Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
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Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
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theBigLip
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Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
Well deserved. I was listening to Bill Simmons the other day and he was going off that he was borderline because of his offense, but he totally impacted the games on D. Has there ever been a more devastating D than the 2004 Pistons? He deserves to be in.
Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
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zeebneeb
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Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
No. That is backed up by statistics, and the scores themselves.theBigLip wrote:Well deserved. I was listening to Bill Simmons the other day and he was going off that he was borderline because of his offense, but he totally impacted the games on D. Has there ever been a more devastating D than the 2004 Pistons? He deserves to be in.
The Pistons are soley responsible for the elimination of the hand check, and the rules being changed on defense because of that year. It was absurd how good their defense was.
Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
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Cowology
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Re: Ben Wallace inducted into 2021 NBA Hall of Fame Class
What was crazy about the 04 team was how well the pieces complemented each other. I'd argue Sheed played more "center" than Ben did and he was quite arguably a top 3 post-defender, which allowed Ben to roam. Sheed was also the vocal quarterback of our defense, not Ben.
Tay was effective using his length because he had the luxury of being able to crowd his man, without fear of being taken off the dribble with the Wallaces backing him up. Rip & Chauncey were able to funnel opposing players to were the help would reliably be. It all just sorta clicked. And that's before you even start talking about the Pitbulls, which might have been one of the best defensive backcourt I've ever seen. Off the **** bench no less, but they could completely change the tempo of a game.
And how many bodies did we throw at Shaq? Soup was past his prime, but a BIG body himself. We even used Corliss, who despite only being 6'7" himself, was able to use lower body strength to battle for position.
Then you had Memo as a young 2nd year player and Ham bringing energy of the bench. I don't think there is a team today that has the depth of that 04 roster. They didn't all play a ton of minutes, but they all had their moments. (Yes, we're pretending Darko never happened)
And LB was the right coach at the right time. Yeah, he had his issues and I wish he said less to the press, but that man could call a play out of a time out and "playing the right way" became the hallmark of a team of has-been's and never-will-be's. The love and comraderie in that lockerroom was special.
Non of that is meant to diminish Ben in any way. He was 4x DPOY for a reason. I believe Mutumbo was the only other person to accomplish that feat.
The offense (or lack there of) just wasn't that big a deal compared to his overall impact on the game. The area it really hurt was at the FT line, were we had to pull Ben in certain end of game situations. But the same could be said for Shaq.
Damn I miss that team. Sheed leaving Horry open might have been the most heartbreaking moment of my life as a sports fan. That single play completely changes the narrative around the entire team and how they are remembered historically.
Tay was effective using his length because he had the luxury of being able to crowd his man, without fear of being taken off the dribble with the Wallaces backing him up. Rip & Chauncey were able to funnel opposing players to were the help would reliably be. It all just sorta clicked. And that's before you even start talking about the Pitbulls, which might have been one of the best defensive backcourt I've ever seen. Off the **** bench no less, but they could completely change the tempo of a game.
And how many bodies did we throw at Shaq? Soup was past his prime, but a BIG body himself. We even used Corliss, who despite only being 6'7" himself, was able to use lower body strength to battle for position.
Then you had Memo as a young 2nd year player and Ham bringing energy of the bench. I don't think there is a team today that has the depth of that 04 roster. They didn't all play a ton of minutes, but they all had their moments. (Yes, we're pretending Darko never happened)
And LB was the right coach at the right time. Yeah, he had his issues and I wish he said less to the press, but that man could call a play out of a time out and "playing the right way" became the hallmark of a team of has-been's and never-will-be's. The love and comraderie in that lockerroom was special.
Non of that is meant to diminish Ben in any way. He was 4x DPOY for a reason. I believe Mutumbo was the only other person to accomplish that feat.
The offense (or lack there of) just wasn't that big a deal compared to his overall impact on the game. The area it really hurt was at the FT line, were we had to pull Ben in certain end of game situations. But the same could be said for Shaq.
Damn I miss that team. Sheed leaving Horry open might have been the most heartbreaking moment of my life as a sports fan. That single play completely changes the narrative around the entire team and how they are remembered historically.