Physical defense is GREAT. I absolutely LOVE seeing players go for blocked shots and steals. That’s the essence of skilled basketball. Go watch a game from the 1970s or 1980s and see some beautiful f-ing defense that way.
What I don’t like? Clutch, grab, flop. That’s not defense. Makes every play a grind, and impossible to watch.
The biggest thing for me is upholding two rules properly. First, the principle of verticality. Allow big men to go up for blocks, and don’t anticipate contact, or assume that contact constitutes a FOUL. Second, allow guards to penetrate again. If there’s reasonable doubt, it’s a block or a “play on” – not a charge. Again, the flop is not defense. A good perimeter defender will be well in front of the play, and it will be clear that the lane has been shut off way ahead of time. Duke has uglied up basketball by leaving the lane open, only to dive in late and flop to the ground like they’ve been shot. It’s not defense at all. It’s total bullshit basketball.
