PHILADELPHIA – Even among the diehards, this was far from must-see TV.

On a night in early October, the Boston Celtics were on a court in New Hampshire, playing the Cleveland Cavaliers. LeBron James wore not the No. 23 jersey that is among the National Basketball Association’s most popular merchandise, but a sharp suit. Paul Pierce spent most of the second half with a towel over his shoulders, laughing merrily on the Celtics bench.

It was, NBA pre-season basketball and it appeared to be a long stretch of hardwood from fantastic. Turnovers were plentiful as the respective coaching staffs sifted through the youngsters and NBDL products eager to distinguish themselves early in the exhibition campaign.

Yet, if you put all that aside, what you could see developing were the latest stages of a trend.

Small-ball is taking root in the NBA.

Two years ago, Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni was among the first to embrace a wide-open system that leaned heavily on its perimeter skill. Orchestrated by Steve Nash, the Suns raced to the top of the Western Conference in 2004-05 amid snickers from old school types, especially when Phoenix was ousted in the Conference Finals by a more-traditionally constructed San Antonio Spurs squad built around Tim Duncan. Yet, when Phoenix made another deep playoff run in 2006 without cornerstone forward Amare Stoudemire – sidelined by a knee injury – even the cynics took pause.

In the fall of 2006, speed over size suddenly makes great sense.

A generation ago, Chuck Daly proved in Detroit that it was possible to claim world titles without a classic back-to-the-basket center in your lineup, when his Pistons won a pair of crowns with Bill Laimbeer in the middle. The Pistons had low-post scorers – James Edwards and Mark Aguirre. They just weren’t centers.

Phil Jackson took it a step further in Chicago with his triangle offense geared to guard Michael Jordan, forward Scottie Pippen and forward Horace Grant (replaced by Dennis Rodman in the Bulls’ final three championship runs from 1996-98). Those Chicago clubs thrived despite the center position being manned by a collection of journeymen – an aging Bill Cartwright, Will Perdue, and Luc Longley.

On the surface, it would appear that we have stepped backwards in time since 1998. Six of the seven titles were claimed by clubs with classic low-post centers – Duncan (1999, 2003, and 2005) and O’Neal (2000-02, 2006). The seventh was brought home by a Detroit squad with an all-star center of its own, Ben Wallace, though a decidedly unconventional one.

Yet one wonders now if we won’t view this period as the Last Great Gasp of the Giants.
O’Neal earned his fourth championship ring last June, but at times seemed almost incidental to Miami’s success in the postseason. If there had been any doubt that Dwyane Wade was the cornerstone of the franchise, it was removed in the finals when he ascended to a level few reach at any point in their careers, let alone their third season. The Heat is Wade’s squad, and it isn’t hard to envision O’Neal being used in more of a complementary role this year by Pat Riley, especially in the regular season. Save the wear and tear on the big guy and allow him to be a dangerous low-post threat in the postseason.

Duncan is still among the sport’s finest performers, but he has been in the league for a decade now. He has shouldered a heavy burden in San Antonio since David Robinson retired, and that type of weight can wear on an athlete, especially one as reserved as the former Wake Forest All-American.

Truth be told, the sport has been moving away from the prototypical center since Magic Johnson and Larry Bird took the industry by storm in 1979. Both demonstrated that men taller than 6-foot-8 could do more than screen and stand toe-to-toe with other post men in the lane. Suddenly, tall men had role models other than Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They, along with the 6-6 Julius Erving, captivated audiences with their combination of interior and exterior craftsmanship.

From that point forward everyone wanted to be Michael or, later, LeBron and D-Wade on the asphalt.

Shaq?

As engaging and skilled as he was, it was impossible for few among us to imagine what it feels like to be 7-0, 300 plus pounds.

Over the last 15 years the NBA has adapted to that reality. The influx of European players, typically well-rounded no matter their size, has helped push the sport outward. The Suns are just the latest and most evolved of the new species.

The Celtics are trying to follow that pattern. Against the Cavaliers in an otherwise meaningless contest, Doc Rivers – himself a former guard – made liberal use of three and even a four-guard lineup. At times, the Celtics brought out a group with only one player standing taller than 6-5, Brian Scalabrine, who has played mostly small forward in his NBA career. It was entertaining to watch, though the Cavs’ found a way to keep Boston at bay even without James in uniform.

All signs point to the perimeter for the NBA as it steams toward the next decade.

Centers of the classic kind are a vanishing breed. In Houston, fans still believe Yao Ming can take his rightful place among the all-timers. Most tall men take time to acclimate themselves and given Yao’s limited basketball experience prior to coming to America, it is reasonable to assume his capacity to dominate will grow. Yet, that is not a given and, beyond Ohio State’s Greg Oden, there are no more like him on the horizon looming as classic franchise pivots. The “Sky Hook” is as much a relic of the past as the two-handed set shot.

High school and college coaches have already adapted to that reality and benefited from it. The three guard offense has become a staple of sorts in college basketball and one team, Villanova, spent all of last season in the top 10 using four guards 6-4 or smaller. Given that the largest supplier of NBA talent has changed its game, it only follows that the league will as well.

Rivers apparently believes that the trend is worth considering. The plan is to push the pace and, though it’s unlikely the Celtics will be as small as they were that October night against the Cavs, Boston will play to its apparent depth of guards and undersized forwards. In New York, where a city has been turned off by the sad spectacle of the Knicks, Isiah Thomas has talked of employing a Phoenix-like attack. Success with it might be the only way that Thomas can retain the confidence of owner James Dolan.

In the last decade, NBA teams have learned to adapt to pedestrian pivots. We have been treated to a generation of Nazr Muhammads – dependable but hardly franchise linchpins. They have done so, though few have been willing to completely embrace the concept. Instead of re-designing the eyesore in their midst, they have elected to disguise it as best they can.

However, the Suns have approached it in a new way. With his extensive background as a player and coach in Italy, D’Antoni learned a balanced, perimeter-based team can thrive. Over the last two seasons, it’s worked in Phoenix in no small part because the Suns have wrapped both arms around it. Their commitment is something more than mere lip service. It was practiced every day, from October through June.

Others have noticed. Rivers plans to make it a Boston signature, and who’s to say how many more will sign on board if the Celtics turn a corner.

In a perfect world, coaches have both size and quickness.

If forced to choose, however, an increasing number of NBA minds would be inclined to choose the latter.

Even if it arrives in small packages.