Ok, so in 5 of the past 8 games we have let our opponents score over 100 pts. Not surprisingly, we have lost 4 of those 5 games, the only win coming against Sacramento. The problem is apparent, our defense is nonexistent. The Rockets used to be the best in opponent PPG BY FAR, but after last night's game, the Spurs are #1 and we have dropped to second. Same with opp. FG%, we used to have a huge (around 20%) gap between 1st and 2nd but that has fell to under 10% or so. We aren't exactly the best offensive team in the league, not even close, and that's why we obviously aren't winning. Where the hell has our league best defense gone? Why doesn't JVG understand that the defense he has made his career out of is nowhere to be found. Defense wins championships, and games. We aren't going to be winning anything the way it's going right now.
I think everyone underestimates how much of a defensive force Yao is. Mutombo is still a pretty good defensive center but he is not Yao. A coach is only as good as his players.
Yes, of course defensive strategy and talented defensive players help you play good defense. but people tent to underestimate another very important factor that affects defense--- Offense... good offense, say if you make a bucket will allow you to get back and set up ur defense, Or, even if you miss the shot, if you run a good play outta that possession, Opponents will spend more energy on their D, thus they get a little tired on our end. So i blame the poor defense on our offense. while rafer shooting 20% outta long shots, oppenents save a ton of energy and getting long rebound, which results in fast break, or our defense cannot set up. Now, poor defense stretch happend during the games Tmac was out, too. People thought "O, while Tmac is out ROx r allowing 100+, thus Tmac gotta by a hell of a Defense player". Wrong, the thing is bad offense. When Yao and Tmac playing together, the defense may not LOOK pretty, but strangely we allow less than 90 points. why? cuz the duo's offense threat makes opponents tired, and the team makes shots.
There is a reason why NBA teams are allowed to have a 12-man rotation squad. Hence, playing heavy minutes on our starters with only 2-3 bench players will eventually wear them out and their defense ability diminished in the long run. If this trend continues the team's future in the playoff does not look good. IMHO, JVG should not be too conservative deploying pt for his players. For instance: (a) RA's performance deteriorates, in particular his mental, when he's tired mostly when he has been playing more than 35 minutes in the 4th qtr, so play him no more than that by giving some of his pt to JL III or VP. I know some people have pointed out that these two backup pg's might not be ready but if they are not given the opportunity how can they improve. In particular VP because with the proper training and exposure I am confident he is the future pg of the Rox; (b) We need TMac fresh in the 4th to close out games, so play either BW or KS more so that TMac can be that clutch killer.
I think the biggest problem is lack of depth at center with Yao out. God knows Mutombo can't play 48 mpg, so we end up with Chuck/Juwan playing out of position for significant minutes. Without Deke on the floor, our interior defense falls apart. We were constantly outrebounding opponents by large margins before Yao went out. Without Yao, we lose 9 rpg, and nobody can really pick up the slack. We've won a lot of games since then, but our defense has definitely suffered. So I think the main culprit is lack of defensive rebounding and interior defense in general.
I simply do not understand comments like these. Trust me, JVG understands A LOT more about our defense than everybody on the bbs combined. The strong team defense is still there. JVG is maximizing our talent in terms of defense. There is simply no doubt about that.
My comment was obviously regarding the fact that we have given up over 100 in 5 of the past 8 games and let Denver score 121 on Saturday. I don't see the defense there, I don't know if you do.
COME ON! Denver twice, Suns, Mavs... These are the most potent offenses in basketball! The Sacremento score is exaggerated due to overtime! That stretch also included 2 back to back games. The roster is depleted and old. Stop nit picking. Defense isnt lagging as much as the schedule is gig'n...
Has there ever been a team that DIDN'T allow 100 points in a game over a season, yet less than 40 games in a season?
Can't agree more. Our opponents surely know how should they defend our predictable offense and that saves a lot of energy (when you know what you should do in most time). That in turn, help the other team to put more effort on their offense. It is also noteworthy that Deke is getting tired in the recent games after so many heavy minutes for a man his age after all; and our outside (3 point) defense is not as good as the inside. It is obvious that we have more problem playing against a team with good outside shootings than with inside forces, even though Yao is absent.
Well the defense will be put to the test again Wednesday night against one of the best defensive teams in the league, the Spurs. Any predictions on what happens?
My point was your idea that JVG has anything to do with this defensive slump (which is what this is) is absurd. Please read my first post in this thread to gain a better understanding of what the problem is. Also, Denver scored 121 in overtime. That's still a lot, but you are totally misrepresenting the data.
It seems like we are having problems with defensive rebounding. Its almost predictable that the other team will score after an offensive rebound. We need to rebound better and the opponents points per game will go down. I hate to bring this up because Im not too sure if Francis will be even bought out but he would definately help in that area.
