http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/
Eleven years ago, Tyson Chandler sat in a high school gym south of Los Angeles and watched DeShawn Stevenson take a couple of dribbles past half-court and launch jumpers from ridiculously far beyond the 3-point line. This was a prelude to jogging back and waiting for his teammates to get the ball back for him.
Afterward, it was Stevenson's turn to watch Chandler, a reed-thin 7-footer take his turn trying to stop the nation's most coveted high school player, Eddie Griffin. What Stevenson saw was a player who preferred to be camped near the 3-point line rather than the basket, a player who at times looked lost against Griffin's refined game.
Fast forward, and Chandler and Stevenson, reunited as starters for the Dallas Mavericks, are hardly recognizable — and not just for their tattoos and beards.
They took the leap directly from high school to the NBA, but as the reality of life as pros set in, they have transformed themselves into players who earn their place on the court with defense.
In many ways, the modifications both players made to their games have been mirrored by the Mavericks, who for much of the decade have tried to win by outscoring opponents. It has been a workable formula in the regular season — Dallas has recorded 11 consecutive 50-win seasons — but it has led to a litany of playoff failures.
Now, thanks to Chandler's presence — and, to a lesser degree, Stevenson — the Mavericks have put enough bite in their defense to blow through the rugged Western Conference, including their blitz of the two-time defending champion Lakers, and into the NBA Finals, which begin Tuesday in Miami.
The role of Chandler and Stephenson will be important against the Heat.
Chandler will be the last line of defense against LeBron James' and Dwyane Wade's attacks on the rim, and he might also be charged with defending Chris Bosh.
Stephenson likely will defend Wade but, given his strength, could find himself on James, with whom he once sparred in a Cleveland-Washington playoff series.
The Mavericks' identity still comes from their scorers — Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry — but they have been trying to add a defensive element to their game with the hiring of Avery Johnson and then Rick Carlisle as head coach. The problem is when your centers for the past decade have been Erick Dampier, DeSagana Diop and Shawn Bradley, it's hard to be taken seriously.
When Chandler arrived, he thought what most everyone else did about the Mavericks — they were soft.
"People have a misunderstanding about that," Chandler said. "They think if you're soft, you've got to throw punches and throw elbows and do dirty things. That's not what I mean.
"I mean, when it gets tough and it's this time of year and guys get up in you defensively, you've got to set hard screens, you've got to make hard cuts, you've got to execute down the stretch, you've got to not get rattled. You can't let them take you out of your game. You've got to get up in them defensively, (do) all the things people don't want to do basketball wise, all the effort things, all the dirty work. That's the difference."
cheap custom jerseys
As Stevenson noted, the Mavericks now have a number of players who can defend, but Caron Butler was hurt in January and hasn't returned, and Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion are past their primes.
In the playoffs, Chandler — he is a bulked-up forward but still possesses the calves of a giraffe and the waist of a ballerina — has stood up to Oklahoma City's hard-nosed Kendrick Perkins and the Lakers' bullish Andrew Bynum. Stevenson, though his shooting against the Thunder was woeful (6 for 28), gave the Mavericks a physical defender to throw at OKC's Russell Westbrook and LA's Kobe Bryant.
In many ways, Chandler and Stevenson have set the tone on defense.
"Guys bought into what we were trying to bring (because of) the success and the lack of success that a team has had," Chandler said. "They climbed all the way to the mountaintop and didn't get the ring. Then they had some disappointing losses early in the playoffs. So I think this team was definitely looking for something different. They understood, ‘OK, we can't just beat everybody offensively.'
"So when I came along, it was easier to get guys to buy in defensively because it's, ‘OK, we've tried it the other way and we haven't had success.' "
Neither player arrived in Dallas viewed as a difference maker.
Chandler's acquisition from Charlotte, which was eager to dump his $12 million salary, led to some head-scratching. Dallas had recently given its other center, Brendan Haywood, a six-year, $54 million contract.
Stevenson had been acquired with Haywood and Butler at the trade deadline last season. He was, as he admits, a throw-in — he was included only to help balance the salaries of Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross, who were sent to Washington.
Though he starts, Stevenson plays the minutes of a reserve — the latest adjustment he has made during a career full of them.
"I used to score the ball a lot," said Stevenson, who grew up in Fresno, Calif., and was drafted by Utah at the No. 23 spot in 2000. "I got under (then-Utah coach) Jerry Sloan, and that's all he talked about was playing defense. Being on a veteran team like that, I wasn't getting the ball, so I had to try to do something else different to help. So I did the defensive thing, and it ended up sticking."
Chandler was taken second overall the next year by the Clippers and was immediately shipped to Chicago, where he struggled early in his career. Asked if he envisioned developing into a player like Nowitzki when he left high school, Chandler laughed.
custom nba jerseys
"I can do nothing that he can do," Chandler said. "I was skilled on the perimeter for a big guy. He's skilled on the perimeter for a basketball player. When I first came into this league, I quickly found out that wasn't going to be my place."
For every Chandler and Stevenson, who have adjusted, there are others — Darius Miles and DerMarr Johnson come to mind — who have not. Basketball follows the principles of Darwin.
"I honestly think that's what separates guys that stick in this league (from) guys who don't," said Chandler, who also grew up in a central California town, Hanford, before moving to the Los Angeles area in middle school. "Some guys don't understand that and they're still stuck in the past and what they can do and this and that.
"In this league, you may come into the right situation, and you may get drafted to the right team to be able to have that kind of success offensively. But if you're not, you've just got to find a way to stick. DeShawn has done an incredible job of adjusting — he's played 11 years — and I feel like I've done the same."
Together, they have helped the Mavericks make an adjustment of their own — putting a little "D" back in Dallas.
No comments:
Post a Comment