The Deadly Texas Triangle
By
Andrew McCarten, TheSportsStand.com (11/18/07)
In case you haven’t been paying attention to the NBA lately, here’s a
newsflash; Texas has taken over. Home to defending NBA champs the San
Antonio Spurs, as well as the proven Dallas Mavericks and upstart Houston
Rockets, the “Texas Triangle” is set to wreak havoc on the rest of the
league. All three are in the Southwest Division, and it isn’t unlikely that
they’ll be 1-2-3 in the division’s standings by season’s end. Miami coach
Pat Riley even said they “Could be the best three teams in the league.” So
what are the chances the trophy stays in Texas? Apparently very good.
The Spurs look every bit the champs they are early on, and with the Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, as well as their proven supporting cast, and are the class of the league. The Spurs have never been a flashy team, but in the end it’s the results that count and this team has delivered, winning 3 titles in this decade already. The development of Argentine international Fabricio Oberto and former Memphis star Darius Washington is also moving along, and by the end of the season, both could be integral parts of this team. Former Air Force Academy cadet Gregg Popovich has turned this team into the most disciplined and fundamentally sound team in the league, and they once again look poised for postseason glory.
The Mavericks came ever so
close to winning the title in 2006, but blew a 2-0 lead to Miami in the
Finals. After going on a tear in the regular season last year, the season
ended in huge disappointment for Dallas, as they were upset by the 8th
seed Golden State Warriors in 6 games, ending the campaign on a very low
note. But the nucleus remains intact, and Ger
man
superstar Dirk Nowitzki is still capable of changing a game all by himself.
The speedy guard combo of Devin Harris and Jason Terry means that Dallas
will be able to run the offense at a fast pace and wear teams out, or use
big men Desagna Diop, Erick Dampier and Josh Howard in the post. Head coach
Avery “The Little General” Johnson, who led San Antonio to a title in 1999,
has the team playing with emotion and hustle. If they can step up in the
postseason, few will be able to stand in the way of the Mavs.
Yao and T-Mac: the combo finally seems to be working. So far this season, the two are combining for an average of almost 50 points per game. McGrady, the captain of the team, is on a mission to silence all the doubters who contended that he was past his prime (highest scorer on team) and a ball hog (leads team in assists.) Along with veteran guards Rafer Alston, Steve Francis, Mike James and Bonzi Wells, the Rockets are currently playing some of the best basketball in the league. The addition of Shane Battier in the off-season has provided Yao Ming with a solid deputy in the low post game, and young Argentina native Luis Scola is also showing signs of future promise. Rick Adelman has the offense putting up great numbers, and this is a team that looks sure to make it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1996/1997 season.
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