That guy is so annoying.
It’s not something you want to hear about yourself at a frat party, but it might be the ultimate sports compliment from an opponent.
While watching the Mavericks-Lakers series, my friend uttered that phrase in regard to J.J. Barea. And while my friend is no more a Lakers fan than Paul Pierce, his conclusion was fairly obvious to anyone watching that series.
Barea–all 75 pounds of him (if he’s actually six feet tall, I’m Yao Ming)–got under the skin of every player on the Lakers. His nagging defense, exaggerated flops and surprising offensive bursts were big reasons why the Lakers went from two-time champions to embarrassing underachievers in the span of one round. The 11.5 points and 5.5 assists he averaged over the course of the four games certainly played a big role, but the little things–the annoyances, if you will–may have done even more to derail the Lakers’ quest for another three-peat.
Take Ron Artest in Game 2. While Artest might have the shortest fuse in the league, Barea did just enough to light it, causing Artest to commit one of the silliest flagrant fouls you will ever see (it was halfway between clotheslining the Rock and ripping the mask off a Scooby Doo villain). That got Artest banned for a game, which might have been the difference between Dallas going for the sweep in Game 4 and the Lakers attempting to tie the series.
Just two games later, after Barea’s best game as a pro helped the Mavericks build an insurmountable lead (he had never dropped 22 and eight in the regular season, let alone the playoffs), the frustration escalated for the Lakers. Lamar Odom got ejected for trying to turn Dirk Nowitzki into Sean Cattouse (he wasn’t as successful though–yet another professional player that needs training from Andrew Luck). Only a few minutes later, Andrew Bynum took things to another level, decking Barea with the cheapest of cheap shots, a blatant elbow to the midsection while Barea was off the ground and defenseless.
By that point, the game and series were in the books, so the only casualties for the Lakers were Bynum’s first five games of next season and the league-wide respect for the Lakers franchise. The actions, though, speak to the serious frustration the Lakers felt, and that was in no small part due to Barea.
So what can you make of a guy who pisses off his opponents to no end? Personally, I love it. Sports are all about finding that edge, the one thing that’s going to put you or your team over the top. And while the answer for Marshawn Lynch is beast mode, many players take it upon themselves to make their opponents lose their focus or confidence, and that is often even better than just being good.
Staying in the NBA, let me just throw out some names. Zaza Pachulia. Anderson Varejao. Joakim Noah. If you’re an NBA fan at all, you probably groaned at least once while reading those names. Why? Because, despite being fairly unskilled in most normal aspects of the game (like shooting the ball), all three manage to maintain successful NBA careers by annoying the hell out of their opponents. No one enjoys playing against these guys. Whether it’s goading your players into getting ejected, flopping or just being plain ugly in all aspects of the game, these guys bring out the worst in their opponents.
Do I like any of these guys? Of course not. I don’t think you could root for any of these players unless you’re a fan of their team. But as irritating as they are to play against, you have to appreciate what they bring to a team.
A guy like Barea is never going to carry a team to a championship, and he certainly shouldn’t be calling out his next opponent. But if you want someone to give you that little boost, that one spark to lead your team to a title, just think of your least favorite players to play against.
Jacob Jaffe does like J.J. Redick, Bruce Bowen and Paul Pierce’s wheelchair, though. Tell him your favorite players at jwjaffe “at” stanford.edu.