Yestheyref
the Drive?
The immaculate reception?
Fridge in the end zone?
You name it, you defend it.
Answer
Super Bowl XXXII It had everything; John Elway's first ring, the "helicopter play" where Elway nearly scored a rushing touchdown, Brett Farve losing, Gilbert Brown sucking for air as the Broncos O-line pushed him around, despite the pre-game talk that he was gonna run right through the offense (did anyone else notice that he was 350 pounds of chewed gum)....
Super Bowl XXXII It had everything; John Elway's first ring, the "helicopter play" where Elway nearly scored a rushing touchdown, Brett Farve losing, Gilbert Brown sucking for air as the Broncos O-line pushed him around, despite the pre-game talk that he was gonna run right through the offense (did anyone else notice that he was 350 pounds of chewed gum)....
Is zone defense really ''tougher''?
Eliot
I keep hearing from modern NBA fans and young, ignorant Kobe fan boys that teams play zone defense now and defense is actually tougher now than it was during the 80's and 90's which was the most brutal, physical defensive era in NBA history.
First of all, although zone defense was outlawed until 2002 teams still used to run zones an traps despite what people think.
Here are a few examples to prove my point:
''Last season, Jordan had to overcome the harassment of zone traps and double and triple-teaming to win the scoring title by averaging 37.1 points a game.'' - New York Times, November 4, 1987
''Around the NBA, they've tried to stop Michael Jordan, last season's leading scorer by more than eight points a game, almost every way imaginable. They've used zone traps; they've put two, three and sometimes four defenders on him; they've matched him against 7-footers and the best defensive players in the league.'' - Chicago Tribune, Nov 15, 1987
Anyways in today' era hand checking is outlawed and you have the defensive three-second violation so teams can't even run a true zone, the zone defense we see today run by certain teams sometimes is a pseudo or floating zone. This keeps the middle open and makes life easy on perimeter/wing players giving them more offensive freedom and more opportunities to cut and penetrate to the basket.
Fact is the 80s and 90s where way more physical, hard nosed and didn't have all the ticky tac foul calls a lax defense you see today.
Just look at the scoring averages and FG% in 2006 of wing players when the NBA completely implemented the hand checking and defensive lane violations and started to really go over board with the touch foul calls. It was hunting season for perimeter players.
Kobe Bryant: 35 ppg
Allen Iverson : 33 ppg
Lebron James: 31 ppg
Gilbert Arenas: 29 ppg
Dwayne Wade: 27 ppg
Not to mention star wing players were taking more free throw attempts than ever before.
It's hilarious when people suggest Michael Jordan would have got shut down against today's defense. Jordan was perhaps the single most talented player to ever play the game. He was a amazing mid range shooter and no defense is shutting him down. He's proven that several times in his career.
Just read this article ''the death of defense''
http://hoopshype.com/articles/defense_lazenby.htm
00's are a weak era and the 90's were the toughest, most physical and brutal defensive era in NBA history. Slower pace and grinding. 90's had the most dominant centers all playing at the same time .
In today's weak era you have weaker rules and soft European and Canadian players winning MVP awards.
In the 90's only legends were winning MVPs and Finals MVPs compared to today you have Nash, Dirk and superstar players like Lebron getting outplayed by Tony Parker in the Finals and Kobe getting outplayed by Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups and winning Finals MVP.
Only legends like Jordan and Hakeem won Finals MVP during the 90's. Only players to win MVP were all-time greats like Magic Johnson, Jordan, Barkley, Hakeem, David Robinson and Karl Malone.
Now you have soft one dimensional players Nash, Dirk, Lebron, Tony Parker, Paul Pierce winning MVPs and own the league and young idiots like ''Baller 4 Life'' who think scoring averages are the only thing that matters.
Baller is a moron.
You had plenty of players averaging 30 ppg besides Jordan.
Karl Malone
Patrick Ewing
Dominique Wilkins
David Robinson
Shaq
kb42pah already got his stupid video destroyed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd2Wqt21_Yo
Jordan vs Zone defense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tXwAhMVb1Y
Jordan vs real defense: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5auPSMaD3vE
Jordan vs physical intense defense http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xJJNUkrdyQ
Players today never had to deal with this (hand checking): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6fs942apD8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOyhDhWzCHA
Jordan would average close to 50 ppg in today's era explained here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAgNWA8M3TQ
shorter, weaker players?
On average players during Jordan's playing time (1985-1998) were taller than they are today!
Players were better during the 90's and stronger than they are in today's soft, weak era
Even so Jordan way past his prime, 38-40 years was making a mockery of today's league and its star players. MJ was a legit MVP candidate his first year with the Wizards up until the all-star break before he busted his knee in a freak accident with Eaton Thomas.
Him and T-Mac were the only players putting up averages of 25/5/5
Even through the multitude of injuries MJ was still killing today's players and defensive ''studs'' like Posey, Marion and KG, Pierce and Kerry Kittles and dropping 30+, 40+ and 50 points on them.
Hakeem > KG
Jordan > Kobe
Clyde > Wade
LeBron > Pippen
Magic > CP3
Shaq > Dwight
D. Robinson > Yao
Alonzo > Pau Gasol
Mutumbo > Ben Wallace
Durant > Kemp
Malone > Amare
Stockton > Deron Williams
Miller> Allen
Barkley > Boozer
Exactly Steve, thank you.
The same thing happened to the Suns this year in the playoffs against the Lakers. They couldn't stop them playing man to man principles so they had to run zone.
Which leads me to say if zone defense is so much harder and tougher how come Kobe put up better numbers against the Suns in the playoffs who played zone compared to the Thunder and Celtics who played man to man?
Answer
Kobe, Shaq, and Iverson all played in the 90's Baller. If the 90's was weak, then so are they.
Today's era is weaker than the 90's era.
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Teams use zone when they can't defend man-to-man
Kobe, Shaq, and Iverson all played in the 90's Baller. If the 90's was weak, then so are they.
Today's era is weaker than the 90's era.
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Teams use zone when they can't defend man-to-man
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