Re: Winning the championship with one dominant player

[RACE --- <race@midusa.net>]

In many ways the Pistons won with no dominant players
they were a team of chemistry akin to the famous
Knicks champions.

They were mean and tough defensively and had an
impressive bench which allowed the pace and meanness
to continue in a sustained manner throughout each
game of the season and the playoffs.

Daly's ability to bring together this group of
talented but not amazing superstars is a testament
to the belief that "coaching does matter in the NBA".

If the Celtics management and coaching pushed for a
hard, hustle, chemistry based system, the Celtics 
would not be the CBA team of the NBA.  It is the
coaches job first to set the tone and then the
players who are leaders.

The Pistons did have leadership off and on the 
court.  And the leadership came from different
folks at different times.

Ivan_Choi@HP-PaloAlto-notesgw1.om.hp.com wrote:
> 
> I was thinking about this issue and I know the
> original mail thread had to do with the NCAA
> championships.  However, I could think of a
> recent NBA team...
> 
> The team is the Detroit Pistons in the late
> '80/early '90's.  Isiah Thomas was an all-star
> but I would really call him a "dominant" player.

He was a media star at Indiana and sustained it
but his game in the NBA never reached "Superstar"
status.

> Joe Dumars was still starting out.  

But was under-rated...

After that,
> they had a bunch of thugs named Laimbeer,
> Mahorn, Edwards, Rodman (before the
> tatoos), etc.

Don't forget Salley.  The thug label
probably helped them.  Opposing teams
spent as much time complaining as 
playing.  And this team did have talent
at each of these positions and were
very, very deep.  Perhaps the bully label
is part of why the team's talent was
overlooked by opponents.

AND they were all very talented defensive
players....something easily overlooked by
statistics and media spin doctors.
> 
> Speaking of which, I still recall Vinnie
> Johnson getting a splitting headache
> during a playoff game against the Celtics.

BUT Vinnie would have been starting along
with many of the other second team -- not as
superstars but as key role players -- on 
other teams.  The deal with Detroit is that
they had two full squads of them.

> And of course, the "steal" (ok, the second
> most famous "steal" in Celtics history)

Toss up ... Johhny didn't have to make an assist
after the incredible score.  And DJ, the future
coach of Boston or Orlando moving without the
ball - perhaps he does know a bit about the 
science and Celtic mystique of the game.

Every game a different player stepped up a
little extra with the key performance.  It was
Daly's approach of balancing the talent perfectly
that allowed for the chemistry to develop.
No better case could be made for the necessity
of acting quicly to significantly improve our
coaching staff.