Hand check rule and more physicality on the perimeter and less tick tack three point foul calls back then.. Pippen and Jordan would drive to the hole every possession and get fouled in today's game. Bring Steph and Harden back against the Bad Boys and they would cry. It was harder to get a shot off back then
Jason Kidd was selected on All Defense teams into 2006. If his short, slow, old ass can lock up players from 90's into 2000's, or if Chris Paul can do the same since he arrived, even Patrick Beverley, then defense isnt only about raw length. As much as we hate Pippen here, Pippen is the protypical NBA body. Long, lean, limber, versatile. Thats an odd player to single out
Some guys would be better, some would be worse. Steph, with a hand on his body for 48 minutes, he's going to struggle. LeBron, you eliminate zones and post him up, he can do anything Karl Malone ever did and so much more. Arenas lucked into the iso era, the first evolution of the true 90's style NBA. An era where even sub-Iverson level players like Arenas & Francis could control the ball, drop 35 and still never have a chance of winning the game or doing anything that mattered.
Karl Malone, John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Reggie Miller are from the 1980s, 1990s. They started the NBA Flop Generations.
The defensive player of all time won his two championships in the 90s. The game has changed but there was a reason many teams didnt average 100 ppg
I totally agree with him My biggest takeaway from the Last Dance was, the current NBA is far and away the most talented product the game has ever seen. Rewatching all the 90s basketball over 10 episodes....SO MANY trash players. So many unathletic players. So many unskilled players. So many out of shape players. Players today are way stronger, way smarter and way more talented in every way imaginable. Defense back then was easy, you could maul a guy without consequence. It didn't take the skill required today, you could just send out a big oaf like Lambier and call it a day. Harden, Lebron, Curry, Giannis, KD, Dame, etc would be dropping these fools to the floor routinely.