Team A: Held their opponents to 44.77 fgp during the regular season Held opponents to 34.87 3-point % during the regular season Their opponents reached the free line an average of 24.2 a game, shooting 71.9% Their opponents turned the ball over against this team an average of 16.4 p/g While their opponents averaged 19.4 apg against this team Their opponents averaged 12.0 orbp against this team This team averaged 9.1 steals and 4.2 blocks per game Held their opponents to a minuscule 92.9 ppg, 5.6 ppg fewer than league average Regular season and playoffs, this team allowed fewer than 80 points in a game 8 times While at the same time allowing over 105 in a game 11 times Won the NBA finals in 6 games allowing 89.17 ppg against a team that had averaged 104.5 ppg (difference of -15.33) Team B: Held their opponents to 41.26 fgp during the season Held opponents to 29.86 3-point % during the regular season Their opponents reached the free line an average of 21.1 a game, shooting 74.41% Their opponents turned the ball over against this team an average of 14.07 p/g While their opponents averaged 19.0 apg against this team Their opponents averaged 12.0 orbp against this team This team averaged 8.0 steals and 7.0 blocks per game Held their opponents to a minuscule 84.3 ppg, 8.9 ppg fewer than league average Regular season and playoffs, this team allowed fewer than 80 points in a game 35 times While at the same time allowing over 105 in a game 2 times Won the NBA finals in 5 games allowing 81.8 ppg against a team that had averaged 98.2 ppg (difference of -16.4) Team A had to play against teams that scored at a higher rate than Team B, as evidenced above. However Team A had the benefit of handchecking being legal, thus fewer foul calls and fewer trips to the free throw line. Team B played against teams that scored less, as evidenced above. However Team B played during a season where handchecking was illegal, thus more fouls would be called resulting in higher freethrows and thus more ppg. Based on the information above (all of which is accurate, some of the numbers you might think 'holy cow, that many?') which defense would you rather have?
Team B seems almost completely statistically superior. Of particular interest to me are the huge amount of blocks and the fact that they seem to foul slightly less. The 'fewer than 80 points 35 times' stat is highly impressive as well. Also their defense was apparently consistently dominant through the finals.
Team B, just because they did what they did without hand checking rules. They also held their opponents to a scoring rate of much more below the average. Spoiler Pistons
Spoiler Team A - 1996-96 Bulls Team B - 2003-04 Pistons Right? I would take team A as a team, but the team B defense that year was top notch.
I want to thank all of you who have voted so far in the poll, you should have hopefully shut a person or two up about them thinking their opinions mean more than facts and reality.
While I agree those people are ignorant beyond measure, using purely statistical evaluation without being aware of the circumstances is also ignorance. There are to many intangibles in basketball to measure with only stats. Statistic are extremely useful, and I am a huge supporter, but they are misleading if you don't make readers aware of the entire equation.
Well when you're not watching them both live at the same time, you have to go by statistics, considering these teams are years and years apart, it's the only thing you can go by. Watching highlights and clips from the season introduces too much bias.
Hmmm, how about you ask fully? Which team defense do you think is superior, the 94 Pistons or the 90's Bulls? Wouldn't that be a better way to ask the questions, since I said you stand alone in saying the Pistons were a better defensive team the the Bulls? Feel free to edit the initial post for a full and open discourse.
Looks like I have 64% of the votes so far. Time to stop letting the forums know you don't know basketball son.
So what you're saying is those stats listed aren't correct? I'm terribly sorry you base your opinions on what you think people want because of name recognition. Reality and facts > you're pathetic opinion and pathetic attempt at skewing the results by introducing names.
If you are comparing two teams to decide who is better, then why would you not reveal who the two teams are? Hmm, maybe because you know actually knowing the teams would sway the decisions of some. You are spitting out a bunch of stats and trying to draw a conclusion from those metrics alone, without telling the full picture. That's like me asking, which center would you rather have, based on PER: Center A - 26.18 Center B - 26.13 Center C - 24.58 Center D - 23.59 Just going off the numbers some may pick Center A. However, once they find out Center A is David Robinson and the other centers are (in order) Wilt, Kareem and Hakeem, then I highly doubt those people would still pick center A. Your reasoning is pathetic.
I'm saying it's not full disclosure to not list who the teams are and tell the full picture, as another poster has already pointed out to you in this thread. I've detailed the teams in my thread. Let's see what the responses will be.
