Tag: Mark Jackson

NBA Villanova Wildcats vs. NBA St. John’s Red Storm

Our next matchup is a classic Big East clash. St. John’s dominated the early days of this rivalry, going 37-19 from 1954-55 through the 1992-93 season. Since then, however, Villanova has dominated, sporting a 33-10 record as St. John’s has faded from national prominence. In recent years, Villanova has become the last vestige of Big East basketball power, adding two championships and becoming one of the best programs in the country. The NBA Villanova Wildcats vs. NBA St. John’s Red Storm will be a battle of an old juggernaut and a new superpower, with key players from each era of this storied rivalry.

NBA Villanova Wildcats vs. NBA St. John's Red Storm

Key Matchups

Small ball vs. traditional lineups – The Wildcats are going to try to go as small as possible throughout this series. Their best NBA players were guards (or guard-sized in the case of Paul Arizin), and their bench is filled with ball-handlers and shooters. St. John’s has more roster balance, and can play a variety of ways, but expect Villanova to try several different four-guard lineups, and also to try a five-out configuration with Tim Thomas as the big man. How will St. John’s counter these lineups? St. John’s has several competent big men, but they can adjust by using Metta World Peace and Maurice Harkless as power players to counter the smaller Wildcat lineups. Leroy Ellis should be quick enough to defend Thomas on the perimeter while giving St. John’s an advantage on the boards when they need mobility at the five spot.

Pitchin’ Paul vs. modern-day wings – Arizin may be the best NBA player in this series, but it will be interesting to see how he fares against some of the modern day wings the Red Storm will throw at him. World Peace, Malik Sealy, and Harkless will all spend time using their length and physicality to disrupt Villanova’s best scorer. Arizin was highly skilled, and will get his points, but they won’t come easy unless Villanova can force the Red Storm’s older, slower guards to switch onto him.  

Biggest Mismatches

St. John’s big man depth – The Red Storm should dominate the interior on both ends of the court. Billy Paultz should have a field day against Jim Washington at the start of each half, and will serve as the key rim protector in this series. If Villanova plays Ed Pinckney and Washington together for long periods of time, St. John’s can pair Paultz with Jayson Williams and/or Ellis. Williams in particular will help them dominate the glass.

Villanova’s modern-day backcourt – Kyle Lowry is one of the best all-around guards in today’s game, and Kerry Kittles would thrive as a modern-day 3-and-D athletic wing. Mark Jackson and Max Zaslofsky do not have the size, athleticism, or defensive capabilities of their counterparts. Expect Zaslofsky to cede playing time to Sealy and Harkless (with Chris Mullin switching to shooting guard in some of these lineups) to help St. John’s offer more defensive resistance.

X-Factor

Whose older players are better positioned for success? Arizin, Zaslofsky, Paultz, Bill Melchionni, and Dick McGuire will face an interesting transition to the modern-day game. How will they hold up defensively? Which of them has the skill set to thrive in any era? Arizin was a superb athlete and pioneering jump shooter in his time, so I expect his transition to be the smoothest. Others have specific skills that translate (Zaslofsky’s shooting, Paultz’s rebounding and shot-blocking, Melchionni and McGuire’s ability to run an offense), but will have varying degrees of success, based on matchup.

Results

This proves to be a fun series, with several memorable performances from the superstars (namely Lowry, Arizin, and Mullin). However, the role players wind up being the deciding factor. St. John’s has a deeper, more versatile team, and they use a balanced attack, led by Mullin, World Peace, and Paultz, to pull out the victory.

St. John’s wins, four games to three.

Next Round

The Red Storm faces the NBA Louisville Cardinals in the second round of our tournament.

NBA St. John’s Red Storm

NBA St. John's Red Storm

Our next profile features a school with a rich basketball tradition. Currently ranking 9th all-time in NCAA Division I wins, this school has captured six NIT championships, and has four coaches enshrined in the Hall of Fame. They have never won an NCAA championship, however, and have only made the NCAA tournament five times since 2000. The NBA St. John’s Red Storm team is full of players from the team’s rich past, with a mix of modern-day competitors who will try to help them advance in our tournament.

The guards on this team are throwbacks from previous generations. Although he played through the 2004 season, Mark Jackson’s game had an old-school feel. He did not have the athleticism, quickness, or shooting ability of many modern-day guards. He also wasn’t known for his work on the defensive end of the court. He could, however, run an offense effectively, currently ranking fourth in total assists in NBA history. While he’s not an ideal fit for the modern NBA rules, he was a smart player who will find a way to compete. He’ll split his time with Dick McGuire, a seven-time all-star who led the league in total assists in his rookie season, and led the league in playoff assists per game in each of his first four years in the league. Max Zaslofsky, the starting two guard, was a star of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), leading the league in points and made field goals in the 1947-48 season. He was selected to four all-BAA/NBA first-teams, and despite his unsightly looking field goal percentage, he was top five in that category in the league back-to-back years (1947-48). He’s backed up by Kevin Loughery, a high-volume scorer who crossed the 20 points per game mark twice in his career. It’s reasonable to question how well this backcourt would hold up when playing against the athletes in the modern-day game, but they were all well-respected, effective players during their time in the league.

The starting forwards are two of the most memorable NBA players on the team. Chris Mullin was one of the great shooters of his era, with career .509/.384/.865 splits. He ranked in the top-10 in scoring average four years in row, and was so revered that he made the original Dream Team. He’ll serve as the fulcrum of this team’s offensive attack. Metta World Peace will start alongside Mullin, and will serve as a secondary option on offense (over his prime seven-year stretch, he averaged 18 points per game). Metta was one of the league’s top two-way players in his prime, and his dominant defense will be desperately needed for this starting unit. He had enough bulk (listed at 260 pounds on basketball reference) to play as a modern-day four, but can switch to his natural small forward position to play alongside two big men when needed. Malik Sealy was a lengthy wing (6’8”) who showed potential on the defensive end of the court before his tragic passing in 2000. He had the best year of his career before he passed, and his terrific free-throw shooting (84.7% his last four years in the league) indicates that he may have been able to turn into a 3-and-D wing in the modern game. Maurice Harkless is another lengthy wing who credibly defends his position. He is very limited offensively, however, but can shoot from downtown at a reasonable rate (34.7% over the last four seasons).  

Billy Paultz, the starting center, was an ABA legend, who also had a solid NBA career after the merger. In his first eight years in the pros (ABA and NBA), he averaged 15.7 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 2.3 BPG on 50.1% shooting from the field. He was a key member of the ABA champion New York Nets team in 1974, and led the ABA in blocked shots per game the following year. Paultz had a solid jump shot for a big man, and was an intimidating presence in the paint. Jayson Williams was one of the best rebounders of his era, and can play as either a power forward or center depending on matchups. Leroy Ellis was another solid big who could play at the four or five. He was quicker and thinner than his frontcourt teammates (210 pounds despite standing 6’10”), and may be better suited than most old-school players to play the switching defense that is often featured in the modern game. Bill Wennington, best known for his role play on the ’96-’98 Chicago Bulls championship teams, will provide depth at the center position.  

The NBA St. John’s Red Storm team has an older, smaller backcourt, who will be helped by their depth at the wing and center positions. They should have a lot of flexibility in their lineups, and can feature World Peace, Sealy, and Harkless in their best defensive configurations. They will face the NBA Villanova Wildcats in the first round of the NBA March Madness Tournament.