With the NBA shortened 66 game season, every team has had to rely on their bench much heavier than in normal NBA years. The back-to-backs-to-backs and the 4 games in 5 night stretches have intensified the importance of having guys provide quality minutes off the bench, so that starters can get some rest after playing heavy minutes in previous games.
Kevin Love's league lead of 39.5 minutes per game is the least minutes per game by a league leader since Kelly Tripucka of the Detroit Pistons lead the league with 38.9 minutes per game during the 1982-1983 season, which was nearly 30 yeas ago. This shows that starters are playing much less than in usual years and that bench players are getting the opportunity to play much more often.
The compressed season has resulted in bench players like Jordan Crawford of the Washington Wizards, Nicolas Batum of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Courtney Lee of the Houston Rockets having the best seasons of their respective careers because of the extended playing time they are receiving.
With starters playing less minutes and bench guys having more of an impact than normal, scoring is much more balanced among teams. There are only 12 players in the entire league who are averaging at least 20 points per game and there are just 4 guys from the east scoring in the 20's. In comparison, during the 2007-2008 NBA season there were 27 guys that averaged at least 20 points per game for the year. The last time less than 12 players averaged at least 20 points per game was over 45 years ago during the 1965-1966 season when just 11 guys averaged at least 20 per game and that was during the age of Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and John Havlicek.
Even more so than most other teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Indiana Pacers, and the Denver Nuggets are winning with balanced scoring and without a superstar.
The 76ers are 4th in the East and leading the Atlantic division over the Celtics and Knicks after they finished 7th in the conference last year. They are a very strong defense team and have great length with perimeter players like Evan Turner and Andre Iguodala. The 76ers lead the NBA in points against, as they are allowing a league low of 87.5 points per game as well as opponent field goal percentage, as they are holding the opposition to 41.8% shooting from the field. Philadelphia plays as a unit defensively and they have great help defense and team rebounding.
The Pacers, who finished 8th in the East last season, currently sit in 5th place in the conference. Indiana has been very effective at taking advantage of games that they should win by not looking over their opponents and getting the victory. The Pacers are 18-4 against teams from both conferences that are currently not sitting in one of the eight playoff spots (Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwovles, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Hornets).
The Nuggets are tied for 5th in the muddled middle of the pack of the Western Conference and sit just a half a game behind the fourth place Dallas Mavericks. They are just one of three teams in the Western Conference that has a winning record on the road along with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs.
Aside from the Denver Nuggets, no team has their leading scoring averaging less than 15.7 points per game, which the 76ers leading scorer Lou Williams is averaging, yet Philly is leading their division. Williams, who comes off the bench for Philadelphia, is among a cast of characters who constantly contribute for the 76ers. Williams, Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young, Andre Iguodala, and Elton Brand are all averaging at least 10 points per game, while the Sixers have 8 guys scoring at least 8 points per game. In fact, Philly had 7 guys scoring in double figures during the month of January.
Of the 76ers, Pacers, and Nuggets, Indiana has the best scoring threat and go to guy when they need a bucket with small forward Danny Granger. Granger, who has averaged 23.5 points per game over the last three seasons, is taking less field goal attempts per game this year and is leading Indiana's balanced attack at 17.8 points per game. The Pacers have 8 players with Granger, Roy Hibbert, Paul George, David West, Leandro Barbosa (who the team acquired from the Toronto Raptors in a mid-season trade), Darren Collison, Tyler Hansbrough, and George Hill averaging more than 9 points per game.
The Denver Nuggets, who lead the NBA at 103.7 points per game, have their leading scorer Ty Lawson at just 15.4 points per game, which is the least for a teams leading scorer. However, the Denver Nuggets score by committee and have a host of guys who can put the ball in the bucket. The Nuggets have 9 guys with Lawson, Danilo Gallinari, JaVale McGee (who the team acquired from the Washington Wizards in a mid-season trade), Al Harrington, Arron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler (who recently returned to the team after playing in China), Andre Miller, Corey Brewer, and Kenneth Faried averaging at least 9 points per game.
Although the 76ers, Pacers, and Nuggets have shown that you can be a very successful team and make the postseason without a star player and a group of role players that play very well collectively, to win in the postseason you need at least one star player who can take over the game.
Since 1980, the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs have won 24 of the 32 NBA championships and all of them have been lead by at least one superstar player.
When the Lakers won their NBA titles in 1980 and 1982, they had 19-time All-Star and 6-time MVP Kareem Abdual-Jabbar in the post along with 12-time All-Star and 3-time MVP Magic Johnson at point guard. When they captured the NBA crown in 1985, 1987, and 1988, they had Jabbar and Johnson leading the way along with a young, new forward out of North Carolina, James Worthy, who like Jabbar and Johnson would be a future NBA Hall of Famer and would be named as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
When the Lakers had their three-peat from 2000-2002, they were lead by two of the top 10 greatest players in NBA history with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. Shaq, won won the NBA Finals MVP in all three series, was a dominate and unstoppable force in the post. In the 2000 playoffs, Shaq averaged 30.4 points and 15.4 rebounds per game. In the 2001 playoffs, Shaq averaged 30.7 points and 15.4 rebounds per game. When the Lakers repeated in 2009-2010, they were led by huge scoring outputs from Kobe Bryant, who proved that he could win a title without Shaq.
The Celtics titles in 1981, 1984, and 1986 were a large part due to the Celtics star three players Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale and most notably Bird, who was the finals MVP in two of those three series. Led by Bird, a 12-time All-Star and 3-time MVP, the Celtics were able to knock off the Rockets in 81' and 86' and the Lakers in that great 7 game series in 1984. In that series in 1984, Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds and was the star that the Celtics needed to will them to the title.
The 2008 Celtics were led by their "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen and they were able to knock off the Lakers in 6 games in the NBA Finals. Although the Celtics weren't a deep team, they were led by three stars that all contributed to the title.
The Bulls 6 championships in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998 were obviously on the back of the greatest player to ever play the game Michael Jordan. Jordan, a 6-time NBA Finals MVP, has an unlimited amount of playoff moments that will be remembered forever including his flu game in game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals and his game winning shot win the series against the Utah Jazz in game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals. Jordan also had help from star Scottie Pippen, who was a great defender, which shows with his 8 appearances on the NBA All-defensive first team.
The Spurs dynasty that won 4 NBA titles in 9 years from 1999 to 2007, were all led by the greatest power forward in NBA history, Tim Duncan. Duncan had the help of "The Admiral" and NBA MVP David Robinson for the Spurs first two titles. Duncan and Robinson formed "The Twin Towers" down low for the Spurs and resulted in one of the greatest tandems in the frontcourt in NBA history.
The 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, which swept the Los Angeles Lakers in 4 games, was full of superstars as well. Moses Malone, who was a 12-time All-Star and 3-time NBA MVP, averaged 25.8 points and 18 rebounds in the series against L.A. and was named the deservedly Finals MVP. Not to mention that the 76ers had the great Dr.J on that championship team as well.
The Detroit Pistons repeated as NBA champions in 1989-1990, and like all of these other clubs to have won an NBA title, they had at least one great superstar. Detroit was lead by one of the greatest backcourts in NBA history with Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars. In the two NBA finals combined, they lost 1 game and Dumars won the finals MVP in 1989, while Isiah won it the following year.
Like the Pistons, the Houston Rockets repeated in 1994-1995. After playing together in college at Houston as apart of "Phi Slama Jama", NBA legends Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon reunited to win two two straight titles in the NBA. "Akeem The Dream", a 12-time All-Star and 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, won the finals MVP in both series, but the Rockets also got a large contribution from 10-time All-Star Clyde "the Glide" Drexler.
The Heat won the NBA title in 2006 in 6 games over the Dallas Mavericks. The great Shaquille O'Neal was able to help push the Heat over the top and Dwayne Wade, 8-time All-Star, won the finals MVP after pulling the Heat back from 2 games down in the series. Wade averaged 34.7 points per game in the finals including a 42 and 43 point outburst in games 3 and 5 respectively.
Last year, 11-time All-Star and one of the greatest foreign players to ever play in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki, led the Dallas Mavericks to their first NBA title in franchise history. Dirk, who took home Finals MVP honors, averaged 27.7 points for the entire playoffs.
The only team in the last 32 years since 1980 to win the NBA championship without a star but rather with a group of talented players that all contributed with very even and balanced scoring was the 2004 Detroit Pistons. Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Wallace were all solid players for the Pistons, but they didn't have a go-to-guy. The Pistons didn't have a player who averaged more than 18 points per game. Nonetheless, they managed to win the NBA title with great defense intensity in 5 games over the Lakers.
When thinking about what teams are going to make a run at the NBA title, look back at the past 32 years. Of the NBA champions since 1980, 31 of them have had at least one star and only one team has won a title without a star player but rather with balanced scoring. Although the 76ers, Pacers, and Nuggets are getting it done in the regular season without one main scoring threat, when the playoffs come around, a team will need at least one star player to walk away with the Larry O'Brien trophy.
