In the old days, a fast break automatically meant attacking the basket hard. In the modern era of the NBA, it is no longer uncommon for a player to opt for a pull up three as opposed to a theoretically higher percentage option of driving strong to the basket.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that the evolution toward this new style of play can be credited to Mike D’Antoni of the Houston Rockets.
As per the Associated Press article for NBC Sports, Kerr believes that his 67-year-old compatriot had a big role to play in changing how the game is approached today:
“The guy who deserves the most credit for changing the way the league is played is Mike D’Antoni,” said Kerr. “He’s the guy who just eliminated the center position and said, `Let’s go small and fast and shoot more 3s.'”
By now we’ve all gotten used to the Rockets hoisting more than 40 three-point attempts in a ballgame. And although it was initially met with some criticism, the system appears to be working as D’Antoni, and his team finished the regular season with a league-best record of 65 wins and 17 losses.
Nonetheless, D’Antoni refuses to take full credit for revolutionizing the sport.
“I think a lot of things combined to change it,” stated the two-time NBA Coach of the Year awardee. “One, they changed the rules and, two, the analytic people came in and put validation over 3s and stuff we were doing in Phoenix. Yeah, we kind of jumped out there because of the team we had and Steve Nash before anybody really caught on. And it worked. So in a little sense part of it, but there was a lot of factors.”
With the Westen Conference Finals fast approaching eyes will be on the D’Antoni, the Rockets, and their gung-ho system to see how effective this will be against the defending champions.
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