sleestak33 wrote:Pillendreher wrote:sleestak33 wrote:Defense has its place in any sport but basketball is a two way sport.sleestak33 wrote:You keep hanging on to that dream that defense really matters
You made a mistake here. You tried to pretend that you think that defense matters, but slipped up there in the end. Wanna try again?
The point is it obviously doesn't matter that much when you see somebody like Harden winning MVPs and he doesn't play a lick of defense and is widely considered to be one of the worst defenders in the NBA.
Why does that matter at all when we're talking about team success?
sleestak33 wrote:Up until this year Westbrook didn't play any defense either yet it is a top 5 player and also won an MVP.
So?
sleestak33 wrote: The simple truth is even the best defenders in the NBA can't stop anybody because pick and rolls and high screens eliminate even the best defenders out of one on one defense.
That's not true. The best defenders out there can alter games in a big way. We saw that last Playoffs with the way the Jazz just parked Gobert under the rim all possession long (without getting called for it, mind you) and it took away a huge chunk of Westbrook's game.
sleestak33 wrote:Beating teams in the current state of the NBA means getting as many guys as you can that can shoot and score consistently so you're more efficient offensively.
No. Beating teams has always meant to outscore the opponent. You have to do that on both sides of the floor, by keeping them from scoring and by scoring on them yourself. You can't win consistently just by trying to outshoot teams. The best version of the Rockets was last season's version. Not because it was so much better than everybody else on offense, but because they could actually defend. If you can't defend at a high level, you're not winning when it matters, period.
sleestak33 wrote:The more guys you have that can do that (see the Warriors) the more pressure you put on the opposing team to try to keep up with you.
In the Steve Kerr era (5 seasons), the Warriors have had the 3rd best defense in the league overall. It's a myth that the Warriors can't defend. Without that defense, they'd just be a premium version of the Denver Nuggets.
sleestak33 wrote:Any other questions feel free to ask.
I'm not the one in need of advice, contrary to you.