Let's face it, big men in the NBA don't possess a whole lot of sex appeal. The fans are fascinated with the sizzle of the soaring dunks, three-point shooting, and flashy passes of the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, and Steve Nash.
Remember Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in those old-school shorts mechanically dropping sky-hook after sky-hook with such ease? Not exactly the stuff that fans crave. However, of the past seven world championships, teams with a dominant big man won six of them — nothing to scoff at.
The following table illustrates the importance of a world-class center in recent NBA history.
YEAR TEAM CENTER 1999 Spurs David Robinson/Tim Duncan 2000 Lakers Shaquille O'Neal 2001 Lakers Shaquille O'Neal 2002 Lakers Shaquille O'Neal 2003 Spurs Tim Duncan 2005 Spurs Tim Duncan
And what about 2004? The Detroit Pistons won with a hard-nosed brand of basketball that featured stifling defense and focus on the team instead of any single player. The last championship team to get it done without a dominant center was the Chicago Bulls. Winning six titles in eight years without a strong post presence shows just how special Michael Jordan was. Absent Jordan's spectacular feat, history has shown over and again that the big man is the critical cog in the championship machine.
NBA teams recognize the edge gained by possessing the coveted center with the ability to take control of games. In fact, little else would explain the high draft status given to centers like Manute Bol and Shawn Bradley, who never quite met expectations. The league even inserted itself into the David and Goliath battle and attempted to give the little guy a leg up in the odds by creating the three-point shot. This change has been met with great approval by the fans.
Great players, at any position, need a good supporting cast to persevere through a grinding season and the rigorous playoffs to ascend to the top. Obviously, one player does not a team make. However, given the option of choosing a solid playoff team with outstanding guard play or a solid team with outstanding post play, the edge over the past several years has gone to the team with outstanding post play.
But that trend may be changing. Fans are getting what they want in this year's NBA playoffs. A fast paced, driving, slashing style of superstar guard play has fans following the playoffs more closely. Ratings for TNT's coverage of second-round play are up 22% over last year.
Of the teams remaining in the 2006 playoffs, only one has a claim to having a dominant inside presence — and that's a fairly weak claim. Shaquille O'Neal provides the Miami Heat with a mere tease of his past greatness. Hampered by injuries throughout the season, he has returned to solid form for the playoffs, posting 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block per game through Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Those stats are good, but not great.
This year's playoffs will buck the trend of the past seven years and crown a "peoples" champion — a champion with great guard play and solid, but not spectacular post play. David will prevail over Goliath and the fans' love affair with the underdog will be rewarded.
Todd Beckstead is the founder of MonsterDraft.com, a fantasy football draft resource.
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