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| The Memphis Grizzlies are a up-tempo team thanks to the pressure defense led by players like Mike Conley & Shane Battier. The Grizz aren't that bad with their up-tempo basketball, so when did up-tempo become a bad thing? |
The biggest misconception about “up tempo” basketball is that a team which plays this style of game therefor neglects the defensive end of the court. For all the good the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors, at one time or another, gave to the name of “up temp” basketball on the offensive end, the hindrance they scorned on the defensive end almost completely nullifies any of the positives they once brought to the name. With that said, many in the media, like Souhan, point to those teams towards evidence that “up tempo” basketball does not work, what those in the media disregard is the accomplishments those said teams achieved by saying those teams are failure because they never won a championship. While a team’s ultimate success is to win a championship - if one only considers a team’s success and failure on the basis of winning a championship, then fans would be more depressed than Kurt Cobain in his final days of living.
If you look at the Phoenix Suns during their “up temp” heyday, they were in the Western Conference Finals and if it weren’t for a couple suspension, they more than likely would have beaten the team basketball purists have wet dreams over, the San Antonio Spurs. Thus if one basis success on winning, the Phoenix Sun were successful in there “up tempo” style of play.
Now onto the 2007 Golden State Warriors, which during their playoff run were single handedly the most popular team in the NBA at that time. Don’t believe me, the arena was continually sold out and celebrities like Jessica Alba – who in 2007 was one the most popular young starlets in the world at the time – were attending Warrior games over LA Lakers games. And in doing this translated nationally as the Warriors became the most popular team in the NBA during their playoff run in which they knocked off the top seeded Mavericks. Thus, if one basis success on popularity and positive media exposure, the Warriors were therefor successful in using “up tempo” basketball.
However, as I stated before, both these teams brought negativity towards the style of “up tempo” basketball because all of sudden the play of the “up tempo” style became defined by lack of defense and the reliance of the fast break and quick-forced scoring opportunities. And worse yet, the “up tempo” style was deemed a failure because these two teams never won a championship.
While I could look back at the history of basketball and point towards teams in the past, in both the College and NBA game, which used the “up tempo” style of play and won championships, like the show time Lakers and UNLV, it would be a mute point those opposed to the idea of “up tempo” basketball believe that it cannot work in the modern day game. Thus I will be only pointing out good recent examples of “up tempo” in the present to prove that “up tempo” basketball isn’t a bad thing.
However before I begin I need to state the following: “up tempo” basketball does not mean you don’t play defense. If anything it means you play a lot because, in essence the key tool in your arsenal revolves around the fast break, and you create fast break offensive opportunities through high-pressure defense. Want proof? Look at the Memphis Grizzlies.
I know you are probably thinking, “Memphis is up tempo? How can they be with Marc “talents from Spain, inside I bring the pain” Gasol and Zach “ is that dude actually in shape?” Randolph.” Simple really, with up-tempo defense! Yes people, up-tempo basketball includes defense! At least good up-tempo basketball that is! Now what is up-tempo defense you ask? As the Grizzlies will show you, it is high-pressurized defense that succeeds off of turnovers and forcing bad shots.
Thanks to outstanding quick-footed perimeter defenders in players like Mike Conley and Tony Allen, along with the savvy defensive mind of Shane Battier, the Grizz led the league in steals per game, with a total of 9.2. That said if one of you uber nerds goes to look up that the Warriors fell in second in league with a total of 9 steals per game, and thus the Grizz only lead the league in steals by a .2 amount which isn’t that much, I will now point towards the stat of steals percentage which, basically means the following: percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal. And in this category the Grizz lead the league with a 8.6 steals% and the closet team to them was the Warriors, but they were still behind by .6%, more than half of 1, which in this case is a lot. So using there up tempo, high pressure defense, the Grizz mathematically speaking, if we round the 8.6 steals percentage up to 9, the Grizz therefor would force 9 of a team’s possession in a single game to end in a steal and therefor could result in an easy fast break basket. In doing so, only counting 2’s, the Grizz would have put 18 points on the score board without ever once doing one of your grandfather’s set pieces.
And when looking at the stats, the Grizz did just that. The Grizz were 6th in the league in fast break points, with a total of 15.7. However even more impressive was the points off turnover they accumulated - a whopping 19.4 points! Which means through their up-tempo style of play on both the defensive (as shown by the past paragraph and last few sentences) and offensive (as shown by the fact they were ranked 6th in NBA in fast break points) end, the Grizzlies used up-tempo basketball to be a successful team that found themselves on quite the playoff run and now find themselves to be one the premier teams out west.
As the Grizzlies have proved, up-tempo basketball is in actuality a good thing and can succeed in the modern day age of basketball. It is unfortunate that many assume by playing up-tempo basketball a team therefore does not play defense. What those who believe that need to realize is the following: only bad up-tempo basketball is where you don’t play defense. Good up-tempo basketball includes high-pressured defense that correlates towards success and easy buckets on the offensive end.
If you are a up-tempo basketball fan like myself, remember that when people like Mr. Souhan say up-tempo basketball is a bad thing and that it doesn’t work, all that they are really doing is showing their true age and saying they think taking an open 22 foot shot in the NBA is a good idea... but that is a whole other rant for another time.
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