90's Isolation Game / Physical Defense v.s. 2000's Strategic Defense / No Physicality

[Samurai Swoosh]

Legit discussion here. Since I've seen various posters bring it up. Indian Guy, and a few others making the claim post 2000+ defenses are vastly superior. Which era was better defensively? Make a case and tell me why. I want good natured discussion here.

90's NBA

- Less strategy / less complex coverages
- Slightly lesser athletes on average
- Smarter players
- More physicality
- No zone makes it easier for dynamic scorers
- Iso ball encouraged

2000's NBA

- Greater defense strategy / complex schemes
- Slightly better athletes on average
- Dumber players
- Less physicality
- Psuedo / rotating zones make ISO ball difficult
- Team ball is encouraged

[G-Funk]

A lot ppl misinterpret the 90's and 80's physical play. There was a lot of touch fouls called like today, the only true difference between these eras were the size of the penalties.

[Dizzle-2k7]

2000s had some of the greatest defensive powerhouses of all time.. Pistons, Spurs, Celtics...

2000s easily the greatest defensive era.

[Indian guy]

Indian Guy, and a few others making the claim post 2000+ defenses are vastly superior.

What I said was, on the average, defense today(or since 04-05) is better than it was in the 80's and early 90's. The NBA's greatest defensive period was 97-04.

[catch24]

2001-2004 in particular was team defense at its peak. I don't have to list the squads, I'm sure you know the usual suspects, but the combination of Zone defense, hand checking, sophisticated rules/defenses, and pace are the main factors.

[Jacks3]

99-04. The best defensive era ever. With 03-04 being the toughest year ever.

[catch24]

Hand check was eliminated in the 1995 season. So technically that isn't accurate.

Handchecking was permanently eliminated in the 2004-2005 season, though.

Read up on the rules. People still definitely got away with using their hands/dictating a players movement via 99-04.

[catch24]

No, the "hand check" that was allowed post 1995 wasn't anything remotely close to the hand check that was in use from like 1990 - 1994. Way more physical.

I never said it was close, I'm saying the rule in itself was completely banned during the 2004-2005 season, which was after 1995.

[Samurai Swoosh]

I never said it was close, I'm saying the rule in itself was completely banned during the 2004-2005 season, which was after the 1995.

I just don't like including it as being legal, because it isn't an accurate representation of physical play. It was like a gradual reduction in the physicality from 1995 to 2005. Know what I mean, bro?

[catch24]

I just don't like including it as being legal, because it isn't an accurate representation of physical play. It was like a gradual reduction in the physicality from 1995 to 2005. Know what I mean, bro?

Yeah I know what you mean, no doubt. I just don't think it's fair to say that it was obliterated a year that it actually wasn't. We aren't trying to mislead posters here, yaaa dig?

[Samurai Swoosh]

Yeah I know what you mean, no doubt. I just don't think it's fair to say that it was obliterated a year that it actually wasn't. We aren't trying to mislead posters here, yaaa dig?

That's the point. Technically it was still legal. Just not near to the extent it was being used from 1989 - 1994-ish.

[catch24]

That's the point. Technically it was still legal. Just not near to the extent it was being used from 1989 - 1994-ish.

Yeah, if some goof were to say, well Kobe played with hand checking too ... just like Mike!, then you'd have to quantify the rule, because anyone who watched Jordan during his heyday knows he dealt with a more-physical-style of hand check.

However; you said Hand check was eliminated in the 1995 season which would lead the younger/uneducated posters to believe that's when it was discontinued all-together.

[branslowski]

00-04 Was the greatest defensive era ever...No hand-checking rule (until 05), and you could Zone.

Kobe in 02-03' 30ppg 7reb 6ast...

[8BeastlyXOIAD]

00-04 Was the greatest defensive era ever...No hand-checking rule (until 05), and you could Zone.

Kobe in 02-03' 30ppg 7reb 6ast...

[branslowski]