MIAMI—The NBA has been moving toward some kind of positionless game, where five guys of basically the same height and skillset play anywhere on the floor, guard anyone on the other team, play a flowing, up-tempo style with little regard to the traditional guards, forwards and centres.
Consider the Toronto Raptors-Miami Heat Eastern Conference semifinal a test case for the coming era.
With two seven-foot centres hobbled by varying degrees of injury, a mix-and-match “small ball” series is likely to evolve.
“Some guys are going to have to play out of position, but you’ve got to be a basketball player, you can’t have a number,” Toronto’s DeMarre Carroll said Sunday.