Sports – FiveThirtyEight — NBA Defense RSS



The Best Way To Derail An NBA Offense? Make It Waste Time.

In the modern NBA, there is no resource more valuable than time on the shot clock. In fact, it’s the only thing that teams can’t score without. While it’s tough to put the ball in the basket if you don’t have a high-level ball handler or marksmen to knock down shots and space the floor, […]

Continue reading




The Warriors’ Defense Is Impossible To Overlook

Even on nights when he notches a triple-single, Draymond Green has a knack for making himself the main character.  During and after the Golden State Warriors’ equalizer against the Boston Celtics in Sunday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals, it was the non-basketball stuff that gained attention. There was the early lead-blocking of Grant Williams […]

Continue reading



Al Horford Fills The Gaps For The Celtics

Last year at this time, Al Horford’s team was finishing up a dismal season, closed out by losing 23 of its final 25 games and securing a lottery spot. Through that entire ugly stretch for Oklahoma City, Horford sat on the bench.  While the tanking Thunder didn’t want Horford’s leadership, the Boston Celtics  — currently […]

Continue reading



Marcus Smart Is More Than Just His Defense

During Boston’s conference final-opening loss to Miami on Tuesday night, Marcus Smart stood on the sideline in resortwear, nursing a foot injury and politicking with officials. He did what he could; cameras caught him during a timeout harping on rotations and assignments. But Derrick White, starting in his stead, mustered just 3 points on four […]

Continue reading