syntax wrote:PhilaOwnsBoston wrote:syntax wrote:
Really? Suns, Clippers, Bucks are all top 10 in defense and made the conf finals.
Atlanta is not far off at 18th.
No bad defensive team made it very far in the playoffs.
They are all very good offensive teams too though.
The Suns are the favorites right now and if they win it's going to be on the backs of their offense more than anything.
Suns are 2nd defense and 10th offense. If anything it's the other way around.
Playoffs are a different animal though, rotations are shortened and you rely on superstars to carry you offensively. Great individual offense always beats great individual defense.
Unless Maxey is a total sieve defensively, with his offensive upside, that's far more valuable than Thybulle with his limited offensive upside. You can supplement defense just fine. The Sixers had 3 of the best individual defenders in the entire league and couldn't stop the Atlanta Hawks offense when it mattered and couldn't get buckets when it mattered.
The Sixers experiment alone should be a prime example of how your ceiling is cut short when your offense is limited.
I think defense is valuable, just overrated. And this season is a weird year anyway where a lot of injuries impacted a lot of outcomes.
No doubt in my mind though the Nets would have won the title if healthy and their defense was abysmal.
