Finally some Defense

Finally!  At last - some defense is being played in Westwood!  I can recall a time, not long ago - the 90s to be exact - when UCLA was loaded with talent and couldn't hold the Venice High School Gondoliers under 75 points.  As a transplanted midwesterner (read Big Ten fan) living in L.A. at the time I tried to convince Mr. More and our mutual friend "The Rabbit" that under Jim Harrick/Steven Lavin the Bruins had ZERO heart (translation, no emphasis on defense).  And that this "no touchy", foo-foo, pretty boy brand basketball was the reason we constantly underachieved (the '91 first round loss to 13th seed Penn St., the '94 first round loss to 12th seed Tulsa, the '96 opening round loss to 13th seed Princeton, and the '99 first round loss to 12th seeded Detroit) relative to the amount of talent we had (as evidenced by the number of Pros coming out of UCLA - see Mr. More or The Rabbit for the complete list).

Now that under new coach Ben Howland UCLA is playing defense - and I mean DEFENSE (what an absolute JOY to watch this team dig down and stop teams - WOW!) I trust that Mr. More and The Rabbit see "what could have been" for all of those years we were mired in mediocrity under Harrick/Lavin. To quote Howland, "Winning championships is all about defense.  If you look at the Final Four teams every year, the best teams in the country always play the best defense."  Actually I think Howland is quoting Jesus here. AMEN!

Off shooting nights are going to happen - see Arron Afflalo vs. Indiana.  But a team can still win big games if they play defense.  There is NO way a Harrick/Lavin team advances past Indiana to the Sweet 16 after that kind of offensive performance.  That game was won in the first half on the defensive end.

And finally, IF there is a team that can beat the best team in the land, Kansas, it is only UCLA.  Why?  Defense.

Stay in your stance,
Didymus

Comments

[Thomas More]

Ah, a good and righteous outcome--against a Big 10 school, nonetheless!

Defense was the key. Of course, now the pundits are complaining about the lack of offensive.

Speaking of defense, and the 1990's squads, don't forget the all-time scoring leader at UCLA, "American Pie" Don MacLean. When in the pros, he was once arrested for a bar fight. The reporter on ESPN had the classic call: "MacLean was arrested tonight in a bar fight. Apparently, he punched another patron in an attempt to defend his girlfriend's honor. It was the first time MacLean has defended anyone all season..." Classic.

Now Didymus, your post is filed under "religion"--what's the connection there?

[browning]

I couldn't agree more about how wonderful it is to watch really tough defense. It seems strange to say that since pretty much every league in every sport thinks that more offense means more viewership. Early in the season I watched the Duke-Indiana game. It was one of the best overall defensive games I have ever seen played and it was amazing to watch. My friend Jeff Purdom says "shoot to get hot, shoot to stay hot", which might work if you have that talent, but defense (and rebounding which I also love) doesn't take a lot of talent... just a little attitude.

[Thomas More]

Browning/Didy,

How about this (as an over-simplified statement, but still pretty close):

Offense: Talent and glory.

Defense: Character and team.

You like? I think, generally, it works.

[Didymus]

Dear Mr. (Score) More and Air Browning,

Having had the pleasure of playing basketball with both of you I would say that you both qualify for being the type of players that, while talented no doubt, over achieve because of your willingness to do the "character" work.

And of course I can say the same for you as men.

As for me - while I like to watch good defense - on the court??? give me the ball...and the glory!

Didy MacLean

[Thomas More]

You did tend to pull up from half court for the three a lot...

Off the court, you're not nearly as offensive as me. On the court you're three times as offensive! (And significantly more talented!)