“When Steve Nash was there winning the MVPs with Phoenix, it doesn’t translate deep into the playoffs” - NBA analyst says Mike D'Antoni was the ‘death of the two-way player’
Throughout his coaching career in the NBA, Mike D'Antoni has always been known as a pioneer. However, NBA analyst Ephraim Salaam believes that D'Antoni's approach resulted in the death of the two-way player.
D'Antoni was the brains behind the "Seven Seconds or Less" philosophy. That style of basketball was known for its speed and quick decision-making, as the goal of the team was to score as quickly as possible.
With that style of play, Mike D'Antoni went on to have great success as the coach of the Phoenix Suns. The Suns flourished under D'Antoni, with Steve Nash, who is currently the Brooklyn Nets' coach, playing an integral role. The Suns won 50 or more games in four straight seasons, while D'Antoni won the coach of the year award in 2005.
Mike D'Antoni is now an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets, after being hired ahead of last season. D'Antoni hasn't served as a head coach since the 2020 season, but he's still one of the top minds in the game.
On an episode of the "Odd Couple" show, analyst Chris Broussard said that he believes a team like the Nets need to give D'Antoni the chance to be in charge of the offense. Salaam stressed caution, saying that he believes that D'Antoni was "the death of the two-way player."
Throughout the segment, the two talked about how D'Antoni's system was sensational for scoring at high volumes, but became problematic in the playoffs. Salaam said:
"Mike D'Antoni was the death of the two-way player because now you have teams without them. That wasn't the case. ... Where you gotta play offense, you gotta play defense. He was like we don't have to play any. I don't care if anybody plays defense right we're gonna outscore them, we're gonna outshoot them.
"We'll shoot 60 3s, we'll shoot 70 3s whether they're going in or not. And what that style of basketball has shown, even when Steve Nash was there winning the MVPs with Phoenix, it doesn't translate deep into the playoffs because you gotta be able to get stops eventually."
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Mike D'Antoni continues to wait for next head coaching chance
There's no doubt that Mike D'Antoni has had a massive impact on how the game of basketball is played currently. While implementing the philosophy of "Seven Seconds or Less," the Phoenix Suns were one of the most dangerous offensive forces in the NBA.
That same success translated later with the Houston Rockets. D'Antoni took over and gave a serious jolt to the career of former Rockets superstar James Harden.
Harden or Nash?
@SteveNash asks Mike D’Antoni who he would want to run his system 👀 https://t.co/0Uxs8twr43
With the NBA continuing to get faster and with more desire to shoot 3-pointers, it wouldn't be a surprise to see D'Antoni get another head coaching opportunity in the near future. There's no denying that the legendary coach has the resume to get results, although he is yet to take a team to the promised land.