ploto
04-21-2006, 05:05 AM
I hope it is OK that I put this in this forum because it talks about how the Bulls have successfully adopted the Spurs defense.
================================================== =====================
As the cliche goes, defense wins championships. Nobody is going to label this season's Bulls team as a championship contender -- barring a major upset, they're likely to be bounced in the first round -- but the Bulls are the NBA's best in defensive field-goal percentage for a second straight season.
For the uninitiated, defensive field-goal percentage (the opponents' shooting percentage) is perhaps the best way to judge a team's ability on the defensive end.
Defense is why the Bulls, with an obviously flawed and incomplete roster, are headed to the playoffs again rather than returning to the draft lottery. Their play on the defensive end -- they've held their opponents to a shooting percentage of .426 in the regular season -- is the reason they were able to rally to finish 41-41.
The Bulls also are the first team to lead the league in that category two years in a row since the San Antonio Spurs did it in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
''That's a great accomplishment,'' guard Chris Duhon said of the defensive field-goal percentage crown. ''We lack size, everyone says what we can't do -- we're too small on the perimeter and stuff like that -- but for us to be No. 1 two years in a row, says a lot about all the players on this team and says a lot about our coaching staff.
''That's our main thing. We know we don't have guys we can go down to play after play like a Kevin Garnett or a Shaquille O'Neal. We all have to rely on one another, especially on the defensive end. When we're playing defense and we're on top of our game, we feel like we can beat anyone.''
Defense was the key to the Bulls' 47 wins last year, and it also was the reason this season's team got off to a slow start. Early on, the Bulls were in the middle of the pack in defensive field-goal percentage before coming on strong in the second half of the season.
''It took us a little longer this year for the guys to really start taking a lot of pride in it,'' coach Scott Skiles said. ''But they did, and they got it accomplished. I bet if you went back in the recent 20 or 30 years in the league, nobody's ever done it with guys this young. When you think about that, it's a great accomplishment for a young team.''
Skiles is right about that. Normally, the team with the best defensive field-goal percentage is a veteran team with championship aspirations. The crown doesn't mean the Bulls are the best defensive team in the NBA -- that distinction belongs to the Detroit Pistons -- and the Bulls still foul too much to be considered a great defensive team. But there's little question they provide maximum effort on the defensive end -- and have done it without a great shot-blocker or a defensive-minded big guard.
''The way they've closed the season speaks to what kind of group this is,'' Skiles said. ''We've had many opportunities to let the games go by, win a couple, lose a couple, and go on vacation [after the regular season]. I think every chance, when that presented itself, the guys fought their way out of it. They've earned themselves a very good season.''
So what's the secret behind the Bulls' defensive success? Is it Skiles' scheme or simply the grit of the players?
''You try to get the right kind of people,'' Skiles said. ''You put a system in place, you have a vision of what you want your team to look like and you execute it and don't waver from it. That's what we're trying to do.
''I wouldn't say a high degree, but there's a degree of validation that we're moving in the right direction. Our guys are willing learners, and they put in a tremendous amount of time.''
Assistant Johnny Bach, who worked under Phil Jackson during the organization's first three championships in the early 1990s, gives Skiles all the credit for the Bulls' defensive prowess.
''First of all, Scott brings a high demand in practice on the basics,'' Bach said. ''In other words, we work on [defensive] stance, what do you do from the stance, hand up, contest shots. I think we're one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team, at closing out hands up, making people shoot over extended hands.
''We play what is known in the business as ''no-middle defense,'' and that's a hard defense to play. It's the same defense the San Antonio Spurs use. They have both [Tim] Duncan and [Rasho] Nesterovic to protect the baseline. If you say no middle, obviously players are going baseline, or try to, so you often can lose a lot of big people defending that lane.''
The Bulls, though, have made the system work. They are one of the best in the NBA at cutting off penetration and have players very willing to take charges in the lane.
''It is a difficult defense, but it gives us a weapon that can keep us in ballgames, because we have not been a great shooting team,'' Bach said. ''A perimeter team, yes, but not a team that can get a lot of points inside.
''So if you have to hold onto something, it's very advantageous to hold onto defense because that always has been something that congeals people, brings people together.
''Offense, because of how much attention you get, tends to distract and maybe people break apart because of offense. I don't see defensive teams breaking up, so I think we're doing what the Bulls did on their championship runs.''
Although this season's team is in keeping with the defensive mind-set of the championship era, Bach makes it clear Skiles sets the tone for the current players.
''Scott is a leader who demands, who's unrelenting,'' Bach said. ''He's does the fundamental thing that I'd like to see all young coaches do. He tells the players, 'If you don't do it, your damn substitute will do it,' and he means it. He will substitute to get what he wants. A lot of coaches in the NBA don't do that. They feel they have to live with their stars. He demands a lot of them.''
DEFENSIVE FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE LEADERS
These are the top 10 teams for lowest opponents' shooting percentage.
Team OPPONENTS FG PCT.
1. BULLS .426
2. Houston .429
3. San Antonio .433
4. Indiana .435
5. L.A. Clippers .435
6. Memphis .436
7. New Jersey .439
8. Miami .440
9. Minnesota .441
10. Dallas .443
http://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cst-spt-cover21.html
================================================== =====================
As the cliche goes, defense wins championships. Nobody is going to label this season's Bulls team as a championship contender -- barring a major upset, they're likely to be bounced in the first round -- but the Bulls are the NBA's best in defensive field-goal percentage for a second straight season.
For the uninitiated, defensive field-goal percentage (the opponents' shooting percentage) is perhaps the best way to judge a team's ability on the defensive end.
Defense is why the Bulls, with an obviously flawed and incomplete roster, are headed to the playoffs again rather than returning to the draft lottery. Their play on the defensive end -- they've held their opponents to a shooting percentage of .426 in the regular season -- is the reason they were able to rally to finish 41-41.
The Bulls also are the first team to lead the league in that category two years in a row since the San Antonio Spurs did it in 1996-97 and 1997-98.
''That's a great accomplishment,'' guard Chris Duhon said of the defensive field-goal percentage crown. ''We lack size, everyone says what we can't do -- we're too small on the perimeter and stuff like that -- but for us to be No. 1 two years in a row, says a lot about all the players on this team and says a lot about our coaching staff.
''That's our main thing. We know we don't have guys we can go down to play after play like a Kevin Garnett or a Shaquille O'Neal. We all have to rely on one another, especially on the defensive end. When we're playing defense and we're on top of our game, we feel like we can beat anyone.''
Defense was the key to the Bulls' 47 wins last year, and it also was the reason this season's team got off to a slow start. Early on, the Bulls were in the middle of the pack in defensive field-goal percentage before coming on strong in the second half of the season.
''It took us a little longer this year for the guys to really start taking a lot of pride in it,'' coach Scott Skiles said. ''But they did, and they got it accomplished. I bet if you went back in the recent 20 or 30 years in the league, nobody's ever done it with guys this young. When you think about that, it's a great accomplishment for a young team.''
Skiles is right about that. Normally, the team with the best defensive field-goal percentage is a veteran team with championship aspirations. The crown doesn't mean the Bulls are the best defensive team in the NBA -- that distinction belongs to the Detroit Pistons -- and the Bulls still foul too much to be considered a great defensive team. But there's little question they provide maximum effort on the defensive end -- and have done it without a great shot-blocker or a defensive-minded big guard.
''The way they've closed the season speaks to what kind of group this is,'' Skiles said. ''We've had many opportunities to let the games go by, win a couple, lose a couple, and go on vacation [after the regular season]. I think every chance, when that presented itself, the guys fought their way out of it. They've earned themselves a very good season.''
So what's the secret behind the Bulls' defensive success? Is it Skiles' scheme or simply the grit of the players?
''You try to get the right kind of people,'' Skiles said. ''You put a system in place, you have a vision of what you want your team to look like and you execute it and don't waver from it. That's what we're trying to do.
''I wouldn't say a high degree, but there's a degree of validation that we're moving in the right direction. Our guys are willing learners, and they put in a tremendous amount of time.''
Assistant Johnny Bach, who worked under Phil Jackson during the organization's first three championships in the early 1990s, gives Skiles all the credit for the Bulls' defensive prowess.
''First of all, Scott brings a high demand in practice on the basics,'' Bach said. ''In other words, we work on [defensive] stance, what do you do from the stance, hand up, contest shots. I think we're one of the best teams in the league, if not the best team, at closing out hands up, making people shoot over extended hands.
''We play what is known in the business as ''no-middle defense,'' and that's a hard defense to play. It's the same defense the San Antonio Spurs use. They have both [Tim] Duncan and [Rasho] Nesterovic to protect the baseline. If you say no middle, obviously players are going baseline, or try to, so you often can lose a lot of big people defending that lane.''
The Bulls, though, have made the system work. They are one of the best in the NBA at cutting off penetration and have players very willing to take charges in the lane.
''It is a difficult defense, but it gives us a weapon that can keep us in ballgames, because we have not been a great shooting team,'' Bach said. ''A perimeter team, yes, but not a team that can get a lot of points inside.
''So if you have to hold onto something, it's very advantageous to hold onto defense because that always has been something that congeals people, brings people together.
''Offense, because of how much attention you get, tends to distract and maybe people break apart because of offense. I don't see defensive teams breaking up, so I think we're doing what the Bulls did on their championship runs.''
Although this season's team is in keeping with the defensive mind-set of the championship era, Bach makes it clear Skiles sets the tone for the current players.
''Scott is a leader who demands, who's unrelenting,'' Bach said. ''He's does the fundamental thing that I'd like to see all young coaches do. He tells the players, 'If you don't do it, your damn substitute will do it,' and he means it. He will substitute to get what he wants. A lot of coaches in the NBA don't do that. They feel they have to live with their stars. He demands a lot of them.''
DEFENSIVE FIELD-GOAL PERCENTAGE LEADERS
These are the top 10 teams for lowest opponents' shooting percentage.
Team OPPONENTS FG PCT.
1. BULLS .426
2. Houston .429
3. San Antonio .433
4. Indiana .435
5. L.A. Clippers .435
6. Memphis .436
7. New Jersey .439
8. Miami .440
9. Minnesota .441
10. Dallas .443
http://www.suntimes.com/output/bulls/cst-spt-cover21.html