Defense wins championships, so they say. The Houston Rockets, helmed by offensive wizard Mike D’Antoni knows this saying all so well. The teams he has coached so far have been known for scoring bucket after bucket with relative ease. Yet come the playoffs, he seems to fall short, primarily because his gets pummeled on the defensive end.
Yet this year, a different ending for Mike D’Antoni’s team might unfold, partly thanks to PJ Tucker.
As reported by Jonathan Feigen of Chron, D’Antoni was all praises for the 32-year-old Tucker.
“[He’s] one of the best defenders I’ve ever seen. “I don’t know why he wouldn’t,” D’Antoni said. “It doesn’t get much better than him.”
For the season, Tucker has been logging in 5.8 points a game, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game in 27.7 minutes. The numbers do not speak too well for Tucker’s case but as a tireless and active player, the intangibles he contributes to the Rockets speak volumes.
PJ Tucker, a basketball journeyman is currently playing his eighth season in the NBA, but has also played in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy, and Germany. As a sappy veteran, tons of experience has made who he is today. Yet despite all the praises from his coach, individual awards do not mean much for Tucker. All he cares is winning that championship.
“At this point, no,” Tucker said. “It would be cool, but for years, when I was mentioned as Defensive Player of the Year, they said, ‘Are you making the playoffs?’ We didn’t make it. I don’t care, man. I want to win. Whether they acknowledge it or not, who cares? It never happened before. Now, I don’t care.”
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