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[SleepingHero]

I don't know where else to ask this...

Once GSW won their first small ball championship, there seemed to be a surge toward 5-out, 3pt heavy offenses. Even the Mavs, until recently, seemed bought in to this philosophy. Maybe because there was a shortage of quality centers, maybe because stats say 3pt shots can be the most efficient, maybe it's just a copycat league.

A key issue to DAL's problems have been the donut defense (hole in the middle). It wasn't an issue when Luka could play a lot of starting centers off the floor, but a team with quality depth at the five, like GSW two years ago, was a problem. It was a key issue to the post-Kyrie trade last season. But the advent of DLive and Gafford has solidified the position and elevated the defense. That combination is also the third "star" we needed to make opponents pay for over comitting to guard Luka and Kyrie.

So my question here is whether we are seeing the decline of small ball and a return to basketball as a big man's game?

Keeping with my historical theme today, history says that GSW was an anomaly. I mean who else but Steph Curry and Klay Thompson could reliably hit some of those 3s that they shot? A movement based offense around the 2 most lethal outside shooters the league has ever seen is hard to replicate to the same level. 

I think GSW showed how good of a shot the 3pt shot is. A lot of teams incorporated it. But 29 other teams don't have Steph Curry, nor do they have guys that can play like him all the time. And even if they did, they didn't really have the personnel to make that playstyle work (namely an All-NBA switch defender that can guard 1-5, facilitate, and rebound, and a 2 way 2-guard that can equally space the floor who shoots in the 99th percentile). 

Before GSW it was always a big man league, and it will probably continue to be that as it has always been the most reliable form of success. Doesn't hurt the last 3/4 chips have come from teams that have a good big man in the middle too (Jokic, Giannis, AD).