Post by DERRENMATTS on Sept 6, 2005 2:55:43 GMT -5
Last year, despite being one of the youngest teams in the league, we were still among the top offensive teams in the league, scoring over 101 ppg and shooting above 46%.
But in this league, defense wins championships (ask Phoenix, Dallas, and Sacramento). Detroit doesn't have a high powered offense, and neither does San Antonio, but they are champions because of their stellar team defense.
If we are to becoming title contenders, Doc needs to shore up our defense, which, in his recent interview with the Boston Globe, is what he intends to do.
Last year, we were the 9th worst team in the league in points allowed. Though we scored 101 ppg, we gave up 100.4 ppg. The difference between points scored and points allowed needs to be much greater than this--this is too close for comfort.
We actually did better when it came to opponents FG%, allowing only 44.4% (good for 12th in the league).
So what gives? We are holding opponets to a low FG% and we are shooting a higher percentage than that. That should mean we are doing the right thing, right?
Well, no. Yes it helps to keep opponents from shooting a higher percentage than we are, but we are allowing too many 3 pointers and we are fouling too much. League wide, we are the 2nd worst team when it comes to fouling and getting teams to the line. Our opponents average nearly 30 free throw attempts per game. 30 attempts per game at a 75% success rate equals 22 ppg--way too much to be giving up.
We also allowed the 6th most three pointers, just under 16 a game. This could either mean we have a strong inside defense, which forces opponents to resort to three point heaves, or we leave perimeter players too open, which tempts them to take those shots. I think we lean toward the latter.
Rebounding is a part of defense, and since we were a poor defensive team, its no surprise that we are also a poor rebounding team. As a whole, we were ranked 24th in rebounds per game, only pulling down 40.8 per game.
We could also become a better shot blocking team (13th in the league). Perkins and Jefferson should be able to help us in this area.
These are the more crucial aspects of defense that Doc needs to improve upon. He says he will focus on defensive executions, and I think with the combination of players maturing/developing and better defensive players getting more playing time, we could become a better defensive unit.
But in this league, defense wins championships (ask Phoenix, Dallas, and Sacramento). Detroit doesn't have a high powered offense, and neither does San Antonio, but they are champions because of their stellar team defense.
If we are to becoming title contenders, Doc needs to shore up our defense, which, in his recent interview with the Boston Globe, is what he intends to do.
Last year, we were the 9th worst team in the league in points allowed. Though we scored 101 ppg, we gave up 100.4 ppg. The difference between points scored and points allowed needs to be much greater than this--this is too close for comfort.
We actually did better when it came to opponents FG%, allowing only 44.4% (good for 12th in the league).
So what gives? We are holding opponets to a low FG% and we are shooting a higher percentage than that. That should mean we are doing the right thing, right?
Well, no. Yes it helps to keep opponents from shooting a higher percentage than we are, but we are allowing too many 3 pointers and we are fouling too much. League wide, we are the 2nd worst team when it comes to fouling and getting teams to the line. Our opponents average nearly 30 free throw attempts per game. 30 attempts per game at a 75% success rate equals 22 ppg--way too much to be giving up.
We also allowed the 6th most three pointers, just under 16 a game. This could either mean we have a strong inside defense, which forces opponents to resort to three point heaves, or we leave perimeter players too open, which tempts them to take those shots. I think we lean toward the latter.
Rebounding is a part of defense, and since we were a poor defensive team, its no surprise that we are also a poor rebounding team. As a whole, we were ranked 24th in rebounds per game, only pulling down 40.8 per game.
We could also become a better shot blocking team (13th in the league). Perkins and Jefferson should be able to help us in this area.
These are the more crucial aspects of defense that Doc needs to improve upon. He says he will focus on defensive executions, and I think with the combination of players maturing/developing and better defensive players getting more playing time, we could become a better defensive unit.
