Notice Damian Lillard Says 'Good Luck' to Warriors If Trail Blazers Get Carmelo Anthony

[BigGameDamian]

Golden State has great ball movement which wears out a defense trying to guard them....their passing make the other team work twice as hard on defense...that and they have 4 starters who command double teams.....even good defenders have trouble with that team

 

[H.C.]

So, Melo is a role player (who thinks he's a star)

Call me NYK, cause I'd rather have Harkless.

 

[Mediocre Man]

So is Melo here yet?

 

[KingSpeed]

Very slightly. They were within a fraction of a point of each other. And San Antonio made the conference finals, so that's a data point in favor of defense mattering a lot.

I agree that the maxim "defense wins championships" is wrong, because you need both offense and defense, but defensive prowess does seem to be very slightly more important than offensive prowess. I recall Zach Lowe saying once or twice in articles that it's a little more common for a great defensive/mediocre offensive team to reach the Finals than a great offensive/mediocre defensive team.

Warriors and Cavs were the top offenses in the league last season and set offensive records throughout the playoffs and Finals. I can't remember the last time a mediocre offense won a title.

 

[Mediocre Man]

Warriors and Cavs were the top offenses in the league last season and set offensive records throughout the playoffs and Finals. I can't remember the last time a mediocre offense won a title.

Nor can you remember when a mediocre defense won a title. However, it's easy to remember the last time a great defensive team beat a great offensive team. That was a little over a month ago.

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Warriors and Cavs were the top offenses in the league last season and set offensive records throughout the playoffs and Finals. I can't remember the last time a mediocre offense won a title.

I guess it depends on what you define as "mediocre".

2010 Lakers--11th in offensive rating
2008 Celtics--10th in offensive rating
2004 Pistons--18th in offensive rating

 

[PtldPlatypus]

Nor can you remember when a mediocre defense won a title. However, it's easy to remember the last time a great defensive team beat a great offensive team. That was a little over a month ago.

2016 Cavaliers--10th in defensive rating
2001 Lakers--21st in defensive rating

A lot tougher to find any of these. Really shocking to see the '01 Lakers make this list, considering the '00 and '02 versions were both excellent defenses, and that '01 team is considered one of the best of all time.

 

[Minstrel]

A lot tougher to find any of these. Really shocking to see the '01 Lakers make this list, considering the '00 and '02 versions were both excellent defenses, and that '01 team is considered one of the best of all time.

Yeah, those Lakers were the main exception to the rule that bad defensive teams don't win titles and the populat theory seems to be that the Lakers cruised during the regular season, putting little effort in and then flipped the switch in the playoffs.

 

[illmatic99]

 

[illmatic99]

Dame seemed disinterested. Dumbass questions.

 

[MarAzul]

Melo? Meh.

 

[riverman]

Nor can you remember when a mediocre defense won a title

Mavs.....Terry Stotts offensive coordinator

 

[Mediocre Man]

Mavs.....Terry Stotts offensive coordinator

7th in defense is very good.
8th in offense that year.

 

[Sinobas]

The title of the post is too long, it can be greatly condensed by getting rid of the "damian lillard says good luck to warriors if" part....