Mike D’Antoni has lengthy been a proponent of a fast-paced method to basketball, nevertheless it was Stephen Curry and the Warriors who made it a viable technique.
The Golden State Warriors‘ affect on the basketball world is difficult to disregard. Within the early 2010s, whereas the NBA’s signature physicality had declined, the fashion of play had principally remained the identical.
The large, athletic wings who might get to the rim and rating high-percentage alternatives have been usually dominating the dialog for the very best on this planet.
Gamers like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, and Kevin Durant have been adept at taking the ball to the basket on almost each single play.
However when Stephen Curry and the Warriors started discovering success by principally capturing jumpshots and three-pointers, the NBA world took discover.
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In a sit-down dialog with Kirk Goldsberry, Meghna Chakrabarti, and Jonathan Chang, Mike D’Antoni applauded Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
He famous that the perimeter-centric fashion of NBA basketball wouldn’t be a viable method to championship basketball if not for his or her success with it.
“What Steph did within the Warriors and Steve Kerr, they validated that you would be able to win with a heavy 3-point capturing.”
“And earlier than, there was at all times that query – you’ll be able to’t win the championship, you’ll be able to’t do that with that form of capturing – and now they validated.”
“That’s the place the floodgates opened up and the remainder of the coaches went after it due to Steph’s capability to have the ability to make pictures.”
D’Antoni could be very aware of Curry and the Warriors, having performed in opposition to them through the late 2010s as his Houston Rockets groups got here the closest to beating them at their finest.
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All through his totally different stints as head coach within the NBA with the Suns, Knicks, and Rockets, Mike D’Antoni has tried to implement a ‘7 seconds or much less’ offense, which frequently includes heavy outdoors capturing.
Steve Nash gained two MVPs below D’Antoni, whereas Amar’e Stoudemire turned an All-Star participant. Whereas it didn’t work out with the Knicks, maybe the very best model of this offense got here in Houston.
With James Harden and Chris Paul as the 2 major offensive retailers, D’Antoni and the Rockets additionally turned a primarily perimeter-based crew.
Nevertheless, regardless of serving to Harden win the MVP, D’Antoni and the Rockets did not garner any authentic postseason success, shedding in a 7-game thriller within the 2018 Western Convention Finals to the Warriors.
