Steve Clifford's Rant on Defense is Backed by Stats

Clifford's passionate rant after Charlotte's latest loss is validated by the numbers.

After the Charlotte Hornets' close loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, Head Coach Steve Clifford delivered an impassioned rant to media members on the importance of certain defensive strategies that his team must improve on if they are to become a group that wins consistently. 

Clifford touched on the importance of strategies like defending without fouling, blocking out with physicality when rebounding, and even something as simple as running back on defense. He stressed that the Hornets must get better at simple tactics like these if they are to make any noise this season. 

The overarching reason Clifford gave behind his points of emphasis was that doing the dirty work and putting in defensive effort pays in the NBA. He noted that over the years, several teams in this league have tried to focus nearly solely on offense, and it has never worked out for them. 

In stressing the importance of a defensive mindset, Clifford noted that he was nearly certain only two NBA teams in the last two decades won a championship without having a top 10 defense. As it turns out, he was more correct than he thought. 

Since the 2003-04 season, only one NBA champion has finished outside the top 10 in the league in defensive rating. That team was the 2022-23 Denver Nuggets, who finished 11th. 

Out of the past 20 NBA champions, 12 finished in the top four for defensive rating. This is a very clear indicator that focusing on defensive fundamentals is an excellent pathway to creating a winning culture for any team. 

Clifford said as much with the conclusion of his rant. "Defense travels, defense gives you an identity, defense brings your team together," he said. "That's what you have to do to win." 

He reiterated that he believes the mistakes the Hornets are making on defense can be cleaned up in one day, but clarified it is on him as the coach to make changes happen. "If we get to that, we're going to have a chance to take off here and have a really good year," said Clifford. "If we don't ... you're not winning in this league. That's one thing I do know." 

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