Does Tmac play better when he defends the other teams best player

Just a side-note, we do seem to have the best defense in the league according to the team-stats as a whole, we hold our opponents to the lowest average score per game at 91.93 and the lowest average assists per game at 17.20. Only team that really comes close is SA. Sorry if its a little off-topic...

nba.com stats

 

a lot of haters say he suck at D but he pretty good

 

nah t-mac wont defend nash b/c all he'll be doing is fighting over pick and rolls. t-mac does have shutdown defense but he plays matador d against kobe for some reason.

 

Tracy's defense is pretty darn good. As you are alluding to, it's only when he wants to. If the game is on the line basically, he'll go into lock down mode. Otherwise, he'd rather not expend energy that he figures he needs for the other end.

I think it's gotten to the point where he just cruises on defense. Very little effort.

I think he definitely pins the ears back when he sees he's on another allstar or if they are guarding him. Just seems like he has fun with the challenge.

I hate comparing him to Kobe, but you know Kobe wants to guard Tracy the whole game. I really don't like Kobe, but I like how at the end of the season opener he was on Tracy at the end, and slapped the "concrete" like he was playin streetball. I think Tracy is like that too, but not for a full game.

Many have said it, and I think someone posted an article of someone saying, Tracy could be one of the very best of all time, if he only tried harder.

I don't know about best of all time, but so far this year, looks like he's trying pretty hard with more cutting and driving to the rim. Let's see where it takes him and the team.

 

lol, there is no way tmac will be gaurding nash and baron...

 

a lot of people play matador d against kobe... it's not from a lack of trying... kobe's just that good

 

Partly b/c he's got the rep to get calls. Much like our own TMac. Prove you can play in the league, and the officials give you the calls. At least that's how it seems to me.

 

he rarely guards kobe but i saw him shut him down for a quarter last year. i'd say t-mac if he wants to could guard kobe as well as any player in the league, but it's basically impossible to keep a great player down for a whole game if they start getting it rolling.

 

I think Patterson's physical defense kind of turned TMac on.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing him block more that .33 shots or whatever it is this season.

 

Tmac's defense is fine, but it takes alot out of a player to both guard the other leading scorer and be the leading scorer for your own team. It also puts Tmac at a much higher risk of getting in foul trouble.

 

i think it's more the coach's choice.

but i agree, i think when another player tries to challenge him, more often than not, he rises to the occasion.

patterson really played physical with him the first 2 times he was on him and when tmac made a shot over him early in the 4th, he did that "cut the throat" sign.

i love for him to take more of a defensive stopper role. w/ this offense (if run correctly), he won't have to handle the ball much b/c he will just score. so he will have energy defensively

 

t-mac actually said he liked handchecking when he found out it was abolished. i think he likes when defenders play up on him...he always has good games against bowen.

 

when inspired, tracy can use his length and speed to stay with any player. he isn't the best textbook defender, especially away from the ball, but being a freak like tmac enables you to keep your opponent and the ball at arms length. problem is, he only seems to be inspired when guarding a known established offensive threat. when guarding a luke walton or a matt carroll, he always sags off and allows them to beat him with the perimeter shot. seems to me its a mental lapse, or tmac focusing on scoring and resting at the defensive end. so maybe you are right, that tmac is best when challenged by having to guard a potent scorer.

 

I think this is the main difference between kobe and tmac, when kobe has to guard a worthy opponent it seems to charge him up and then it become a personal battle. Kobe stops opponent gets turnover, scores on opponent, and repeat. I wish tmac did that because just based on his physical makeup he should be a better defender. (how easy is it to get around a super quick 6 ft 8 guy with long arms?)

 

T-mac is quicker and more athletic then Shane and his arms are a lot longer so he is harder to shoot over, Shane works his butt off always has a hand in the face, but he is so unathletic that players no he isn't blocking the shot so thats why they have no fear of shooting with his hand in their face, he is great at drawing charges though.

 

Tmac could be a defensive beast if he wanted. If you guys go watch his clips from the Raptors days, you will know what I mean. It is a shame the guy doesn't use all his given potential because if he did he would would be the best player in the world.

 

as long as he plays like the best player in the world in the playoffs, that's all i care. with this team and another go-to guy like yao, he doesn't need to be the best player in the world unless the team needs him to.

he usually is the best player in the world in the playoffs (except last yr's playoffs )

 

Sorry, but we usually do not put T-mac OR Shane on the opposing point guard. I can see him on the bigger guards, but Nash has always been defended by Rafer or whoever is the point guard on the floor and rightfully so. I do like the idea of putting him on the other teams best wing player, but in the playoffs instead. We're gonna make the playoffs whether T-mac is playing amazing or not, so why not let him save up his energy for when it matters? Its a fun thought.