Shared Philosophies of D’Antoni and The Joker

Sometimes, bloggers don’t just aimlessly lash out at players, columnists, members of the MSM, and each other. Sometimes, we produce something of lasting value. So it is with Matt Moore disquisition on Mike D’Antoni as Heath Ledger’s Joker. That’s an over-simplification of this fairly brillant piece of writing that’s making the internet rounds today; here’s an excerpt, which naturally is more nuanced: ↵↵⇥D’Antoni has tapped into something ethereal that exists in players that tend to falter in traditional systems. Players that are made of athleticism and style, but little toughness or resolve. He is, somehow, able to tap into something philosophical with his teams and bring out the best in players that previously had nothing resembling a “best.” He does by feeding what many consider the worst parts of them previously. He takes their little world and he turns it in on themselves. It’s fun. And it’s tempting. It’s that chaos being introduced to a system. And from a player’s standpoint, it allows them to freelance and always look to score. It’s... fair. ↵↵Lord knows The Dark Knight has received enough of an intellectual working-over, but I don’t think anyone ever suggested that chaos was the great, quasi-Marxist equalizer. And that’s what has happened with the Knicks. Without Nash, Amare, Marion, or even Diaw—unorthodox pieces who provided a point of reference in a fluid system of interactions—the Knicks resemble nothing if not the 2006-07 Warriors. Minus the point guard dominance, of course. But what was that team, if not a bunch of miscreants setting the world on fire on their own terms? And, not to rub it in, but previously the best run of Al Harrington’s career. Opportunity for the down-trodden, or the madmen running the tollbooth?
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I think Moore really nails it with this graph: ↵↵⇥Just because SSOL failed in the desert doesn’t mean it will always fail, and it didn’t mean the end of the movement. Because tonight, when the Knicks, with Al Harrington firing threes and Nate Robinson splitting defenders, beat the Celtics, with all their defense, all their fundamentals, all their strength, you saw a glimpse of it. The battle’s eternal, and necessary between the two. Chaotic, freewheeling mania versus controlled, disciplined order. ↵↵That’s what we’re beginning to see around the league. Playing stern, formulaic ball is a lost cause without absolutely disciplined, and perfectly-suited, personnel. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the Right Way that allows teams to quickly move up—even if they’re doomed to flame out—but SSOL-inspired madness. The end will rarely be pretty, but it can ensnare even the most stodgy of teams. Otherwise, why teams like San Antonio have their own freewheeling, small ball line-ups? Or, put another way, this strategy is a resignation, an attempt to steel themselves for those times when SSOL, Nellie-ball, whatever you want to call it, does really take hold in a game. Defense, size, free throws, and half-court sets may still win championships, but they ignore the post-Suns league, and the post-Suns part of their soul, at their own peril.↵