The ends of NBA games are all about "ball acquisition." On the defensive end, can you get the ball back, by any means necessary? On the other end, if you miss, can you get it back for one more heave at the rim? And, who has the will to get to the 50-50 bouncing ball with less than a minute to go?
Amongst the best ball acquisition guys in the NBA are Jason Kidd (his strongest remaining skill - aggressive as hell to any loose ball), Tim Duncan (the master of the nudge in the back, followed by the offensive putback), Anderson Varejo (a late terror on the offensive boards), and James Posey (like a 6'8" praying mantis, all deflections and rebounds in the waning moments). It is the reason Posey finished games for two NBA champions. I think Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade also deserve mention as superstars whose athletic ability and rapid thought processes serve them well in this area of the game.
The classic ball acquisition play: when down two with seconds to play Kobe Bryant threw Steve Nash to the floor on an inbounds pass in a 2006 playoff game, pinned him on his back, ripped the ball from his hands, and went down and tied the game at the buzzer. No call, overtime.
The defining principle of ball acquisition in the waning moments of a game is: get the ball first, and then worry about the referees later. Each of the guys on this list push, pull, kick, grab jerseys, trip, etc, to get the ball. If the referee calls a foul so be it - if you didn't push and the other team gets the ball, what's the difference? And with the way referees let more go at the end of games (though they staunchly claim that they don't), it is worth the calculated risk. Just get the freakin' ball.
Who on the Heat besides Wade is in the ball acquisition business? Marion definitely qualifies - his superior athleticism alone makes him proficient in this area. I would say Haslem is average - he gets outsized at times. James Jones is like a statue on the perimeter - I am sure Askins will be all over him to develop this part of his game. If he can add that he would be like a real "NBA player of value." Mark Blount is a little timid. A healthy Dorell Wright should be skilled in this area, but besides a brief two week starting stint early last year he has never displayed any particular toughness to get to the ball (The Dorell Wright Experience is over, right? - someone had to take a low number to complete the roster, right?).
This is not an area of particular strength for Miami, but Wade and Marion should at least make them competitive.
In other news:
A mixed conversation (that is, woman and men) in the Dos Minutos office today about Hollywood's prettiest men yielded the following results: Brad Pitt, universally considered pretty. Tom Cruise, not considered pretty. Val Kilmer, almost unnaturally pretty in Top Gun, all blond-tipped highlights and giant white teeth. Rob Lowe, early in his career - so pretty that he was like a woman. Robert Wagner - most of us were not familiar enough with his earlier work to make a judgement, and considered his nomination as a joke; however, The Captain claimed that he was amongst the dreamiest of Hollywood's hunks. In a related note, The Captain also hailed the work of comedian Fatty Arbuckle as one of the earliest masters of physical comedy.
