Heard in the Cheap Seats

There is an old sports cliché that goes, “Defense wins championships”. We have all heard it before. Some clichés are just lip service and mean absolutely nothing, while others are said over and over again because they are true. Well, the reality is, defense really does win championships. I say all this because many fans, including myself, have continued to complain about the Sixers offensive deficiencies. We have debated whether or not Elton Brand fit into the Sixers fast breaking style. We have complained about the lack of perimeter shooting on the Sixers, and we have implored the team to put a lineup on the floor that allows the Sixers to play up tempo and take advantage of their superior athleticism. All of these are valid complaints, suggestions, and accurate observations of this Sixers team. Unfortunately, they are not the main problem. It would be nice to have 4 sharp shooters surrounding a 7’, 300 pound center with great passing skills, but that kind of team doesn’t come around often. While it is extremely fun to watch a young and athletic team run every chance they get, name me the last NBA Championship team whose game was predicated on playing that style. Was it the Magic Johnson Showtime Lakers? It might have been. But, those teams could crush you in a half court set as well. My point is, having an efficient offense is nice, playing up tempo is nice, but it will not solve the Sixers main problems and lead them to a championship. I have said many times on this site that good defense leads to good offense. Being able to get out in transition certainly helps when it is there. I am not saying that an NBA team can win a championship with a terrible offensive team, but I am saying that they can’t win with an average or below average defensive team. It is no secret why most of the top defensive teams in the league also sit near the top in offensive field goal percentage. So, I went back and did some research to emphasize my point. Take a look at what I found.

I went back and looked at the defensive stats in 3 separate categories for the two teams who met in the NBA Finals since the ‘96-‘97 season. The 3 categories are points per game, field goal percentage, and 3 point field goal percentage. The rankings for each category are in parentheses.

’96-97- PPG- CHI(5), UTAH(7) FG%- CHI(3), UTAH(6) 3PT%- CHI(1), UTAH(9)

’97-98- PPG- CHI(2), UTAH(10) FG%- CHI(8), UTAH(6) 3PT%- CHI(2), UTAH(11)

’98-99- PPG- SA(2), NY(4) FG%- SA(1), NY(2) 3PT%- SA(1), NY(16)

’99-00- PPG- LA(6), IND(12) FG%- LA(1), IND(13) 3PT%- LA(5), IND(2)

’00-01- PPG- LA(16), PHI(5) FG%- LA(8), PHI(5) 3PT%- LA(5), PHI(18)

’01-02- PPG- LA(10), NJ(6) FG%- LA(2), NJ(6) 3PT%- LA(1), NJ(9)

’02-03- PPG- SA(2), NJ(3) FG%- SA(1), NJ(3) 3PT%- SA(6), NJ(18)

’03-04- PPG- DET(1), LA(13) FG%- DET(1), LA(13) 3PT%- DET(1), LA(5)

’04-05- PPG- SA(2), DET(1) FG%- SA(5), DET(4) 3PT%- SA(11), DET(2)

’05-06- PPG- MIA(11), DAL(8) FG%- MIA(7), DAL(10), 3PT%- MIA(9), DAL(14)

’06-07- PPG- SA(1), CLE(3) FG%- SA(3), CLE(6) 3PT%- SA(2), CLE(1)

’07-08- PPG- BOS(1), LA(19) FG%- BOS(1), LA(4) 3PT%- BOS(1), LA(14)

To me, those statistics are staggering. In 7 of the last 12 seasons, the NBA Champ finished 1^st or 2^nd in defensive points per game. Also, the eventual NBA Champ has finished no worse than 8^th in opponents field goal percentage, and no team has even appeared in the Finals that finished lower than 13^th. Remember that 2000-2001 Sixers team that we all love so much? They got there based on being a top defensive team. Yes, Allen Iverson had an MVP year. He averaged 31.1 points per game. The next highest scoring average was Aaron McKie with 11 points per game! We all forget how mediocre of an offensive team the Sixers were that year. They finished the year 16^th in point per game, 14^th in FG%, and 26^th in 3 point FG%. This season the Sixers rank 24^th, 16^th, and 30^th in those offensive categories. Not very good at all, but I would argue that with better defense those numbers would be drastically different. Currently, the Sixers rank 10^th in defensive points per game,14^th in FG%, and 15^th in 3 point FG%. They are a very mediocre defensive team at best. I want to reiterate that I am not completely discounting the fact that the Sixers offense needs to improve, but I am saying that it is very difficult to excel on the offensive end if your defense does not show up consistently. The teams currently with the best records in the NBA, for the most part, rank at the top of the league in all the defensive categories.

So, the million dollar question is: How can the Sixers improve defensively? It is important for NBA teams to be able to defend the pick and roll and have someone who can guard the lane as a shot blocking threat. I don’t want to get into breaking down each player’s defensive abilities. I had the fortune of playing for quite a few excellent coaches, and I was always told that defense is about communication and effort. In the NBA, the players are the best athletes in the world. The Sixers have some incredible athletes on their team. There is no excuse to not have a top notch defensive team. The problem, in my opinion, is that they don’t want it enough. Players like Sam Dalembert get lazy when things aren’t going his way. The other problem is the Sixers don’t communicate well on defense and tend to be too slow to react. There is no other reason that they get lost on their rotations, can’t guard the pick and roll, and constantly leave shooters open at the end of games. I truly think the Sixers are a team that plays hard, but not very smart on the defensive end. Is it coaching? I don’t know. I have always been of the belief that if you’ve played this game long enough, you should understand how to communicate with each other. But, there is a difference between playing hard and having a burning desire to shut your opponent down. The Sixers do not have that. Not even close. When Kevin Garnett came to the Celtics he transformed that team into the best defensive team in the league. Players like Paul Pierce became excellent defenders. Did they learn how to play defense overnight? Nope. Kevin Garnett brought a commitment and intensity to that team on the defensive end. He demanded it of them. I don’t see any Sixers playing with that intensity and demanding it of the rest of the team. The offense needs to improve, but in order for the Sixers to make any progress as a team, the biggest commitment needs to come on the defensive end.

TONIGHT’S GAME

Although the Sixers have shown that they can pretty much throw up a stinker against any team, there will be no excuse for them to lose to Memphis tonight. The Sixers have 5 very winnable games coming up on the schedule and they need to take advantage. They have had the whole week off, so they need to focus and make sure they come out of the gates strong. I really just want to see aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. Take the game to the Grizzlies and leave with a win. Any other result would just be unacceptable. There have been a few rumors that the Sixers may make a change in the starting lineup, but I doubt it happens tonight. We shall see.