Marbury's point totals don't add up to victories

[kevin.lok@lycosmail.com (Kevin Lok)]

http://www.projo.com/report/pjb/stories/02812282.htm
Marbury's point totals don't add up to victories
BOSTON -- Their backgrounds are eerily similar. Stephon Marbury and
Kenny Anderson are both point guards. They both come from New York,
where they were high school legends. They both went to Georgia Tech
but stayed only briefly -- Marbury for one year, Anderson for two.
These days, though, they are more different than alike. Life on the
basketball court is going in different directions for the two.
As was evident last night, when Anderson's Celtics beat Marbury's
Nets, 109-96, Anderson is having much more fun. Marbury is scoring
more, but Anderson is winning more.
Their situation is a classic example of how statistics do not mean
everything, how life as a point guard is measured more in victories
than points scored.
The 22-year-old Marbury, in his fourth year in the NBA, came into last
night's game as the third-leading scorer in the league. His 27.3
average was bettered only by Allen Iverson (30.1) and his former
teammate in Minnesota, Kevin Garnett (27.8).
Marbury also recently signed a $70.9 million, six-year contract. He is
playing in New Jersey, close enough to home where his family can see
him. So he's got to be on top of the world, right?
Wrong.
Already, Marbury is being criticized by the New York-New Jersey media
for being selfish, for taking too many shots, for not helping his team
win. Through the first eight games he had taken 184 shots, an average
of 23 a game, but had hit only 41 percent from the field, 30 percent
on 3-pointers. His assist-to-turnover ratio was 44-41, terrible for a
point guard.
What made it worse is that New Jersey has won only one game -- the
only game in which Marbury was not the team's leading scorer.
Before the game Marbury spent time both in Celtics' training room, and
on the training table in the New Jersey locker room, getting help with
his right ankle. When a reporter asked if he had a minute to talk,
Marbury looked up and said just one word: ``No.''
Marbury played early on as if he was trying to please his critics. At
least four times in the first 15 minutes alone he got the ball with a
good look at the basket, but passed up the shot. He took only two
shots in the first period.
Then, in the second quarter, as his team fell behind by double digits
Marbury started firing up the shots. He went nuts in the third
quarter, making four 3-pointers in a four-minute stretch early in the
period.
His actions were in stark contrast to Anderson, both on and off the
court. The 29-year-old Anderson, in his ninth year in the league,
knows better than anyone what Marbury is going through.
``I did that already,'' he said of being a point guard who tries to do
everything on a bad team. ``I was in his situation when I was in
Jersey (for the first four years of his career) when me and Derrick
Coleman played together.''
Anderson says he can understand what Marbury is doing.
``The make-up of your team is how you have to play,'' Anderson said.
``He's a go-to guy on his team. He dominates the ball. He has the
luxury to shoot whenever he wants. Here, if you look at our offense,
I'm passing and going through. I'm just a wheel.''
Anderson does not buy into the idea that Marbury is selfish.
``Everybody cares about winning, but certain players do it a different
way,'' he said. ``A lot of time players put pressure on themselves to
score, meaning they think, `If I score my team is going to win.' So it
is good selfishness at times.''
There was a time -- not that long ago, actually -- when Anderson might
not have been happy to be just a wheel. Just last year he had problems
with coach Rick Pitino over playing time and was left behind for one
game.
That seems to have changed, at least so far. This season he has been
relaxed and easy going off the court, and steady and solid on court.
While Marbury barely has as many assists and turnovers, Anderson has
an outstanding 3-1 ratio -- 37 assists to 12 turnovers entering last
night's game.
He is averaging 16 points, 11 fewer than Marbury, but he has taken
only half as many shots. He is shooting for a higher percentage, 47
percent, both overall and on 3-pointers.
``If I get 15 shots and we win and I shoot a great percentage, I love
it,'' Anderson said last night. ``If he gets 30, 40 shots and loses,
well, invidually we might be doing well, but collectively you're just
not doing the job.''
``As you get older,'' Anderson said, ``you start paying a little more
attention to what's a good shot and what's a bad shot.''
It's not that Anderson has totally given up the gunslingler mentality.
Twice in the third quarter, after Marbury had come down and fired home
a 3-pointer, Anderson went to the other end and answered with a trey
of his own.
When it was over, Marbury had the better numbers. He had 26 points on
9-for-21 shooting. Anderson had only nine points as he went 3-for-9
from the field.
But Anderson's team also had the victory.
``You know what?'' Anderson said, ``it doesn't matter as long as you
get a `W,' as long as you are successful in doing your job.''