Do you think the run and gun offense is dying? Due to most of the NBA teams winning championships emphasizing defense?
I don't think it's dying, just teams don't know how to run it. The Warriors I think had a better run and gun offense than the Suns due to the fact their entire line up was more athletic and they had a much better coach. But, since Davis left and the Warriors are unsure of how they want to run things and the Suns have Shaq, no team really runs that style. You could say the Hawks are close, but not really. The Hornets do run it sometimes, but that style of play doesn't suit CP3.
I think it depends on what you consider "run and gun" to be. A lot of people take it to be more of a team philosophy, that places the focus entirely on a fast-paced offense. Quick, proficient-scorers with no defensive ability are prized and slotted at every position at the expense of players who can also play defense, with the GM's and coaches believing that their offensive talent will make up for the points they give up. There certainly are GM's who've crafted these types of teams lately, and for the most part, they've had to reform them because they just haven't worked in the long run. But that's not what I consider a "run and gun" offense to be. NBA teams win championships by being good on both ends of the court. The above philosophy fails because it emphasizes one end and completely neglects the other, at the same time. Any team with tremendously good defensively while having little-to-no offensive execution would fail just as badly. But that doesn't warrant claiming that the "run and gun" offense is dead. Because there are teams out there that continue to emphasize the fast-break and shooting ability, to great success on the offensive side of the ball. Atlanta's early success is a perfect example of a team that can "run and gun" without being a total defensive liability. In fact, they use their pesky defense to aid their fast-paced offense.
No. It just so happens that the two coaches who legitimately run "run n gun" offenses don't have competent PGs right now and are going through rebuild/roster overhaul. A lot of coaches like to say they let their teams get out and run but none really do except D'Antoni and Nellie.
