Greece = The Detroit Pistons

Isiah Thomas, leader of the "Bad Boys"

Greece defender Avraam Papadopoulos. Fun fact: 80% of Greece's players are named "Papadopoulos," and 90% are defenders.

In 2004, both Greece and the Pistons unexpectedly won championships with teams that made up for a lack of star power with outstanding defense. Since then, however, neither team has done much, and their homes have turned into economic wastelands.

The Greeks defeated host nation Portugal in the final of Euro 2004; and the Pistons of Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Ben Wallace & Co. knocked off the last Lakers team to feature both Shaq and Kobe (along with aging Karl Malone and Gary Payton trying to pick up rings). Not all defensive football is created equally. Some systems resemble a full-court press in basketball and can lead to some exciting matches (the way Atlético Madrid plays under Diego Simeone is a great example of this). Then at the other end of the spectrum, you have Greece's brand of defense, which takes "parking the bus" to new extremes. In 24 major international tournament matches all time, Greece has scored just 18 goals (yes, Mr. "Soccer is Boring" American, that's extremely low even by the standards of this sport). As one can imagine, this earns the team a lot of criticism from non-Greek fans and media; but the Greeks say they're just playing tactics that get the most out of limited talent. While the 2004 Pistons weren't criticized for their style of play, the "Bad Boys" Pistons of the late 1980s and early 90s can certainly relate.

Greece enters the 2014 World Cup with their usual crew of stout defenders and a lack of midfield creativity and scoring punch. German coach Joachim Löw once described playing against Greece as "like biting into a rock." (That could also describe what it's like to watch them.) The names may change, but the team never really does. Fortunately for them, they ended up in wide open Group C, where they have as good a chance to advance as anyone. For the sake of entertainment value, let's hope they don't.