Was the 2004 pistons the only team to win a championship without....

[Mr. I'm So Rad]

At the time weren't all of the starters excluding Prince All-Stars?

They also happened to face a distracted and unfocused Lakers team. But they won with great defense and toughness.

[D.J.]

Most people don't realize that Ben Wallace is only 6 feet 9 inches.

Ben himself said he's 6'7".

[chips93]

The 79 Sonics were similarly bereft of star power

[ProfessorMurder]

Wallace was the better overall defender. Wallace was the better pick and roll defender while Mutombo was the better post defender. They were about dead even when it came to shot blocking but I would give the edge to Wallace due to superior athleticism.

It's close though, Mutombo is better overall probably because he was an above average offensive player while Wallace was just average to above average.

Wallace is better on the pick and roll but Mutombo is better in the post and one on one. They're about even in help defense. I'd rather have a 7'2" guy protecting my paint than a 6'8"ish guy. Wallace relied a lot on athleticism while Mutombo played with more skill/positioning.

Why would you give wallace the edge in blocks when Mutombo averaged more, is 2nd all time, and played against real centers?

I'm not saying that either is leagues better than the other, but if one is top 100 the other should be. It's BS to exclude one of the two.

[DatAsh]

And Ben was the pillar of the best Defensive team of all time.

60s celtics
90s knicks
00s Pistons, in that order

[DatAsh]

Ben Wallace is a top 100 player.


Wallace was the better overall defender. Wallace was the better pick and roll defender while Mutombo was the better post defender. They were about dead even when it came to shot blocking but I would give the edge to Wallace due to superior athleticism.

It's close though, Mutombo is better overall probably because he was an above average offensive player while Wallace was just average to above average.

Mutombo was clearly the better blocker. Ben Wallace may have had better timing/vertical and was probably the more skilled blocker for his size, but Mutombo's extra 7 inches ultimately made him the better blocker.

[StateOfMind12]

I'm not saying that either is leagues better than the other, but if one is top 100 the other should be. It's BS to exclude one of the two.

They're both top 100 players to me.

Wallace is better on the pick and roll but Mutombo is better in the post and one on one. They're about even in help defense. I'd rather have a 7'2" guy protecting my paint than a 6'8"ish guy. Wallace relied a lot on athleticism while Mutombo played with more skill/positioning.

I believe disrupting and defending pick and rolls is a better and a more valuable asset defensively than pure shot blocking. Wallace can impact defenses, not just from the paint but also in the perimeter which makes him more potent defensively whereas Mutombo is solely paint defense.

Ben Wallace was KG-lite while Mutombo was Duncan-lite. I've always thought KG was a better defender than Duncan but then again I believe Duncan was always an overrated defender.

[Collie]

The 79 Sonics were similarly bereft of star power

I consider DJ a top 100 player of all time though.

[kingmob]

They played Real Defense. Not the "Bad boys" bullshit where they played dirty in order to hide their shortcomings on Defense.

You Sir, just not very bright...Bad Boys were an amazing defensive team, better than 2004 Pistons Team.

In Both Instances, Stern had to change rules BTW. He hates good, defensive basketball.

And Ben Wallace was about 6'6-6'7, 6.85 in shoes. Mutombo was a legit 7-footer and had more opportunity to play from the get go. BenWa had to earn and learn a bit before getting going.

[I LUV KOBE]

A 40 year old Mutombo is better defensively than most of the center in the league now.. Can anyone say the same thing about big Ben.

[Punpun]

You Sir, just not very bright...Bad Boys were an amazing defensive team, better than 2004 Pistons Team.

In Both Instances, Stern had to change rules BTW. He hates good, defensive basketball.

>Shoving someone because you aren't able to play proper D. on him
>Somehow better than the 00' Pistons

[Rake2204]

Haha, oh my god. The horror. What a strange mind-trip on my part. Mike Brown? Really?

Ben himself said he's 6'7".

I think it's safe to say you guys are probably both right. NBA players are listed according to their height in shoes and I believe Wallace's height in shoes would be closer to 6'8'' or 6'9''. If players are anything like me, they'll reference different heights depending upon how it'd benefit them. For instance, barefoot I'm 6'2.85'', for which I mostly claim 6'3'' as my primary height. However, if someone sees me dunk and asks my height, there were times in the past when I'd claim 6'2'', because I thought that'd make my exploits sound cooler. On the other hand, if a normal person basks in wonder about how tall I am, I'll give them height in shoes (6'4'') just because, again, I thought it'd make it sound more impressive.

[Y2Gezee]

That team made hand checking an art form

[CelticBaller]

And Ben was the pillar of the best Defensive team of all time.

08 Celtics

[Bigsmoke]

60s celtics
90s knicks
00s Pistons, in that order

The 90 knickss?

Loil