As Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals drew to a close and the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated a second consecutive NBA Championship, if the coaching staff and front office of the New York Knicks were paying close attention they would have been smacked in the face by the stark reality of the necessary components required to build a championship team.
In spite of dramatic changes to the way the game is played in this era, one of the oldest clichés in the National Basketball Association is as true today as it was fifty years ago; defense and rebounding do win championships.
So with the full court press being drawn up in the huddle to be put on LeBron James come July 1, the Knicks brain trust should be equally focused on ensuring the squad they plan on putting together is fully committed to playing hard-nosed, team-oriented defense as well as capable and willing to do battle underneath the boards.
And for any team this championship philosophy all begins and ends with the head coach; in this case, Mike D’Antoni.
After six years with the Phoenix Suns, in which he averaged 51 victories per season, D’Antoni was brought to the Big Apple, at the insistence of Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh, as the first step in the initiative to resurrect one of the marquee franchises in the league.
However, although this was widely viewed as a step in the right direction, D’Antoni’s success in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ belied his shortcomings when it came to emphasizing the merits of rebounding combined with solid team defense. And this glaring oversight not only showed up statistically, it reared its ugly head in the playoffs as well.
For D’Antoni’s entire tenure with the team, although they were an offensive juggernaut, Phoenix consistently ranked in the bottom third of the NBA in opponent points per game and opponent rebounds per game; which ultimately resulted in repeated failures to make a single appearance in the Finals.
It has only gotten worse in his two seasons with New York, where the D’Antoni-led Knicks have finished in the bottom third of the NBA in opponent points per game, opponent field goal percentage per game and opponent rebounds per game.
So it goes without saying that D’Antoni absolutely must place more of an emphasis on defense and rebounding because the last time the Knicks were the toast of the town, particularly in the Pat Riley era, they happened to be one of the best defensive teams in the league.
But for this re-construction to come to fruition, Donnie Walsh must also put on his hard hat and get D’Antoni the pieces he needs to build a winning tradition in New York again.
Acquiring a wing player of LeBron James’ caliber is a terrific start, but without a front line to do the dirty work signing James won’t mean a thing in the long run.
With 6’9” All-Star David Lee, the Knicks’ starting center last season, probably headed to seemingly greener pastures, Walsh must also be prepared to make strong offers to the likes of Miami Heat free agent power forward Udonis Haslem and Dallas Mavericks free agent center Brendan Haywood, who are the type of players who don’t need to score but will bring toughness and the other necessary intangibles on the defensive end of the floor to the table.
In Game 7 of the this year’s Finals, the Lakers held the Boston Celtics to 79 points, 40.8% shooting and outrebounded Gang Green 53-40; and that’s because Los Angeles was longer, stronger and tougher up front and fully committed to playing great team defense.
This is how the Knicks made it to the Finals in 1994 and this is how they will make it to the Finals again nearly twenty years later.
Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special 'Defense Wins Championships' video presentation.
The Most Important Lesson NY Knicks Should Have Learned from NBA Finals
