Michael Jordan vs. Knick's Defense - An Analysis

[@yanhaohe5545]

Some fans are not happy watching Jordan miss shots, but that is not the point of the video. This video is just showing what people did in those years in attempt to oppose a team with a super-super player like Jordan.

[@maskedavenger2621]

Yanhao He but he still scorched them

[@ricardolozano5356]

every one misses shots

[@UpLikeWade]

7:52 "On this play Jordan would love a 3 second rule" LOL , wow Jordan was so amazing. Wish I was old enough to see him play live.

[@predragmarinkovic2716]

Things that Craig Sager said on 7:00 of the video sums up everything:'' John Starks uses not one,but both hands to CHECK him(M.Jordan) on the perimeter,and push him and shove him in the paint''.If you would allow that today in the NBA more than half of these NBA super star who play in the bac court would go to the rim two-three times a game, on half court defense. I recently watched NBA finals of 2012(The flop finals), and NCAA 2012 mens championship basketball game. Oh man,those college kids play tougher game than so called NBA stars.

[@scorpionJB]

the flop finals....lolll..amen.....a travesty...

[@airtime23]

"but today's defenders are so much more athletic..blablablablablabla"

[@Bishop30]

damn, they are just straight flanking him. I knew Jordan was amazing but these defenses he's facing are another testament to his ability. I doubt the stars of today would be able to flourish like they do now facing this..

[@swishman7175]

Great analysis about how Jordan dealed with defense back then. It requires a lot of skills other than game habilities. Crazy stamina to be able to perfomance at great level during all the game. Also strenght to be able to attack the basket and endure the hits. His concrentation have to be so high, if not, is imposible to lead a team for 4 wins out of 7 games againts this Knicks team.

[@NoLongerGrilling]

Honestly, this comment is so underrated. Stamina needed to play in this era would have to be god tier in a 7 game series. Curry and Harden already struggle with stamina so they would struggle in that regard. Curry struggles when defense gets physical and due to running around so much on offense. Harden’s stamina is always suspect in the playoffs nowadays mostly bc he worries so much about regular season. LeBron has had cramps sometimes but he would be the least affected since he already plays almost all game during playoffs. But with more physical defense, he certainly would get even more tired. So the fact that Jordan did what he did during that era considering all this, is just insane man.

[@TheSands83]

@@NoLongerGrillingwe saw what curry did in 2016 finals when it got physical the last 3 games he completely collapsed 😂

[@baka825]

It pains me to see all the comments from LBJ fans discrediting Michael Jordan, as if he had Korver, JR Smith, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love on his team. The reason why the defense was able to sag off the other guys was because of their poor 3pt shooting, if Jordan had those shooters on his team, Knicks wouldn't have been able to clog the lane. I don't know what ball you guys have been watching, but the ball I watch, Michael Jeffrey Jordan is indeed the best to have ever played the game.

[@imsljr420]

"poor 3 pt shooting"? WTF? paxson, Armstrong, Hodges, tucker, Hanson. you call them poor shooters? then kucok, Kerr, buchler.

[@nothingnothing7621]

@@imsljr420 ahahhahaaa idiot

[@imsljr420]

@Alfredo Duro they had all the players I mentioned. Not tucker he came the following year and replaced Hodges.

[@imsljr420]

@@nothingnothing7621 wow you sure proved me wrong with that comment.

[@imsljr420]

@Alfredo Duro look up the word THEN. meaning LATER.

[@YLT85]

this was when basketball was exciting to watch...not just cos of jordan, but because of how the league used to play as a whole. it was so much more intense and physical in these days than today. wish the nba would change its rules back to the jordan era. i would love to see how the players of today handle defenses like that of the 90's knicks.

[@mrsta8541]

I had the privilege of watching Jordan's career from the time he was a freshman at North Carolina; this really brought back some fond memories of those Knicks-Bulls bloodbaths (thank you!), & helps illustrate why, to my mind, Michael Jordan is the greatest all around shooting guard in the history of the NBA. I think he did more things well than any single basketball player I ever saw. This is a nice video; good job, Mike.

[@geronjenkins18]

What's crazy is that Jordan was getting shut down some times and they still were beating the Knicks smh. Sucks that Ewing never won a ring.

[@terucks]

I know right. . . .that's to show basketball is a ultimate TEAM game. No man scores all of the team points. . .Maybe 50/50, but not 100%. :-)

[@ddp5406]

The Bulls took the knicks 7 without jordan

[@turtleislandlac1490]

@@ddp5406 That Bulls team that took the Knicks to 7 had Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc on the same team, something Jordan never had. And Horace made the All-Star team. And that team also had the best three point shooter of the first threepeat -- B.J. Armstrong and the best shooter of the second threepeat -- Steve Kerr on the same team. B.J. also made the all star team that year.

[@ddp5406]

@@turtleislandlac1490 kucoc was a role playing bench player tho...he defitnitely showee his impact especially in the playoffs..but pippen, grant and BJ were the driving force of that team...the same core jordan had for his 1st 3peat, great team Jordan would then get kucoc, rodman, and kerr to add to the dynamic duo of himself and pippen Jordan is special no doubt, but its unfair to act like jordan winning 6 titles in the 90s during the expansion while having such a good team is substantially better than what we have seen Lebron do over the last 18 years

[@shupactakur8243]

@@ddp5406 the reason jordan might not seem as impactful as lebron is bc he sacrificed his stats and accepted playing in a real system. When u run an equal opportunity offense it makes it much easier to integrate new players in place of former ones. For a vast majority of his career lebron has played in the lbj system, dominating the ball, stuffing the stat sheet, have everything resolve around him, and that makes his teams much worse when he's on the bench or if he decides to leave.. Its pretty clear to me that mj has had less overall help than lebron yet he's won more. Lebron is still a phenomenal player, i have him in my top 5, but i cant put him in the convo for goat.

[@plasticwrapcharlie]

this is a really cool video. Jordan was still performing, but this video shows that even a living legend is not unstoppable. Good defensive technique can really drop limitations on even the best players.

[@ChaosCat79]

LeBron, though fast, would have struggled to keep up with Jordan during his athletic prime, between 84 to 93. Jordan holds the NBA record for MOST blocked shots for a shooting guard! For two successive seasons MJ collected over 100 blocks (as well as 200 + steals at the same time, a feat no guards has done before or since)! Everything else you said I kinda agree with.

[@zdzichudyrma23]

this clip simply shows that jordan when forced out of paint and even out of ball possession still scored his 30 etc with great percentages and won his matches overall. imagine lebron out of paint(i saw that few times) he will struggle with his jumper if needed to create shots constantly, he can shot better now but just look what jordan is doing with ball and his body balance, i mean seriously who ever played some average solid bball see it straight away.someone said lebron is tremendous assister when doubled or forced out, well maybe check jordan stats as well.bulls coped with this focus on mj by slowly adding right players to help him out to open floor but still it was his presence and talent to deliver pretty easily when they build solid team later.never was big fan of him or hater of lebron actually admire their respective skills but who had pleasure to witness era of jordan on daily basic in most cases will say jordan wasnt only best bball player ever but also arguably best sportsman ever with his impact and skill and talent and physical abilities and gap between rest of the pack in one of the most competitive and athletic overall sport where skill can do great but brain play team as well.jordan was complete from every angle

[@sllim02]

That's quite a walk at 5:20. :) It almost should belong on a blooper reel.

[@ATaurusVisual]

DAMN I KNOW RIGHT.

[@blacknapalm]

great explanations, this is why i regard MJ's 55 the best in MSG. those knicks teams were fierce and practically the 90s version of the detroit bad boys. no layups! i will never argue that MJ was an elite passer, but he knew when to pass. one of my favorite moments was when MJ got into mcdaniel's face in the playoffs when he tried to shove pippen. MJ would absolutely destroy today's league.

[@EvilZeroSc]

This just shows the greatness of Jordan and that he is not gonna let any defense stop him from pounding it in the inside

[@DNY21]

didn't you see how defense collapsed on the paint every time MJ tried to drive? post play is easier now because you have all these shooters waiting to get open, which makes double teams more difficult. back then there weren't many shooters.

[@zendo09]

i admit the 80's and 90's defense was the tough defensive era ...

[@MrVegiita]

That was an excellent summary of Knicks defense on Jordan. Thanks for posting.

[@酎ハイ飲んだらいい感じ]

You know why your videos are great? Because you give a chance to the people who weren't there to see Jordan back then, you give them a taste of what Jordan went through in order to accomplish the legacy everyone knows about. For many, Jordan is just the highlights...nothing more. But your videos give a glimpse at the constant struggle Jordan and his team had to put up to bulid what would later become a legacy.

[@yakubamansaray4676]

This is absolutely phenomenal content. Incredibly informative.

[@Edd1e8]

"The Knicks liked using Starks on Jordan because Starks was the best at staying in front of him." I don't know if you remember, but Riley like using Rolando Blackman against Jordan. As a savvy vet, Blackman would give Jordan all kinds of trouble with his quick feet and not falling for his fakes. If you're referring to the 1st 3-peat, I remember plenty of stats shown by NBC during that time that Jordan's shooting % dropped considerably against the Knicks. Is it really above 50%?

[@mikester8821]

Thanks Colt, I tried to include a little bit of everything in this one!

[@manforwoman2]

Please add another clips like that! Your clips are awesome!

[@bohallor]

Watching this takes me back to a time when I enjoyed watching the NBA. People who compare Kobe or Lebron to Michael really just don't seem to understand what changed in basketball from '90 to '00 to '10. "Michael Jordan is God playing basketball."-Larry Bird

[@baltjones]

To bring up a comment made a few days ago about 1997. Bulls/Knicks in ECF that year would have been amazing. Knicks were on fire, sweeping the first round, up 3-1 on the Heat, and then the bench-clearing brawl happened. It would have been an incredible series - I would assume Bulls would have prevailed, but it would have gone 6 or 7.

[@mikester8821]

No no no. Im glad you pointed it out. When i typed that I really meant to say that they played man to man (same style). Im happy you pointed it out so others wont be confused.

[@PaulDaTruthPierce]

This video really triggered you lol 😂. Shot chart shows that in Game 1, MJ got 2 layups/dunks and 21 jump shots. In game 2, he had 5 layups/dunks and 19 jump shots.

[@sopa71479]

your referring to a career mikenot i was posting in response to kb42pah's post when he mentioned Finals, MJ faced a variety of defenders both shorter and taller throughout his career, but i was mostly pointing to kb42pah regarding his finals opponents and the players that mostly defended him.

[@sopa71479]

up until recently a defensive player was allowed to camp in the paint, but now the league has a 3 sec def rule that states no defender can be in the paint for more than 3 seconds if not its a technical foul against the defense. So the paint can be filled with defenders ready to stop dribble penetration to the rim and gives them a better chance for rebounding

[@kOrOne79]

Just a reminder, those are not isolated incidents. One could make a ten minute clip that features such defensive play of every Bulls-Knicks game in 1992. If you're still new to the NBA and haven't watched 90s basketball at all, the 1992 Bulls-Knicks series is highly recommended. Great job as usual, Mike. What's your next project?

[@mrjooxmanallah]

I don’t know what Phil is bitching about. The 90s knicks were a very physical defensive team but they were nowhere near as dirty as the Pistons. Their spacing and recovery off double/triple teams were excellent. But nah, they weren’t dirty.

[@mikester8821]

Great points. Thanks for watching!

[@cp3cp33]

amazing rotation by the knicks...3 second rule would have gotten jordan to 40+ easily...you could run iso every time if you wanted

[@williamwalsh1533]

Freeze at 9:51. You have to give some sort of a comparison to give us s perspective. You could use the top 5 points per game scorers in NBA history and compare the percentage of their 50 point games against winning opponents.

[@sopa71479]

i agree with your mike there is that old nba saying "live by the 3, die by the 3" hell in 2000 in the blazers series the lakers ALMOST shot themselved out of the playoffs with a 3-1 series lead and they decided to jack up 20 3pt attempts a game. With Kobe's skill he should take it to rim and not settle for the 3 he is too good of a player for that.

[@IdkMaybeShawn]

Not many teams use true zones today, but that wasn't the only kind of defense that was illegal. The most popular form of defense today is Tom Thibodeau's (designed the D for the 08 celtics and the current Bulls), where you always overload the strong side and collapse on any action in the paint. This was mostly illegal during Jordan's day. A weakside defender could not leave his man unless it was to directly double team the ball. It made post play was much easier back then.

[@boogieloo1831]

IdkMaybeShawn - what an asinine comment, lol. Scoring skyrocketed in 04-05 and each subsequent year because defenses couldn't do what they used to which was pack the paint and use physical defense on players. It's as if you didn't watch this video or conveniently ignore reality. Today's game is twice as regulated with countless more rules that prevent you from playing effective defense. Stop watching moronic videos by kids on YT trying desperately to make up nonsense and ignore reality and facts.

[@andgar923]

This is why I hate youtube. I didn't know about this vid til somebody added the vid to their favs. BRILLIANT VID!!!! Can't wait for the next one, if I don't post immediately somebody please let me know about it. Thanks

[@FreshZerglings]

you should do a analysis of containing Yao. If you watched videos of Yao Ming playing during 2005-08, you'll see how teams double team and even triple team him and try to stop him from catching the ball

[@turtleislandlac1490]

Just came off a Kobe vs. zone defenses video where they claim Jordan "never faced" that type of defense. LOL The Knicks are literally doing the same thing here. In fact, this defense is tougher because the Knicks were allowed to be physical and handcheck/steer Jordan in another direction. And with no defensive three seconds call, Ewing could just camp in the lane and swat shots in a way today's players have never dealt with. Just because zones were "banned" doesn't mean it was enforced that often.

[@airtime23]

Nice vid I can't think of ANY player that would have survived that kind of defense other than Jordan !!

[@wizeman5974]

The biggest reason why the Knicks (ironically my favorite team) could never beat the Bulls with Jordan, was because by the time the Knicks starting playing Chicago regularly in the playoffs, their defense was based on Detroit's "Jordan Rules" and Chicago overcame this defensive strategy when they swept the Pistons in '91. I think in any other era, these Knicks could have won a championship. But Chicago with Jordan, the support cast, and Jackson as coach, they simply would not be denied.

[@balbs90]

All I got to say is that I have never seen a person drive, and all 5 opposing players collapse the key. Truly shows that MJ had to be someone amazing if the defense had to put all their players just to contest.

[@psychomajoreflex]

@nreid310 It affected his drive to the basket, in which he had to cross over his defender to penetrate through the handchecking. Otherwise, he'd have a very good path to the basket despite how close the defender is fronting him

[@airtime23]

Don't want to start another Kobe/MJ debate but I think it's safe to say that a series such as this would have been an absolute nightmare for Kobe. There is no way he could have led his team past these Knicks !!!

[@primetime99]

great video, excellent analysis.

[@LakersDynasty42]

I think the best players in the NBA now would have done fine in the 80's and 90's if they were used to that contact. It was definitely more of a thinking game back then and if you forced shots then it could really cost you. The league as a whole in past decades was way smarter than the NBA as a whole now.

[@ChaosCat79]

Dude, back in the late 80's/early 90's there was no such thing as the defensive 3 sec rule. Centers or any defender for that matter, could camp out in the lane as long as they liked, therefore giving the defense an insurance policy for whenever wing defenders are beaten off the dribble.

[@bolder2009]

"but I don't see how it is difference from nowadays' games" There are many things that are different. The fact that a centre could stay in the paint and protect the rim without a time violation is just one example. Removing hand checking is another big difference. Now they wouldn't be able to touch him without commiting a foul. The physicality is gone. The NBA stated that the rules were changed for the benefit of perimeter offence. In other words they made it easier to score. BIG difference!

[@rrTale]

You rock Mike I love this. Genious

[@chitownkidd33]

Great Vid Mikester!

[@LakersDynasty42]

Defenders now don't try to physically harm great players because of how strict the league is.

[@sopa71479]

the beginning of the series SChremf was guarding MJ in games one and 2 Schremf worked so had defensively that it took away from him offensively so he The Glove on MJ and aside from the game 3 shooting display MJ put on the glove, Payton defended MJ pretty damn good giving him his worse finals numbers of his career.

[@mikester8821]

Also, I didnt mean to leave out wilkins. I added wilkins in there too.

[@nwa974]

the fact is for many centuries left and future, MJ was and still A NIGHTMARE FOR ALL DEFENSE

[@yuubokumin415]

Excellent video!

[@Janath1994]

Michael Jordan is the model for pure hardwork

[@jimvols]

what rules are you talking about? I'm ignorant on this topic. Is it that teams used to only be able to play man-to-man or that now there is defensive three second fouls? I'd like to know the rule evolution if anyone knows....

[@sopa71479]

no zone, but they got away with playing zone quite a few time but there was always big, either a center or a PF waiting in the paint in case of penetration

[@whsie1]

It's more like a quasi zone. The illegal defense was partially eliminated because it was nearly impossible to administer. Most referees just don't call it.

[@mikester8821]

He does have more, thanks for spotting that. I fixed it.

[@airtime23]

I have to agree with the blitz on this one. I think there is no defense in today's game that can be compared to Pistons/Knicks

[@kOrOne79]

:) I wasn't talking about the secret vid, Mike. I should have made that more clear though. My bad. I'm looking forward to your next vids. Whatever the subject is, it'll be interesting.

[@mariusz666666]

at 5:22 its hilarious how he was just steppin with the ball

[@michaelhitzinger2991]

did no one noticed that there are a some szenes which haven´t happend in the series? Best example is @2:58 ... i´m pretty sure jordan didn´t run to the lockerroom and switched his shirt to number 45

[@atm1919]

I love watching old film like this... Kobe cries when he doesn't get a call on a fade away J. The game has changed but I know Kobe couldn't have played at as high of a level if he had to deal with Rick Mahorn, Rodman, Starks and Oakley back in the day. That 80 pt game Kobe had when they were up like 18+ pts would not have happend back in the day. Someone would have knocked him on his ass until the Phil pulled him, or he got hurt. You never saw Jordan scoring 50+ pts when the bulls were up by 20

[@pablogrijalva1581]

I remember just how fun those Knicks-Bulls games were back in the 90's. Damn, If only NY did not had such a crappy offense. Ewing was the only true scorer and they were horrible at the line. So many games in which NY lost by 1 or 2 points while missing 12 to 15 free throws per night. Knicks were the only team that really challenged Jordan in his prime. Everyone else...Lakers, Sonics, Magic, Jazz, Blazers, etc. Just got ran over.

[@turtleislandlac1490]

Ignorant fans who didn't watch this era don't understand the Knicks and Pistons were actually using zones on Jordan. You can see how the rule was loosely enforced as the Knicks used careful spacing to spy on Jordan at all times. IN fact, these defenses were tougher because there was no defensive three second rule. Young and Oakley could stay in the lane all game.

[@酎ハイ飲んだらいい感じ]

At 7:11...can you please explain me what Jordan is mad about? I want to know what those crazy looking eyes meant! Thank you.

[@psychomajoreflex]

@Disposable5 also MJ had a vertical leap and longer hangtime than kobe, was also quick, had the first step, and lateral quickness

[@Tankema123]

this just shows how much better jordan is than everyone today, there is no one today that gets 4 players defending just them..

[@neboyd]

this is a perfect example before we compare Jordan to anyone else

[@mikester8821]

Yea, i changed my description, I didnt mean to say the celts were as good.

[@Marksc11]

Where are all the crushing jumpers from Pax off the double team?

[@mikester8821]

I see what you mean. I should have said that the Celtics used the same defensive scheme or something. Like "the celtics used man to man defense with great help rotation" Ill change it.

[@psychomajoreflex]

@Evenmixer i believe 20 is max, i wouldn't go as low as 15 per se, but kobe of course being the weaker and the slower of the two you mentioned would barely score 20 ppg maximum under this defensive scheme

[@mikester8821]

I didnt want to put them in the same class. I mistyped that is all. I meant to say that the celtics used man. So i changed it.

[@TheODLawson23]

I miss the 80's and 90's NBA basketball. I grew up watching Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley and many more! Today of NBA is shit crap!

[@steveforprez03]

Imagine what he could do against the current Knicks defense

[@hpFLYBOY89]

@moybutter First i wanna say your analysis was brilliant,but theres one flaw, Kobe grew up playing street ball in philly,so the physical aspect of the game is familiar territory.That being said if a person pays close attention to Lakers games you'll see that Kobe is fouled at least one time each possession,but the ref can't call every foul so he compensates by calling the hard and important ones.

[@whsie1]

dude, that guy is a troll. People don't seem to realize that defenses can't be as good because of rule restrictions that opened up the paint and driving lanes. The best defenses today (Bulls with Tom Ts overload) are basically the ones that best work around those rules. The end goal- packing the paint and defending the 3- are still the same. To adapt to the rules, defenses today are tactically more advanced, but not better (same goals, same philosophy, just a round-about way of getting there).

[@deadlyshooter2031]

@tl1828 The Celtics could not stand in the paint for an extended period of time, whereas the Knicks could load up and wait in the paint for Michael to attack. Also, the level of physicality that the Knicks utilized was nowhere near what the Celtics' defense did. Point being, Michael played against the more physical defense and won, whereas Kobe in 2008, struggled tremendously.

[@uberathlete]

Agreed. Add to the fact that Lebron has done this in an era with no handchecking and much less physical defenses. People don't understand how tiring it is fighting through the handchecking with and without the ball. Yet MJ played both ends of the court all while being beat down.

[@whsie1]

Tactically the modern defense is superior (but not better in quality) out of necessity because if you play the same way with the current rules, the quality of your defense will go way down. In the late 80/early 90s, there was no reason to play the current overload defenses because it was redundant when your front court could stay in the paint.. You can achieve the same result with less people, which places less stress on the perimeter defenders (the 3 point close out).

[@Edd1e8]

To say the Jordan "scored easily" is definately a different perspective than I remember. I HATED New York back then, and I remember plenty of occasions where Jordan would get swatted by Ewing. I really thought the Bulls were in trouble when they were down 0-2 one year (I believe '92?) Yes, Jordan eventually mastered the Knick's D, but I give lots of credit to Tex Winter / PJ and the rest of the role players in the triangle. Movement and good passing is what the Bulls never got credit for.

[@rGGdom]

This video laughs at the face of people saying Jordan couldn't play against zone defense, or even worse those who say today's is not easier to score.

[@mikester8821]

Thanks. Why did you write "hmmm" on my channel?

[@kawaiiafangirl]

Jordan would still be a great player in today's game (possibly even greater). The Knicks' defense was in an era of physicality, no zone-defense, and no 3-second rule whereas today, Jordan would have to face a zone defense but no hand-checking/ physicality and a 3-second violation. He'd also have more floor-spacing bc of the amount of 3s players shoot nowadays. I won't say whether or not a particular era is greater, but I do think Jordan would succeed regardless.

[@NoLongerGrilling]

The 3 second rule was implemented in 1936 but players got away with it. Zone defense was illegal but players still got away with it. Only constant was the physicality and hand checking allowed made it much tougher to score specially in an era with awful spacing. Imagine what MJ could do in today’s era if players couldn’t wear him down consistently with physical D and hand checking. Plus, him having a team full of shooters like LeBron constructs his own team. Jordan would be averaging more assists, maybe as much as LBJ, grab more long rebounds bc of a lot of 3s being shot, and would still score a ton due to the easy open lanes and his ability to shoot over any defense. Not to mention he could shoot the 3 when he wanted, he just didn’t want to. It’s just crazy how much better Jordan stats would be in this era.

[@BeasTxMode2000]

all good points, but coming into the league at 18 would take you longer to mature and Jordan always had Pippen who led the bulls to a 55-27 win season and to the semi finals without Jordan. Pippen was a BEAST!

[@Bullsfan2008DR]

What you mean to say is lets see Lebron play before hand checking and forearm pushing were legal. Lebron doesnt face the triple teams Jordan faced. He gets more one on one battles. Lets see Lebron shoot 60% when 7 footers like Ewing, Olajowon, Shaq and David Robinson could camp in the lane with no defensive three second calls.

[@MrJ1S]

what was lebron complaining about again? he labeled what jimmy butler and kirk did to him as "hard fouls"? LOL hes never seen a real defense in his life. lets see him shoot 60 no lets see him shoot 45% w/ no dunks and only 3 layups in 2 games

[@Kingvom]

if your talking about the 81 pts kobe scored that year in 2006 against the raptors who had one of the worst defensive rating, they ranked 29 out of 30 now that is how bad they were!

[@ArmandoKozomara]

its almost the same as the video of KOBE VS CELTICS ZONE DEFENCE in the finals.

[@DNY21]

MJ was a great passer, and he still faced double teams on a consistent basis. weak argument.

[@boogieloo1831]

If you can't recognize how much more difficult these defenses are than today's spread open no touch defense, than you don't understand the game at all. The number of bodies alone in the paint would render all of today's perimeter guys who drive the lane unimpeded, helpless. These guys are also using their hands and forearms with physical resistance on bodies. And finally, today's players are constantly bailed by refs and today's scoring is inflated because these guys today constantly get to the free throw line with even the slightest contact.

[@NoLongerGrilling]

All facts. But the biggest reason why these 2-3 defense worked back then was bc of spacing or lack there of. If these shooters from today played back then, they wouldn’t be able to play 2-3 effectively bc they would be forced to guard up or get destroyed with raining 3s. However, the combination of more shooters and weaker inside defenders/open lanes/weak ass soft rules definitely makes it easier for players like Harden and LeBron to thrive in. If the spacing from today was coupled with tough physical defense and hand checking would be allowed, then the game would be much more interesting and enjoyable to watch. It would be much harder to score and the defense would have an equal chance to compete with the offensive talent in the league. As it is though, offensive players get waaaay too much preference and defenders get punished too much for playing defense. Which directly translates to the inflated scoring numbers that we see now (which sucks btw). Watching blowouts is unwatchable and i don’t know why league thinks this is better for the game smh. But as long as it attracts casuals and keep making their money from China, they give 0 fucks about the game. And it’s sad smh.

[@rob23molina]

You gotta thank teams like the knicks & pistons for helping to motivate and ultimately make MJ a better player. I think a lot of today's stars have it a little easier without the hard fouls and intimidation that's why i can not agree with comparisons to MJ. They aren't even close. MJ is great..

[@xabishonizt]

Can the maker of this video create one showing how he beat traps and double teams on the regular. i think that is WAY WAY WAY more interesting.

[@xabishonizt]

+slimtempe I take that back there is a ton of that in this vid. But seriously, every shot with contact is a foul nowadays. Imagine if Jordan was allowed to flop or swing thru on a shot to draw a foul. He'd avg 45 a game in this era.

[@xabishonizt]

+slimtempe Also, if his team mates could freakin shoot, he could avg 10 assists :)

[@smpl90s]

this is a great video.

[@Bullsfan2008DR]

Yeah, on occasion 7-footers would be in foul trouble. But it doesn't change the fact that Lebron is facing weaker defenses. In fairness to Lebron though, he would be more successful playing in Jordan's era than Kobe would because Lebron is stronger and can take the hits.

[@arasseo_wakarimashita3904]

Watch closely kids...this is what defense is...prove that lebron can do anything if real defense employed, that 1st round game againts pacers, look at the defense, its floating zone, they clogged the lanes before they can make inside the zone area...this how jordan rules worked...since zone illegal back then, they used it, its legal since its outside the zone area...same defense use by celtics againts kobe way back 2008 finals