Ric Bucher has always liked nothing more than breaking down guards, whether it be on a
playground or on paper. Here he does it for ESPN.com. We call it "On Guards" for obvious reasons. Look for this feature each Monday. Better yet, be on guard for it.
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| Marbury |
This week's feature guards: The Nets' Stephon Marbury and the Celtics' Kenny Anderson.
New York point guards have a unique distinguishing flair, no matter what age
or what stage they may be in their careers. They aggressively attack the
basket while always cognizant of getting their teammates involved. Rod
Strickland, Mark Jackson, Anderson, Marbury -- they all were adept at finding
the balance between scoring themselves and finding their teammates. Both
Marbury and Anderson have had to find a way to succeed despite being saddled
with teams that lack a legitimate post player. (Keith Van Horn and Antoine
Walker are talented power forwards, but their back-to-the-basket games are
suspect.) Anderson's Celtics have five more wins than Marbury's Nets, but
watching both teams live it becomes quickly evident Boston is carrying
Anderson while Marbury is carrying New Jersey.
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RIC'S GUARD RANKINGS
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THE WEEK'S TOP 10
1. Tracy McGrady - Possibly a one-week special with Iverson off and Kobe out,
but still deserved
2. Ray Allen - Dropped 42 on the Sixers' defense
3. Allen Iverson - Broke 40 in five out of last eight games
4. Jason Kidd - Catalyst of four-game winning streak, three on the road
5. Stephon Marbury - Decision-making keys Nets' winning 3 out of 4
6. Reggie Miller - Three-game average: 29 points while shooting 54 pct, all
Pacers Ws
7. Baron Davis - Double-double sparks big win over Philly
8. Steve Francis - First in years to displace JKidd as best rebounding guard
9. Steve Nash -- Averaged 20 points, 9.5 assists over last four games
10. Damon Stoudamire - Score 18, dish 7 and grab 9 vs. Stevie Franchise and
you are ballin'
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On the rise: Stephon Marbury
(24.4 ppg, 7.1 apg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 stls, .453 FG, .786 FT)
The Heat focused their entire defense
on stopping Steph and it worked, to a degree -- 3 for 12 shooting, 10 points,
9 assists. Credit those numbers, in large part, to the fact that Marbury
didn't try single-handedly to beat Miami but drew its double-teams and then
found his teammates for open shots. The Heat's 75-70 win was built on the
fact that the rest of the Nets couldn't take advantage. Marbury has a rival
in Baron Davis for strength and quickness among Eastern Conference point
guards, but the distinction in his game this year has been his
decision-making, no easy task when presented with so few options as the Nets
have. He easily could be forcing the issue and taking 25 shots a night, but
he clearly is tailoring his game each night based on what the Nets need from
him to have a chance at victory.
On the slide: Kenny Anderson
(7.5 ppg, 4.1 apg, 2.2 rpg, 1.3 stls, .388 FG, .831 FT)
It hurts to see any once-great player going through the motions, but that
clearly appears to be the case with Anderson. Robbed of his quickness by age,
everything about his game is a half-step or half-second off now and he's not
making up for it with hustle or endurance. His assists, points and rebounds
are the lowest posted since his rookie year. He can still get into the lane,
but now those tricky finishes off the glass are short. The jumper, always a
bit finicky, is now missing badly and he strains simply to get it to the rim,
resulting in a 38.8 field-goal percentage. The rest of the Celtics were
rejuvenated by the resignation of Rick Pitino, but Anderson hasn't been able
to sustain it. In the Celtics' four consecutive losses, he contributed a
total of eight assists and five turnovers while averaging more than 20
minutes.
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| Hardaway |
This week's guard to watch: The Heat's Tim Hardaway
He's been challenged by Pat Riley to spark the Heat's offense and nothing
gets Timbug rolling more than a challenge, as reflected by his 22 points and
nine assists vs. the Wizards, his best scoring output in 13 games and his
best shooting (9 for 17) in 11 games. The ravaged knees have robbed him of
his killer crossover, but his crisp passes and floor vision can still carve
holes in any defense, even if he's standing nearly still.
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ALSO SEE
On Guards (Terry, Hughes), Feb. 19
On Guards (S. Smith, R. Harper), Feb. 6
On Guards (Brandon and R. Strickland), Jan 29
On Guards (Hunter and E. Strickland), Jan .22
On Guards (Francis and Eisley), Jan. 16
On Guards (McKie and N. Anderson), Jan. 7
On Guards (Rose and McGrady), Dec. 28
On Guards (Bibby and Jackson), Dec. 18
On Guards (Stockton, Blaylock), Nov. 27
On Guards (Nash, A.Miller), Nov. 20
On Guards (Anderson, Billups), Nov. 13
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