Really don't get the Pacers nod over my team defensively ... don't think it's even close, and I match up better man-to-man and team-wise defensively over the Lakers.
Don't think I'm getting the offensive credit, either, with no player on my team that scores in single-digits or with a less than in-the-teens efficiency rating.
The AI "apple" spoiling the whole bunch, maybe?
The Pacers are a very good defensive team.
Tyson Chandler
Gerald Wallace
Lebron James
Raja Bell
Rajon Rondo
I think that's a stronger defensive squad, and a more versatile one, than the one you can put on the floor.
I'd rate Dikembe as a better defender than Chandler, but arguably everywhere else, the Pacers have the edge over your team. I'd take Rondo over Iverson, Bell over either Richmond or Martin, and Lebron over Kirilenko, and I'd rank Wallace and Oakley similarly. The Pacers can match up with both physical teams and extremely athletic ones.
I like a lot about your defense, but I didn't rate it as highly as Indiana's.
Have to disagree here, Roy.
Both Richomnd and Martin were better than Bell at rebounding the ball, and with both steals and blocking shots, (and absolutely destroy him in scoring); Rondo is my man, but defensively AI gets a bit of a raw deal, again ... he was a 3-time NBA steals leader, and one-on-one Rondo would have an extremely tough time at both ends of the floor against him, (don't get me wrong, I'd take an unselfish assist-leader like Rajon over an AI any day, but we're talking match-ups here, and honestly, Iverson would be a nightmare for R2 to defend); Lebron over AK defensively? I don't see that at all ... in the year I selected, Kirilenko was better on the boards, with steals and much, much better at blocking shots;
Best defense overall you're looking at overall quality of defensive lineups, not the one on one matchup like you talk about with RR versus AI. Rondo is absolutely a better and more consistent defender than Iverson ever was, has nothing to do with Iverson being a tough cover for Rondo.
Blocks/Steals/DRebounds aren't a good measure of defense of an individual player. Jumping the passing lane for a steal is often the wrong defensive play, and a lazy one.
Roy was comparing one-to-one, that's why I was replying to that in particular.
Rondo is a better defender overall, but Iverson would still be a nightmare for him to defend, as Rose is.
AI was one of the best ever at creating his shots, and Rajon has trouble with those type of assignments.
As far as stats go, they are not pure evidence for anything in the long run, but they are certainly indications and tools that we
all use when they help us in our argument, and things we discount when they work against the point we're trying to make, (and
everyone here has used them in both respects).
I'll say this, though: Rebounds, steals and blocks are much more valuable stats to
me when scanning a sheet, than points are, or efficiency ratings, and a 2.4 SPG stat is pretty sweet however you twist it, and highly unusual for a high-volume scorer.
Unfortunately there never has been and never will be a concrete way to quantify "intangible", and so there we use whatever criteria we each choose, mine just don't match up with yours or Roy's in this instance, though I stand by my assessment.
Topic: How's my Historical Team? (Awesome right!) (Read 161295 times)