Um, Phoenix has been the top 3 defensive rebounding team in the league for the last three years and we know those Suns are also pretty darn good at fast breaks.
I love how everybody's attention is on Rafer while Dennis Silva's profound lament at the loss of Rockets' messiah JVG is neglected.
I don't know what stats you're looking at, but I judge a team's prowess on the defensive boards by their defensive rebounding%. Last three years: Code: [B]Yr PHO DReb% Rnk HOU DReb% Rnk[/B] 0607 20 1 0506 19 7 0405 29 1
Thats because Phoenix plays at a faster pace (ie more rebounds to get because more possessions in the game). Durvasa is correct.
Yes, Phoenix grabs a lot of defensive boards. They're also third in most offensive rebounds for the opponent. What does that tell you? You need to look at their rebounding%, not the raw total.
more possessions also means there are more opportunities to forget which five guys can play with Adelman not being the coach.
You are right Reb% takes opponent's offensive rebounding into consideration. So Phoenix is a bad example. According to my tabulation, the following teams are in the top 10 in DReb%, do you have their fast break rankings? 2. CLE 3. SAS 4. UTA 5. DAL 6. NOK 7. LAC 8. TOR 9. NJN 10. CHI
I don't know their fast break rankings. I do know that the reason we didn't fast break much had a lot to do with our defense. The guards were encouraged to help out on the boards (the gang rebounding the coaches wrote up on the white board before the season -- "How We Play", I think it was called). We also concentrated our defense in defending the paint, which could hinder fast break opportunities. If we want to become a fast breaking team with the personnel we have, there's no doubt that it will require a significant shift in what we do on the defensive end.
Actually, if the possessions are high enough, Adelman can forget which five players are on the court at any given time. There is a very specific formula that explains the speed at which his sextegenerian eyes can no longer see.
rebounding - you are a good rebounding team if you do not allowing your opponent to get 3 offensive rebounds in a row during the last minute of a game; especially if the game is a game 7.
