Conference Finals & Building Dynasties

Before I begin, I wanted to thank Jon for a comment and a link.  The ESPN article reinforces what I had discussed in the last post about Kobe's woeful crunchtime performance, along with a stat that players whose strength is iso's (Hi Melo), should consider passing out of them more often.  "Hero Ball" is the title of the article, a term that I instantly hated when I first heard it.  I hope it fades away soon, along with the terms "monetize" and "swagger".  I believe basketball to be a team game with all my heart, but I also am not oblivious to the irony that I first fell in love with basketball because of the hero ball tendencies of Michael Jordan. 

It is set.  All the big 3's were triumphant in their series.  Some showing dominance, while others displayed their flaws.  Spurs vs OKC, Miami vs Boston.  Even if I did not predict these matchups, this is exactly what I wanted to see.  Old guard vs new guard is the theme of these conference finals.  On one side are the teams that have won and had many predicting their exit many moons ago.  On the other are the teams that will usher in the new age of the NBA.  They consist of future MVPs and possible championships.  These will be epic battles that I will be TiVo-ing.

SAS vs OKC

8-0 and 8-1 in the playoffs.  No two teams have displayed their dominance more than the Spurs and the Thunder in the playoffs.  They have been so good, that many have predicted the team that wins this series will be the team to hold the Larry O'Brien trophy at the end of the year.  This will be a battle of epic proportions.  Kevin Durant will once again come through in the final minutes at least once or maybe twice.  Popovich is going to show us his master plan.  His genius will come through with methodical precision.  Once again, the Spurs will be the "boring" team because they will have the legs under them to execute to perfection.  Tim Duncan's 18 points and 7 rebound playoff average will somehow become more important than the combined 51 points a game by Durant and Westbrook.  Buckle your seats, we are in for a fun ride.  SAS in 6.

MIA vs BOS

This series, on the other hand, will not be an offensive explosion and will actually be the more boring of the two conference finals.  That is, if you do not appreciate great defense.  There will be no more than 1 game where a team will score over 100 points.  Rondo is going to have a field day, finishing with at least two triple doubles, only to be matched by LeBron's.  I like where the Heat are headed.  The Indiana series showed that Wade was The Man and LeBron was the great facilitator.  And that is the way it should have been.  There should never have been a discrepancy between who should lead the team.  Wade was always the heart of the team, and the team should be on his shoulders.  One could argue that LeBron is the better player, but I will always cling to one hard and fast rule:  the team should always follow the player who was the leader on a championship team.  As long as Miami remembers this, they will win the battle, just like when Zeus and the Olympians put away the Titans.  Miami in 6.

Building a Championship Team

All this talk of championships has made me think of whether or not the Knicks will have a chance to win one in its current incarnation.  To understand this, I took a look at all the championship teams in the post-Jordan era.  There have been 13 championships since then, with 6 teams claiming the titles, and only 2 multi-year winners. 

I charted the teams and did a quick analysis on where I thought they stand now.  To me, a winning attitude begins with the top.  The owner must be all in and ready to do what it takes to win.  The management and coach must understand the ownership's message and come up with a solid plan.  The players they pick and sign onto the team must buy in and execute the plan. 

This chart shows every championship won in the last thirteen years.  Each logo stands for a championship.  For example, San Antonio has 4 championships, thus 4 logos.  Additionally, if they have an MVP on their team, it is represented by the Maurice Podoloff trophy.  The higher the logo, the stronger the commitment from the owner, and the farther to the right, the better the plan by management and coach to achieve the vision of winning a championship. This chart is where each team stands now. 

Detroit has largely fallen off the rails.  At one time Joe Dumars was commended for having built a team with no superstars that could compete and win a championship.  However, ownership has changed hands recently and management has been unable to replicate the success they had earlier. 

The Boston Celtics are owned by a group and the Miami Heat are owned by Micky Arison.  Neither ownership had much I could find in terms of vision.  A search for Micky only yielded his net worth.  These two teams are largely dominated by Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers for the Celtics and Pat Riley for the Heat.  Both of these teams have a strong management with a dream for a team, but without full interest from the owners, there is only so far these teams can go. 

The Dallas Mavericks seem to be a great team on paper.  An owner with full buy in, a coach with great experience, and an MVP on their roster.  Although I do admire Mark Cuban, I think he tends to overthink his decisions.  It is great how he turned the franchise around and built a championship, but I cannot place him any higher than the middle when he let Steve Nash walk and gave away their title defense on the hopes of getting either Deron Williams or Dwight Howard.  They are great players, but I value team chemistry more than any other strength, and team chemistry was what won the Mavs their championship last year. 

The Lakers and Spurs are world class organizations on the opposite ends of the spectrum.  The Lakers have won ten championships under Jerry Buss, their current owner.  He has employed a who's who of coaches, and I believe with Mike Brown's plan and Kobe's determination, they are still on the right path.  The Spurs are also a great organization, but their focus is on the community.  Peter Holt has laid the groundwork for great achievement and this is executed at every level of the organization.  With what he has built, he is knocking on the door of attaining his fifth championship in a 14 year time span with the same management and MVP.  A mark that has never been achieved in the modern era of the NBA. 

We have come full circle with the Knicks.  Jim Dolan, the owner, has not shown that he can stay away from meddling with the team.  Instead of a vision, he has unleashed a whirlwind of chaos.  Isiah Thomas was terrible and had a myriad of issues.  Yet Dolan still trusts him, and was one of the reasons why Donnie Walsh left after what appeared to be a successful rebuilding phase after only one year.  I am uncertain about Glen Grunwald, the current general manager and Mike Woodson, the current coach.  I have written numerous times that I think Carmelo Anthony can win the MVP next year if he can focus.  If he finds this determination, then the Knicks may have a chance to win one sometime in the next few years.  However, given their current makeup, one is all they will have in them.  They are not built for a dynasty.  But even one championship would be a wondrous thing.