Copycats Playing Defense

Steve Aschburner of SI.com has a story on how teams around the league are trying to copy this new fangled tactic that the Celtics employed to win the title last year.  It is called "defense."  What will they think of next?

What worked so well for the Celtics in chasing down the 2008 NBA championship, what served as their calling card, was their ability to choke off the other guys' offense. Fans and media labored all season to capture the essence of the eventual champs in a catchy nickname for their three All-Star performers, but nothing ever stuck. While Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen provided the foundation of that team, its identity came on the defensive end. Boston's signature move last season was five guys rotating and helping as one; at its best, it was as stunning as a Chris Paul crossover, as masterful as a day at the office for Mozart or Monet.

So, natch, other teams are nosing around now for a piece of that action. Again, it's early, a mere four weeks into the 2008-09 regular season. But as they say on Wall Street -- or as they used to say, anyway -- the numbers are trending in the right direction.