quagmire
Years ago

Why defence wins championships

Truehoop on the ESPN website has had some debate regarding why defence seems to matter more when calculating the rating for a team.

For me the simple answer is;

Great defence can lead to easy offence, fast breaks and transition buckets etc.

Apart from scoreboard pressure, great offence doesn't generate easy defence.

So if two teams are equally matched, but one is a defensive team, the other based on scoring, the edge will always be with the defence because of the extra easy scores that team will get as a result of their D.

agree disagree?

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shano
Years ago

agree and it goes for all sports..just ask matthew knights.

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ankles
Years ago

Agree to a certain extent but more importantly, defence builds pressure by denying easy scoring opportunities.

In a finals atmopshere, wh.ere pressure is amplified and the function of pressure is to compromise performance (lowering shooting percentages) anyway, defensive pressure compounds this effect by denying any easy scores. Any scores build confidence but easy scores not only build confidence but release pressure.

So not only does D create some easy scores, it denies easy scores which all adds up to immense pressure which only the most stellar players (think Kobe, NOT LeBron) can withstand and still function optimally.

While role players may occcasionally go on a tear in a Finals game, only the special role players, Big Shot Bob, Derek Fisher, can continue to consistently perform their role in this situation. Its no surprise that the 'stars' only tend to win with the same supporting cast and when that team is broken up, their winning ways depart.

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Anonymous
Years ago

what about good offense reducing transition opportunities for the other team?

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thedoctor
Years ago

Agreed - that's why Tim Duncan is a better player than Malone, and why the Spurs won championships and the Jazz didn't.

Reply #287918 | Report this post

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Why defence wins championships

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