Question:

Why was Jordan's era such a weak defensive era?

by  |  earlier

0 LIKES UnLike

-No zone defense

-Barely any double teams

-No traps

From the year 2001, the NBA effectively legalized zone defensive, thus discouraging 1-on-1 play. Compare this to Michael Jordan's weaker era, where had to luxury of playing "iso" all game long. Kobe cannot even post up without getting doubled.

Many people think zone's are weak defenses, that is because so many teams don't play it properly. While they may be weak against great passing teams with shooters, if played properly, zone defenses are great against dominant individuals (Kobe, Garnett, etc) that have a weak supporting cast. The whole world plays zone. Even in College basketball, the "purest" form of basketball, the teams play almost entirely zone defense. Around the world, other countries use zone all the time. And if you want to see its effectiveness, just look at the 2006 summer games.

Furthermore today's NBA is far more competitive. Not only does Kobe have to deal with zone, he goes up against taller, bigger and stronger defenders than Jordan ever did. Back in the 1980's most of the shooting guards Jordan played against were 6''2 to 6''4. Kobe can shoot over shorter players like that with unbelievable efficiency, yet he plays against players that are 6''5 to 6''9. In the 80s, outside of a few good teams (Lakers, Celtics, Pistons, Knicks) there was really not that much competition. Today, even the worst teams in the league (i.e bobcats, hawks) are good and can hold their own with any team they face.

Sure, the 80's was a more physical brand of basketball. But physicality, does not translate into effectiveness. If you ask any great scorer which is harder: 1) Playing with double and triple teams or 2) Having to deal with stiff-arms and armbars, they would chose the former. And furthermore, you think Kobe doesn't face armbars/stiff-arms? How can you guard Kobe without using your hands? It is impossible. With the rules the way they are, Kobe should be getting two free throws on almost every trip down.

 Tags:

   Report

19 ANSWERS


  1. Some of you guys need to learn the game before you speak, especially the guy who started this thread. And those who agreed with him are far beyond hopeless. Research the history of the game and get a clue.


  2. Self-evident again?

    The 90's era has no 3 seconds call. It's amazing some people think that the 2000 era has incredible defense than any era.

    Boy, you should watch the Bad Boys, Rodman and Sir Charles tape.

  3. Exactly!!!

    Removing the zone defense really takes away from the strategy of basketball... But they probably did it so that MJ could exist...

    Zone defense will ALWAYS be the best DEFENSE in basketball.... Because the goal of defense is to make the other team take the lowest percentage shot possible.... and depending on the zone defense you use u can really take away a teams specialty.... like if u play against a team with no outside shooters a 2-3 zone would be the best defense against that team... and theres zone defense for different scenarios....

    I agree a lot of teams lack the fundamentals to play the zone defense effectively....

    This is when extremely talented players like kobe bryant take advantage calling on a double team and opening up his team mates... which before this 2008 season could not make an open shot if their lives depended on it..... 2007 to 2008 is like night a day difference for the lakers, these players CAN make open shots and with kobe making  those open shots happen the team is very succesfull....  

  4. If you are trying to make the argument that Kobe is somehow better than Jordan it isn't working. I am not even a Bulls fan but a Celtics fan.

    I think anyone old enough to have watched both players would be a liar if they chose Kobe. If Jordan were the same age as Kobe was this year and was on the Lakers instead of him the Lakers right now would be the Reigning Champs. The Same goes for Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe cost himself at least 3 more titles by running Shaq out of L.A.

    Edit- I knew it wouldn't take longer than a few minutes to get a thumbs down for telling the truth. The only ones who thinks Kobe is better than Jordan are Kobe and Kobe's Mom.

  5. Zone:

    1) Makes the game look really ugly, just like college or high school ball, albeit with better, stronger players.

    2) Makes 1 on 1 obsolete, so we don't get to see great matchups, anymore, (i.e. Michael Jordan v. Magic Johnson), instead we get Kobe attempting a desperate 3 pointer over at least 3 defenders.

    3) Makes it okay for someone to guard an "AREA," not an opponent, making for a BORING game.

    Thus, the Zone defense has killed the NBA.

  6. There was still the "Bad Boys", Pippen, Jordan, and Chuck.

  7. Yes ...90's was defensively weaker.. I mean Most team shot like 47-49% from FG

    Zone Defense , Double Team and Traps > Hand Checking , 3 sec rule

    Hand checking rule is so overrated .. not even funny ..

    Don't turn this into Kobe VS Jordan ... But 90's defense was weak

    Edit:

    I don't know but .. He is one of the Best ever ..

    D-Rock ... So tell me that individual defense is better than Double team /Zone defense to guard Players like Jordan or Kobe ?

    And Luckly that Jordan never had to go against Hakeem in playoffs

    Cubs are Better-- Go to the subject ... Which Defense is better 90's or 00's ?

    And Shaq wanted 30 mil a year ... or Big long range contract ... and Lakers couldn't afforded .. so yea talk what ever you want...

    Cubs fan -- oohhhh are you too sensitive that you got thumbs down ...and  why are you changing the subject ?

    Question was why 90's defense was so weak .. and all you can come up is Kobe ran Shaq out of LA? pathetic

    Fact-A ... why wouldn't you wanna be Like Mike if your Shooting Guard ? don't try to tell me you don't want to be like Mike ... try not to lie to yourself ...

    Plus Kobe Bryant is more of shooter than Jordan was ...

    -----------------------------

    Trynous - No Perimeter player got to the like more than Jordan before Jordan ? wow you know your stuff..

    it's Not Like Jerry West went to the like 12.3 times for 2 season and averaged 9.5 FTA per game for career

    92-93's NY .. and they did this to Great MJ in Playoffs

    G1 - 10/27 37%

    G2 - 12/32 37.5%

    G3 - 3/18 16.7%

    G4 - 18/30 60%

    G5 - 11/24 45.8%

    G6- 8/24 33.3%

    And in Regular season

    4/20 20% shooting scored 17 points

    15/34 44% shooting scored 42 points ( with 16 FT )

    10/28 35.7% shooting scored 21 points

    And you telling me Jordan never shut down? don't make me laugh

    Ok so .. your saying it's ok to shoot 16, 33 , or low % like that because it's Jordan ... it's ok because Team won .. right ?lol

    Stop being hypocrite man ...

    And Tiny Archibald has averaged over 11 FTA per gam in 70's .. 9.8 , 9.1 , 8 , 7.4 in mid 70's

  8. I agree 100% with Jumping J. Learn some history.

  9. LO... You guys are right.. Team Defenses are better now that they legalized the zone, but individually, players in the 90s were much better defenders than they are now... they were more aggressive, allowed to be more aggressive, and the big men were more dominant... Name a dominating big man in todays game beside Howard, Yao, Stoudemire, and Shaq?

    Which would be compared to Barkley (Who was progressing with Jordan age wise)

    Ewing, Olajuwan, Robinson (How was olajuwan on the decline when he was drafted with Jordan)

    The younger, quicker shaq, sabonis and rodman?


  10. The Offense was just stonger...LOL....

    Yup.It was Weaker without the Zone,It changed the "D" a lot

  11. LOL. How can the zone be devastating with the introduction of the defensive three seconds violation?

    Man you are cracking me up.

    That only means players patrolling the lane can never be there for 4 sec. or you'll be called with a T. That means extra points? LOL.

    And what do you mean stronger defenders? 81 points dropped on your face is great defense? LOL.

    Kobe became unguardable because nobody can hold him down, without the handcheck the defense became A LOT WEAKER.

    And for you to conclude that double teams didn't occur in the 90's that means you're a late bloomer in the sport. And guess what the best defensive players of today are remnants of the 90's (Kobe, Garnett, Mutombo, Duncan, Mourning, Bowen, Ben Wallace, Rasheed well the rest is for you to research... LOL).

    What version of the USA basketball team was deemed untouchable? This year or the yesteryears? I guess many Americans would have loved the same old players representing their flag, the real "Dream Team". LOL.

    Larry Brown in an interview said:

    "The league wants that. You can’t guard anybody anymore, If Michael (Jordan) played today he’d average 60 a game, as much as they call fouls on the perimeter. You’ve got to have people that can keep guards in front of them without fouling. It’s unbelievably important now. And now you need guys that can penetrate and play pick-and-roll and get people involved."

    ...And to think this coach wanted his players to always play the right way.

    Hope this helps.

  12. That argument is pathetic.

    http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11856...

    Jordan>Kobe= Basic math!

  13. have you even watched mj played?...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP-Rm2atz...

    he gets doubled everytime he touches the ball, even before he reaches half court...  the difference between him and kobe is he knows how to break down the double team to either score or make the right pass...  kobe has the luxury of not having to play against true center in this era like mj did in his...  imagine breaking down the double team then going in the lane and having to score over great shotblockers like olajuwon, ewing, robinson, mourning, or mutombo on a daily basis...  who does kobe have to score over in this era?...  undersized centers like amare stoudemire, dwight howard, tim duncan, ben wallace, emeka okafor?...  jordan would score over these guys without flinching...  yao is the only true center size wise but he's not the mobile shotblocker that jordan had to go against...

    the zone defense is only suffocating if players were allowed to stay in the lane longer than 3 seconds... combine the 3 second rule with the handcheck rule ensures that the offensive player could not be touched on the perimeter and help defense in the lane would come later than usual...  just because you support kobe doesn't mean you have to discredit an entire era of basketball...  you cause people to hate kobe even more when you do that...

  14. now that some of the kobe haters answered your question,

    where are your additional details, what wrong cats got your tongue,

    at a loss for words, have a glitch in your brain,

    that proves what?something. you are pathetic.


  15. impossible basketball w/o defense

  16. I Will Admit Good Point But The Real Question

    Why Is This Era So Full Of Jordan Wannabes

    Most Outstanding Of Them All Kobe

    Yeah I Know You Kobe Creeps Come Up With New Ways To Dethrone Jordan But The Truth Is It Can't Happen Worst If Kobe's Every Move Is A Reflection Of M.J. When I See Kobe Play I'm Like I Saw That Before Only Thing Is The Guy Who Did It Did It Better He Was So Good He is Still Called The Greatest

  17. LOL!

    Is this KB42PAH from youtube?

    Your really spreading the word huh?

    I'll just add my 2 cents very quickly...

    # 1 - the hand checking rule is not overrated...IT WAS HUGE for perimeter players when the rules changed. Kobe scored 81 points, three perimeter players averaged over 30 points per game ( 2006, first time in NBA history), players like Iverson, Lebron, Kobe, Carmelo, Wade, were all getting to the 10/11 times a game and Dwayne Wade averaged almost 18 free throws a game in the 2006 NBA Finals...RIDICULOUS. No perimeter player "IN THE MODERN ERA" got to the line that much before Jordan. But the NBA changed the rules so that they can get to the line like Jordan did. Refs call fouls on perimeter players for the slightest touch today, when players in the 90's could be held and pushed on perimeter.

    # 2 - Some zones were allowed, but you can never play true zones because of the 3 second rule. So the lane IS ALWAYS OPEN! Making it easier to get to the rim today.

    # 3 - Because of the Piston's of the 80's and Pat Riley's Heat and Knicks teams of the 90's defense became brutal and physically punishing. Score's continued to decline, to the point where you'd regular see scores in the 80's, 70's, and 60 point range, sometimes even in the 50's. Fans were complaining about the low scoring, DEFENSIVE oriented games and the league began to make several rule changes in order to up the pace, slack defense, and make IT EASIER TO SCORE!

    # 4 - To say Jordan went ISO all day long just killed your whole arguement and exposed you as a "Jordan Hater". No perimeter player has ever been doubled or tripled as much as Jordan. The thing that seperated Jordan was that HE BEAT DOUBLE AND TRIPLE TEAMS regularly. The man had a whole defensive philosophy "The Jordan Rules" devised for him.

    # 5 - Since you mention Kobe, yes he does get doubled and tripled a lot. But what does he do with that defense? Nothing! He's crumbled against the best defense teams i.e. 2004 Pistons and the 2008 Boston Celtics. In the 11 NBA Finals games vs. those teams Kobe was HELD to 24 points per game on 39% shooting. He's wilted against tough defenses, something Jordan never did in his prime. JORDAN WAS NEVER SHUT DOWN! But Kobe on the other hand has been shut down on several ocassions. He has not dominated the competition of HIS ERA, the way Jordan did in his era, regardless of what you think of the differences in today's defense vs. his era.

    # 6 - I'm sure you've seen this video. EVERYONE WHO THINKS JORDAN WENT ISO ALL DAY LONG, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO, and to be fair, I'll post your video of Kobe vs. the zone too.

    Michael Jordan vs. Real Defenses

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5auPSMaD3...

    Kobe vs. Zone Defense

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kYBeNQdS...

    ____________________

    By the way, I'm not a Kobe hater, I love watching the guy play and the Lakers are fun to watch.  Also, I don't consider Jordan the G.O.A.T., although he's the best player I've ever saw. I think there are too many great players to have one G.O.A.T., but to say Jordan's era was weak is crazy. People such as yourself need to stop trying down Jordan to put Kobe on some kind of pedastool.

    ___________________________

    "Esreg"

    Please...stats were extremely inflated in Jerry West's era. 50 points per game, players averaging 20 rebounds per game, and West getting to the line that many times were all due to the run and gun AND MISS style of the 50's and 60's.

    NAME A PLAYER WHO STARTED HIS CAREER IN THE EARLY TO MID 70'S WHO AVERAGED THAT MANY FOUL SHOTS.

    __________________________

    "Esreg"

    The Bulls still won that series, and Jordan exploded for a 54 point performance in game 4.

  18. you must be a late bloomer like darth raven states,

    the traps and the double teams were their, one thing jordan did well was avoid the double team and shoot a fade away jumper,                             if not he slashed toward the basket and even if he burnt the player that was guarding him, there was always a center or a player in the paint without worrying about the 3 second rule, they stayed in there as long as 5-8 seconds,

    jordan got doubled teamed and triple just like kobe, but jordan made better shot selections and watching kobe he makes more forced shots then jordan when double or tripled,

    as for the zone defense, to me that is for a team that some players can't really play 1 on 1 defense, look at paul pierce, james posey, kevin garnett, and some of the players from the 90's, they all play great  1 on 1 defense they shut down kobe int he finals and kevin had his way with gasol,

    joe dumars, dennis rodman, gerald wilkens, gary payton

    john starks, paul pierce,  james posey those are some of the best defenders in the 90's,

    the whole world may play zone cause they really can't play man to man defense cause their slow or not good at defending their player,

    look how the U.S. played in the olympics mostly man to man defense

    --------------------------------------...

    and i like to add one more important information:

    kobe played in the 90's, do you see him playing a zone defense now,

    he enjoys the game more when he's guarding the best player

    on the other team

    and a reminder the double and triple and traps were there in the 90's!!!

  19. You obviously don't know what you're talking about, I can't believe I'm wasting my time on this.

Question Stats

Latest activity: earlier.
This question has 19 answers.

BECOME A GUIDE

Share your knowledge and help people by answering questions.
Unanswered Questions