In-Depth｜The Counter-Strike at the Three Position—Analysis of the small forward’s struggle to seize power in the past ten years
In the past ten years, a position that was originally ignored by people, the small forward, has begun to determine the outcome of the game. With the development of the game and the increase in the personal abilities of the stars, in the past ten years, nine The 2016 Finals MVP trophies all fell into the hands of small forwards. Whether offensive or defensive, small forwards are the arrowheads of a team. The diversity of their playing styles also makes them full of personality and personal charm.
Since the birth of the NBA, we have witnessed too many times when players in a certain position collectively broke out. In every corner of history, we can see centers and guards performing day after day. Japan's fierce war, and in this war, the small forwards have never been the protagonists. It is obviously not objective to blame all this on the substandard overall quality of small forwards, because every era has enough famous names, but a few scattered superstars obviously cannot hold up the skeleton of the era, nor can they Fundamentally change their awkward situation of surviving in the cracks.
After George McCann announced his retirement in 1956, players in many positions in the NBA emerged one after another. Paul Arrikin, the originator of small forward and "the father of NBA jump shots", is one of the representatives. Although his career It was only a short ten years, but his career was a glorious one with ten All-Star selections, ten All-NBA teams, two scoring titles, and one championship. Ali brought changes to the NBA's technical movements, but ultimately failed to make the small forward become the main trend of the subsequent era.
The reason is very simple. In 1956 and 1959, two giants, Bill Russell and Chamberlain, joined the NBA, ushering in another prosperous era of centers in the post-McCann era. While growing, it also killed all hopes of the championship by Elgin Baylor, the league's number one small forward and Finals scorer at the time. The great small forwards have become the best supporting actors in the NBA center era.
Time came to the 1980s, and the small forward group ushered in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to usurp power. Although during this period, the center still continued the tone that the basketball world is a giant sport, but Compared with Chamberlain and Russell, Walton and Moses Malone have been unable to achieve true absolute dominance in the NBA. The small forwards, under the leadership of Dr. J, began to subvert the tradition: scoring masters such as Wilkins, English and Dantley vividly demonstrated their amazing talents. People also began to gradually recognize the positioning of small forwards as the core of the team's scoring. This led to the selection of the best team of the year in the mid-1980s. The four forward spots in the first and second teams were all small forwards without exception. . Most importantly, there was also a big figure in that era who paved the way for the future development trend of small forwards-Larry Bird.
In fact, Bird's style can be fully reflected in just four words - wise and precise. He can't run fast, jump high, and has a figure-footed figure, but he has the smoothest touch and history. The top right back singles technique. To a certain extent, he completed the first successful subversion of the center core theory in history. He has elevated the position of the small forward to another level, that is, the function of the small forward is no longer single, but has the dual identities of scorer and assister, becoming the true core of the team. The Celtics, with Bird at their core, became the team of kings in the 1980s and won three NBA championships. Together with Wilkins and others mentioned just now, the small forward's status in that era was once brilliant. . But the only regret is that this glory is not complete, because Bird was not the only one in that era. The other half of the era also had the name Magic Johnson.
Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar teamed up to win five championship rings, while Thomas shared the championships in the last two years. As for the small forwards, except for the leader Bird, who effectively combines personal honors with team victory, the rest of the players are stuck in the quagmire of "super scorers are useless". At best, they are called superstars and have no Together with Big Bird, the small forward will become the defining position of the era. After the small forwards experienced the blooming of a hundred flowers in the 1980s, what followed was an ice age of depression.
In the 1990s, "Flying Man" Jordan finally came out and established his own kingship with two and three consecutive championships. Even though that period may have been the era of the highest quality centers in NBA history, due to the existence of Jordan, people's status as a star has become very unclear. As for the first decade of the 21st century becoming an out-and-out power forward era - the versatility of Duncan and Garnett almost makes it feel like a new era is coming. In the context of the times, shooting guards like Kobe Medicart are also trying their best to grab a role in history in the dark. There are simply no extra star seats left for small forwards.
However, as Kobe grew older, James and Durant won championships respectively, and Leonard suddenly emerged, the small forward position finally became the king of the league. Behind these three people there are George, Tatum and others. In terms of quantity and strength, the small forwards have reached an unprecedented height.
No one seems to be able to explain why at any particular time in history. The real reason for the explosion of a position will appear, but in fact, if you think carefully, there are often traces to follow.
In the late 1980s, star small forwards mostly had one attribute: good at scoring, but only good at scoring and lacking in contribution to defense and organization. The small forward has gradually become a single-army role. By the 1990s, although Mashburn and Big Dog Robinson could still score points, small forwards withered away; instead, comprehensive small forwards like Pippen and Hill received attention, but at that time, the league was developing. In Jordan's star-making plan, the most eye-catching position is shooting guard. At the beginning of the 21st century, there was an explosion of swingmen in the NBA: Kobe, Tracy McGrady, Carter, and even Stackhouse could all put up good numbers; but they played more like shooting guards than small forwards.
The trend after that changed like this: After the NBA rule reform in 2004, breakthrough players received preferential treatment; so at that time, scoring combo guards such as Arenas, Roy, and Evans became popular. But James is unique: with the physique of a small forward, the fact that he can play point guard. Later, Turkoglu's success gave a new approach: Would it be better if the focus of the organization was shifted to the small forward?
So, we see what it looks like today.
LeBron has been regarded as a combination of "Jordan + Magic" since he entered the league. Along the way, he has continued to hone his skills from a breakthrough and distribution master, and developed a jump shot and a three-threat facing the basket. The attributes of singles, post-up organization, and off-the-ball movement have finally made him one of the most comprehensive players in history.
When Durant entered the league, he was a scorer who moved without the ball; he became the scoring leader in his third year, and developed a ball-handling offense in his fourth year. His signature move was a large change of direction in front of the body. After the fifth grade, he began to add organizational attributes to himself; now, Durant has the comprehensive ability to send 5 assists per game, contribute two blocks, and already has all the scoring skills from holding the ball to off the ball.
The two of them were once at opposite poles in style - James is good at breaking through and distributing the ball with the ball, but cannot jump shots or move without the ball; Durant is good at moving and jump shots, and cannot handle the ball with the ball. Split the ball - but now, it's getting closer. They are small forwards, but not pure small forwards. They continue to become more comprehensive, allowing themselves to impact the game from all angles.
After talking about James and Durant, who is the traditional small forward, that is, the small forward with the style of the 1980s who loves scoring as much as his life? Anthony, the new owner of Portland's No. 7 jersey. He had Dantley's one-on-one ability at that time, Aquili's penalty area attack power and offensive rebounding, English's quick mid-range shot, and Bernard King's sense of ball and back. body. At his peak, Melo was one of the best scorers in the League. His excellent physical fitness and comprehensive technical ability allowed him to kill opponents both inside and outside. His tough positioning to get the ball and his ability to play in the low post were even more impressive. His signature, he is also the most difficult player to defend in Kobe's words.
The new small forwards are like Leonard and George: When they entered the league, they were just shooters + defenders, typical 3D players. On the offensive end, they only have a sense of presence in the open space. But through hard training in the later period, they developed a solid mid-range shot with the ball and the ability to break through and call the pick-and-roll. They are now the league's top offensive and defensive players. Kajiao may never be able to score 40 or even 60 points in a row to save the team like Durant Anthony in this life, but they can still affect the game even if they have no touch.
Therefore, the arrival of the small forward era is not a victory for the traditional small forward. It can be said more that LeBron, Durant and Leonard are broadening the functions of the small forward position. They're not following Dr. J, they're following the full legacy of Bird-Pippen-Hill. In fact, this era is indeed a good opportunity for all small forwards: Butler is practicing organizational skills; Doncic can do everything and is known as the next James; Tatum and Brown are also becoming increasingly mature; this is the new small forward The only way for them to become superstars is to become more comprehensive and influence the game from more angles.
Even though players like Curry and Harden once became the core of the team's system, even though Westbrook and Mitchell have proven their inside killing capabilities, they are the real leaders of this era. Still a small forward. In addition to the several stars mentioned before, many 3D players are becoming more and more popular, such as Covington and Ariza at their peak, which also proves the importance of this position.
It can be said that a large part of the reason why forward players are playing an increasingly important role is due to the prevalence of small ball tactics and the blurring of court positions. In our usual impression, defenders are short in stature and move poorly. Flexible, while inside players are tall and strong, which determines their completely different ways of playing. Backcourt players usually use technology to tease opponents, while centers are better at using their body and strength to crush opponents.
The small forward is an all-round student who combines the two. They can break through, shoot, and can also use flexible footsteps and calm center of gravity to complete back attacks. Although in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for us to see the old-school players on the court. Post-up singles, but for a top small forward, this is a skill that must be mastered.
A generation of stars leads a generation of trends. This is almost the same rule in all entertainment and sports industries. The reason why superstars are called superstars is because of their huge charisma. Jordan and Kobe are a generation of fans. Idols, their great achievements have influenced many children who love basketball, and also set off a wave of guards in the NBA draft. James and Durant are also the idols of thousands of teenagers. Their championship and legendary experiences are destined to influence the teenagers who love basketball now. At some point in a few years, don't be surprised if the league has another batch of versatile forwards - because we've been through it before.