Brown

If I’m Dallas, the first thing you write on the board is: Cut down transition baskets. And we have to get back and have great defensive balance when we shoot the ball. We can’t give up easy baskets on the break. You have to make sure that you control the tempo of the game and I always felt you should run against Phoenix, but you can’t take quick bad shots. Then you have to figure out how you’re going to guard Steve Nash on pick and rolls because he’s so phenomenal in that aspect of the game. Do you go under Nash? Do you try to get it out of his hands? Do you get him to score the ball and stop everybody else?

At the beginning, I thought they were all getting in each other’s way. I thought it was more congested. If you looked at Nash’s numbers when Shaq got there, his assists went way down, his scoring went way down. That didn’t affect Amare Stoudemire but I thought it affected Nash. Now I think they’re figuring out. It’s almost like when Pat Riley coached the Lakers. If they had the break, they went ahead and scored. If they didn’t, they waited for Kareem. They’re doing similar stuff with Shaq. And Amare is just getting out on the break. He can leave a little sooner because Shaq is defensive rebounding so well. Even if Shaq is not scoring the ball, you still have to decide whether you’re going to play him one on one or double him. If you double him, that gives Amare more freedom. He can get to the offensive boards and he doesn’t have to worry about double teams quite as much.

I think Shaq has a good matchup with Erick Dampier because they’re both physical and strong. It is a big factor not having DeSagana Diop. Erick has a tendency to get in foul trouble and he’s not a guy that has played 40 minutes every night. Since they haven’t been playing Jamaal Magloire much since they picked him up, if they go small it’s going to be interesting to see how Dallas plays Shaq and Shaq plays Dallas. Is he guarding Nowitzki? Is he guarding Brandon Bass? It puts a little pressure on him on the defensive end, but it’s a mismatch on the offensive end as well. Dallas really likes to push it and that’s going to be a situation for Shaq, that he’s going to have to get up and down the floor. But he has gotten in much better shape. He looks much better physically to me than he did when he first got there. But who plays Nowitzki? I don’t think Stoudemire is the defender Shawn Marion was, and that’s not a knock. Shawn is a pretty athletic and great defender. That will be an interesting matchup. They might have to play Boris Diaw on Nowitzki a little bit. The thing that I’ve noticed is since Dirk was out, Josh Howard has really picked up his game and Terry is finally making shots. Then I always think about Jason Kidd playing Steve Nash. Will they put Jason inside a little bit? Sometimes when you post up a big guard like Jason it’s hard for the point guard to get out and run as much. That will be interesting.

That is a big adjustment. I’m sure Avery had a hands-on approach with Devin Harris, who’s a young kid, and let him know what to run, who to get the ball to. He was a kid who was just learning his position. But with Jason, he’s so instinctive and has such great feel for the game. Everybody always tells me that when a player breaks down, just play basketball with him. Jason got that. He understands what you mean by just playing basketball. He recognizes who needs to get the ball, he can control the pace of the game, he’s a great post feeder, he’s terrific on pick and rolls. This is a situation for Avery where I’m sure it is an adjustment. Dallas’ personality changed when Avery got there and they did run more plays and more sets and he did dictate the tempo as a coach. Now you’ve got a guy like Jason, it’s probably a big adjustment.

This game is so important for Dallas. Who would have ever thought that Dallas would be fighting for their lives to see if they can make the playoffs, especially after trading for Jason? Then who would have ever thought that Phoenix, after the success they had last year and the year before, would try to trade for and get Shaq and almost change the chemistry of that whole ballclub? Every game Phoenix plays is a work in progress with Shaq. When people questioned the move early, you had reason to say people were probably right because they were struggling. But now they’re playing at an extremely high level and they have to feel pretty confident that they have a team that can win it all.

The last number of years I think the West has been the deeper league. I know Miami and Detroit won championships, but when you looked at the strength of the West, it’s been pretty darn good. Now, the depth of the West is incredible. And think of the future with Greg Oden coming back, if Shaun Livingston and Elton Brand (doesn't opt out) come back for the Clippers and with Minnesota and Seattle’s young players and all their draft picks, I can’t imagine how it’s going to be in the future. It’s unbelievable to think that Golden State could win almost 50 games and might not make the playoffs. I was looking at the schedule the other day and every team has must games. It’s so compelling right now.