The Reason Why Defense Wins Championships in Sports

Everyone has heard the phrase before the defense wins championships, but have you ever really thought about it. This statement can be used in just about every sport, and for the past couple years the best defensive teams have won championships. Some of these teams include the Detroit Pistons and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. The most recent NHL champion the Anaheim Ducks. Football is the biggest sport where you hear the phrase, but in contradiction it was a more offensive team that won the championship last year in the Indianapolis Colts.

During the regular season in every sport, the high powered offense always seems to be the best possible equation for success. However once you get to the playoffs it's a whole new ball game. Just ask the Buffalo Sabres, the recent winners of the Presidents Trophy for the best record during the regular season. The Sabres were led to this title through their high powered speedy offense. The only problem was this high powered offense was shut down by a better defense in Ottawa. This was not the only reason for Ottawa's one sided 4-1 series victory over the sabers. The other reason also comes down to defense, but this time it's the Sabres defense. The Sabres couldn't stop Ottawa's high powered line of Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza. This one line single handedly ripped apart the President Trophy winners, all because Buffalo didn't have the personnel on defense to stop them.

Let's take a look at the Stanley Cup finals now between the Anaheim Ducks, and the Ottawa Senators. The Anaheim Ducks eventually went on to a 4-1 victory to win the Cup. I bet you already guessed it that the main reason they won was because of superb defense. That would be a correct assessment, as that amazing defense led the Senators to break up that once unstoppable line. The Ducks were the early favorite to win the cup because of the defense that they possessed including the two powerhouses of Niedermayer and Pronger. It was this defense that led them to what was once predicted for them.

Now if we take a look into the game of football it seems that almost every year the winner of the Super Bowl is a team with an amazing defense, with a decent offense to compliment it. However last yea when the Indianapolis Colts won they were just the opposite. They had one of the most if not the most impressive offense in the entire league. Don't get me wrong though, as the still had a pretty decent defense to go along with it. In fact their defense was one of the reasons they actually made it to the Super Bowl.

If you have never really realized how important a defense is to winning a championship, then hopefully after reading this you realize. If you look at the past couple championships in different sports, you will see that the majority of the winners had a solid defense to back them up. The defense isn't everything, but unless you are the Indianapolis Colts, you are probably not going to win a championship without a very decent defense.