best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
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best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
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best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
what are those times that a great team offense or a great offensive player were played perfectly to limit them the most ?
for example somethingh i learned about the 97 jazz is that karl malone amd ostertag were unusually good at stopping rodman and the bulls from taking offensive boards in a way few teams came close, which helped them go toe to toe against a juggernaut like that in spite of karl malone scoring struggles
alternstively series where a player or offense "solve" a strong defense/defender also count too, clippers 5-out offense making gobert a limited factor in the 2021 playoffs is a good example
for example somethingh i learned about the 97 jazz is that karl malone amd ostertag were unusually good at stopping rodman and the bulls from taking offensive boards in a way few teams came close, which helped them go toe to toe against a juggernaut like that in spite of karl malone scoring struggles
alternstively series where a player or offense "solve" a strong defense/defender also count too, clippers 5-out offense making gobert a limited factor in the 2021 playoffs is a good example
Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
08-Celtics against Lakers in the Finals
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- eminence
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Only good, not ATG, but Dray throttled the ‘16 Rockets and Harden.
I bought a boat.
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
eminence wrote:Only good, not ATG, but Dray throttled the ‘16 Rockets and Harden.
draymond has wrecked a lot of good offenses and great offensive players, 18 rockets and 19 Blazers too
i think only lebron cavs were somewhat "impervious" to the warriors playoffs defense
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
Of course 1973 Warriors against Milwaukee, with Thurmond shutting down peak Kareem.
How about 1983 Sixers against LAL? They completely shut down one of the most talented Lakers teams of this decade. The combination of athleticism and length on perimeter turned Lakers offense into a disaster.
How about 1983 Sixers against LAL? They completely shut down one of the most talented Lakers teams of this decade. The combination of athleticism and length on perimeter turned Lakers offense into a disaster.
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2007 Spurs versus Suns.
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Olajuwon vs Seattle in 93. He was everywhere on the perimeter and the paint.
Mutombo vs Seattle in 94 - This is probably imho THE most impressive individual defensive performance in NBA playoff history from a team perspective vs a elite offensive team. The Sonics simply could not get anything going in the painted area with him there. 6 blocks per game!
Nate Thurmond vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1973 - Imho the most impressive h2h defensive performance in NBA playoff series history. That was by FAR the worst series of Kareems career before aging/decline set in. 22ppg and 42% FG is what peak Kareem was restricted to.
Mutombo vs Seattle in 94 - This is probably imho THE most impressive individual defensive performance in NBA playoff history from a team perspective vs a elite offensive team. The Sonics simply could not get anything going in the painted area with him there. 6 blocks per game!
Nate Thurmond vs Kareem Abdul Jabbar in 1973 - Imho the most impressive h2h defensive performance in NBA playoff series history. That was by FAR the worst series of Kareems career before aging/decline set in. 22ppg and 42% FG is what peak Kareem was restricted to.
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
"Great" is probably pushing it, depending on how you feel about Melo, but the first one that comes to mind is Quinton Ross putting the clamps on prime Melo in '06. That series was a masterclass defensive performance from him.

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04 pistons Prince vs Kobe
Griizlies & Tony Allen vs KD
Rondo & Pelicans Vs Dame Lillard
Griizlies & Tony Allen vs KD
Rondo & Pelicans Vs Dame Lillard
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John Stockton in 91 playoffs keeping KJ to 12.8pts, 9.8ast at 30fg%. KJ was 22.2pts, 51.6fg% in the RS. Stockton had 18pts, 12.8ast at 62.2fg% and 50fg% 3P.
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
07 Spurs vs Cavs
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PistolPeteJR wrote:07 Spurs vs Cavs
The 2007 Cavaliers were a -1.0 Offense. They posted a 99 Ortg and 104 Ortg in the previous rounds leasing upto the finals where they posted a 97 Ortg.
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PistolPeteJR wrote:07 Spurs vs Cavs
What? The 07 Cavs were horrible lol.
LeBron dragged a horrifically bad team to the finals that had no business being there.
Not hard to stop a team when 4 of the 5 players can’t score when they’re wide open
76ciology wrote:Wouldn't Edey have a better chance of winning the scoring battle against Tatum in the post after a switch than Tatum shooting over Edey's 9'6" standing reach?





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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
jasonxxx102 wrote:PistolPeteJR wrote:07 Spurs vs Cavs
What? The 07 Cavs were horrible lol.
LeBron dragged a horrifically bad team to the finals that had no business being there.
Not hard to stop a team when 4 of the 5 players can’t score when they’re wide open
I misread OP my bad… lol
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2016 Cavs and Thunder vs. the Warriors. Warriors were a +8.1 rORtg Team and were held 6.0 points per 100 possessions under their reg season ORTg vs. the Cavs and -6.7 vs. the Thunder.
lessthanjake wrote:Kyrie was extremely impactful without LeBron, and basically had zero impact whatsoever if LeBron was on the court.
lessthanjake wrote: By playing in a way that prevents Kyrie from getting much impact, LeBron ensures that controlling for Kyrie has limited effect…
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homecourtloss wrote:2016 Cavs and Thunder vs. the Warriors. Warriors were a +8.1 rORtg Team and were held 6.0 points per 100 possessions under their reg season ORTg vs. the Cavs and -6.7 vs. the Thunder.
for that same matter, 2016/2017 cavs and 2016 thunder were incredibly resilient offenses against the warriors defense
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Re: best defensive series against great offensive players/teams
Ben Wallace against the Magic in the 2003 Playoffs.

“The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot.”