Good defense, rumor has it, wins championships, or at the very least gives a team the chance to win more games than it loses.
The concept is so basic, though not so simple, that no player needs to be reminded that, well, it’s true.
Yet, the Dallas Mavericks opened the season unable to guard just about any team. The fewest points an opponent scored during the Mavs’ first nine games was 109.
They allowed 136 in their home opener, including 46 in the first quarter, and somehow won. But that was one of only two wins during a 2-7 start to the season.