duncan228
02-12-2009, 02:15 AM
Triple threats: Celts' trio sets standard Dallas Mavericks hope to copy (http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/021209dnspomavslede.41f53be.html)
By Eddie Sefko
Champions are cut from many different molds in the NBA. There is the singular mega-star who carries a well-conceived supporting staff. Think Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the '90s.
There are dynamic duos like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Lately, the most popular blueprint is the three-headed monster.
It's worked for the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. And it was employed last season by the Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions who make their annual visit to American Airlines Center tonight.
"If you look at this league in recent years, it's become more of a strength-in-numbers type of league," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says. "Look at Detroit in '04. They were able to win a championship with four All-Star caliber guys that weren't necessarily viewed as superstars.
"If you have that volume of high-level players, you can withstand an injury or on nights when two guys aren't shooting the ball well, you can still hang in games and win. It helps over the course of 100 games to have that kind of depth."
Nobody has perfected the formula more than the Celtics, who bring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to the table and surround them with form-fitting role players.
It's a method the Mavericks have tried to copy. And, indeed, they have built a poor-man's version of a Big Three, even if one of the triangle's sides is erased right now with Jason Terry's injury.
"We've got a great starter kit," Jason Kidd says. "But the puzzle pieces also have to match up. You can have three pieces that don't fit. You look at Boston, they've got a veteran group, guys who have been around the wars. Those guys have given up the All-Star status for the betterment of the team.
"They continue to be All-Stars, but it's about the team and it starts with their leader, Kevin Garnett."
For the Mavericks, their Big Three has changed with Terry's injury. Normally, it's a potent trio, with Terry, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard combining to average 63.5 points per game, easily the highest-scoring threesome in the league.
Kidd, of course, is the facilitator charged with making sure all three get their share of the scoring chances. Again, that dynamic has been altered with Terry's absence. But it's a plan they hope to return to after the All-Star break when Terry comes back.
"Our biggest challenge has been health," Carlisle says. "Josh's situation early in the year derailed us from getting in a great rhythm offensively in late November and December. And we've had to adjust again [with Terry's injured left hand].
"But coming in, we projected that those three guys would play exceptionally well and Kidd would be our key facilitator. This is the way we'd like it to keep going when everybody gets healthy."
Even healthy, the Mavericks know there are no guarantees. Not with San Antonio's three-pronged attack and similar units in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom and in New Orleans where, when healthy, the Hornets have Chris Paul, David West and Peja Stojakovic.
Injuries, as always, could determine which set of triplets ends up being most effective in the West. But Kidd says he's wary of one team in particular.
"This game is fragile that way with injuries and confidence," Kidd says. "Things look great and then all of the sudden it just goes downhill, and the one team that's been pretty consistent and has won championships is the Spurs. They just keep playing.
"They're right there. So for that, we've just got to stay the course and hold the fort down until we get healthy. And there's no guarantee that we'll ever be 100 percent healthy. So we've just got to play with the guys we got."
THREE-MENDOUS
The top trios in the NBA this season, with their combined scoring averages:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/trio.jpg
All numbers through Tuesday's games. Players must be on pace to play 50 or more games.
THREE-PLY CHAMPIONS
Besides Boston's Pierce, Garnett and Allen, here are some other notable NBA triumvirates who teamed up to collect NBA crowns in the last 30 years:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/trio2.jpg
BOSTON THREE PARTY
KEVIN GARNETT
Notable: Points, rebounds, assists down, efficiency way, way up
Key stat: 52.5 percent shooting (13th in NBA)
RAY ALLEN
Notable: He benefits from nonstop attention given to the other two
Key stat: 128 3-pointers this season (3rd in NBA)
PAUL PIERCE
Notable: Great scorer who makes a living at the free throw line
Key stat: 7th-most free throw attempts in the league (362)
By Eddie Sefko
Champions are cut from many different molds in the NBA. There is the singular mega-star who carries a well-conceived supporting staff. Think Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in the '90s.
There are dynamic duos like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Lately, the most popular blueprint is the three-headed monster.
It's worked for the San Antonio Spurs with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. And it was employed last season by the Boston Celtics, the reigning NBA champions who make their annual visit to American Airlines Center tonight.
"If you look at this league in recent years, it's become more of a strength-in-numbers type of league," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle says. "Look at Detroit in '04. They were able to win a championship with four All-Star caliber guys that weren't necessarily viewed as superstars.
"If you have that volume of high-level players, you can withstand an injury or on nights when two guys aren't shooting the ball well, you can still hang in games and win. It helps over the course of 100 games to have that kind of depth."
Nobody has perfected the formula more than the Celtics, who bring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to the table and surround them with form-fitting role players.
It's a method the Mavericks have tried to copy. And, indeed, they have built a poor-man's version of a Big Three, even if one of the triangle's sides is erased right now with Jason Terry's injury.
"We've got a great starter kit," Jason Kidd says. "But the puzzle pieces also have to match up. You can have three pieces that don't fit. You look at Boston, they've got a veteran group, guys who have been around the wars. Those guys have given up the All-Star status for the betterment of the team.
"They continue to be All-Stars, but it's about the team and it starts with their leader, Kevin Garnett."
For the Mavericks, their Big Three has changed with Terry's injury. Normally, it's a potent trio, with Terry, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard combining to average 63.5 points per game, easily the highest-scoring threesome in the league.
Kidd, of course, is the facilitator charged with making sure all three get their share of the scoring chances. Again, that dynamic has been altered with Terry's absence. But it's a plan they hope to return to after the All-Star break when Terry comes back.
"Our biggest challenge has been health," Carlisle says. "Josh's situation early in the year derailed us from getting in a great rhythm offensively in late November and December. And we've had to adjust again [with Terry's injured left hand].
"But coming in, we projected that those three guys would play exceptionally well and Kidd would be our key facilitator. This is the way we'd like it to keep going when everybody gets healthy."
Even healthy, the Mavericks know there are no guarantees. Not with San Antonio's three-pronged attack and similar units in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom and in New Orleans where, when healthy, the Hornets have Chris Paul, David West and Peja Stojakovic.
Injuries, as always, could determine which set of triplets ends up being most effective in the West. But Kidd says he's wary of one team in particular.
"This game is fragile that way with injuries and confidence," Kidd says. "Things look great and then all of the sudden it just goes downhill, and the one team that's been pretty consistent and has won championships is the Spurs. They just keep playing.
"They're right there. So for that, we've just got to stay the course and hold the fort down until we get healthy. And there's no guarantee that we'll ever be 100 percent healthy. So we've just got to play with the guys we got."
THREE-MENDOUS
The top trios in the NBA this season, with their combined scoring averages:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/trio.jpg
All numbers through Tuesday's games. Players must be on pace to play 50 or more games.
THREE-PLY CHAMPIONS
Besides Boston's Pierce, Garnett and Allen, here are some other notable NBA triumvirates who teamed up to collect NBA crowns in the last 30 years:
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x282/duncan228/temp/trio2.jpg
BOSTON THREE PARTY
KEVIN GARNETT
Notable: Points, rebounds, assists down, efficiency way, way up
Key stat: 52.5 percent shooting (13th in NBA)
RAY ALLEN
Notable: He benefits from nonstop attention given to the other two
Key stat: 128 3-pointers this season (3rd in NBA)
PAUL PIERCE
Notable: Great scorer who makes a living at the free throw line
Key stat: 7th-most free throw attempts in the league (362)