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[QUOTE="NYCorange, post: 1658164, member: 4918"]
I think that orangecuse's example is a good one of how a blocked shot can be a result of good defense. I'm not trying to say that actually blocking a shot is bad defense-- a block is certainly a good defensive play. But the sequence of events that leads to a blocked shot often (but not always) includes bad defense either on the part of the person blocking the shot, or on the part of the defender who got beat. And even the decision to attempt block a shot can be a poor one. Hasan Whiteside leads the league in blocked shots by a very wide margin, and also is 5th in the league in rebounding, but somehow his team plays better defense and grabs a higher percentage of opponent misses  (defensive rebounding) when he's on the bench. Why is that? It's because he attempts to block literally every shot in the paint, and leaves his man to do so. Sure, he gets some blocks, but he also leaves his man wide open, to either get the rebound or to receive the pass when the person he thinks is going to shoot actually doesn't. He also fouls a lot because he's so agressively swinging his arms at the ball instead of contesting shots. Some players block shots within the context of the team defense--Tim Duncan is a great example of that. Those are outstanding plays. Others block shots like Allen Iverson gambled for steals. Sure, a steal is an unequivocally good play, but the decision to go for a steal is often NOT a good decision.
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