To add some statistical fuel to the offense vs. defense fire ...
 
Using the CHODR ratings from the end of the 1995-96 season, we can compute
a correlation (actually a rank correlation) between Winning Percentage and
the Offensive and Defensive ratings.
 
The results are:
        Winning Pct.  vs.  CHODR Offense rating    r = 0.87
        Winning Pct.  vs.  CHODR Defense rating    r = 0.80
        Winning Pct.  vs.  CHODR Overall rating    r = 0.94
 
So, if we can't have both a strong offense and defense, it appears that
a strong offense is slightly more likely to give a good winning pct.
 
BTW, the (rank) correlation between CHODR offensive and defensive ratings
is r=0.66, probably mostly a reflection of overall stronger talent vs.
weaker talent.
 
Robin Lock
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