Let’s go back in time one year: In Games 4 and 5 of the NBA Finals, the Celtics had a rebounding edge in both games, 41-34 and 35-34. That included a whopping 16-8 edge in offensive rebounds in Game 4.
Not coincidently, they won both games to take a 3-2 series lead. Back in L.A. for Games 6 and 7, the
Los Angeles Lakers returned the favor, with an edge in rebounds 52-39 and 53-40, winning both games. That included a whopping 23-8 in offensive boards for Game 7.
Defense and rebounding are tied together and so important to winning in the NBA. This season, the top teams in rebounding differential are the Bulls, Magic, Heat, Kings, Lakers and Thunder. Five of the six made the playoffs, one as No. 1 seed and two others as No. 2 seeds. It may surprise you to learn that a year ago the No. 2 team in rebounding differential was the
Memphis Grizzlies – those same Grizzlies who have been on a stunning postseason run this season. They finished in the Top 10 (ninth) in rebounding differential this past regular season. The Grizzlies are also 20-7 ATS in their last 27 games as a home favorite and 34-16-1 ATS against teams with winning record.
The focal points of effective defense are usually the coaching staff and the big men. The Celtics and Lakers have won the last three NBA titles and met in the Finals a year ago. Both organizations have been stocked with talented big men who can block shots, rebound, score and even intimidate.
Prior to that the 2006 Miami Heat (who face the
Celtics in Game 4 tonight) won the NBA title after acquiring big man Shaquille O’Neal, while the Spurs and Pistons also grabbed a few rings, with San Antonio winning four titles in nine years. Gregg Popovich is outstanding at teaching defense and getting the most out of role players, like Bruce Bowen and Nazr Mohammed. Of course, it helps to have dominant and unselfish big men who can block shots and clean the glass in Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
1984 Celtics/LakersA good big man can do so many important things, especially come playoff time. The strong center can block shots and gobble up rebounds, which often means the difference between winning and losing a close playoff game. It’s easier to grab a rebound at crunch time than to hit a 25-foot shot at the buzzer. Former Miami and Laker coach Pat Riley used to tell his team during the playoffs, “No rebounds, no rings.” Riley coached such talented offensive scorers in the 1980s as James Worthy, Bob McAdoo, Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson, but Riley was trying to get the point across that all that offense doesn’t matter if the other team beats you on the boards. Never was that truer than in Game 7 of the 1984 NBA Finals, when Riley’s Lakers fell to the Celtics 111-102. Boston outrebounded Los Angeles 52-33!
The 2004 Pistons also had an abundance of glass cleaners in Ben and Rasheed Wallace. Their focus was on defense and rebounding under Coach Larry Brown, but after he left they became more offensive-oriented under Flip Saunders. They also never made it back to the NBA Finals. In the 2005 winner-take-all Game 7 for the title between the Pistons and Spurs, both teams shot less that 43% in San Antonio’s 81-74 clinching win. The Spurs won the rebounding battle 38-34. That game went under the total of 174 by almost 20 points! In fact, San Antonio was 34-19 “under” the total at home that season on the way to winning the NBA title.
A few good NBA big menWhile the game has changed over the years, rebounding, defense and the value of the big man haven’t. The
Chicago Bulls may have had the MVP in guard Derrick Rose this past regular season, but they were also the best rebounding team in the NBA behind Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah, as well as the No. 1 seed in the East. The
Dallas Mavericks just stunned the LA Lakers in four games and the Mavs weren’t in the Top 10 in rebounding. However, they weren’t that bad, either, ranked 11th in rebounding differential. The Mavs have a terrific frontcourt with 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki, 7-foot Brandon Haywood and 7-foot-1 Tyson Chandler.
For several years the Lakers have dominated the West with a frontcourt that few could match up with, but the Mavericks certainly met them pound for pound and inch for inch. Chandler has been a terrific addition for Dallas (10th in the NBA in points allowed), playinpg his first season with them. He’s always been a strong role player, rebounder and shot blocker, a guy who could care less about scoring 20 points or getting 15 shots a game. Unselfish roles players are extremely valuable, particularly if they’re seven-footers. That’s one reason Oklahoma City was so fired up to acquire Kendrick Perkins in midseason, despite his very limited offensive skills. Note that the Thunder is 5-1-1 under the total as an underdog and 8-3-1 under in their last 12 road games, turning to defense when they most need it.
Offense may grab people’s attention, but when it comes to advancing in the playoffs, the
keys are still defense and rebounding. The last 10 NBA titles have been won by teams that had the best centers in the game or deep, talented frontcourts. Those teams were the Lakers and Heat with Shaquille O’Neal (4 titles), the Spurs with Duncan (4; 2 with David Robinson), the 2004 Pistons with the Wallace boys, the Celtics (2008) with Kevin Garnett/Perkins and the Lakers (2009-2010) with Pau Gasol/Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom. When the Lakers lost in the Finals in 2008, Bynum didn’t play because of an injury and last year the Celtics lost starting center Perkins for Games 6 and 7 (both losses) Don’t be surprised if the team with the best frontcourt players exploits that strength over smaller teams during the
NBA playoffs and anticipate defensive games to pop up with greater frequency.