trj
Well-Known Member
Fair points, but I think offense and defense have different nature's. Shooting is going to run hot and cold and most teams rarely shoot the same FG% game after game. It averages out.
Like a golfer who can't hit his greens in regulation and has to grind to save par, some nights the offense is going to have to grind to get it's shots/points.
Defense is different. It is based more on intelligence, attitude and effort. Once a defensive team establishes a normal for field goal %, they don't deviate from it as much as offense does from theirs. Playing up tempo and giving the other team eighty possessions per game, rather than sixty, is absolutely no excuse for the defense on those extra twenty possessions to be played with any less effort or intensity. If you can play D you can play D, regardless of tempo. If you can't, you can't.
I think the Michigan game in the BIG tournament was a perfect example. Michigan left their perimeter shooting in their gym bags. But played enough consistent defense to carry the day.
That’s my point. Those extra 20 possessions you can play smart defense, give max effort and still give up buckets. Instead of a game being in the 60’s it is in the 70’s. It doesn’t always mean you were poor on the defensive end.