Tag: Steve Nash

All-Time Atlanta Hawks vs. All-Time Dallas Mavericks

Our next match features two teams who have each won one championship in their history. The Hawks experienced their greatest success behind a legendary power forward in the middle of Bill Russell’s Celtics dynasty. The Mavericks won their championship behind another legendary power forward in the bridge year between the reigns of Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and LeBron James’s Heat. Who will win the battle between the All-Time Atlanta Hawks vs. All-Time Dallas Mavericks? Each side holds key advantages.

Atlanta’s Advantages

Interior Play: The Hawks’ big men should have their way in this series. The combination of Dikembe Mutombo, Al Horford, and Zelmo Beaty is superior to that of Sam Perkins, Roy Tarpley, and James Donaldson. In addition, while Bob Pettit and Dirk Nowitzki should cancel each other out, Dan Roundfield, an excellent defender, will make things difficult for Dirk when he’s in the game.

Defense: The Hawks have a number of defenders who can slow down the Mavericks’ offensive attack, including Mutombo, Roundfield, Horford, and Mookie Blaylock. Conversely, the Mavericks do not have many plus defenders, especially up front, where the Hawks will hold a large rebounding advantage as well.

Dallas’s Advantages

Outside shooting: Expect the Mavericks to spread the floor as a counter to Atlanta’s bigger lineups. Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Jason Terry, Michael Finley and Jason Kidd can all shoot from deep, and even Perkins, their starting center, will try to draw Mutombo away the basket with his outside shot.

X-Factors

1. Who wins the battle of the high-scoring forwards? Expect both teams to run their offenses through their forwards: Pettit and Dominique Wilkins for Atlanta, and Nowitzki and Mark Aguirre for the Mavericks. Atlanta has the deeper roster, so the Mavericks need to win this match up, which is improbable.

2. 66 to 35: That’s the number of years that the Hawks and Mavericks have been in existence, respectively. While Dallas fields an explosive all-time team, they do have holes on their roster, while Atlanta has a complete team.

Results

Atlanta, with the deeper, more physical roster, proves superior over the course of the series. Down the stretch of game six, Pettit ensures that the series doesn’t go to a deciding game.

Hawks win, four games to two.

Next Round

Atlanta faces the All-Time Chicago Bulls.

All-Time Dallas Mavericks Team

All-Time Dallas Mavericks Team Infographic

Our next franchise has only been in existence for 35 years. They found immediate success in the 1980s, making the playoffs five years in a row, culminating in a seven-game Western Conference Finals showdown with the eventual league champions. The next decade wasn’t as kind, as they never made the playoffs from 1991 to 2000, and bottomed out with one of the worst teams in league history. Since then, they’ve become one of the league’s model franchises, behind a legendary star and a trailblazing owner. The All-Time Dallas Mavericks team is very good considering their relatively short history, filled with offensive play makers who will make them very difficult to defend.

I’ve already discussed how Steve Nash is one of the greatest offensive players ever; in Dallas, he didn’t reach the MVP heights that he did under Mike D’Antoni, but he was still an all-star player who was one of the best shooters in the NBA. He’ll share the ball-handling duties with Derek Harper, an excellent defender who is one of the best players to have never made an all-star team, and Jason Kidd, who spent early and late years of his brilliant career with the Mavericks. While Kidd wasn’t the force that he was with the Nets or Suns, he was still an elite play maker, who shot over 40 percent from three point range in two of his last four seasons with the team. Rolando Blackman is the team’s starting shooting guard. Blackman was a four-time all-star who peaked during the 1984 season, when he averaged 22.4 PPG while shooting 54.6 percent from the field (he somehow was not honored with an all-star berth that year – go figure). Jason Terry was a hybrid guard who could handle the ball and stretch the defense with his three-point shooting. He was also one of the league’s best sixth men for years, and will be able to play alongside all of the other guards in the rotation.

The starting forwards are the two highest scoring players (on a points per game basis) in team history: Mark Aguirre and Dirk Nowitzki. Aguirre was an incredibly versatile offensive player who was one of the best scorers of the 1980s. He’ll have to play a lesser role on this team than he was used to playing as a Maverick; he led the league in usage percentage in both 1983 and 1984. However, his success as a role player on the two-time champion Detroit Pistons teams demonstrates his adaptability. Nowitzki is the greatest player in franchise history; he may be the best shooting big man the NBA has ever seen, and he makes any team that he plays on an offensive force. Backing them up are two small forwards who experienced great success alongside Nowitzki; Michael Finley, a tremendous athlete who’s another three-point threat, and Josh Howard, who may have been their second best player when they made their first NBA Finals appearance in 2006.

The Mavericks have not had dominant play from the center position in their history; Tyson Chandler may be the best center they’ve ever had, but he’s ineligible for this tournament because he only played on the team for two years. Instead, three big men will share time: Sam Perkins, Roy Tarpley, and James Donaldson. Perkins, AKA “Big Smooth,” played more power forward in Dallas before becoming a center later in his career, and is not an ideal fit alongside Nowitzki, especially on the defensive end of the court. They will create headaches for opponents on offense, however, as both can space the floor and create matchup problems for traditional big men who are used to protecting the paint. Roy Tarpley was an incredible player before personal issues derailed his career; in 17 games in the 1988 playoffs, he averaged 17.9 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 23.1 PER in 33 MPG off the bench. He’s also a former Sixth Man of the Year Award winner, and will get plenty of minutes as the team’s most talented option at center. James Donaldson was a mammoth player (7’2”, 275 lb), who provided a stabilizing force for the successful Mavericks teams in the 1980s. He and Tarpley will provide this team with rim protection, and should both play well off of Nowitzki.

Overall, this team is full of offensive play makers, but they may struggle against big, physical teams. They’re also lacking on the defensive end, and will need to outscore their opponents to have a chance to compete. The 19th seeded team in our tournament, they have a first-round match up against the All-Time Atlanta Hawks team.

Coach: Rick Carlisle

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .510

All-Time Houston Rockets vs. All-Time Phoenix Suns

Our next match features two teams with contrasting styles. The All-Time Rockets are one of the biggest teams in our tournament, and feature two of the greatest big men in history, Hakeem Olajuwon and Moses Malone, in the starting lineup. The All-Time Suns are one of the tournament’s most offensively explosive teams, and feature a trio of dominant point guards, Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, and Jason Kidd, who can dictate a breakneck pace. Who will advance? Here’s the tale of the tape.

Houston’s Advantages

Size, rebounding, and interior defense: Dream. Moses. The Big E. Yao. Sampson. Houston has a collection of big men that can wear down any opponent, especially the undersized Suns. This group can dominate the glass, and control the paint on defense.

Phoenix’s interior defense: Conversely, Phoenix starts one of the worst defensive big men pairings in the tournament. The 6’4” Charles Barkley and the 6’10” Amar’e Stoudemire were brilliant offensive playmakers, but were deficient on the defensive end. Off the bench, Larry Nance was a good interior defender, but Alvan Adams and Tom Chambers weren’t known for their work on that end of the court. Houston’s big men should feast in this series.

Phoenix’s Advantages

Perimeter play making: The Rockets don’t have a good counter for Phoenix’s trio of point guards. Phoenix also has superior shooting, and a deeper perimeter arsenal. Expect them to speed up the games, and try to outrun the Rockets.

Positional flexibility: Phoenix has the ability to throw many different looks at Houston. They can use several different two point guard sets, go small with Shawn Marion or Connie Hawkins at the four, or try to contend with Houston’s size with some combination of Barkley, Nance, Chambers, Stoudemire, and Adams.

X-Factor

Pace: Who will be able to control the tempo in this series? Phoenix will try to run-and-gun, with their elite perimeter play makers. Houston will play very deliberately, running their offense through their fleet of elite big men. The team that’s better able to dictate the pace may wind up winning the series.

Results

Barkley’s Suns were never able to beat Olajuwon’s Rockets in the 1994 and 1995 playoffs, losing in two incredible seven game series. The common thread was that nobody on Phoenix could stop one of the greatest big game players in NBA history, Hakeem Olajuwon. With Moses Malone by his side, that pattern continues.

Rockets win, four games to three.

Next Round

Houston faces the All-Time Warriors.

All-Time Phoenix Suns Team

All-Time Phoenix Suns Team Infographic

The All-Time Phoenix Suns team is exactly what you’d expect them to be. Exciting. Full of brilliant play makers. Deep. The Suns have a rich tradition, currently ranking fourth among all active franchises in all-time winning percentage, at .551, behind three teams that have combined for 38 championships (the Lakers, Spurs, and Celtics). Unfortunately, Phoenix has not yet been able to break through, twice losing in the Finals. Why have they not been able to win it all? Personally, I always considered them to be an offensive-minded franchise, but that has not always been the case, as seen in their year-by-year ranks in offensive and defensive rating:

Phoenix Suns Year-by-Year Offensive and Defensive Ratings

Sure, they’ve had more years where they were dominant on the offensive side of the ball, but they have had periods where they were able to compete at a high level defensively, as well. Other than the period from 1989-1993, however, they haven’t been great on both ends of the court at the same time, which may be a reason why they’ve never been able to win the big prize. Regardless, their all-time team is one of the most fun in our tournament, and will present match up problems for their first round opponent.

The starting backcourt consists of the dynamic combination of Steve Nash and Paul Westphal. For his Phoenix career, Nash was able to cumulatively surpass the shooter’s holy grail of 50-40-90 (50 percent field goal percentage, 40 percent three-point field goal percentage, 90 percent free throw percentage). Certain calculations had Nash leading the league’s top offense for nine straight years, and even if his two MVP awards sparked some controversy, he’s undoubtedly one of greatest offensive players ever. Westphal was a superstar in his prime, making the all-NBA first team three out of four years from 1977-1980 (and making the second team the other year), and leading the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1976. There’s little drop off to the guards on the bench. Kevin Johnson was a dynamic playmaker who has a legitimate Hall-of-Fame case. Jason Kidd is one of the greatest all-around guards ever, and adds a much needed defensive presence to this backcourt. Walter Davis, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, will also see heavy minutes as the best shooter (outside of Nash) on the team.

Shawn Marion, the starting small forward, will play a key role as the main (and only) defensive stopper in the starting lineup. He provides this team with great flexibility, since he can play either forward position. Charles Barkley, the team’s first MVP, who led the franchise to its second NBA Finals appearance, is the starting power forward. Though he wasn’t the athletic marvel that he was in Philadelphia, he was still one of the best players in the league on the Suns, and provides them with a dominant low-post scorer. Amar’e Stoudemire, one of the great pick-and-roll big men ever in his prime, is the starting center. At his peak, Stoudemire was one of the best offensive players in the league. For his Suns career, he had a cumulative .606 true shooting percentage. In 15 games in the 2005 playoffs, he averaged 29.9 PPG, 10.7 RPG, shot 53.9% from the field, and had a 27.6 PER. Off the bench, Hall-of-Famer Connie Hawkins can play at either forward position. Though he sadly wasn’t able to enter the NBA until he was 27, he still made a great impact on the Suns, and was named to the All-NBA first team in his first year with the franchise. Larry Nance was a great all-around player, who will be this team’s best rim protector. Tom Chambers was another offensively talented big man, and Alvan Adams, one of the great passing centers ever, rounds out the bench.

This team will be an offensive force that can throw many different looks at their opponents. A big issue will be the defensive performance of their starting lineup. Paul Westphal, Barkley’s former coach, was once quoted as saying, “next to Shaq, Charles may have been the worst player in history at defending the pick-and-roll.” Stoudemire and Nash were poor defenders as well. Expect big minutes for Marion, Kidd, and Nance to help make up for the defensive deficiencies of their teammates.

Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons (you can’t go wrong with John MacLeod, Paul Westphal, or Mike D’Antoni, but Fitzsimmons led the team to top 10 finishes in both offense and defense from 1989-1992)

All-Time Franchise Winning Percentage (through 2014-15): .551