As the saying goes, offense wins the game, and defense wins the championship. This sentence is not just talking, it is true, the most classic game is the 08 NBA Finals, also known as the yellow-green battle, the defensive intensity of both sides can be called suffocating, until the last minute, it is the Celtics who are more closely defended to decide the outcome of the game.
Therefore, in a crucial game, a sharp offense is important, but an indestructible defense can lead the victory and defeat to the end, and many role players rely on defense to lock the opposing star to help the team win, and then become famous. Today, we're going to take a look at some of the biggest players who have made a name for themselves and see how they have followed through with their defenses.
"Dead Feet" Bruce Bowen
When it comes to role players who are known for their defense, Bruce Bowen is definitely a name to be reckoned with. Although his defense is controversial, commonly known as dirty, the definition of defense is still not rigorous to this day, especially since Bowen is indeed known for defending those superstars and helping the Spurs win three championships, so he should be understood.
Bruce Bowen's experience is inspirational, he was undrafted in 1993, and no NBA team was willing to give him a chance to play, until 1996, when the Heat were interested in staying in the NBA on a short-term contract. He then moved between four teams over the course of four years, the Heat, the Celtics, the 76ers, and the Heat, until he finally found his place with the Spurs. As for why, it was difficult for Bruce Bowen to gain a foothold in the NBA because he didn't have flashy offense and explosive physicality, but he carved out his own path in order to play, that is, tough defense.
He has pushed himself to the limit of his defense, which has led to the attention of the team, most notably for his blockade against the likes of the league's top shooters, Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant, which has caused the offensive efficiency of these top scorers to plummet. This kind of defense made Bowen famous and allowed him to stay in the NBA.
Spurs legend coach Popovich once said of him: "Bowen is the best defensive expert, we play well by relying on team defense, but that foundation is built on individual defense. At this point, Bowen did a good job. ”
"Master of the Defense" Tony Allen
When it comes to defense, in addition to the controversial Bruce Bowen above, the name Tony Allen must also appear, as he is one of the most feared defenders in the league.
Since entering the league in 2004, Tony Allen has been known for his defense, not only helping the Celtics win the NBA championship in '08, but also being the backbone of the Grizzlies' defense during the black-and-white period. It's fair to say that no one wants to play against him, even the most attacking player.
Kobe Bryant, who has played against him for many games, has said on more than one occasion in interviews that Tony Allen is one of the toughest defenders he's ever faced. You know, Black Mamba will never admit defeat, and if he can convince such a player, Tony Allen is definitely one of the best. Kevin Durant, the league's most offensive man, also did not hesitate to say in an interview that the strongest defender in his mind is Tony Allen. Being so praised by these two attacking bigwigs shows Tony Allen's defense.
"Kobe Terminator" Laga Bell
Like Bruce Bowen, there was also a super-defender who fell out in 1999. His name is Raja Bell and he is known as the "Kobe Bryant Terminator".
It's not a good name, but due to some accidents. At that time, in order to prevent Kobe from breaking into the penalty area, he locked Kobe in a defensive throat and almost killed Kobe on the field, and then got the title of "Kobe Bryant Terminator". Raja Bell himself is not bad, he has only had this malicious foul in his 12-year NBA career, and the rest of the defense is basically clean.
He went from a not too tall draft pick to finally selected for the NBA's best defensive team twice with his own efforts, although he is not great, but he is definitely a model of small people relying on defense to counterattack.
"Robot" Kawhi Leonard
The above three are more or less famous for defending Kobe Bryant, and this one is even more heavyweight, he is not famous for defending Kobe, but for winning the FMVP of the NBA Finals through defense, which brought tears to the eyes of the star on the opposite side. Kawhi Leonard, this name is a well-deserved superstar for the current NBA league, not only won the NBA championship single-core, but was also selected as one of the NBA's top 75 superstars in 2021.
But you know, the former Leonard was actually just an inconspicuous rookie, and it wasn't until he relied on defense to follow the team's big brothers all the way to the finals that he gradually became famous.
In his rookie season, Leonard averaged 24 minutes per game, scoring only 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds, and was almost useless except for his reach. In his second season, Leonard refined his defensive ability, averaging 31 minutes per game, and while scoring 11.9 points and 6 rebounds, he was able to take care of the main players on the opposite side. But Leonard was too young that year to let the championship slip away from their team.
In the third season, Leonard, who practiced defense to the extreme, finally ushered in his own use, averaging 12.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 29 minutes per game, which can only be said to be decent, but because of defense, he helped the team to reach the Finals again, against last season's champion Heat. Since he had already played against LeBron James, the star of the opposite team, in the Finals last season, Leonard completely figured out James' offensive habits.
So when defending James, Leonard believed in the strategy of not letting him receive the ball, and then locking up the real boss of the Heat, Dwyane Wade, and directly defended Wade to a dismal statistic of only 15.2 points and a shooting rate of only 43.8%.
In this way, the Spurs successfully won the cup with the help of Leonard's defense, and he was also elected FMVP of the Finals that year. Then, Leonard's superstar career from defense officially began.