Of course you need balance, but the question is, where is it more important to devote your effort? It's a given that every good team should be at least slightly above average in offense and defense. But to get to the next level, anecdotally at least, it seems that improving your defense is more important than improving your offense. The problem with the Rockets this year is that our offense was just too far behind. We were actually below average.
no question about that. and i would contend that was a function of the players...not the coach. i think JVG really wanted those open shots to fall. i don't think he was rooting against our shooters. i don't think he was rooting against T-Mac taking it to the hole.
nice blind blanket statements. JVG was probably one of the most honest persons that the rockets organization had. I wouldnt be fooled by the leprechaun
I'm not saying Les is Mr. Class or anything, but why should JVG get a free pass for his clearly shady activities in the few days post meltdown?
The most important variable is having an unstoppable player(s) on offense. The best defense in the world can't do anything about this. You need a pretty good defense, that's a given. But the best defense with a "pretty good" offense is not enough. You have to have someone that can't be stopped, or who, if limited, takes so much attention from the other team that it opens things up drastically for everyone else.
Agreed. I think it was kind of strange how JVG was evaluated at times. People, myself included, would often say, "Man, its amazing that Houston has 50+ wins with that anemic offense. JVG really had one of his finest coaching years ever." All the while forgetting that JVG also coaches the offense, right? Something that is equally confusing to me is this concept that our players aren't good enough, or athletic enough, etc. to have minimally an average offense, or better than average, but they are athletic enough to have one of the leagues top defenses. If defense was so easy, and you don't need to have superior athletes at that side of the court, why aren't more teams better at defending? I understand Jeff certainly played to his team in a lot of ways, and used pace to dictate what he thought was an appropriate style for his players, but at the end of the day he coached both offense and defense. And JVG has always coached defense, even if at the expense of offense. And to date in his career, that has not worked out for him.
Freak, the 89-90 Pistons disagree with you entirely. MJ was unstoppable. They let him have it. And they beat the crap out of the Bulls. Meanwhile, they didn't have anything remotely resembling an unstoppable player. Isiah averaged under 20 ppg...and he was their leading scorer. What unstoppable force do the Spurs have this year? Or the Pistons this year? One of those teams is going to win a championship.
it's worked for him about as well as adelman's systems have for him. they've both been to the dance and came up short.
And I believe this is where JVG was wrong and it cost him his job. It seems he always made his choice on the players that would best run the system HIS way. Even listening to him on ESPN, it sure seems like most of his comments are about defense..... DD
Adelman's been to the dance more, and gotten farther more frequently. Phil Jackson wasn't available....
He does have a point with those Pistons teams, though. Jordan still played amazing in 89-90 against the Pistons. He averaged 36.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.8 apg. Unbelievable #'s. It was just a home and home series. Detroit had home court advantage. Chicago wasn't quite as talented as they'd become. Your point is accurate, too. The Pistons have done it, arguably with 2 completely different teams. But excluding anything related to Joe Dumars in the last 30 years or so, the offensive superstar strategy seems to work, especially when it is multiple offensive superstars or offensive superstars surrounded by other great offensive players. Defense is obviously vitally important as well. I tend to lean toward DD in that balance is key. However, I won't disagree that in the playoffs, defense seems to be more important.
The main reason for the focus on defense is that defense is a constant you can control. Sometimes you have hot shooting games, sometimes you have cold shooting games. You can always play defense regardless of how you are shooting, and that is what gives you a chance on the nights when nothing will fall for you.
I somewhat agree, but good offense can get you a lot of easy looks on those nights that your jumpers are not falling. Just look at Utah, and all those layups they got off execution......that is what I hope Adelman brings to Houston....movement off the ball which creates easy looks for the team, closer to the basket than Van Gundy ball's 3pters. DD
the pistons won theirs over a team that had kobe and shaq in 2004. they didn't have anything approaching that talent. in 1989 they won over Jordan in the ECF and the Showtime Lakers in the Finals. they did it again in 1990 over Drexler and the Adleman-coached Blazers. having said that...Jordan played on teams that were KILLER defensive teams. the championships they won were with teams that could lock down. when they didn't have an inside presence who could play tough in 95 (with Grant gone to the Magic) they got beat. they added Rodman the next year and started winning again. defense is the thing. it's not the only thing. but it seems to me to be the most important thing. and in no way, shape or form is tim duncan an unstoppable offensive force.
Okay you missed the point of that statement. Defense can and does win championships. BUT only if that defense leads to easy points. So if your defense can lead to lots deep rebounds (off bad shots) and TO's that you can turn into fastbreak points...or (in football) your defense can cause lots of TO put field position in your favor so much you only need to go 50-60 yds to score, THEN defense can win. Just playing solid defense is not good enough. It is necessary, but not the only component. It has to translate to easy offense.
Good observation. But I think the analysis is still the same. Your defense inevitable can't, and won't, lead to easy points if your offense isn't good. Ask the Rockets. If a NFL team has great starting field position all game, it doesn't mean jack if they keep going 3 and out.
