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Basketball, as a game, offers uniquely opposing perceptions from different-thinking players and lovers of the game. On one hand, it is a game where five individuals, all taking on the court at the same time, mesh and mold perfectly together to make a strong unit to defeat their opponents. It doesn’t matter who the individual is or how much he scores as long as his team outscores the opposing team at the end of regulation.
The second approach, grown from the more undisciplined formats of the game and graduated into its highest level is basketball as a sport where one or two individuals dominate most of the offense while the other three around them ‘fill in the blanks’ with rebounding, hustle, defense, the extra pass, etc… This approach may be frowned upon by basketball purists, but most of the dominant championship winning teams at the highest level – the NBA – have had success following it: starting unofficially with Michael Jordan and the Bulls, moving on to Shaq and Kobe together and Kobe alone with the Lakers, and to Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat. Several successful teams like Allen Iverson’s 76ers, LeBron James’ Cavaliers, and Derrick Rose’s Bulls have relied on the ‘one-high-scoring-superstar’ approach a lot – some would say, a little too much.
Actually, the NBA style of play – unlike the international style of play – has become so much more dependent on one or two dominant scorers that it is almost rare to see a team do it the old fashioned way: where nearly every player is equally involved in the offense and the defense. The last team to win a championship with this style of play was the 2004 Detroit Pistons, a team which earned their stripes without any stars.
This season, with the NBA schedule shortened and compressed, the older, more international style of offense is showing up strongly in the league again. It is difficult for superstars to be effective night after night in a tighter schedule, so many teams have had to turn to their deep benches to support and share the scoring load. In particular, there are four surprising squads – all without a single player averaging 20 points a game – who have had various measures of success so far this season following the ‘All for one’ philosophy: 76ers, Pacers, Nuggets, and Jazz.
Let’s start with the Jazz: although they currently find themselves half a game outside looking in when it comes to the Western Conference playoff picture, Utah started off the season blazingly well and have already surprised many with their play this season. This is a team that lost their coach for two decades – Jerry Sloan – last season, and in quick succession, lost their star point guard Deron Williams. The Jazz squad has had a complete revamp over the last couple of seasons actually, as their other regulars Carlos Boozers and Andrei Kirilenko bolted away.
The new team – built around a couple of hard-nosed big guys – is not letting the fans wait for a rebuilding stage. Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap have both been commanding the post for the Jazz, getting consistent scoring and rebounding numbers for each game. Adding to this is Utah’s burgeoning youngster Gordon Hayward who has improved a lot this season and could be a star to watch for the future. Utah’s strength is perhaps their depth, and behind the twin towers of Jefferson and Millsap, they have two great backup bigs, both of whom I’m a huge fan – sophomore Derrick Favors and rookie Enes Kanter. This squad is currently standing 9th in the West with a 14-13 record.
Tagged by their own Roy Hibbert as the ‘best kept secret’ in the NBA earlier, the Indiana Pacers continue to flummox opponents with big wins, especially away from home. Indiana, who finished 8th in the East last year, have reloaded this season with David West in their roster.
But it has been growth within the team, of players like Hibbert (named as an All Star this season), Paul George, Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough, and George Hill that has seen this young team take the leap and find itself in fifth place in the East. The Pacers leading scorer is still Danny Granger (18.6 ppg), but this team succeeds because of its depth and unselfishness, and currently holds an impressive 17-10 record.
What happens when you trade away your two best players – one an All Star starter and the other a star veteran – in return for a few ‘non-stars’, and then three of your regular rotation players bolt for the Chinese Basketball Association when they become free agents? If you’re the Nuggets, you do the improbable, and you actually improve! The Nuggets sent Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York in mid-season last year in return for Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, and Timofey Mozgov. Then, Chanlder, JR Smith, and Kenyon Martin left the squad over the off-season for China. And somehow, despite these setbacks, the Nuggets had a blistering start to the season and became one of the West’s most feared teams.
The Nuggets have cooled down since, and now hold a 16-12 record and the 7th place in the West, but a lot of that could be attributed to the injury of Gallinari, who with 17 ppg was their leading scorer this season and was playing at an All Star level. Adding to Gallinari’s contribution is the league’s most selfless offense, a team that shares the ball with more than anyone, and is consistently amongst the NBA’s best in points scored and assists every year. Credit that to Coach George Karl, who is again in the argument for Coach of the Year by keeping this team amongst the best in the West.
Along with Gallinari, the Nuggets have a deep roster of many gifted players, including Ty Lawson, Nene, Al Harrington, Arron Afflalo, Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Corey Brewer and more. The departure of Anthony has actually benefited Karl’s system of better ball movement, and as a result, eight players in the team are averaging over eight points per game.
And the best of the league’s surprising, unselfish teams this season, is a squad that plays its hoops amongst the hard-nosed people of Philadelphia. The 76ers were a revelation last year, ending seventh in the East after a much-improved second half of the season. This year, without making any major changes to the roster, they have reached even greater heights and now find themselves third in the East, behind only the super-talented Miami and Chicago teams.
And without any offensive superstars, how is this happening? The 76ers are perhaps the closest version of those great Detroit teams of the mid-2000s right now. No player in the squad averages more than 15.7 ppg, but eight players average nine points a game and more. Philly is led in scoring by their sixth man Louis Williams (15.7 ppg). Their only All Star this season is Andre Iguodala, but he himself is only their third leading scorer, and on paper, is having one of his worst offensive seasons (just 12.8 ppg). But Iguodala is an exceptional defender and all-round force. And he is definitely worthy of being an All Star this season.
Then there’s ever-improving point guard Jrue Holiday, talented forward Thaddeus Young, experienced big man Elton Brand, sharp-shooter Jodie Meeks, and former college superstar Evan Turner. Their center Spencer Hawes is also having a great season, providing more balance to this team which seems to be loaded in nearly every position on the floor.The 76ers are 20-9 so far this season, and along with the Pacers, Nuggets, and Jazz, have taken full advantage of their youth and depth to impress so far this year. These teams are also blessed to have players who have sacrificed individual glory for team victories. Here are four teams who are going all for the wins, and nothing else! And in the process, proving that the unselfish approach of ‘pure’ basketball, where all five players on the court stay involved in the offense can win a lot of games, at least in the regular season.
But it is the playoffs where the good separate themselves from the great: we’ll have to wait and see if of these squads are great enough to make a deep post-season run against the NBA’s more established superstars.
