04-16-2024, 04:52 PM
(04-16-2024, 04:18 PM)SleepingHero Wrote: Keeping with my historical theme today, history says that GSW was an anomaly. I mean who else but Steph Curry and Klay Thompson could reliably hit some of those 3s that they shot? A movement based offense around the 2 most lethal outside shooters the league has ever seen is hard to replicate to the same level.
I think GSW showed how good of a shot the 3pt shot is. A lot of teams incorporated it. But 29 other teams don't have Steph Curry, nor do they have guys that can play like him all the time. And even if they did, they didn't really have the personnel to make that playstyle work (namely an All-NBA switch defender that can guard 1-5, facilitate, and rebound, and a 2 way 2-guard that can equally space the floor who shoots in the 99th percentile).
Before GSW it was always a big man league, and it will probably continue to be that as it has always been the most reliable form of success. Doesn't hurt the last 3/4 chips have come from teams that have a good big man in the middle too (Jokic, Giannis, AD).
GS never was a real five out team. They had the two best shooters in the league but more often than not they shared the floor with at least one (more often two) non shooters. Guards/wings like Livingston or Iguodala and bigs like Bogut, Ezeli, Looney. No team really copied their approach because as you stated Curry and Thompson were/are unique. A team that is relying on off ball screens and split actions to creat cutting lanes or open 3s instead of having traditional ballhandlers that create the offense in the pick and roll or isolations.
When I think of the modern spread pick and roll and 5-out spacing the first team that comes to mind are the Harden Rockets after they gave up on Howard/Capela and replaced them with smaller guys like Tucker and RoCo. Ball dominant playmaker playing iso ball or pick and roll with 5-out spacing. Something most teams with talented scorers (including the Mavs) tried to copy.
For me the real difference in philosophy comes down to shot creation and passing. The Warriors and Nuggets run systems with stationary playmakers surrounded by moving players that are trying to get open on the three point line or cutting to the rim. Majority of the league (including the Mavs) are mostly running a system with playmaking guards/wings that are creating of the dribble and off ball players that aren't moving as much (spot up or cut).