MuzikMachine
Registered User
- Nov 14, 2005
- 800
- 7
i think the crux of the theory is that with an unquestioned alpha dog, guys sometimes do less looking to and deferring to their star for the heavy lifting. that works when you star is jordan, not so much when it's ewing. but with him out, the other guys play better as a team and take more accountability for and control of the team.
you see this sometimes with non-playoff teams making an unexpected run for the 8th seed after trading their impending UFA star at the deadline, or going on a win streak after their best player packs it in for the year after they are mathematically eliminated. but the better and more interesting case, of course, is always in the playoffs.
Taking a different angle on the Ewing Theory, I think you see this is hockey on a more game-by-game basis when a team will play an inexperienced backup goaltender over their #1 goaltender - there can be a tendency to play better team defense.
Maybe that theory can apply to the Detroit Red Wings when they went from having Hasek to Osgood (both experienced, but going froma Vezna superstar to lesser decorated)- they won a Stanley Cup. Granted they were a 100+ pt team and had good players in front of Osgood, but the perceived weakness was goaltending.