stein may not have a ton of range on his shot but he can protect the rim, defend pick and rolls, and even put a body on guards and effect their shots.

On offense, he is limited but you can still throw the ball up and let him dunk it.  Bottom line, he either scores or gets out of the way.  

I am less enthused about bigs who can’t do one thing great.  Okafor isn’t a freak athlete or rim protector like WCS but he is GREAT on offense and can score inside, even if his range is also limited.  Defense is Okafor’s weakness, but he can provide some low post defense.  He can clog up the middle at the very least.  Plus he is a good passer on the other side.

KAT is like a blend of both guys.  Super great on defense?  No.  A low post prodigy?  No, but he can do lots of different things.  KAT can work in either big lineups or small lineups, the slow down game or speed ball, BUT he may not THRIVE in any particular brand of basketball.  

WCS can give you a big with a small ball feel.  Even a short jump hook or a foul line jumper would improve his offense immensely.  

Okafor is THE big man in this draft who I think can anchor the center spot on offense.  He is a franchise go-to guy inside.  I am not saying yet if KAT is that same type of guy even though he has a greater all-around skill set.  

WCS can anchor a defense.  He can make a good defensive scheme GREAT.  On offense I can see him getting enough points… 

If you are gonna be a center in today’s league you have to be GREAT at one thing: defense like WCS, low post offense/inside game like Okafor, or a legit 7 footer with legit range and a soft shooting touch like Frank Kaminsky.  Karl Anthony Towns is a big, but he is not HUGE.  He will not over power people like Shaq.  He has a higher defensive potential than Okafor or Kaminksy, but he is NOT the next Bill Russell.  I think that Karl Anthony Towns would be best off as a secondary big next to a primary big who can be a beast on BOTH sides of the ball.

To me, I think you put Towns next to Anthony Davis.  Both are sort of hybrid bigs.  Both guys can score, board, and block shots.  Inside and outside.  Neither guy is the next Shaq but they each have talent and should complement each other well.  Then you get a 7 footer off the bench to block shots, box out, and play the enforcer role.

My comparison for Karl Anthony Towns is Derrick Coleman.  A great all-around power forward.  A FREAK? Well, maybe not… but a guy who can be an all-star, and one of your core guys.

One center right now that I wouldn’t throw a TON of money at is Marc Gasol.  Not a freak athhlete who can block shots, protect the rim, and soar for alley oop dunks on the other side of the ball.  He also isn’t a dominant rebounder, and while he DOES have range, even out to the 3 point line, the 3 pointer isn’t a huge part of his game.  To me, he is a solid all around big man.  If you pay attention, he isn’t even a huge low post scorer unless he is guarded by a smaller, slower, less skilled big man.  Marc Gasol is an Andrew Bogut with a softer shooting touch and more range on offense.  And Bogut can’t even get off the bench right now.

You almost need some old school combinations right now.  Like Hakeem Olajuwon and his wonderous post game, and awesome defense and stat lines, paired with a 3 and D stretch 4 like Robert Horry.  Or the classic Twin Tower duo of a rising Tim Duncan and the late model David Robinson.  What could also work?  Prime David Robinson, essentially a 7’1 video game, and defensive/rebounding/psychological genius Dennis Rodman.  

Here are the problems, a rebuilding team cannot build with a LeBron-centered team in mind because there is no other LeBron. With Golden State, they have gone small in the Finals. They did not against New Orleans, Memphis, or Houston (when Howard was out there at least). What Golden State is doing is responding to the realities on the court of this series. The refs have allowed for a ton of contact. The illegal screens, illegal pushing and clenching inside, and also camping out in the paint are the realities of the series. Whether or not the games should be reffed differently, they cannot make it called in a more traditional fashion (Dellavedova is allowed to clench anyone on any area of the body without punishment, Matty Dellaklitchko). If Bogut is not going to be able to neutralize what Cleveland’s bigs are doing physically and on the glass, they might as well put another threat on the floor. Thompson and Mozgov are not going to win a game for Cleveland one-on-one. Taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands, especially given what he is doing in these playoffs, is the dumbest thing the Cavs can do. To take this series and extrapolate out in that way does not make sense. If you are at the bottoming out point, you want to build with an idea of dictating your vision as opposed to responding. These finals look very different from the previous two, which looked different from the Miami-OKC, which looked 180 degrees from both of the recent Lakers-Celtics finals. If you start chasing one look now, what will keep you from changing course again next summer.

Here are the problems, a rebuilding team cannot build with a LeBron-centered team in mind because there is no other LeBron. With Golden State, they have gone small in the Finals. They did not against New Orleans, Memphis, or Houston (when Howard was out there at least). What Golden State is doing is responding to the realities on the court of this series. The refs have allowed for a ton of contact. The illegal screens, illegal pushing and clenching inside, and also camping out in the paint are the realities of the series. Whether or not the games should be reffed differently, they cannot make it called in a more traditional fashion (Dellavedova is allowed to clench anyone on any area of the body without punishment, Matty Dellaklitchko). If Bogut is not going to be able to neutralize what Cleveland’s bigs are doing physically and on the glass, they might as well put another threat on the floor. Thompson and Mozgov are not going to win a game for Cleveland one-on-one. Taking the ball out of LeBron’s hands, especially given what he is doing in these playoffs, is the dumbest thing the Cavs can do. To take this series and extrapolate out in that way does not make sense. If you are at the bottoming out point, you want to build with an idea of dictating your vision as opposed to responding. These finals look very different from the previous two, which looked different from the Miami-OKC, which looked 180 degrees from both of the recent Lakers-Celtics finals. If you start chasing one look now, what will keep you from changing course again next summer.

 ^^^

Great point.  You build around what you have, preferably around a super star.

If you don’t have a dominant big man like Duncan or Shaq, then you need an all-around 2 way freak like LeBron, OR great shooting like Steph and Klay.

If you are in rebuild mode, go after the superstar.  If you are the Lakers at 2 and Jahlil Okafor is on the board, take him then build a team around him.

At 1, Minny should think, ok, who is the best guy out there in this draft?  Who will fit with Wiggins?  They should get that guy and build from there.  

You can build title teams around Shaq or Duncan, or Jordan or Kobe, or LeBron or potentially Steph Curry.  BUT, each team will have a different makeup and identity.

 ^^^

Great point.  You build around what you have, preferably around a super star.

If you don’t have a dominant big man like Duncan or Shaq, then you need an all-around 2 way freak like LeBron, OR great shooting like Steph and Klay.

If you are in rebuild mode, go after the superstar.  If you are the Lakers at 2 and Jahlil Okafor is on the board, take him then build a team around him.

At 1, Minny should think, ok, who is the best guy out there in this draft?  Who will fit with Wiggins?  They should get that guy and build from there.  

You can build title teams around Shaq or Duncan, or Jordan or Kobe, or LeBron or potentially Steph Curry.  BUT, each team will have a different makeup and identity.