NBA
Defending Detroit's style of play

By Percy Allen
Seattle Times NBA reporter

PAUL SANCYA / AP Detroit's Elden Campbell (41) and Ben Wallace (3) force the Indiana Pacers' Al Harrington to lose control of the ball in an Eastern Conference finals game in Auburn Hills, Mich., last week.

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most e-mailed articles

Related stories Matchups: A position-by-position look at both teams Notebook: Lakers' Malone, Fisher return to practice

Win two, three or dare we even suggest it, the whole enchilada, and the Detroit Pistons will have every NBA executive infringing copyright laws in hopes of discovering the secret to toppling the mighty Los Angeles Lakers.

Plagiarism is the way of life in the NBA, so you can bet that if the boys from Motown were to pull off the unthinkable upset, then the rest of the league might put down the Dallas Mavericks' blueprint and listen to Joe Dumars, Detroit's president of basketball operations.

"I remember speaking with Mr. D (owner Bill Davidson) the morning that we made the announcement," Dumars told the Detroit Free Press of his hiring. "I looked him right in the eye and told him that this wasn't going to take forever. I wasn't going to con him with any of these five-year or seven-year plans that people try to sell everyone."

All Dumars did was take control of the reins to the Pistons' front office four years ago and, with no prior managerial experience, transform a mediocre team into one that's won at least 50 games in the past three seasons and is in position to win an NBA title.

All he did was build a team much like the championship squads he used to play for. These Pistons aren't some sequel to the "Bad Boys," who bullied their way to a pair of titles in 1989 and '90, but they do share a common trait.

They think defense first.

Yes, D-E-F-E-N-S-E. Let's all say it together. It's not a dirty word.

I don't care what you've been told by those from a previous generation or sports-radio talk jocks and ABC executives who clamor for the pinball scores, made-for-replay-highlights and frenetic action.

That line of thinking goes against the adage that says defense wins championships. But when Detroit limited Indiana to 34.9 percent shooting and 72.7 points in the Eastern Conference Finals, the term "ugly win" was thrown around.

What an oxymoron.

Repeat after me, winning is a good thing. Especially in the playoffs. It doesn't so much matter how you advance, but that you do advance.

I'll admit that Tuesday's game — in which the Pistons converted 32.9 percent of their shots during a 69-65 victory over the Indiana Pacers — wasn't aesthetically pleasing.

Still, there is a beauty and grace to defense.

Press-box poets would pen eloquent sonnets about a pitching duel between Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.

We marveled at the destructive exploits of the 1985 Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain in the '70s and Dallas' Doomsday Defense.

And yet in basketball, all we want are points.

"It's not boring to see a great 1-0 game in baseball or a 1-0 game in hockey in my mind," Detroit coach Larry Brown said yesterday. "The only way the team I am coaching can stay with the Lakers is to play great defense."

So now we have another theory on beating the Lakers that will be put to the test when the series begins tomorrow at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

This one has nothing to with stockpiling offensive talent.

This theory doesn't hinge upon being lucky in the draft lottery and selecting a wonderfully gifted 7-footer, much like San Antonio and Houston.

This theory says that if you hold an opponent under 70 points, then you dramatically increase your chances at winning.

It says that you can assemble a championship-caliber squad from spare parts. You can sift through other people's garbage and find a two-time defensive player of the year like Ben Wallace and a dependable point guard in Chauncey Billups.

This theory says good players such as Tayshaun Prince are available late in the draft and not every No. 2 overall choice is ready to make an immediate contribution. It says you might need to trade away a fan favorite like Jerry Stackhouse to attain someone like Richard Hamilton.

And when the timing is right, you spend the money on a Hall of Fame coach (Larry Brown) and take a gamble on a reputed problem child (Rasheed Wallace) knowing that they are the missing pieces to a title run.

We should all pay attention to what Dumars is doing in Detroit.

Many general managers in the Western Conference will downplay his accomplishments because he doesn't have to face the likes of Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett on a nightly basis.

The popular thinking goes that teams without comparable post players to counter those behemoths must run 'n gun their way to victory.

"When you can't fight fire with fire, you use water" a Western Conference general manager said.

It's a sound philosophy, but perhaps these GMs might want to consider putting a twist on that thought.

In a conference loaded with offensive weapons, does it really make a whole lot of sense to continue stockpiling in an arms race? Wouldn't those teams be better served in fortifying their defense?

It's just a thought.

I imagine, however, that offensive-minded teams such as the Sonics, Kings and Mavericks are too far along on their current courses to change now.

But should the Pistons make a series out of the Finals, perhaps we might see a change in philosophy.

And maybe we'll end this silly debate about which brand of basketball is more pleasing to the senses. As a fan, I enjoy a good offensive show. Still, I'd rather watch my team win than score a bunch of points.

The defense rests.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More sports headlines...