The NBA is full of myths and misconceptions that Michael Jordan did not confront zone defense or get double-teamed, making it simpler for the GOAT back in his day.
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Basketball as we know it today did not exist in the 1990s. Yes, the goal of the game was still to get the ball into the basket. Yes, after 48 minutes, the side with the most points was named the winner.
However, it was not the same game. Today’s game is fast, guard-driven, perimeter-oriented, and strewn with spacing, and chaos. The most significant offensive talent is outside shooting; the most crucial defensive skill is lateral quickness and length. The game in the 1990s, on the other hand, was everything that today’s game is not. Slow, post-oriented, physical, and regimented. You had a great advantage if you were big and/or tall.
Were you more impressed with Michael Jordan’s first or second 3-peat? pic.twitter.com/MYdMBLwOJI
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 31, 2020
This is why many people regard Michael Jordan’s supremacy during that time period as even more amazing. Jordan was successful during a time when the odds were stacked against guards. He soared above his taller opponents, relishing the opportunity to dethrone Patrick Ewing.
This has led to the same school of thinking suggesting that Jordan would have it easier today, taking advantage of the extra space not being crowded by behemoths and violent hand-checking defenders.
But that would be overly simplistic. Would Jordan truly be able to dominate today’s game?
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Debunking the myth that Michael Jordan did not face Zone defense and double teams during his era
One of the most popular basketball fallacies is that Michael Jordan never faced zone defense.
MJ remains as captivating a character today as he was in 1998, but the documentary fails to address the major differences between how the game was played during his prime and how it is now. It’s the one obvious flaw in a project that appears to have been designed to cement his legacy.
Contrary to common thought, Jordan actually DID face zone defense during his time. Jordan was an MVP candidate in the 2001/02 season when the zone defense was legalized in the rule book and he was still putting up Tracy McGrady-type numbers.
When someone tries to tell you that zones and double teams didn’t exist in Michael Jordan’s era do them a favor and show them this. pic.twitter.com/hJaT0MVIdL
— The Realest Realist (@FactMerchant23) August 28, 2022
NBA fans should never use the ridiculous excuse that Jordan didn’t play against a zone defense, again. They also shouldn’t imply that Jordan would have a problem with it because a 40-year-old Jordan totally destroyed the 2003 Nets, who had the league’s second-best defense and were utilizing zones in an attempt to stop him.
Furthermore, because of the adoption of the defensive 3 seconds rule, most zones today are not even actual zones. This keeps big men from camping out in the lane to be an intimidating defensive presence or rim protector.
And, hand-checking and physical play were still used to enhance zones in Jordan’s day, as seen in the films above. Jordan not only faced zones in his day, but the zones he faced were considerably more challenging, physical, and complex than the zones of today, which are weakened by a slew of rule modifications and the illegal three-second rule.
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