The Triangle Offense Explained - How It Helped Michael Jordan Lead The Bulls To Championships

[@elboogie2324]

Correction: The Pistons employed the Jordan Rules in the late 90's. They did that in the mid-to-late 80's.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Oh gosh! I totally meant to say late 80s - thank you

[@bbq-n-football_fan]

The Jordan rules were a defensive strategy effectively employed by the Pistons in the 88, 89 & 90 season. The rules were basically to force Michael left, double from various angles with size and everytime he came into the paint or went by you on a drive or screen, hit him hard. By 1991 with the improved play of his Bull teammates and his emerging trust in Coach Jackson and the triangle offense, the rules were no longer a deciding factor.

[@Grace-zz5dd]

I never understood the triangle. You explained it very well

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@ralph.aguinaldomd]

As great as Jordan was individually, the Triangle is a huge reason he became the GOAT. 🐐

[@02REESE]

No it wasn't. He didn't play out of it when he was player of the year in college, not when he beat NBA all star squads on the way to leading USA to his first gold medal and all the way up to 1989 of his pro career. He was considered the best player ever before Phil Jackson became his coach. As a matter of fact it was implemented with his exceptional skill set in mind. Not just anyone can operate out of it. That's why that warriors don't run it completely, Scottie couldn't complete the task in Jordan's absence and Kobe needed above average big men.

[@TazthepitRIP]

If that's the case we would see Jordan like replication AND WE HAVE NOT. Kobe was close but he was still a knock off and imo will be the closest thing to ever replicate that mans dominant game. Jordan was levels above anyone on the court both his IQ and skill level. LeBron has the IQ but his skill set is NOWHERE near as deep as MJs is. LeBron is a very one dimensional player who has relied on his athleticism plus his size

[@t.r.o.y.therighteousobeysy8358]

Facts

[@t.r.o.y.therighteousobeysy8358]

Facts

[@kray97]

The Triangle was such an elegant system to watch.

[@friendlymorgan8599]

Jordan‘s speed and his jumping height is unbelievable

[@ThePrufessa]

The exceptionally high vertical translates to horizontal explosiveness. It only makes sense that the player with the highest vertical was also the fastest and quickest (two different things) player as well.

[@TazthepitRIP]

His vertical was 40" coming out of college which was an NBA record for a very long time

[@hubes96]

The Triangle offense also made it much easier to understand what you were watching as Jr. high kid. You knew what you were watching and the options available to know where and what to watch for. Someone else said it was elegant offense to watch! A very true statement in deed!

[@ap7498]

The triangle ran efficiently with good players is a thing of beauty

[@jxn23]

I really miss this style of basketball. It was so much better to watch than one guy dribbling the ball 30 times and then jacking up a horrible 3 pointer

[@jonbill1333]

Triangle stopped working when the NBA got rid of illegal defense

[@timmyg831]

I remember watching Harden do that iso ball in Houston and teammates just standing around and then he’d just throw up a 3. Over and over again. I stopped watching

[@jayrod0603]

Did you see 2024 all star game. Pathetic

[@laurenceroberttampushalpin183]

That's the modern basketball 😂

[@festusaniemeka3350]

Mike use to do that till he played in a system so ur point is moot all pure scorers do that

[@ThePrufessa]

So far this is the best video explaining the triangle I've ever seen.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you so much!!

[@jamesbrickner5159]

Implemented by Phil Jackson, and his assistant Tex Winter ( the man who invented it)

[@jetscapo9737]

Jordan the best midrange and post play lb for lb the NBA has ever seen. Guy was a fckn machine.

[@MFA16]

Great job breaking down the triangle! Fun and informative

[@a.k.4486]

If God was once disguised in Michael Jordan then the Triangle ultimately was the Holy Trinity in disguise 😄

[@ModernMan23]

Well done! Used to watch every televised Bulls game in the 90's as a kid. Triangle offense was a well oiled machine

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@Ola-rb7rz]

Such a clear description! Thanks a lot

[@user-ff1ez5sy5h]

good stuff. i enjoyed the analysis and examples. good info for fans, hoopers, scouts and coaches alike. a solid offense. and like all solid offenses (and there are quite a few) it systemizes floor spacing, ball movement and player movement. and has multiple options for players to read in all 3 of these areas. for example, sometimes the spacing will be more spread (and balanced). and sometimes overloaded (clearout). you can see why you only need 2 creative scorers on the floor at any time. and 1 will actually suffice. and more than 2 can actually be problematic unless the additional creative scorers can stay disciplined within the system and give scoring opportunities time to unfold. a winning offensive basketball system will have spacing, ball movement and player movement guidelines. and at minimum 2 actions/options for any given situation. but heady, experienced players will find way more than 2. finally. any solid offensive system will be built on some fundamental tenets. 1) cutting towards the ball 2) backdoor cuts 3) ball screens 4) offball screens 5) purposeful dribbling.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you! And awesome comment - specifically your point on overloading towards one side of the floor can be a great counter to zone defenses

[@jonbill1333]

The issue with the triangle not working in the current NBA is the removal of illegal defense

[@roger_rivas]

Dude! This vid is great. Thee best breakdown of the triangle. Love the Phil Jackson voice sound bites!

[@pjpj2639]

Yes every player didn’t need the ball in their hands testing their “handles” …..you can pass the ball much faster than dribbling….fundamentals …..golden state actually did a nice job of passing the ball in their best years… but oh yeah Steve Kerr was a bull.

[@sbeallvln]

In the late 80s, not 90s.

[@TazthepitRIP]

Don't understand what you're saying here but the triangle wasn't implemented with the bulls until like 89 or 90

[@sbeallvln]

He mistakenly said that Detroit implemented the Jordan Rules in the late 90s.

[@sevendubbz160]

Icy 🥶 Mike!!!

[@MD-584]

Great video bro 💯

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@PrinceCity007]

Good stuff man

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@Blueblackngold]

Holy crap he has a voice. This is tremendous

[@5stardetailingllc471]

It was not the late 90’s when the Piston’s were giving the Bulls problems. It was the late 80’s.

[@coreyamerson2926]

Awesome vid bro

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@wingman-1977]

Great content. Auto like.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@iwishiwasthomasshelby]

Love your technical videos. Can you do one explaining what exactly Doc Rivers is doing in terms of offense? The players say he doesn't coach and tells them to coach themselves. Can you please break down why he is so bumbling so people can understand? Thanks.

[@TheOrthodoxMoor]

Great breakdown

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@huckfin1598]

Great video

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Thank you!

[@9kevtorres]

this is a great video. are there breakdown drills for implementing this offense?

[@TazthepitRIP]

Yes they shouldn't be hard to find the triangle was a very big topic of discussion and I know a ridiculous amount of hours have been committed to studying it and seeing how to try and effectively stop it. This was really effective when ran by Phil other have tried and ame nowhere near the success Phil was able to obtain with it

[@tonyandrade7859]

Those fadeAway shoots are difficult to make MJ was a genius

[@keithbradley1197]

Dennis rodman explained the triangle offense as well as anyone

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Very true

[@alfredmayes5005]

What’s interesting is that given the tremendous success of this style offense, why is no team running it today? Hmm…let me guess, the proliferation of the 3pt shot, which is ruining basketball.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

A lot of triangle concepts are still used today, it’s just that the entire system isn’t used anymore. But yes, with post ups being viewed as less efficient, and the Triangle being a post heavy offense, that probably plays into it a lot

[@alanoranday4448]

I'd been debating the same for awhile. I used to think the game was being ruined by such a tactic. The truth of the matter, having played basketball in multiple eras, proliferation also means 'more skilled at'. Just like the 80s saw the rise of dominant big men, the 90s the dominant scoring wing, 00s the the ball dominant PG, 2010s had the emergence of the stretch 4 or and 5 than the 'D and 3' specialist, this game is ever-evolving. 'Ruined' is too harsh a term.

[@robertbloom4424]

The Nuggets basically run a variation of this offense with a little more pick and roll when Murray is hot.

[@jmsflora279]

5:28: Kerr gets demolished by Karl Malone, what a pick by Kerr. Wow

[@ThePrufessa]

Yeah I saw that too but the freeze frame also made it more noticeable. But I've noticed it just from watching highlights over the years. In the finals you lay it all on the line for your squad.

[@adamlauer1096]

I think Phil was Tex's assistant

[@angelopayne5828]

Really ❤

[@terrenceliburd8655]

I wonder why all the coaches other coaches other than Phil Jackson who were involved in the triangle failed miserably doing so?

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Complicated system. The continuity in the league was greater back then, and Jackson/Winter were committed to this system.

[@hakimsalaam5489]

Great breakdown of the triangle offense

[@Lalambz]

steve kerr was dawwwg for that screen 5:28

[@rawfilmbasketball]

lol yes

[@tyharris9994]

Thank you! I am going to go into your other videos and see of you explain what Denver is doing play and set-wise these days. It seems like Joker is playing opponents like a fiddle and I am wondering how much of it is his own creativity and how much is scripted.

[@TazthepitRIP]

It's scripted it's very easy to tell. The coach saw a lack of real big men and went and found one that's highly athletic for his size and he used it to pick modern defenses apart cuz there set up to stop a different style of play. Minnesota and the Jordan like young star Anthony Edwards shut that whole shit down though, he was a fresh sight with that crazy defense and the NBA hasn't had a dominant 2 way player for years

[@ronm3034]

Does any team play this? I think the Celtics and Timberwolves have the roster to play this the best

[@JetEngine85]

Who are the other superstars other Jordan and Kobe who made the triangle work?

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Not Carmelo

[@barryallen871]

Shaq

[@shaughnziech2193]

Late 90’s was not the time of it, the Jordan Rules were simple, mugging that was legal, in 1991, Phil asked MJ who is open, he replied Paxon, he made several in a row, title

[@GoWarriors]

The bulls strategy was very clear. Give it to Michael and get out of the way

[@pali_aha]

😂 not true. Look at the Mavs against the Celtics in the NBA finals. It's Luka Ball. How boring and predictable

[@sinvalalvesdossantosalvesd7041]

🦁🦁😃😃

[@buddastud5534]

The hick from French lick passed the top player ball onto Michael. The ball has not been passed since

[@taelabaho]

And then rodman is waiting for the offensive rebound

[@mytimemanagement2796]

#MagicDaGOAT #2 Bird ##3 Jordan

[@rankoorovic7904]

Bit of an overrated system because it work in Chicago with Jordan and in LA with Shaq and Kobe so was it the system or personnel?

[@rawfilmbasketball]

I give credit to both. Great system and great players

[@RepentOrPerishL133]

Yeah, and they all lost before they switched to the triangle. Jordan and Scottie were losing together in a different system, as were Shaq and Kobe in LA. That's when they brought in Phil. However, I don't understand why we like to reduce everything to an overly simplified answer. It's often more complicated than that. That system was tried in other places, I think in New York, and failed. Phil wasn't the coach. He was in the front office. So two things can be true - the system and the players. Also, Phil didn't run the offense that was primarily Tex Winters.

[@rankoorovic7904]

@@RepentOrPerishL133 Besides the Bulls with MJ and Lakers with Shaq and Kobe name another team that has won with the Triangle? It's not all one single answer that is true but the Triangle was heralded as the greatest offensive system of all time and except in those 2 cases it doesn't have anything to show for So it's fair in my opinion to ask is it the system or personnel to make it happen

[@kikimbrown]

The system probably works best with players like MJ and Kobe

[@sportschad]

The triangle offense or any system that requires a lot of player movement, works best for players who can move without the ball especially for your wing players and guards must know how to flare, cut, and pop and have reliable catch-and-shoot mid-range or catch-and-shoot close range, know how and where to set screens, pinch post. It demands movement. Players like MJ, Bird, Reggie Miller, Jokic, Steph Curry, Rip Hamilton, Kobe (borederline calibrated for isolation play but still have an active off-ball) will benefit from this offense. These players have somewhat active to very active off-ball games and all of them know how to do the specific positioning and scoring techniques mentioned, actively and consistently. These players don't need the ball most of the time to be effective on offense. Effectiveness is mutual. Players like those mentioned would benefit from the triangle offense, and the triangle offense would benefit from players like those mentioned, vice-versa. However, players like LeBron, Luka, Harden, Durant (barely), who doesn't seem to or have never exhibited to have a very active off-ball game or the extent of their "off-ball" game is mostly just standing near the top of the key and cutting in, no actual activity, and/or needs the ball at all times in order to have a significant effect on offense, or are solely reliant on isolation plays. The triangle offense would not work well with these type of players. They would need a complementary player that does have an active off-ball game to generate movement in order to use the triangle offense. The triangle offense would most likely be ineffective if it was ran by players like those mentioned in this paragraph.

[@TheULMOnaut]

0:45 "as it involved giving the ball to his teammates", as if jordan did not give the ball ever to his teammates. People did not watch Jordan in the 80s, when they claim he did not share the ball. Go and watch game 6 ECF 1989.

[@livelife4228TBAS]

You mean the late 80's?

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Yes

[@knathanknathan]

The triangle offense made Jordan a better team player. Without it he would have gotten his scoring. That means he would had broken the scoring title way earlier not caring about winning

[@nykareem2001]

Do a video breaking down scottie pippens role in the offense

[@5stardetailingllc471]

He was a point forward, which is the same as a PG. it’s that simple.

[@alialdulaimi6623]

In the late 80s not 90s homey

[@andreadiw8694]

Why Knicks failed?

[@randysandberg5615]

As one NBA player said, "I'd like to see that triangle crap played by the Clippers". This was when the Clippers were really bad. The triangle offense would work still but the 3 point offense would win every time. Things change.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Yes the NBA is a constantly evolving thing, and the triangle is much less viable now due to players moving from team to team more often. It was a difficult system to learn

[@philb.1502]

Jordan is the reason the Bulls won 6 championships. The triangle didn't matter. The Bulls could have run different offensive sets and still won.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

That may or may not be true, but he didn’t win any championships before the triangle

[@philb.1502]

@@rawfilmbasketball Jordan is the greatest player of all time. He would have excelled in any offensive system. The Bulls won 6 championships because they had the best player to ever play!

[@jnewman139]

* OVER RATED PLAYER * you meant

[@fmsdjcrzy]

Ehhh, im a jordan fan! HE IS THE GOAT.. but what triangle offense? Its jordans offense 😂

[@glight23]

Lost me at 0:25. “In the late 90’s.” That’s incorrect. Have to do better than that young man. It was the late 80’s. C’mon man.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

Yes someone earlier in the comments corrected my mistake. Meant to say 80s

[@pjpj2639]

Yes every player didn’t need the ball in their hands testing their “handles” …..you can pass the ball much faster than dribbling….fundamentals …..golden state actually did a nice job of passing the ball in their best years… but oh yeah Steve Kerr was a bull.

[@kenanthony1202]

The main benefit of the triangle was that it got the ball to Jordan in different places on the offensive end. So it enabled them to utilize Jordan in a more efficient way. Other than that I don’t think it was that innovative. I believe Isaiah Thomas pointed this out while broadcasting a game.

[@rawfilmbasketball]

A lot of counters to get MJ good post position regardless of the defense trying to deny it