I've been following the NBA playoffs more closely than usual. One thing I noted-- was when Shaq, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were dissecting a Golden State victory with host Ernie Johnson on Inside the NBA-- Kenny Smith said "reminds me of how we used to play in high school." He commented that it was all about ball movement.
So my thought was that in high school you don't have established stars with major egos and major contracts. The pro game is so devoted to the "star system" and sometimes it looks like one-on-one basketball.
I think the star system has created problems for Lebron James. Whenever he gets into these finals-- the Cavs go to him, especially when some of their other stars are injured. So it becomes Lebron against the world-- and he usually loses in those final series. And I don't see the ball flow that Steve Kerr has created with Golden State. Golden State won a few games when Curry and Klay Thompson were slumping.
Even Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen had the advantage of Phil Jackson's triangle offense in the Nineties. I believe you need that kind of thing to win championships. ESPN and highlight clips and the star system excite the fans. But it takes more than that to win the championship...
The Spurs have that offensive flow under Gregg Popovich.
Maybe Steve Kerr learned a few tricks playing for Phil Jackson.
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