HoopsHype.com Columns

Showtime returns
by Eddie Johnson / December 7, 2004

I am sure a lot of teams, coaches, fans, opponents and especially teammates would agree that I never saw a shot I did not like. I loved to score and had no conscience when it came to proving it. My favorite teams were those that loved to push the ball and use offense as their main weapon. The team in which I enjoyed playing the most was the Phoenix Suns squad coached by Cotton Fitzsimmons. That team included Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, Jeff Hornacek and enforcer Mark West.

It takes a huge commitment to be a running team, because you can sprint the floor 10 times and might get only one layup. The key is to wear your opponent down and believe that during the course of the night you will have two or three spurts that could get your team control of the game.

In order to be a running team, you must have players that can run, shoot, be unselfish and finish strong at the basket. You also need good defensive rebounding and players that take high-percentage shots.

I averaged 21 points per game on that Phoenix Suns team in 1988-89 while only playing 28 minutes per game. We averaged 118 points per contest.

The most important piece of the puzzle to the running game is the coach. He has to have a real commitment to teach in practice and then sit back and allow the players to play the game. There is a chair for him on the sideline and the only time he should get up for is to admonish his team for not doing what it
takes to keep running, argue with officials and stretch out for sitting too long.

The questions for the coach are: Do you trust your players? Will you allow them to be creative and take chances to make something happen? Will you go deep into your bench and reward players when they play well by allowing them to finish the game in crunch time? Do you establish roles for your players or do you play only players that you feel have a well-rounded game? And most importantly, will you allow your players to call plays and make decisions in the heat of the game and not call time-outs thus disrupting the rhythm of the game?

Some coaches are doing just that this year. We are almost through the first quarter of the regular season and we can see a number of teams that I would love to play for and that I think could have fit right into the late 80s, when basketball was so exciting.

Here are my five most exciting and five most boring teams so far this season.

MOST EXCITING

1. Phoenix Suns
- Steve Nash is the best point guard in the league.
- Amare Stoudemire is second only to Shaquille O'Neal in dominance and intimidation.
- Shawn Marion is the best rebounder pound for pound in the NBA.
- Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson are matchup nightmares every night.
- Mike D'Antoni has established roles and he allows players to play.

2. Seattle SuperSonics
- Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis lead a group of Sonics that shoot 40 percent or better from beyond the arc.
- Luke Ridnour has been a pleasant surprise at the point, averaging over 6 assists a game.
- Led by Reggie Evans, they get solid play from a multitude of inside players.
- Nate McMillan must be a magician because I am waiting for this team to fall flat on its face.

3. Orlando Magic
- If the NBA ever decides to change the logo from Jerry West, the replacement should be Grant Hill. After going through hell the last few seasons, Hill has helped transform this team along with Steve Francis into one the best in the Eastern Conference.
- Dwight Howard has lived up to the expectations. He averages 10.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game, igniting the Magic's potent break.
- Role players Cuttino Mobley, Hedo Turkoglu and Kelvin Cato are doing really well.
- Johnny Davis has turned his team over to Hill and Francis and they have not disappointed.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers
- LeBron James is the real deal. And I mean the real deal. LeBron is the closest thing to Magic Johnson we have seen. He has taken over this team at 19 years of age, which is unbelievable. His unselfish nature has had a drastic effect on Jeff McInnis (15.4 ppg, 6 apg), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (17.7 ppg, 8 rpg) and Drew Gooden (12.4 ppg, and 10 ppg).
- Give Paul Silas credit. He is from the old school of coaching, but he has allowed this young squad to make mistakes by giving them freedom on the floor.

5. Washington Wizards
- Yes, I did say the Wizards. They are second in the league in scoring at 102 per game and have three players averaging 20 ppg (Antawn Jamison, Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes).
- They also are second in the league in free-throw attempts at 30 per game, with their top four players shooting above 80 percent.
- Eddie Jordan has increased the tempo and they still do not turn the ball over much.

Honorable Mention: Dallas, Minnesota, Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento.

MOST BORING

1. Houston Rockets
- How can a team with arguably the best scorer in basketball be so darn boring? Well, they are. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming look lost in Jeff Van Gundy's system, if he has one.
- The Rockets are averaging a pathetic 87 points per game (28th) and they get to line only 21 times a game (29th). The stifling coaching philosophy of Van Gundy makes this team agonizing to watch regardless of whom they play.
- To add insult to injury, Jim Jackson takes just as many shots as Yao Ming.
- McGrady has finally found a defender who can shut him down. Too bad it's his coach.

2. Detroit Pistons
- I agree with Larry Brown that you have to "play the right way." It's just that our interpretation of the quote are different. He believes in calling plays to control the tempo. I believe in pushing the ball and playing a little helter skelter to control tempo. Yes, the Pistons won the title last year with this slow-down style. But the league has a mandate to become more exciting, so they have instructed the officials to blow the whistle quite often to protect the offensive player. That does not help the walk-it-up, grab-and-hold style of the Pistons. Teams are blowing by them and making it extremely difficult for Detroit to compete.
- The sad thing here is that the Pistons do have the players to play up-tempo. Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince are extremely fast and quick.
- Rasheed Wallace would become a potent weapon with his ability to be a trailer and knock down threes and then post up when they had to play in half court.
- Ben Wallace is the best rebounder in the game. He would dominate the defensive glass and ignite the break.
- If Brown continues to call every play from the bench, this team will struggle to make the playoffs and would definitely lose in the first round if they reach the postseason.

3. New York Knicks
- Everybody wants to point the finger at Isiah Thomas, but all he has done is supply Lenny Wilkens with some thoroughbreds. Lenny has to be the jockey.
- This team plays at times like they are in a closet. They have three skilled players (Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford and Tim Thomas) in their lineup that can outrun pretty much all opponents. But here is the problem: Lenny Wilkens calls too many plays.
- Although he is trying, Stephon Marbury still has a tough time pushing the ball to get teammates open looks. Marbury's assists are inflated because he handles the ball all the time.
- Tim Thomas is just too soft and makes too many excuses.
- Add Allan Houston to that lineup and tell me why this team can't be like the Suns in the West if they run the ball.

4. Golden State Warriors
- Here are three reasons why this team is struggling and so boring: Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Erick Dampier. When you trade 40 points and a true center that could rebound and block shots, I guess you are bound to be boring. Throw in losing a high-energy guy that could score (Brian Cardinal) and this is what you get.
- The problem with the Warriors is that only two of their young players (Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy) can play on a consistent level.
- Mike Dunleavy seems to be too fragile mentally to ever become the player the Warriors thought they had when they drafted him.
- I don't know enough about Mike Montgomery to form an opinion just yet other than to say, let them run and make mistakes. It can't hurt any worse.

5. Indiana Pacers
- They would be here even if they had Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. Why? Because they are thoroughbreds and Rick Carlisle is a young guy with an old-school mentality. I'm kidding about them still being here if they had those guys, but I am serious about Carlisle.
- This team with Jamaal Tinsley would be a fast-break nightmare every night. They would easily lead the league in scoring. Well, I guess none of that matters now, because their top three guys are gone for a long while and we have to watch role players carry the load for the next few months.

Eddie Johnson is a regular contributor to HoopsHype.com

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