What Makes Tyson Chandler Lynchpin in Knicks' Success and Mavs' Failure in 2012

It doesn't take a genius to figure out who the right choice for MVP of the 2011 NBA Finals was. It was the guy who won it: Dirk Nowitzki. 

Dirk was fantastic in the postseason last year. He put together a string of big shots and big games. He was, as usual, nearly perfect from the free-throw line, and he contributed his fair share of rebounds as well. 

More than baseball or football, basketball is a sport in which one player can be an all-encompassing, dominant force. 

Even with that being the case, it's still a team sport. No team has ever won a ring with one star and four stiffs. It just doesn't happen. Dirk truly was the most valuable player for Dallas in their run to a ring last June. 

This season, Dallas lost a number of key components of that championship team, but the loss that has been most difficult to replace has been Tyson Chandler. 

Chandler, who signed as a free agent with the New York Knicks, represents the type of player that nearly every championship-winning team must have.

The Knicks have a bona fide offensive star in Carmelo Anthony. Anthony is a prolific small forward who can take over games on offense.

New York also has Amar'e Stoudemire. Amar'e plays power forward, but like Anthony, is better on the offensive end of the court than the defensive end.

Chandler is a hard-working, defensive-minded player. That type of player is essential. He doesn't have to be a center, but if your stars are at guard or forward, then you're going to need a big man who is less fixated on taking shots and more fixated on stopping them. 

All teams need balance, and basketball is no exception. Balance is not just about pure talent, either. It's a willingness to accept a variety of roles. Everyone can't be the star.

As much fun as all fans have concocting dream-team scenarios in their minds, historically speaking, the great teams have not been made up of five stars. One is a must, and two seems to be the true minimum, but three certainly can work as well. 

More often than not, the formula has its ebbs and flows, but the need to have players who are able to subjugate their egos, play hard and consistently contribute is essential. 

The Mavericks have had some serious problems replacing the defensive intensity, hard play and willingness to fit into a specific role that Tyson Chandler provided last year. 

The New York Knicks are thrilled to have him, though. The recent winning streak that led to Jeremy Lin's cult-like status was notable for a number of reasons. Lin's emergence is, of course, the prominent storyline. As good as Lin was, the Knicks were missing the two men who are allegedly their "stars" for good portions of the streak. 

Carmelo Anthony was injured, and Amar'e Stoudemire needed time off to mourn his brother's passing.

In their absence, Jeremy Lin provided the headlines and the drama, while Chandler provided consistent points, hard-nosed interior defense and a fiery, competitive on-court demeanor.

Chandler was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft. He came to the league directly from high school. That meant that Chandler had done a fair amount of learning on the job. He's continued to learn and develop throughout his career.

Chandler's numbers have remained steady. For the better part of the past six seasons, he's been around 10 points and 10 rebounds a game with slightly over one block per game. Those aren't prolific numbers by any means. Yet his contributions seem to be increasingly well placed and well timed.

Chandler comes up with loose balls, grabs contested rebounds, contests shots and forces an opposing player to miss on a regular basis. Certain players have a propensity to be around the ball in big moments. Chandler is one of them.

He's not an irreplaceable talent, but he's the type of player that does need to be replaced. The Dallas Mavericks may yet find a way to replace Chandler, but as of now, they haven't. The Knicks now have Chandler in the fold, and while the team's record is still only around .500, the quality of play has progressed over the course of the season.

Dallas, on the other hand, is winning about 58 percent of its games this season. Last year, they won 69.5 percent of their games. The drop-off hasn't been so severe that Dallas will miss the playoffs, but it's been noticeable enough to make one seriously question whether or not the current Mavericks team can advance back to the NBA Finals, or even deep into the playoffs. 

Historically speaking, title-winning basketball teams have players that have a positive impact beyond what statistics can illuminate. The Lakers of the 1980s had Michael Cooper and A.C. Green. The Pistons of the late '80s had those kinds of players in John Salley and Dennis Rodman.

The Bulls dynasties required these types of players. Stars such as Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were not going to allow for too many shots for anyone else on the team. Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, Bill Cartwright, Ron Harper and Brian Williams were all key components of various title-winning teams.

The Lakers with Shaq and Kobe were not just Shaq and Kobe. Robert Horry and Ron Harper were both key parts of those teams. Winning an NBA championship requires stars for sure, but it also requires non-stars. The Mavericks still have the star of their team, but the supporting cast is no longer quite as "supporting."

The New York Knicks have a very deep team that is still learning to play together as a cohesive unit. If the Knicks end up making a run deep into the playoffs, names such as "Lin," "Anthony" and "Amar'e" will all occupy prime space on the headlines, but Tyson Chandler will be occupying prime space in the paint. The Knicks are a better team because of it.