Detroit Pistons: Would the 2004 Pistons beat this year’s Brooklyn Nets?
Detroit Pistons: Can defense beat offense?
Generally speaking, good offense will beat good defense every time in a one-on-one situation.
You can force a guy to take a tough shot, but once it leaves his hands you have no choice other than hope it doesn’t go in. Defenders who have tried to stop Kevin Durant know this all too well.
What can you do against a 7-footer who can hit fade-aways from 20 feet? Not much.
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The Nets offense is far better than anything the Pistons faced that season, as most of their playoff opponents were similar type teams that relied on great defense.
It wasn’t until the Finals the that 2004 Pistons played a team with two superstar offensive players in Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, who were heavily favored and expected to blow the superstar-less Pistons out of the gym.
Instead the Pistons pulled off the Gentlemen’s Sweep, dominated the Lakers, shut down their two best players and won the title.
They showed along the way that team defense can overcome superior offense and that matchups are everything.
It’s easy to look at the modern Nets and say that their offense would be too much for any team from the 2004 era, but when you look at the matchups, the Pistons might have an edge.