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It's official: The era of isolation in the NBA is dead. No longer do we have the top teams having their shooting guard dribble back and forth for 20 seconds before taking an off-balance 20-foot jumper. The era of the one-man highlight reel, where all SportsCenter shows is a player's four pretty dunks, without mentioning the 19 missed shots he took. The slow, no movement, boring days of the NBA have passed us by, and it's because of the rule change in 2002 allowing zone defenses to be played.

At first, there was really no difference, because like the option in football, a true zone would be smashed by pro players. And as Minnesota learned, it was. The Wolves were one of the first teams to try zone defense, but it didn't work during the 2003 season. The Wolves allowed 96 points per game that season, which was a lot just two years ago.

But as coaches have learned how to use the rules to their advantage, they've begun to take the ball out of the hands of the star player. As Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Paul Pierce's statistics, and effect on the game has waned, so did the idea of isolation basketball.

Even though the actual style of play had not changed much, the type of NBA champion did. In the first year of the zone, San Antonio won the title. They followed by Detroit the next year. Neither of those teams had isolation guards that took 25 to 30 shots per game. This coming after an era where either Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant led their team to a title nine times in 12 years.

And this season, the switch has proven true. At the midway point, look at the teams that have 'isolation type' guards. The Warriors (Jason Richardson), Rockets (Tracy McGrady), Sixers (Allen Iverson), Lakers (Kobe Bryant), Knicks (everybody), and Nets (Vince Carter) are all either out of the playoffs currently, or hold the 8th seed.

Back at the top of the standings are the true teams. The Spurs, Suns, Sonics, Kings, Mavs, Grizziles, Heat, Cavs, Pistons, Pacers, Magic and Wizards all use ball movement and running to help them win games. True, some of them have stars, but those stars (like Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Steve Francis, Peja Stojakovic, Dirk Nowitzki, etc.) are not ones who stand around, dribble between their legs a couple of times, and then shoot.

This style of play has not only improved other teams, but improved the quality of basketball. Anybody who has owned the NBA League Pass package for more than a couple of years could tell you that the quality of play, and enjoyment of the game has improved, especially this year. And that's what I'm expecting to catch on over the next couple of years. The fact that the NBA is fun again. That it's fun to watch, the players play the right way, and the game is really exciting.

Those of us buried inside the basketball world know that, and soon, so will the rest of the sports world. The emergence of the Kings and Mavs began this almost five years ago, and now with the help of the Suns, Sonics and company, the league has finally transitioned out of the isolation game. Look for scores to continue to climb, and the pace to continue to be turned up over the next few years. Look for the demand of shoot first two-guards to drop, and look for the fun and gun style to help enhance the game once again.

I love feedback. E-Mail me at Gurt14@comcast.net with your questions and comments.