Both teams play a joke of a defense. What SUNS are doing now will catch up to them in the playoffs. Let's show them this Wed how defense is played!
So, the Grizzlies decide to play uptempo basketball... that's fine. But why does that mean they have to stop playing defense as well? I understand that if you shoot quicker on the offensive end, you're going to allow your opponent to have more possesions... I get that... but they're not routinely giving up 115+ per game just because of increased possesions. They're simply NOT playing any defense at all. Are uptempo offense teams simply too giddy to waste time worrying about defense? Do they spend too much energy on the offensive end? I honestly want to know why a team cannot excel at both... Memphis was a pretty good defensive team under Hubie and Fratello, and almost overnight, they've become an even bigger joke under Barone.
Good question. I imagine a part of is energy. If you expend that much more running and gunning on offense (fewer opportunities to stand around and rest), you have to conserve it on defense. For Memphis, it may also be a lack of experience. Phoenix, on the other hand, seems to be partially just the up-tempo. They are decent defensively. Best in the league in opponent 3pt %, and 11th in overall opponent fg %. Their offensive rebounding is terrible (possibly due to size, and maybe due to being out of position a lot), though they do outrebound their opponents on the defensive end - not sure how much of that is related to them being better at shooting the ball). I think the Suns, like the Mavs before them, are slowly learning to play both sides. The Rockets are kind of the opposite - focused on defense first and have been improving on offense. Teams like the Grizz are just starting with the run-and-gun, so they haven't mixed in the defense part yet.
Yeah, I guess they might get better... but what I don't understand is that Memphis WAS a good defensive team just as recent as last year. Did they just forget how to play defense, after learning some new offense? Sure, they're scoring more points now, but its not helping them win more games... is Jerry West concerned more with ticket sales than he is wins? (doubtful).
They had a totally different personnel last year. Shane was the anchor of their defense. You can't be a good defensive team if you play rookies who have no clue about the NBA game.
The Grizzlies are only implementing the run-and-gun strategy temporarily until the NBA draft. This way they won't bore out their fans while they're tanking the season. They'll probably trade Gasol for another lottery pick. Imagine a frontcourt of Oden + Yi + Gay = deadly!
Err. They got sick and tired of Fratello and decided to fire him and throw all his stupid defensive crap out the window. Dime Magazine's power rankings put it best: "Scoring more points is nice. At the very least, it makes us more willing to stomach Grizz games on NBA League Pass. But there’s still that whole part about scoring more points than the other team." And here's a very telling quote from Pau Gasol after they got raped in Chicago the other night (111-66): "We don't know what the heck we are doing to be honest with you. A lot of guys are lost." That's how you know you're the worst team in the NBA.
i don't think it's that Phoenix doesn't play defense. i think it's more of a result of them getting such a big lead in the game that they can AFFORD to stop playing defense. when you're team is always up 20+ points, you're not gonna worry too much about a bucket here or there from the opponent.
Every Grizzlies loss is one step closer towards MemphisX having a complete mental breakdown. Keep it up, Grizz!
