ESPN’s Haberstroh Explains Who Will Beat the Heat

Posted by Brendan Jackson on Jul 14, 2010 918561 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F07%2F14%2Fespns-haberstroh-explains-who-will-beat-the-heat%2FESPN%27s+Haberstroh+Explains+Who+Will+Beat+the+Heat2010-07-14+23%3A10%3A50Brendan+Jacksonhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D9185

Tom Haberstroh had an interesting column today on ESPN.com (Insider Only, I’m sorry) regarding the prototypical team a GM should assemble to have the best chance in defeating the Superstars from South Beach.

Here are some interesting excerpts:

“…a more effective strategy may be to build an unselfish, deep group that will fully dedicate itself to establishing an impenetrable defense.

In other words, the new model will not be the 2010-11 Miami Heat, but rather the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons.”

Hey-O! Alright! Yahoo!

Haberstroh has got to be talking about the Big Three era Boston Celtics.  The Celtics team that has been among the league leaders in defensive rating for the past three seasons.   The team that was most recently able to corral three Superstars (albeit a bit past their primes) into playing selflessly and with unbridled trust in each other.   The team who year in, year out have been able to seamlessly employ spot starters in the absence of Superstars and enjoy similarly successful seasons.

Haberstroh just has to be talking about the C’s, right?  Or, if there is more than one team that fits the Larry Brown Pistons mold, surely the C’s have to be tops on the list?

Nope.

The final list of teams Haberstroh feels has the best chance to beat the Heat next year and beyond are the Portland Trailblazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Milwaukee Bucks.

For the most part, I don’t disagree.  All three of those teams are young, talented up-and-coming teams.  For the ‘Blazers, the Haberstroh makes the Pistons connection by likening Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews (assuming he’ll be on the team) to Tayshaun Prince.

“…the Blazers will have two lockdown defenders on the perimeter, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews (in the likely event that Utah doesn’t match Portland’s offer sheet), and either one could fit the mold of Tayshaun Prince in their starting lineup.”

These role players are nice and the Celtics will undoubtedly need to pick up another player with lock-down capabilities with the exodus of Tony Allen.  That being said, the Celtics starting wings are extremely adept on the defensive end.

OK City, Haberstroh reminds everyone, drastically improved their defensive rating from two years ago.

“No team in the NBA improved its defense more than the Thunder did, slicing 4.8 points off their defensive efficiency (remember, fewer points is better) from 2008-09 to 2009-10.”

The Thunder were able to showcase their improved defense all season and Haberstroh’s observation bears repeating. The Celtics, however, finished 5th in overall team defensive rating and the Thunder finished 8th (according to HoopData.com).

The Bucks not only gave the Atlanta Hawks all they could handle in the first round of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, but they did so without their starting center in Andrew Bogut.  Haberstroh notes Bogut’s shot-blocking ability was second to only Dwight Howard last year and, whether international or not, Haberstroh’s description of Bogut definitely becomes an easy Ben Wallace comparison.  If the Bogut-Wallace connection wasn’t enough, Haberstroh reminds everyone who dictates the defense for the Bucks:

“If Bucks coach Scott Skiles aims to be the next Larry Brown, he’s doing a pretty good job. The former Most Improved Player award winner took over a 26-win team two seasons ago that featured the worst defense in the league and transformed it into a defensively focused squad fit for the playoffs.”

With Tom Thibodeau gone to coach the Chicago Bulls, the Celtics are still searching for their “Larry Brown” but all signs point to capable replacements  Only time will tell who the C’s will choose to fill the void, but Thibodeau’s teachings have to be ingrained in the player’s habits by now.

Let me reiterate, Tom Haberstroh isn’t wrong in any of his assertions- his list is just incomplete.

What do you think?

If you agree with me, please comment using your best hybrid Rodney Dangerfield/Stan Van Gundy impression: “I get no respect!“