[dude1394]

<< Basketball is not football. Can't people get that through their thick skulls? In basketball, a good offense ALWAYS has the advantage over a good defense. Of course it is important to play good defense, but it is also important to rebound well, keep turnovers at a minimum, and make your free throws. But all of this doesn't matter if you can't play offense. In the NBA, you cannot win without offense... period. There will never be a team like the Ravens in the NBA that relies solely on defense. And it is a mistake to make too many sacrifices on the offensive end to make up for deficincies on the defensive end.

I agree the Mavs need to step up their defensive effort, particularly from the perimeter, in order to increase their chances of winning the title. Personally, I think they are good enough to win it now, but if they are looking to increase their chances, perimeter defense is the area that has the most room for improvement.

Fortunately for the Mavs, defense in the NBA isn't too complicated. Guards and swingmen don't need as much extraordinary physical skill as most poeple think. In my opinion, perimeter defense in the NBA is more about preparation and focus than actual physical ability. The only real attributes needed are a little lateral quickness and good court awareness. I think all of our players have those abilities, it's just a matter of getting them focused and ready to play. There is no need to force playing time to perimeter players that are terrible offensivly, but who happen to be pretty good on the defensive end. Besides, defense is pretty easy to learn. We've already seen a VAST improvement over last year, with no real change in player personell. This change has come thanks mostly to an offseason that focused on defense. If we continue to give it attention, we will continue to get better. There is no need to blow up the team, or even ration minutes away from guys like Finley or VanExel. They are capable of playing just as good of defense as guys like Raja Bell... but Raja Bell will never be able to touch the offensive skills of his more talented teammates.

Improvements on the defensive end should come much easier than improvements on the offensive end. Therefore, the Mav's strategy to aquire incredibly gifted offensive players over good defensive ones is the right one. Not only are offensive skills more important in the NBA, they are also harder to learn.

In the NFL, the popular media term &quot;defense wins championships&quot; might hold a little validity (but when considering the dynasties of the Coyboys, 49ers, Packers and Rams, I'm not even sure if THAT holds true). But when referencing the NBA, this is simply a misguided catchphrase uttered by moronic football fans who don't understand the nature of the sport. >>



BRAVO!! Well done. You are so correct. In football a team can turn the ball over TWICE and the other team wins!! In basketball that turnover has to happen oh....about 30 times to make that big of an impact.

And for the record... .I think the mavs can win it all this year as well. Either climb aboard or sayonara.