| Three's Company Authored by Jeff Stotts - October 23, 2006 - 6:32 pm
With the Dallas Mavericks coming off the team’s first trip to the NBA Finals, it is easy to forget that they were once a laughable franchise who averaged 22 wins over a nine-year span. It wasn’t until the arrival of a trio of players that Dallas regained respectability.
Led by Michael Finley, Steve Nash, and a yet unproven Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavs returned to the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Finals in 2003.
Unfortunately, the Big Three dissolved when Nash left for the desert in 2004 and only Nowitzki remained after Finley was waived last offseason under an amnesty clause provided in the new collective bargaining agreement.
But by signing Josh Howard to a 4-year extension worth roughly $40 million, extending Nowitzki’s contract, and fan favorite Jason Terry re-signing without even sniffing the free agent market, owner Mark Cuban ensured that a new Trifecta will remain in Dallas through 2011. While it may be too early to tell, it appears that the New Big Three may end up being more effective and successful than the Original Big Three and finally deliver that elusive title.
When comparing the statistical numbers of both trios, there is actually little difference. Excluding the strike-shortened season, the triple threat of Finley, Nash, and Nowitzki averaged 57 points, 14 assists, and 17 rebounds a game over five seasons together.
Over the last two seasons, when Terry and Howard teamed with Nowitzki, the numbers dropped slightly to 55 points, 9 assists, and 18 rebounds a game. On the other side of the ball, the New Trio is slightly more efficient defensively (0.5 more blocks and steals) and turns the ball over less, 5.30 to 6.20. These subtle differences can easily be attributed to the coaching style each threesome was groomed in.
The original Big Three were the key components of Don Nelson’s run and gun style while the current trio is coached by the more conservative and defensive-minded Avery Johnson. Still the numbers aren’t drastically different. However, there are two big differences that set apart what the Mavs have from what they had. The first is age. In 2003’s trip to the Western Conference Finals, Finley, Nash, and Nowitzki were 29, 28, and 24, respectively. Finley had already played seven complete seasons in the NBA including three seasons in which he led the league in minutes played and while Nash was only a six-year veteran his hectic style has added more than the average wear and tear to this legs.
The now 28-year old Nowitzki, the youngest of the first Big Three, still isn’t the eldest statesmen of the new generation, that distinction is Terry’s by a mere 242 days. Howard remains a young 25 and is just now entering his fourth full season in the league. Each of these players appears to be entering their prime and the potential of the New Trio has yet to be determined.
The other difference between then and now is the one constant in both, Nowitzki. With the departure of Nash and Finley, Dirk’s crutches were removed and his responsibilities increased. With his former running mates, Dirk was quick to defer to Nash and Fin and rarely took the ball in the clutch. By removing these two, Nowitzki was forced to expand his game to ease the loss and as a result elevated himself to elite status.
Furthermore, Dirk is now a more vocal leader and demands the ball in the clutch. When the ball isn’t in Dirk’s hands it generally is in the just as clutch Terry’s, who has developed a penchant for hitting the big shot. Howard is the X-factor of the group and Dirk even admits that J-Ho is great at all the things that Nowitzki isn’t. The trio has developed an on the court chemistry that has them as one of the top trios currently in the NBA. Last season only two Western Conference teams, the Clippers and Lakers, boasted a more potent threesome of top three scorers and only three trios in the entire league pulled down more boards.
In Dallas, big things in the sports community generally come in the three. The Cowboys had Aikman, Irvin, and Emmitt and three Super Bowl trophies to go along with their Big Three. Another successful trio consisting of Nash, Finley, and Nowitzki took a defunct franchise and made it a perennial playoff contender. The old trio peaked without a title and now a new Trifecta is emerging in the Mavericks’ organization and has its eyes on the Larry O’Brien Trophy. The deadly combination of Josh Howard, Jason Terry, and Dirk Nowitzki seems poised to build on last year’s success and this time intend to finish the job. And like the Cowboys hopefully championships will come in threes. |
