Raptors roster1/1/2023 ![]() It always has, and unless there is some freak disparity in talent between the two Finals’ teams - it always will. Scottie Pippen is the most famous champion defender and after him probably Hakeem Olajuwon. Over their last two Finals runs, who was their best defender? JR Smith? This is also an obvious one, but someone might want to remind the Cavs. The scorer/star, the enforcer, the pest, and the next player on the list. He replicated that in his current team - not in player type, but player archetype. They had all the pieces, and Kerr knew that. ![]() He plays for Steve Kerr, who played for one of the greatest assembled championship teams ever in the Chicago Bulls. Look at Draymond Green - for all the hate he gets for his questionable plays, he does them for a reason. When the opposing star is in a groove, all he needs is a hard screen to loosen a few screws and make him forget his middle name for a few minutes. There’s a better way to describe them: you hate them until they’re on your team. Jawing at someone on a hot streak to try to throw them off their game is a classic pest move. They are the unheralded stars that become adjacent to the names of legends. They sacrifice points and stats for glory. ![]() #RAPTORS ROSTER SKIN#The pest has one role: get under the skin of the opposing star. ![]() The players of these roles were the best at their craft, and collectively, it made them the best in the league. Looking back at past champions, you’ll see most of these types on every team. Today you’ll be reading the outline of what makes a championship team - outside of great coaching and star players the roles, the archetypes, and of course, the mettle. Other than having a great coach or scoring tons of points, there are plenty of other roles needed to win a championship. Sometimes they score the points, other times they are simply the leader, coach, rebounding champion, pioneer type (looking at you, Bill Russell). It starts with coaching - a coach must be able to learn on the fly, motivate his players and know his team’s strengths and deficiencies. Throughout the history of the NBA and ABA, there has been a simple equation to winning a championship. ![]()
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