Barbershop 2

Buzzing The Posteason

Before the season,The Mag's Ric Bucher and Chris Palmer debated the merits of the in-vogue, push-it offenses and the tried-and-true defense-first schemes. There was no consensus that day at The Shave in Beverly Hills. So 1,230 games later, and with the postseason looming, we gave the guys one more chance to hone their arguments. Listen up as Ric, C-Palm and Chris Broussard cut to the chase at New York City's legendary Astor Place Hairstylist. Care to wager a Mohawk, good sir?

CP I said it before the season, and I'm saying it now: Defense wins championships. I'm not buying this small-ball, up-tempo thing the Suns do.

CB I agree. Look at most of the top teams in the league—Dallas, for instance. They became legitimate contenders when they started to play great defense, when they started to rebound. The Suns' style is regular-season eye candy. Until a team like that wins it all, most people are going to feel you've got to play some defense to have a chance.

RB There's no question defense has got to be part of the equation, but if you look at this season, most top teams have gotten worse. And actually, the Suns defense had the slightest regression.

CP If Phoenix loses this year, will everyone still want to be the next Phoenix?

RB Look, I'm not a stat guy, but someone did a study that found that faster offenses make for more efficient teams. I agree with you guys in that the proof is in the playoffs. The reason Dallas is so effective is it can play a multitude of ways. That helps in the regular season. But you have to be the best at something to make it happen in the playoffs, and Phoenix is the best at up-tempo.

CP Yes, they run over teams that don't play defense. How are the Suns going to get stops when they need them? Who's going to do that?

CB Amaré Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas are back, so they've got a little more toughness, a little more bulk. Maybe they'll be able to stop somebody.

RB The Suns defense, by the way, is 12th in the league in field goal percentage. Another big difference this season is they get to the free throw line now. That was their big weakness last year. They gave up 1.7 points to San Antonio, who were the next worst in terms of number of free throws. And they gave up 7.7 points to Dallas. This year it's .1 to San Antonio and, like, 2.1 to Dallas.

CP I thought you said you weren't a numbers guy.

RB You can talk about how defense is the key to winning, but the reality is, the improvement in all of these teams is on offense. And the improvement they've made is to play up-tempo. Why is Utah better? Because of Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer—

CB Boozer on the block makes them a terrific rebounding team.

CP Utah is an inside-out team.

RB We're not talking about the pendulum swinging all the way from one side to the other. We're talking about it moving a little. And which direc
tion is it going in?

CP It's a fad. So who's winning it all?

CB I like Dallas, but I say that with trepidation. They didn't finish strong.

RB I gotta say I'm looking forward to their first-round matchup with Golden State. Don Nelson knows Dirk. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of the Mavs. At the end of the day, this series could go to the heart of deciding the whole offense/ defense debate, because they're going to zone up and they're going to run.

CB I think Avery Johnson will have the Mavs ready. It's tough out West, but Dallas doesn't have to go through both Phoenix and San Antonio.

RB Hey, shouldn't Dallas, with
the best record in the NBA, get an Orlando or a Washington, one of the worst teams? There's no easy road in the West.

CB I don't have a problem with the current format, but it would be exciting to seed one to 16. That said, you have to consider that teams play different schedules based on the conferences they're in. The West had a tougher schedule than the East.

CP And the Mavs still went 67—15. There's no team in the league that's hungrier then they are.
RB You're telling me the Suns aren't the hungriest team?

CP I spent two weeks with the Suns. I didn't see the hunger in Boris Diaw's eyes. I didn't see the hunger in—

RB Boris Diaw?! Okay, I don't see the hunger in Erick Dampier's eyes! Dallas isn't going to win!

CB Settle down, Ric. Who's your pick?

RB The Phoenix Suns. I know it in my heart of hearts. If Raja Bell didn't get hurt last year, they'd have beaten Dallas.

CP I can name two teams Phoenix can't get by: San Antonio and Dallas.

RB Here's San Antonio's problem: They can't— even in halfcourt—score with Phoenix. The Suns have more options than last year. Amaré is back. Leandro Barbosa is established. Raja Bell wasn't there the last time around. San Antonio doesn't have that depth. So who's coming out of the East, and do they have a chance?

CB Detroit or Miami, and I do think either of those teams can win it all. The Pistons still have the best starting five in the league. Last year, when their offense bogged down, all they could do was shoot jumpers. That's not happening this year with Chris Webber. Now they have guys cutting, they're executing better and they're playing with a lot more enthusiasm. Miami is better than they were last year too. Jason Kapono gives them an element they didn't have.

CP He hasn't been in the battles, though.

CB True, but they have two guys who demand double-teams, and inevitably Kapono is going to be wide-open …

RB See, this is where you guys are missing the point. When the Suns do get to the Finals—and they will because Dallas doesn't play fast—neither Detroit nor Miami will be able to hang with them. Neither has a matchup for Amaré or Shawn Marion.

CP Which player do you think is going to break out?

RB Do we count Amaré? Because when they win the championship and he's up there holding it, that will be something he's never done before. That would count as a breakout, wouldn't it?

CP Here's the guy who's going to break out: Deron Williams. He's the new Jason Kidd. He's going to completely control that 4-5 series between the Rockets and Jazz.

RB He's going to kill your boy Rafer Alston?

CP He's going to kill my boy, and I'm going to have to hear about it. There's nothing Rafer is going to be able to do to stop this guy. If Williams plays like we think he's going to play, starting that inside-out game, running a mix of styles, he will be this season's breakout guy.

CB I like Ben Gordon and Luol Deng.

CP I like Deng because guys underestimate him. His first step surprises just about everybody in the league. And with those arms, he can pick up his dribble at the foul line and lay it up on the rim. But if those guys are going to break out, somebody is going to fade away. That somebody is Shaquille O'Neal, who's been fading for the last couple of years, despite the fact that he won a championship last season.

CB What does Shaq always say—he makes them when it counts? Well, it counts now.

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