at least thats what Bob Ryan would have us believe http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/ar...hot_at_history/ <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I believe I speak for millions when I say that scoring is the fun of the game. That's why so many of us love three-on-three, winners out. Score enough and we never have to play defense. Ever. Coaches hate this talk. Coaches -- most of them, anyway -- love defense. Some of them are happy when their team doesn't have the ball. These guys ought to ask themselves why they fell in love with basketball in the first place. I guarantee you it wasn't because they wanted to shut someone down. It's because they wanted to see the ball go through the hoop. But somewhere along the line, they get this defense religion and they wind up taking all the fun out of the game.</div> i really cant stand this guy sometimes. He just goes out of his way to play the "the game was better in my day" card. Just dusnt get it that things have changed and that change is good and so is defensive basketball! i hope he gets a veritable flood of negative (but not hatefull or profane) emails about this article (or at least the first page of it). im sure i wouldnt be the first time
I don't think he used the word "idiot" once in the article. In fact, did he even say anything negative about people who have a different opinion on the topic? He happens to like offense. What's the problem?
Well, he can have his scoring and sit back and watch the playoffs, where you have to play D. It's been proven time and time again: even the best offense can't protect a bad defense and a team that can't D up won't win in the playoffs (see, Phoenix last year, Dallas in years past). While everyone else whines about having to play defense, teams like the Pistons and Spurs are kicking back with their championship trophies and laughing.
In the playoffs it comes down to being able to make defensive stops at the end of games. Teams who consistently lock a team down when it counts have had success in the post season. In the playoffs games usually come down to the wire, so whether you need to protect the lead or get back in the game, you have to be able to prevent the other team from scoring in crunch time.
There's no doubt in my mind that people like to watch high scoring games but it gets old watching a team dribble up the court and hit a shot then the next posession, the other team does the same. Defense makes the game have different speeds, and it keeps the spectators on their toes. Offense wins games, but defense wins CHAMPIONSHIPS!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't think he used the word "idiot" once in the article. In fact, did he even say anything negative about people who have a different opinion on the topic? </div> "No one starts playing basketball with the intention of becoming the next great defensive stopper. Ninety-nine times out of 100, show me a so-called defensive stopper and I'll show you someone who can't shoot." "Fans get a little swept up by this boring defense mentality if the team they support is successful, but they always know something is missing in their life." This makes the assumption that people who claim they love to watch defensive basketball not only dont know what theyre talking about but dont even mean what they are saying and are just delusional sheep that are caught up in the excitement of a winning team who happens to play defense
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">"No one starts playing basketball with the intention of becoming the next great defensive stopper. Ninety-nine times out of 100, show me a so-called defensive stopper and I'll show you someone who can't shoot." "Fans get a little swept up by this boring defense mentality if the team they support is successful, but they always know something is missing in their life." This makes the assumption that people who claim they love to watch defensive basketball not only dont know what theyre talking about but dont even mean what they are saying and are just delusional sheep that are caught up in the excitement of a winning team who happens to play defense</div> Well, he's clearly being a bit cheeky. His point is that fans, overwhelmingly, want to see great offense, not great defense. He's not saying that someone who enjoys good defense is an idiot or doesn't know what they're talking about. In fact, doesn't he actually say that coaches (who are the most knowledgable about the game) like that stuff?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting olskoolFunktitude:</div><div class="quote_post">"No one starts playing basketball with the intention of becoming the next great defensive stopper. Ninety-nine times out of 100, show me a so-called defensive stopper and I'll show you someone who can't shoot." </div> In my town rec league I play for defense, i try and find the better guard the other team has and i concentrate on shutting him down and I usually cause 5-6 turnovers a game. Sure Im not trying to become the best defensive stopper but I do put a good deal of effort into defense. Im not much of an offensive player but Im working on it.
