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Dog days Players' focus can fade in February
Posted: Thursday February 24, 2000 03:34 PM
The first few games after the All-Star break are an important part of the season, because many of the players, particularly the younger players, can lose focus a bit. This is the time of year when you get away for four or five days after practicing or playing games every day, and some players forget about the priorities. I think that's what we saw happen with Vince Carter after all the publicity at the All-Star Game. He played only decently in the four games after that weekend, and he's called on to do so much for Toronto. The Raptors went 1-3 in those games. One thing a coach can do to counter this is put players through tough practices. That will remind players what their purpose is. At this stage of the year, you don't want to wear the players down, but if a coach calls for a two-and-a-half- or three-hour physical practice, they'll understand. L.A.'s newest trendThe Clippers' hiring of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a real big plus for that team, because it's very difficult to find big coaches who have experience to teach other big players. There aren't that many around. Michael Olowokandi and Keith Closs are two young players who are important to the Clippers' future, and they have a great opportunity to work with Kareem, because, along with Kevin McHale, he's probably one of the premier post-up players to ever play the game. Usually, there's a coach who might be 6-feet or 6-foot-2 teaching post-up moves. With Kareem, you have a legitimate star that they'll listen to. They also hired Dennis Johnson for the guards, so they have two people there who have been through big games, championship seasons. That will only help. They have a good talent base there, if they can keep it. However, the hiring of these two former players as assistant coaches could put a lot of pressure on a coach who doesn't have a tremendous reputation in the NBA. Jim Todd could be an outstanding coach, but those new assistants are two people who probably want to be head coaches in the NBA. I don't think the Clippers hired Kareem and DJ just for the next two months.
Coach's breakdownThe Knicks made a statement with their dominating win over the Pacers at the Garden last Saturday, but after losing to Toronto on Wednesday, they face a tough stretch that includes Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami. One thing about that Indiana game was it was played without Rik Smits, and he's so important to the Pacers. He can score, and they're not big without him. He creates a double-team, so it makes it a little easier for the other players. If he can't play 25 to 35 minutes in each game in the playoffs, they could struggle. But no one really wants to play the Knicks, because they play outstanding defense, they have two tremendous scorers in Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell and when Patrick Ewing's playing well, they're a very good basketball team. Of course, they're without Charlie Ward and Marcus Camby now, and those are two very important players for them, especially with this upcoming schedule. The Knicks haven't been able to put games away at home -- they even struggled last Monday against the Clippers, who went on a 14-0 run in that game. They're not a very explosive offensive team, and they don't play well when they get ahead -- teams start to pressure, double-team and trap. Philadelphia, in particular, will do a lot of trapping and double-teaming, so that should be very interesting. A lot of people think the Kukoc trade has made the Sixers a legitimate contender. But while it helps them greatly, I don't know if they're ready to contend for the Eastern Conference title. Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/Sports Illustrated's "This Week in the NBA."
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