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The Spurs, Heat, Pacers all play team defense.The league has come out and told people that they've changed the rules to make it easier for offensive players to score and people still parrot this dumb shyt.
Teams score less now(the little .7 point drop in scoring doesn't prove that teams play better defense now btw)because players aren't as skilled now vs 20 years ago despite being more athletic. This is why the league had to help offenses out by changing the rules. Offensive play has deteriorated over the last 20 years. Teams are taking damn near twice as many 3s nowadays vs 20 years ago. That the influx of HS and one and done kids. Anybody who honestly thinks that teams play better defense now compared to 20 years ago is clueless.
Along with Chi and the Clippers those are probably the est defensive teams in the league. Now compare them to the best defensive teams of 20 years ago and it's no comparison. Teams aren't playing better defense, offense has just fallen off. The game used to be played inside out now it's played mostly on the perimeter.
The Clippers aren't a good defensive team.
Don't miss the point focusing on specifics. Whichever teams you want to deem as being good defensively in today's league just don't compare to teams from 20 years ago. I'm not talking about the 80s I'm talking the 90s.The Clippers aren't a good defensive team.
Nobody played defense in the 80's and dudes were able to get away a lot more on defense than today.
90's?
No shyt it was "easier" to play defense back then. Did you not just see me say that the league changed the rules to make it easier for offenses/harder for defenses now? I quoted you challenging your statement that teams play better defense now. Teams don't play better defense now they just aren't as good offensively. If you put the teams from the 90s in today's league under todays rules you'd see a lot more scoring.90's?
That grind out garbage? Did I not just tell you that it was easier to play defense back then?
So, how good would they be if they were allowed to play under the rules the 90s teams were?
This is why stats aren't the end all be all. Neither this years Pacers or the Grizz are among the "best defensive teams ever". I don't care what the stats say.
Yea the .003% difference in percentage is worth mentioning and not the fact that teams took considerably more 2pa back then. Free throw percentage doesn't really support your point either because teams took more fts back then and you had more big men taking fts. If you want proof of a lack of skill in today's game just look at the lack of midrange and post players. Dwight Howard is the best center in the league and has been for the last 5-6 years. Nuff said.Save the hyperbole man. Who would you rather have Paul George defending your wing or Scittie Pippen? Who would you rather have defending your paint Birdman or Dream? You're basically making my point here. Those 90s cats got so good at playing defense(coupled with the fact that offensensive play declined) that they had to change the rules help the offenses out.
You have a narrow incomplete understanding of what basketball skills are. Skills represent a lot more than shooting percentages. Players of today can be better 3point shooters and ft shooters while still being less skilled than players of 20 years ago. The entry pass into the post is a skill bruh. When I talk about skills I'm talking about a lot of the basic fundamentals of basketball. When you look at today's game and how heavily perimeter oriented it has become you have to look at the lack of skill regarding inside play as a big reason why. You have big men who don't have basic fundamental post skills and you have guards who don't even know how to enter the ball into the post. The idea that teams shoot so many 3s today because they "have to" is just ridiculous. Teams are taking a ton of 3s because they don't have the skill or discipline to get consistent decent looks at 2s. Al Jefferson is proof that a decently skilled big man can kill shyt in this league yet big men of his caliber are few and far between. Again, the best center for the last 5-6 years is a minimally skilled cat who gets by on size and athleticism. Shaq looks like Dream compared to Dwight.
