2025 NBA Season

[rhomelmabini]

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to Hall of Fame
A long read but for me, it's worth it.

At 6-foot-9 and a chiseled 240 pounds, Wallace in 2002 joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season (since done by Dwight Howard too). He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only four-time winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award. And Wallace was a four-time All-Star – the only undrafted guy to start an All-Star Game, in fact – as well as a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Defensive pick.

One of the players that I look up to. A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

I remember the bad boys in Detroit.
They were the team that defines the phrase "defense can win games". Those were the times when defense was appreciated equivalent to offensive highlights as well.
There nothing really special about Ben Wallace, what makes him such an spectacular players is his defensive presence, the ability to make hustle plays, and toughness inside the paint even If he's way too undersized for a center position.
Really a deserving hall of famer.

Whoops I just remembered a short representation on YouTube just recently presenting one, if it's about Detroit Bad Boys I think  it's all falls to Bill Laimbeer, he's on hall of fame too (bit off topic). Not on their eras to be honest when I been fond of NBA basketball but I think Ben Wallace do deserve the honor being one of the greats.

[btc_angela]

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to Hall of Fame
A long read but for me, it's worth it.

At 6-foot-9 and a chiseled 240 pounds, Wallace in 2002 joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season (since done by Dwight Howard too). He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only four-time winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award. And Wallace was a four-time All-Star – the only undrafted guy to start an All-Star Game, in fact – as well as a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Defensive pick.

One of the players that I look up to. A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

And if I'm not mistaken, he was Draymond inspiration as well. Why Ben Wallace impacts Draymond Green’s chances at Hall of Fame



Yes, that's a complete line-up, perhaps the last great team to win a NBA championship thru their sheer defence by limiting their opponents points. Such underrated team in the early 2000's.

And who would forget Tayshaun's Prince block on Reggie Miller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QJ4iwqnLKc

Maybe some posters here are not aware of it.  

And that block win the game for them.

[Fredomago]

Sometimes a team will struggle especially if they miss one piece of their star player, and in the case of the Warriors, that was Klay Thompson who was a clutch player and knows how to win. Did you still remember that Thompson was the big reason for the Warrior's comeback when they were down 3-1 against the OKC with WB and Durant, after that season, Durant joined the Warriors and the Warriors won their championship as they got stronger.

There're no doubts about Klay he's like Pippen when MJ still playing here playing. He keeps giving Step the help that he needed and always fills his lapses.

They are a perfect duo who will kill you from the long range. The best offense is the defense system inside this league. You can't just leave anyone as both can kill you in a just split of your eyes.

They will be tested once again after those injuries they are now coming back with much stronger rivals. They are not the heavy favorite to win the title but in terms of capabilities; they are no longer at the bottom they can surprise everyone for sure!

[Yogee]

...

Who would forget the Detroit Pistons with the bad boys, they defeated the heavy favorites LA Lakers (That's Kobe + Shaq),

I'm confused. I only know of one team from Detroit dubbed as the "bad boys" and they were a torn to MJ's Bulls, Magic's Lakers, and Bird's Celtics. They didn't face Kobe and Shaq's team.

...A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

I recognize them as the team that ruined Karl Malone's last chance to win a ring hehe.

It's a well deserved recognition. He's the type of center that is quite missing in today's era. Imagine him and Giannis going at it,

[carlisle1]

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to Hall of Fame
A long read but for me, it's worth it.

At 6-foot-9 and a chiseled 240 pounds, Wallace in 2002 joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season (since done by Dwight Howard too). He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only four-time winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award. And Wallace was a four-time All-Star – the only undrafted guy to start an All-Star Game, in fact – as well as a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Defensive pick.

One of the players that I look up to. A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

Hamilton, Prince and Billups, those names are not a typical all stars but with Both Wallace inside the interior
this team is really hard to beat, they almost have another back-to-back title way back 2003-04 and 2004-05 just lost with the spurs in game 7.

Piston, way back, introduces good defense will allow you to win the title. They are not composed of those exciting players that will dunk or do a miracle shots, but they are the team who will knock you by limiting your offense.

A team that brings the system which mostly focus from how to wreck the offensive system of the other team.
Though they differ from the bad boys' images of the 90 eras but they also have the same system, to stop
anyone to make an easy basket.

[wheelz1200]

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to Hall of Fame
A long read but for me, it's worth it.

At 6-foot-9 and a chiseled 240 pounds, Wallace in 2002 joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season (since done by Dwight Howard too). He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only four-time winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award. And Wallace was a four-time All-Star – the only undrafted guy to start an All-Star Game, in fact – as well as a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Defensive pick.

One of the players that I look up to. A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

Hamilton, Prince and Billups, those names are not a typical all stars but with Both Wallace inside the interior
this team is really hard to beat, they almost have another back-to-back title way back 2003-04 and 2004-05 just lost with the spurs in game 7.

Piston, way back, introduces good defense will allow you to win the title. They are not composed of those exciting players that will dunk or do a miracle shots, but they are the team who will knock you by limiting your offense.

A team that brings the system which mostly focus from how to wreck the offensive system of the other team.
Though they differ from the bad boys' images of the 90 eras but they also have the same system, to stop
anyone to make an easy basket.

Yeah that was a hard nose team but the bad boys were definately the lambeir, dumas, Isiah team of the late 80s.  Those were some dog fights.  Definately not to be compared with Chauncey, rip, and big Ben's team.

[Swordsoffreedom]

I would definitely agree that him getting one suspension was the reason why Cavs won that specific game, but the final game was basically just a horrible one GSW all around. Draymond still had an amazing game he had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists that game, but when you keep Klay at 14 and Steph at 17 then you win the game. Draymond never played another game that great, dude knew he had to pick it up when other two was covered like crazy and he did his best but wasn't enough.

"Yeah, I think Green is a player who is rarely seen on the field, but his absence is noticed when he's not on the field. Green is a very good all-rounder, his scoring, defensive technique, and even he is good when assists. Still can remember how Cleveland won that final when Green's absence was obvious. The outcome of the 2016-NBA Finals might have been different if Draymond Green had played that match.

[mirakal]

Sometimes a team will struggle especially if they miss one piece of their star player, and in the case of the Warriors, that was Klay Thompson who was a clutch player and knows how to win. Did you still remember that Thompson was the big reason for the Warrior's comeback when they were down 3-1 against the OKC with WB and Durant, after that season, Durant joined the Warriors and the Warriors won their championship as they got stronger.

There're no doubts about Klay he's like Pippen when MJ still playing here playing. He keeps giving Step the help that he needed and always fills his lapses.

They are a perfect duo who will kill you from the long range. The best offense is the defense system inside this league. You can't just leave anyone as both can kill you in a just split of your eyes.

They will be tested once again after those injuries they are now coming back with much stronger rivals. They are not the heavy favorite to win the title but in terms of capabilities; they are no longer at the bottom they can surprise everyone for sure!

They surprised me last season when they almost made it to the playoffs, Curry was playing very well, it's just that he cannot carry the team alone as the other teams are full of all-stars, unlike the Warriors where only Curry could produce points consistently. With Thompson coming back, they will likely become better but I think their journey to the championship will be harder compared to the past since the Lakers are a heck of a team now.

[gagux123]

How severe is his injury compared to Kevin Durant? Because I know when Durant got injured, we thought he will never get back playing with the same intensity as in the past, he was even out for one whole season, but we were wrong with our expectation as he leads the Nets in the playoffs, just unfortunate his other 2 star players teammates were injured.

Yes, indeed Durant surprised us, (PG and Shaun Livingston as well) but I believe that each case is different, each player has a different level of recovery, post-operative, injury etc.
Klay Thompson has had two serious injuries, and he is unfortunately not 20 years old to have an excellent recovery like a new player. Anyway, I hope he recovers well and returns to the courts as soon as possible, because the Warriors need your help

[freedomgo]

I would definitely agree that him getting one suspension was the reason why Cavs won that specific game, but the final game was basically just a horrible one GSW all around. Draymond still had an amazing game he had 32 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists that game, but when you keep Klay at 14 and Steph at 17 then you win the game. Draymond never played another game that great, dude knew he had to pick it up when other two was covered like crazy and he did his best but wasn't enough.

"Yeah, I think Green is a player who is rarely seen on the field, but his absence is noticed when he's not on the field. Green is a very good all-rounder, his scoring, defensive technique, and even he is good when assists. Still can remember how Cleveland won that final when Green's absence was obvious. The outcome of the 2016-NBA Finals might have been different if Draymond Green had played that match.

Obviously, without Green, Lebron James would easily do this thing as the Warriors has no defender to annoy Lebron. Green is definitely one of the biggest assets of the Warriors, they will not let him go as with the Splash brothers, their output on the floor is very positive, he is not a big man but he is very smart which makes him very unpredictable inside.

Maybe we did not notice him that much since our focus is on Curry and Thompson, but boy, take Green out and we will see how the Warriors will struggle.
Anyway, there's a reason to work hard as he also is well paid https://www.spotrac.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/draymond-green-10860/

[harizen]

"Yeah, I think Green is a player who is rarely seen on the field, but his absence is noticed when he's not on the field. Green is a very good all-rounder, his scoring, defensive technique, and even he is good when assists. Still can remember how Cleveland won that final when Green's absence was obvious. The outcome of the 2016-NBA Finals might have been different if Draymond Green had played that match.

Draymond Green's skills and basketball IQ are more seen and noticeable when he is teaming up or alongside Steph Curry or Klay Thompson on the floor. But if these two are not around, he's not consistent or should I say, not performing well. That's the only problem I see with him. It's like that there should be something to trigger his best. But I like how he mentors their young cores and that was seen always. Now with the possible return of the first core lineup of the Warriors, I'm expecting he will pump again his usual.

About the outcome of the 2016 NBA Finals, it's just a "What If". I don't find any sense to say that if Green is there the whole game series, the outcome might be different.

[ultrloa]

"Yeah, I think Green is a player who is rarely seen on the field, but his absence is noticed when he's not on the field. Green is a very good all-rounder, his scoring, defensive technique, and even he is good when assists. Still can remember how Cleveland won that final when Green's absence was obvious. The outcome of the 2016-NBA Finals might have been different if Draymond Green had played that match.

Draymond Green's skills and basketball IQ are more seen and noticeable when he is teaming up or alongside Steph Curry or Klay Thompson on the floor. But if these two are not around, he's not consistent or should I say, not performing well. That's the only problem I see with him. It's like that there should be something to trigger his best. But I like how he mentors their young cores and that was seen always. Now with the possible return of the first core lineup of the Warriors, I'm expecting he will pump again his usual.

Those two stars are big loss for their team since we know how big the numbers they can put up per game plus the impact the can bring to their opponents so expect that the performance of green will go down as he is not totally a shooter plus he don't have any other team to rely in terms of scoring since most of them struggles. Maybe we can see them different team again once Klay came back so hopefully this season we will see him running on the floor.

[chaser15]

Those two stars are big loss for their team since we know how big the numbers they can put up per game plus the impact the can bring to their opponents so expect that the performance of green will go down as he is not totally a shooter plus he don't have any other team to rely in terms of scoring since most of them struggles. Maybe we can see them different team again once Klay came back so hopefully this season we will see him running on the floor.

Then you just conclude that Green is a useless player hehe. It's not about the productivity but the overall performance. It's common to lose that everybody in Warriors is struggling. If he is nothing without Steph and Klay, then no team will have interest on signing him in the future and worst, the Warriors might consider trading him despite he is a part of their championship run. I didn't even hearing his name in some rumors that a team shows interest to him.

[goinmerry]

Ben Wallace went from undrafted to Hall of Fame
A long read but for me, it's worth it.

At 6-foot-9 and a chiseled 240 pounds, Wallace in 2002 joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocks in the same season (since done by Dwight Howard too). He and Dikembe Mutombo are the only four-time winners of the Defensive Player of the Year award. And Wallace was a four-time All-Star – the only undrafted guy to start an All-Star Game, in fact – as well as a five-time All-NBA selection and six-time All-Defensive pick.

One of the players that I look up to. A small center at 6'9 but jumps like there are springs in his feet. Even if you are at the three point line on act of shooting he will run from the half circle to you just to mess with your shot or at good times, block it.
I watched how the Wallace's (Rasheed and Ben not brothers) put a wall in the painted area giving every opponent a hard time to make a drive. Add-in the long reach of Tayshaun Prince which defense is at high level too. Don't forget about RIP and Chauncey.
How I miss those times when teams won with basketball basics and high level of defense.

The team that destroys a known championship-caliber team. They are not expected to win even at the ECF.

The time where big men are dominating the paint and not just relying on 3 points areas. Defense is also the best strategy during that time.

Detroit Pistons is one of the teams that prove that.

[Dave1]

Sometimes a team will struggle especially if they miss one piece of their star player, and in the case of the Warriors, that was Klay Thompson who was a clutch player and knows how to win. Did you still remember that Thompson was the big reason for the Warrior's comeback when they were down 3-1 against the OKC with WB and Durant, after that season, Durant joined the Warriors and the Warriors won their championship as they got stronger.

There're no doubts about Klay he's like Pippen when MJ still playing here playing. He keeps giving Step the help that he needed and always fills his lapses.

They are a perfect duo who will kill you from the long range. The best offense is the defense system inside this league. You can't just leave anyone as both can kill you in a just split of your eyes.

They will be tested once again after those injuries they are now coming back with much stronger rivals. They are not the heavy favorite to win the title but in terms of capabilities; they are no longer at the bottom they can surprise everyone for sure!

They surprised me last season when they almost made it to the playoffs, Curry was playing very well, it's just that he cannot carry the team alone as the other teams are full of all-stars, unlike the Warriors where only Curry could produce points consistently. With Thompson coming back, they will likely become better but I think their journey to the championship will be harder compared to the past since the Lakers are a heck of a team now.

Yeah, we could definitely says that he carry GSW last year on his shoulder, so much that he become the scoring champion last year. And the rest are either inconsistent and still lacks the experience to win big games.

But if Thompson comes back early next year, it will be a different GSW, but they have to grind it everyday to at least make the playoffs again.

[TravelMug]

...

Who would forget the Detroit Pistons with the bad boys, they defeated the heavy favorites LA Lakers (That's Kobe + Shaq),

I'm confused. I only know of one team from Detroit dubbed as the "bad boys" and they were a torn to MJ's Bulls, Magic's Lakers, and Bird's Celtics. They didn't face Kobe and Shaq's team.

Perhaps it's the second coming of Detroit that give them their last championship, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, the Wallace's (Ben and Rasheed).

Perhaps there were still be teams currently or coaches that will preach "Defense win games". Maybe some players in the 80's-90's who are now coach can still implement this in their system since they know how it's important even in the era today wherein we have a lot of attempts outside the arc.

[Reid]

Then you just conclude that Green is a useless player hehe. It's not about the productivity but the overall performance. It's common to lose that everybody in Warriors is struggling. If he is nothing without Steph and Klay, then no team will have interest on signing him in the future and worst, the Warriors might consider trading him despite he is a part of their championship run. I didn't even hearing his name in some rumors that a team shows interest to him.

It's true. Overall performance can keep you in one team even if you are not a shooter.
Then, there is impact, being a team player and so much more to offer than just being an offensive player.
Look at KD, he had been jumping in different teams and so does Kyrie and Kawhi. They are not the type to be a team player but mostly isolations.

Playmakers such as Draymond Green and Marcus Smart are different. They may not be ball handlers or with high dribbling skills but they can manage the plays and can lead using high IQ. Lebron is doing the same thing when he got older.

[danherbias07]

Perhaps it's the second coming of Detroit that give them their last championship, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, the Wallace's (Ben and Rasheed).

Perhaps there were still be teams currently or coaches that will preach "Defense win games". Maybe some players in the 80's-90's who are now coach can still implement this in their system since they know how it's important even in the era today wherein we have a lot of attempts outside the arc.

There are still a lot of coaches who uses this kind of strategy. Lakers Coach Frank Vogel is a defensive type strategist and they won the bubble championship because of it. He maximized the strength of Dwight Howard, Rondo, Morris and Danny Green on the defensive end that's why they gain the upper hand against the Miami Heat.
I think with just the right players in their roster they could make the same performance as their championship year and it's already happening that's why they let go some players to balance their team again.

[carlisle1]

Then you just conclude that Green is a useless player hehe. It's not about the productivity but the overall performance. It's common to lose that everybody in Warriors is struggling. If he is nothing without Steph and Klay, then no team will have interest on signing him in the future and worst, the Warriors might consider trading him despite he is a part of their championship run. I didn't even hearing his name in some rumors that a team shows interest to him.

It's true. Overall performance can keep you in one team even if you are not a shooter.
Then, there is impact, being a team player and so much more to offer than just being an offensive player.
Look at KD, he had been jumping in different teams and so does Kyrie and Kawhi. They are not the type to be a team player but mostly isolations.

Playmakers such as Draymond Green and Marcus Smart are different. They may not be ball handlers or with high dribbling skills but they can manage the plays and can lead using high IQ. Lebron is doing the same thing when he got older.

The impacts when they are talking is loud enough to focus on whatever plays they wanted to execute.

Both players have that skills to keep the ball moving till it reached the open man. Talents that a team would love to have inside their lineups,

I just remembered how Rodman added the spice with the dominating bulls back then, not a legit scorer but  one of a kind Rockstar during their era.

He has that impact that everyone loves to see each games that they are performing. Both Smart and Green can be classified as the new version
of Rodman (my own personal opinion)

[yazher]

There are still a lot of coaches who uses this kind of strategy. Lakers Coach Frank Vogel is a defensive type strategist and they won the bubble championship because of it. He maximized the strength of Dwight Howard, Rondo, Morris and Danny Green on the defensive end that's why they gain the upper hand against the Miami Heat.
I think with just the right players in their roster they could make the same performance as their championship year and it's already happening that's why they let go some players to balance their team again.

The problem of today's players is their flopping is also on another level. The defensive play of Rodman and others like Ben Wallace might not work anymore. I think it's time for them to consider making some rules in this kind of a joke since the game is not like the way it is before. Especially when the game is close and both teams are playing hard to get the win but suddenly you see some players flopping to steal the show. You know what I mean and when they see the replay after calling the foul, looks like they cannot do something about it if they don't have any Instant Replay Review anymore.