Gator Country

**regurgigator** · 01-31-2013, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Graygator

This is something you don't get to watch in the NBA... REAL defense.

Completely disagree. I think NBA teams would have no trouble scoring even on our Swamp Gnats. And, we would struggle to score 50 on most NBA defenses.

The Heat's championship last year was primarily built on their defense, which allowed them, with a fairly limited offense (mostly based on LeBron drawing double teams and passing to the open man), to beat a great offensive team in the Thunder.

tupacbiff · 01-31-2013, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regurgigator

Completely disagree. I think NBA teams would have no trouble scoring even on our Swamp Gnats. And, we would struggle to score 50 on most NBA defenses.

The Heat's championship last year was primarily built on their defense, which allowed them, with a fairly limited offense (mostly based on LeBron drawing double teams and passing to the open man), to beat a great offensive team in the Thunder.

So you disagree because MBA players could score on us? Wow talk about a red herring.

**regurgigator** · 01-31-2013, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tupacbiff

So you disagree because MBA players could score on us? Wow talk about a red herring.

Red herring?

Well, he seems to be saying that our Gator defense is better than the defense played by NBA teams.

If he thinks that, I say he'd be surprised at how easily an NBA team would score on us. Hint: It would be even more than they score on other NBA teams who he thinks aren't playing "real" defense. How exactly is that a red herring?

**glnye** · 01-31-2013, 11:03 AM

I think gauging how NBA teams would do against UF is not the poster's issue. Clearly, NBA teams would score more than 50 points against UF. The point is that the poster believes you do not see the style of basketball defense played by UF in the NBA, generally, and I agree. In the words of Alan Iverson...."Defense.....defense......its just defense..."

GatorRade · 01-31-2013, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by regurgigator

Red herring?

Well, he seems to be saying that our Gator defense is better than the defense played by NBA teams.

If he thinks that, I say he'd be surprised at how easily an NBA team would score on us. Hint: It would be even more than they score on other NBA teams who he thinks aren't playing "real" defense. How exactly is that a red herring?

I think I know what he is saying, and it is not that NBA teams would score on the Gators (I don't think he means that anyway). The NBA seems to be increasingly a game of isolation plays; whereas you can still see real team play in college (the Gators are a great example on both offense and defense).

But to be fair to the NBA players though, the NBA has rules to make games more exciting on offense, such as the hand check rule, no zone defense, and the no charge zone (which the NCAA did recently adopt, but I believe it is smaller). No doubt that the NBA individual talents are beyond that of any NCAA team, but there certainly could be an argument for more cooperative play in college.

**regurgigator** · 01-31-2013, 11:18 AM

I think you could argue that this Gator team is more committed to defense than many NBA teams (I wouldn't include, for example, the Bulls or the Heat during the playoffs or when they're particularly motivated during the regular season), but I get tired of this myth that NBA teams don't play defense. They play great defense in the NBA (partially because they're just great athletes). And, you've seen pro players from Europe get a taste of how stifling great NBA players can play defense in the last Olympics and world championships - if you want to keep the comparisons between pro players only.

corpgator · 01-31-2013, 03:45 PM

With all the bashing of the NBA that goes on here, I can tell that most of you don't watch it. I'm talking about tuning in to full regular season games and marveling at what is going on. Is there some bad defense on bad teams? Yes, but they are the exception, not the rule.

With the rule changes making it illegal to hand check and the changes to where a player can be positioned relative to other players while on defense, there's a ton of strategy going on. It's also much harder to play D in today's NBA than in the past. Players became so big, strong, and fast, that offense was on a steady decline. The rule changes make it much more difficult to defend, but that means that NBA players are working harder.

There's more talent right now in the NBA than there has been in a generation and maybe ever with the current crop of hall-of-famers nearing retirement, the James class hitting their prime, Durant's class moving into their prime and a lot of great talent coming into the league.

The late '90s early '00s were awful with a lot of head cases, prima-donnas and generally selfish players. They are gone for the most part and true team players are what remain. Give the NBA a try again, I'm sure you'll like it. They might show off a bit more, but that's because they don't have the NCAA stifling their emotions.