Basketball On The Internet.

BOB'S BOOST: In reminding us that "defence wins games" our US correspondent BOB CRAVEN is actually somewhat despondent that great Aussie defenders Matisse Thybulle and Ezi Magbegor have been given short shrift lately.

Like many other long-time followers of the sport, it has become obvious to me that the old maxim that "defence wins basketball games" has become less and less true in recent years. 

The classic case is that of the NBA where defence is almost an afterthought - until we get to the postseason.  Then, the closer we arrive at determining a champion, the tighter defences become, as teams and coaches realise they need to stop the other guys occasionally, rather than just outscore them.

Two recent cases have made this lack of defensive thinking abundantly clear, and both involve Australians. 

One was the omission of Matisse Thybulle from the Boomers to contest the basketball tournament in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games. 

As most of us know, he is maybe the best individual defensive player in basketball. He's always been known for his defence, was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-12 during his time at the University of Washington here in Seattle, and he was named the NCAA Naismith Defensive Player of the Year his final year there.

That same year he also was named the winner of the Lefty Driesell Award as the best defensive player in all of Division I of the NCAA, and he led all D-I players in steals.

That defensive ability saw him selected in the first round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics before he was traded to Philadelphia.

He twice was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Team (Second Team both times). Opposing coaches all through his college days and in the NBA have always emphasised to their players that they must know where Thybulle is on the floor at all times. 

He has consistently played and scored less than all other highly-rated players on either side of the ball.

Although born in the US, Thybulle's family moved to Sydney when he was a year old, living there for the next seven years before moving back to the US here in Seattle. 

By his own admission, he knew almost nothing about basketball while in Australia, being more interested in and involved in swimming. 

So, it wasn't an accident that once in Seattle, he could not make a lay-up consistently until he started high school and his speed and coordination caught up with his size.

By the end of his high school career, he was an all-league star and scored well, although not known as a great shooter. 

His final year he scored almost 19 points per game for one of the best teams in the area.  He upped his game against other teams that had a number of D-1 players on them. I remember one memorable game where he scored over 40 in a big game against the best team in the area. 

I have often wondered if not playing basketball during his younger years played a significant role in his relative inability to score effectively from the outside today.  And now, he's not going to be able to be the lockdown defender and ball hawk for the Boomers that he should be in helping them advance with any chance to medal. 

Very short-sighted in my view on the part of the Boomer selectors and coaches.

The other head-scratcher of a case is here in Seattle where budding Aussie star Ezi Magbegor of our Seattle Storm was not named to play in the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game. 

She was an All-Star last season and is one of the best defensive players in the league. She's averaging 13.4 points per game, on 49.1% shooting, is tied for 7th in the league in rebounding at 9.0 per game, is 2nd in blocked shots at 2.5 per game, and 10th in steals. 

Her rebounding and shot-blocking make her one of the very best at-the-rim defenders in the league.  And yet, she's not good enough to play in the All-Star Game showcase that she played in last season — this in a game where defence is barely an afterthought. 

At least the Opal selectors were not that short-sighted, and she will be a starter for Australia in Paris.​

Yet another opportunity to call in NBA Hall of Famer, Rick Barry, to complain again about the lack of defence in the game these days as players revert to his famous "Matador Defence" instead of real defence.  Do I hear an "OLE"?