Letters: Theatrics don't win basketball games, fundementals do

WHEN WILL Villanova and the 76ers - and every other basketball team in the nation - come to realize that the slam-dunk, the three-pointer and dribbling, dribbling, dribbling aren't the answers to winning basketball games?

These three unfundamental aspects of the game, as well as the shot clock, weren't designed to win games, but implemented to create great fan attendance and superstar worship.

Victories come to fruition when teams rely on the basic fundamentals of basketball from start to finish.

Ball and body movement (passing and cutting), better defensive skills, open shot selection near the basket, and the pivot man's awareness to turn and face the basket after receiving a pass, are primary fundamentals that all teams need to employ in order to become victorious.

Basketball was designed for team play and not one-on-one playground tactics while the other players stand around and watch.

Today's game is yesteryear's downfall. So goodbye to Dean Smith's "four-corner stall," Pete Carril's "backdoor layups," Bobby Knight's "motion offense," Jack Ramsay's "pressure defenses," and John Wooten's "overall fundamentals."

After all, multimillion-dollar contracts and packed houses override common sense. So if Villanova and the 76ers want to win ball games, it's time to get back to the basics.

It's time to concentrate on fundamentals and team play (passing and cutting), and let the entertainment factor take care of itself.

Doug Leaman, Oaks