Views
9
Comments
17
  • June 18, 2008 01:24 AM ET

East Coast basketball (defensive) is better than West Coast (offensive)

CavaBearDians: What Happened? (34-10-3) vs UNC Fan (0-2-0)
16
Votes
3
Votes
16
Votes
3
Votes


The NBA Finals proved my point once again. Defense indeed wins championships. Always and always people claim the Western Conference is far better than the Eastern Conference, that the eight teams from the East don't deserve to be in the playoffs, but they've been proven time and time again to be better than their counterparts when they win the Finals.

The Lakers, with a better team talent-wise than the Celtics, were absolutely dismantled in the Finals. Why? Their star, Kobe Bryant, was shut down by the Boston's excellent press. Furthermore, the Celtics swarmed to force silly turnovers and uncomfortable shots. On the other end, they played a disciplined game, worked the offense from the inside out, and made buckets when they counted.

Sounds like the perfect team, but I want to stress the defense aspect. I would agree that Western Conference teams are more talented, but I best most of them would have plenty trouble beating the Celtics, Pistons, or even the Cavs. Why? They all combine a stellar defense with an at least passable offense.

The Spurs are further proof--they came out on top against the Cavs in '07 by beating them at their own game--their defense is (was) simply stellar.


In most sports defense beats offense but not in basketball. Did you notice that in the last two games of the series, Game 5 and 6, that Kobe Bryant was hot early on, hitting fall back threes. Then he tried to get his teamates involved and be a playmaker. Then in the second half when the Lakers needed points he couldn't find his shooting touch.

However, if Kobe had tried to take over the game this series would have been different. Also, in the WCF Bryant and the Lakers dismantled the Spurs, a great defensive team, in 5 games.

The Atlanta Hawks, an 8 seed who gave up 100 ppg in the regular season, took the NBA's best defensive team to seven games. Why? Cause they were running the floor(at least at home). Make or miss.

Basketball is the one sport where offense beats defense. Also if Kobe's teammates were better long ranger shooters and players like Sasha Vujacic, a spot up jumper shooter who went a combined 3-19 in games 4 and 5, hit their shots then the Celtics wouldn't be able to collaspe on Kobe and he would be getting uncontested layups like ray allen's one at the end of game 4 because no one would want to leave thier man open for a three.


Kobe Bryant is regarded as the best player in the NBA by so many people because of his ability to take over games. He wanted to win as badly as anyone else on that court. If he could have taken over and dominated, he would have, but as I realized with my Cavs and LeBron James, when a team can shut down your star, there's nothing you can do.

Before we discuss the Hawks, please remember that the Celtics did win the series, and that all of their wins were blowouts, while the losses were close. The reason the Hawks won those few games was that Boston's defense wasn't in its regular form. Whenever Boston kept the Hawks under their season defensive average, the Celtics won. The Hawks only won when they scored over 90 points.

The Celtics were at their worst against the Lakers whenever their defense was out of sync. And when it was? Well, Finals Game 6 is an example of what a team like Boston can do.

Fundamentally, you need to score points to win; we all know that. We also know that if either your offense or defense is good enough to outweigh your faults on the other end, then you will win the game. The Celtics and Lakers showed us that.

More to come...


The Celtics are a good defensive team no doubt. However, if the Lakers' other players hit their shots i.e. Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic then the Celtics couldn't collaspe on Bryant. The same thing happened to the Cavs and Lebron in the conference semi-finals. The Cavs other key players like Wally Szczerbiak, Daniel Gisbon, and Delonte West hit their shots the Celtics couldn't have collaspe on James.

It's not a concidence that in game 3, a game the Lakers won, Bryant got some help from role players like Vujacic, who scored 20. The Celtics couldn't help off Vujacic so Bryant was able to get better looks and exploded for 36 points, his series high. Also, in game 6 his supporting cast again played great 4 players, excluding Bryant where in double figures thus Gasol, Odom, Derek Fisher, and Jordan Farmar command the Celtics' attention.

I'll agree with you on the point that your offense or defense can overcome your deficiencies on the other side of the floor. The Celtics many times this postseason, most notably were carried by their defense while the Lakers defensive faults where overshadowed by their offensive.

Great offense > Great Defense


By claiming Kobe Bryant had little help, you further solidify my argument. Why would a whole team of players, very good if not great throughout the playoffs, suddenly disappear? The only reasonable answer is that they were up against a disruptive defensive presence. The Celtics, by shutting down the lighweights with team defense, took a major option away from the main scorer. With the offense out of whack, the team can now focus of shutting down the star. A great offense is useful until itnmeets a great defense. Then you only weapon is gone.

The Lakers didn't lose the series because of bad shooting, though it was a factor. By forcing turnovers and swarming the ball, the Celtics never allowed the Lakers to get comfortable.

The Spurs, the Pistons, and now the Celtics win championships becaus of great team defense. Even the Heat, a team that never belonged with the best, won a championship over a superb offensive team in the Mavericks by playing great defense.

We have to remember that only top teams are relevant here. When it comes to the regular season, the West kills the East. But in the playoffs, it's a whole new story.

Offense wins games, but defense wins championships.


You talk about how the great Celtics' defense made the Lakers' role players missed shots. No the Lakers' role players were just terrible in the Finals. After that great game 3 Vujacic goes 3-19 not because of the Celtics' but because he can't hit an open jumper after Bryant kicks the ball out to him. Also, I admit that Rondo was great in Game 6, but Vujacic and Vladimir Radmanovic, just to name a few made some terrible passes without being pressured at al, throughout the series. The Lakers beat the Spurs, a great defensive team, with easy. The answer to why the Lakers lost isn't the Celtics' defense but the Lakers' offense.

Do you remember game 3? Was it really the Lakers' defense that made the Big Three go 16-48? No, Garnett and Pierce were missing shots they would normally make. In all the other games, the at least two members of the big three peformed well. That is why the Celtics won the series because their offense.

Don't you remember in the beginning of Game 5 Kobe Bryant hitting a fallway threepointer after getting a bump. That shows me that great offense beats great defense any day of the week.

Comments (17) Add A Comment

June 18, 2008  01:31 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

No. Defensive basketball is better than offensive. Defensive reflects East, offensive reflects West.

June 18, 2008  02:28 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

good luck!

June 18, 2008  02:38 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Same for you.

June 18, 2008  02:38 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

real dumb td

The Savage | 06/18/08, 01:33 AM


[hhhhh]

June 18, 2008  03:37 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

leaning right on this one. simply because of the fact that a team needs more than one scoring option which is virtually all the lakers have. It isn't hard to slow down one guy but when you have two ro three its virtually impossible to stop. Look at the Bulls first three titles. Not that Jordan could be slowed down, but if he was the Pippen and Horace grant were viable options and Paxson and Steve Kerr were always able to nail down that outside jumpers when they got the chance. The lakers have no one that could reliably nail 3's when the ball is kicked back out like Pax or Kerr

June 18, 2008  05:03 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Good comment--it voices an opinion while not making a full-out argument for either side. I hate when people make the TD into a gang fight.

June 18, 2008  05:39 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Defenses must win championships because when the Celts, Pistons, and Heat won it all they did it with less than great offense, but most stifling D.

June 18, 2008  09:18 AM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Defense does win out, but West-coast bbal is still better.

Because top-down, the East sux compared to those in the West

June 19, 2008  04:27 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Part of the bottom line is that you have to get rebounds.... the Lakers did NOT do that.... the Laker teams of the past that have won championships have always had a rep for pretty-boy run and gun ball- but they DID play defense too... AND those teams have always had a tough, hussling, worker type player who almost did nothing but grab rebounds and hussle for looseballs etc... those guys were guys like Kurt Rambis in the 80s..... AC Green in the early 90s and Robert Horry in the late 90s.....

June 19, 2008  04:27 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Simple put, great defense creates offensive opportunities. You cannot say the same about great offense.

June 19, 2008  04:41 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

<------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------

June 19, 2008  04:41 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Defense wins championships

June 19, 2008  09:45 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Defense does win Championships,true.But ok,the east is not better than the west,champion or no champion.Let me make that clear.I think this is a better td then the voting indicates but vote to Cava anyway.

June 19, 2008  11:04 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

I'm glad you see the difference between East Coast teams and East Coast basketball.

June 20, 2008  01:44 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Cava clearly had the better arguments and my vote will be going that one. His second argument was superb. I felt as though Phili was repeating things over and over from one argument to the next.

Now, on the actual topic, I couldn't agree more with Cava. People watch games to see offense; players win games with defense. I'm a fan of several Western Conference teams because I enjoy watching them play. Realistically, I know their shot at winning a title is slim because they aren't superior defensively.

As a player myself, I try to make sure I assert myself on both ends. If I focus too much on offense, I hurt my team's chances of winning. The same goes for the NBA. The Celtics played defense as a TEAM, which was the reason they won so easily. Great topic, Cava.

July 22, 2008  04:16 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Experiment: A<b></b>ss.

 
July 22, 2008  04:17 PM ET
Report Abuse | QUOTE

Failure.

Comment

Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.


Leaderboard

  Fan W L T Win %
1 YODA 46 3 2 92.2%
2 Porkins: You're all my dupes 155 14 1 91.5%
3 Detroit... 132 9 8 91.3%
4 The Ram 149 17 4 88.8%
5 Baun-de... 61 7 2 88.6%
6 FoosBal... 82 12 2 86.5%
7 Hyped78 130 19 5 86.0%
8 PhillyE... 75 11 4 85.6%
9 Dookie: Here We Go Steelers 119 19 8 84.2%
10 [The] Coach 103 18 5 83.7%

Truth & Rumors

MOST POPULAR

  1. 1
    Red Sox, Tigers talking deal
    Views
    9594
    Comments
    158
  2. 2
    T.O. stands by Cowboys criticism
    Views
    6756
    Comments
    134
  3. 3
    Notre Dame's bowl options
    Views
    8277
    Comments
    64
  4. 4
    Knicks make room for LeBron
    Views
    4209
    Comments
    60
  5. 5
    Marbury refuses to play, D'Antoni fumes
    Views
    6559
    Comments
    52

Most Active Users

Comments + Blog Posts + Throwdowns

  1. 1
    PimpyLooka
  2. 2
    bcoltrinari
  3. 3
    Epoch1
  4. 4
    Dyhard is PJ Hill
  5. 5
    Three Tracks In Dirt

Message Boards

  1. NCAAF > General NCAAF

    Gameday Predictions: Texas…
    Views
    192
    Replies
    10

  2. NCAAF > General NCAAF

    ALL OF TODAYS BLOWOUTS
    Views
    79
    Replies
    5

  3. NCAAF > General NCAAF

    Florida vs. Alabama
    Views
    27
    Replies
    3

Blogs

SI.com

Swimsuit

Melissa BakerMelissa Baker
Daniella SarahybaDaniella Sarahyba

SI Photos

Mavs DancersMavs Dancers
College Football, Top 25 ReviewCollege Football, Top 25 Review