Why the Low Post Offense has declined

[Im Still Ballin]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/22/a8/b4/22a8b4f8a8a2178aeb299e4bc8ea2109.jpg
Why the Low Post Offense has declined

Everybody knows this. Long gone are the giants whom ruled the paint, who mastered the art of the low block; their myths and legends of a time when a hard foul wasn't a suspension and a 10 grand fee, and attitude was encouraged.

Far gone are these days. Gone with them are the fundamental scoring option for the big men, a tool once sought after for success, now barely even a though... Much more apparent are the 3pt shot, and the drive to the hoop. Only a few today still effectively utilize the dance moves down at the low block, but it can only work given his teammates possess specific skills and abilities. But first. Why did the low post offense decline? There are a handful of reasons that contributed to the demise of 'disco' on the block. Lets go over these crucial points to help us illustrate the truth of the matter.

1. Rule changes:
This is the obviously and most important point. These rule changes have had an INSANE impact on every aspect of the NBA; the bigmen probably got hit the hardest by these changes. You can blame Shaq for most of this.

https://thebasketballsociety.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pniw21.gif
- Thanks a lot Shaq!

In the 90's the Illegal defense rule schemes forced defenses to play man to man, weak/strong zones were not allowed... Defenses had their hands tied behind their back. It also did not allow the doubling of an off-ball player, usually a big with good post position. You could double the ball handler but it had to be an aggressive attempt, any otherwise would be deemed illegal. What all this means for low post players is that, they could get a good position on the block without being disrupted. There also was no 5 second back to the basket rule that exists now (AKA the Kevin Johnson rule).

http://media.giphy.com/media/PfS9JTMb9zF7i/giphy.gif
- Notice the single coverage, open paint

In 2000 strong side zones were permitted, and in 2001 all types of zones were legal. Defenses were given more freedom. What this did was allow for more advanced defending schemes; today defenses are faster and smarter than ever before. It's incredibly hard for a limbering 7 footer to get good post position and adequate room to score when defenses are rotating and effectively doubling the block while still being able to cover the open man quick enough. Thus gone, were the days of the Illegal defense, the offensive ratings that were exponentially increasing from the 80's to the late 90's began to start to dip as defenses were finally allowed to fight back.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-KIom4maMFs/STc0_Mq5DlI/AAAAAAAAOrY/zT3MdULists/s1600/2-3%2BZone.jpg
- Good luck trying to penetrate with this soft zone Kobe!

The other big rule changes of the past 20 years has been the nullification of hand-checking which more has to do with perimeter players and defending them. Hand-checking is essentially defending a post up anyways.... Forearm and all. This rule change was needed as the NBA product had become stale, popularity was decreasing, record defensive ratings where being recorded, the NBA had to give back more freedom to the offenses. They have done so and now there is a good medium between offense and defense.

http://i41.tinypic.com/1grjwy.gif
- Hand-checking in the 80's

SUMMARY (1)
- Illegal defense rules scheme in the 90's = single coverage, no zones, easy to get post position, late double teams
- 5 second back to the basket rule implemented = limited the time allowed backing down in the post
- 2000 and 2001 = Illegal defenses rule scheme removed, all types of zones legal now, more defensive freedom
- Hand-checking removal = More focus on perimeter scoring

2. The Jordan/Iverson Effect
"I was lucky to grow up in Italy at a time when basketball in America was getting ****ed up with AAU shuffling players through on strength and athleticism. I missed all that, and instead I was taught extreme fundamentals: footwork, footwork, footwork, how to create space, how to handle the ball, how to protect the ball, how to shoot the ball." -Kobe Bryant

http://thepublicapology.net/wp-content/uploads/michael-jordan-etait-offert-une-parenthese-de-cinema-dans-sa-carriere-avec-space-jam-photo-afp.jpg
- Everybody wanted to be like Mike

Jordan and Iverson were two of the coolest players to ever play in the NBA, their impacts spread far far from just the court. Jordan was doing movies and dominating shoe sales, and AI was holding his own very well, an average height man dominating in a league of giants. Both were flashy and winners too. Naturally people imitate the popular, copy their moves, wear their shoes, watch their ads and movies. A historic league that was once forged upon the fundamentals of the game, cohering as a team, had now slowly but surely became about the individual. The rules were deliberately made to encourage this. Little did they know that they would damage the reputation and quality of play for years to come. It would take multiples years and different rule changes for offenses and team play to return.

https://escobar300.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/allen-iverson-tattoos2.jpg
- Damn, this homie is COOL!

The impact was real. The NBA is heralded as the highest level of competition on the planet, so naturally the basketball world would follow suite. Kids no longer wanted to bang down low like Kareem or Wilt. They wanted to do the fancy cross overs, dribble moves, and shoot fade-aways like Mike. Bigs wanted to be flashy like the little guys. Some pros showed this as well, like Chris Webber, renowned for being flashy yet negligent of his inside game.

SUMMARY (2)
- AAU focusing on athleticism/strength opposed to fundamentals
- Michael Jordan and Iverson; cool basketballers with huge impacts on the basketball world
- isolation, 1 on 1 orientated league

3. Posting up Today
Low post offense is not dead. It can still work today, but there needs to be specific parameter met in order for it to be efficient and usable in a team offence. Defenses are better than ever. There is now a equilibrium between the freedom of the offense and of the defense. The removal of Illegal defense, the removal of hand-checking... Physicality is no longer masked as 'good defense'. In this day and age, physicality usually ends up in a technical foul and a fine. This is good; defense shouldn't be football, it should be basketball, team orientated, floor coverage.

The game is much larger now. The whole court has to be used if one hopes to be a contender. Defenses now are just too good to let offenses get away with one dimensional scoring patterns. That is why spacing and shooting (particularly the 3pt shot) is crucial to success. The Miami Heat big three team was really the first to bring about this play style focus, and now most teams in the league have shades of that team.

Post ups now need to be quick, aware of all 5 players on the court and their defenders. It can only work well with the right amount of shooting to spread the defense. Time is usually not in the post players favor. Good post position at times can be difficult because of the defensive freedom (other times easy due to spacing from shooters), it really depends on the quality of the offense and defense on the court. There aren't many Charles Barkley backing down from the 3pt line possessions any more. A few good examples of players who post up well today; Demarcus Cousins, Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson, Marc Gasol.

http://giant.gfycat.com/HighMajesticJaguarundi.gif
- Good defense but better offense from the best center in the league

SUMMARY (3)
- Spacing/Shooting is crucial for efficient low post success
- Post players need to be quick + aware of all 5 players on the court
- Work with the team for good post position

All in all, the game has evolved. Is this good? Is this bad? Who knows for sure. Some prefer the bruising style of play and some appreciate the slick ball movement and shooting. I'm Still Ballin.

[Im Still Ballin]

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/22/a8/b4/22a8b4f8a8a2178aeb299e4bc8ea2109.jpg
Why the Low Post Offense has declined

Everybody knows this. Long gone are the giants whom ruled the paint, who mastered the art of the low block; their myths and legends of a time when a hard foul wasn't a suspension and a 10 grand fee, and attitude was encouraged.

Far gone are these days. Gone with them are the fundamental scoring option for the big men, a tool once sought after for success, now barely even a though... Much more apparent are the 3pt shot, and the drive to the hoop. Only a few today still effectively utilize the dance moves down at the low block, but it can only work given his teammates possess specific skills and abilities. But first. Why did the low post offense decline? There are a handful of reasons that contributed to the demise of 'disco' on the block. Lets go over these crucial points to help us illustrate the truth of the matter.

1. Rule changes:
This is the obviously and most important point. These rule changes have had an INSANE impact on every aspect of the NBA; the bigmen probably got hit the hardest by these changes. You can blame Shaq for most of this.

https://thebasketballsociety.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/pniw21.gif
- Thanks a lot Shaq!

In the 90's the Illegal defense rule schemes forced defenses to play man to man, weak/strong zones were not allowed... Defenses had their hands tied behind their back. It also did not allow the doubling of an off-ball player, usually a big with good post position. You could double the ball handler but it had to be an aggressive attempt, any otherwise would be deemed illegal. What all this means for low post players is that, they could get a good position on the block without being disrupted. There also was no 5 second back to the basket rule that exists now (AKA the Kevin Johnson rule).

http://media.giphy.com/media/PfS9JTMb9zF7i/giphy.gif
- Notice the single coverage, open paint

In 2000 strong side zones were permitted, and in 2001 all types of zones were legal. Defenses were given more freedom. What this did was allow for more advanced defending schemes; today defenses are faster and smarter than ever before. It's incredibly hard for a limbering 7 footer to get good post position and adequate room to score when defenses are rotating and effectively doubling the block while still being able to cover the open man quick enough. Thus gone, were the days of the Illegal defense, the offensive ratings that were exponentially increasing from the 80's to the late 90's began to start to dip as defenses were finally allowed to fight back.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-KIom4maMFs/STc0_Mq5DlI/AAAAAAAAOrY/zT3MdULists/s1600/2-3%2BZone.jpg
- Good luck trying to penetrate with this soft zone Kobe!

The other big rule changes of the past 20 years has been the nullification of hand-checking which more has to do with perimeter players and defending them. Hand-checking is essentially defending a post up anyways.... Forearm and all. This rule change was needed as the NBA product had become stale, popularity was decreasing, record defensive ratings where being recorded, the NBA had to give back more freedom to the offenses. They have done so and now there is a good medium between offense and defense.

http://i41.tinypic.com/1grjwy.gif
- Hand-checking in the 80's

SUMMARY (1)
- Illegal defense rules scheme in the 90's = single coverage, no zones, easy to get post position, late double teams
- 5 second back to the basket rule implemented = limited the time allowed backing down in the post
- 2000 and 2001 = Illegal defenses rule scheme removed, all types of zones legal now, more defensive freedom
- Hand-checking removal = More focus on perimeter scoring

2. The Jordan/Iverson Effect
"I was lucky to grow up in Italy at a time when basketball in America was getting ****ed up with AAU shuffling players through on strength and athleticism. I missed all that, and instead I was taught extreme fundamentals: footwork, footwork, footwork, how to create space, how to handle the ball, how to protect the ball, how to shoot the ball." -Kobe Bryant

http://thepublicapology.net/wp-content/uploads/michael-jordan-etait-offert-une-parenthese-de-cinema-dans-sa-carriere-avec-space-jam-photo-afp.jpg
- Everybody wanted to be like Mike

Jordan and Iverson were two of the coolest players to ever play in the NBA, their impacts spread far far from just the court. Jordan was doing movies and dominating shoe sales, and AI was holding his own very well, an average height man dominating in a league of giants. Both were flashy and winners too. Naturally people imitate the popular, copy their moves, wear their shoes, watch their ads and movies. A historic league that was once forged upon the fundamentals of the game, cohering as a team, had now slowly but surely became about the individual. The rules were deliberately made to encourage this. Little did they know that they would damage the reputation and quality of play for years to come. It would take multiples years and different rule changes for offenses and team play to return.

https://escobar300.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/allen-iverson-tattoos2.jpg
- Damn, this homie is COOL!

The impact was real. The NBA is heralded as the highest level of competition on the planet, so naturally the basketball world would follow suite. Kids no longer wanted to bang down low like Kareem or Wilt. They wanted to do the fancy cross overs, dribble moves, and shoot fade-aways like Mike. Bigs wanted to be flashy like the little guys. Some pros showed this as well, like Chris Webber, renowned for being flashy yet negligent of his inside game.

SUMMARY (2)
- AAU focusing on athleticism/strength opposed to fundamentals
- Michael Jordan and Iverson; cool basketballers with huge impacts on the basketball world
- isolation, 1 on 1 orientated league

3. Posting up Today
Low post offense is not dead. It can still work today, but there needs to be specific parameter met in order for it to be efficient and usable in a team offence. Defenses are better than ever. There is now a equilibrium between the freedom of the offense and of the defense. The removal of Illegal defense, the removal of hand-checking... Physicality is no longer masked as 'good defense'. In this day and age, physicality usually ends up in a technical foul and a fine. This is good; defense shouldn't be football, it should be basketball, team orientated, floor coverage.

The game is much larger now. The whole court has to be used if one hopes to be a contender. Defenses now are just too good to let offenses get away with one dimensional scoring patterns. That is why spacing and shooting (particularly the 3pt shot) is crucial to success. The Miami Heat big three team was really the first to bring about this play style focus, and now most teams in the league have shades of that team.

Post ups now need to be quick, aware of all 5 players on the court and their defenders. It can only work well with the right amount of shooting to spread the defense. Time is usually not in the post players favor. Good post position at times can be difficult because of the defensive freedom (other times easy due to spacing from shooters), it really depends on the quality of the offense and defense on the court. There aren't many Charles Barkley backing down from the 3pt line possessions any more. A few good examples of players who post up well today; Demarcus Cousins, Zach Randolph, Al Jefferson, Marc Gasol.

http://giant.gfycat.com/HighMajesticJaguarundi.gif
- Good defense but better offense from the best center in the league

SUMMARY (3)
- Spacing/Shooting is crucial for efficient low post success
- Post players need to be quick + aware of all 5 players on the court
- Work with the team for good post position

All in all, the game has evolved. Is this good? Is this bad? Who knows for sure. Some prefer the bruising style of play and some appreciate the slick ball movement and shooting. I'm Still Ballin.
https://photo.tinhte.vn/store/2015/01/2785311_gif.gif

[plowking]

Great post. Waiting for 80's and 90's idiots to comment and tell you it was harder for superstars back then, despite all statistics saying otherwise.

[STATUTORY]

Great post. Waiting for 80's and 90's idiots to comment and tell you it was harder for superstars back then, despite all statistics saying otherwise.

they will post some gifs of hard fouls to conflate physicality with defense

[Im Still Ballin]

3ball you are denied access into my thread

[Sakkreth]

Conclusion: D-Mo would be a superstar before 2000s :bowdown:

[Prime_Shaq]

Thanks Shaq :applause:

[turnaroundJ]

Great and informative post. I agree that physicality (handchecking) =/= good defense. It can be used to send a good message to the opponent though.

[juju151111]

Shaw and Hakeem routinely got double team.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

tldr; Jordan/Kareem/Hakeem/Shaq would all be the best players in no particular order, except only definitively better than LeBron.

[Im Still Ballin]

Shaw and Hakeem routinely got double team.
I never said he didn't. You couldn't double team someone off the ball... Hence one could get good post position (doesn't have the ball yet) without being doubled.

[Beastmode88]

No garnett gif today?

[SugarHill]

3ball you are denied access into my thread
:oldlol:

[TheMan]

I never said he didn't. You couldn't double team someone off the ball... Hence one could get good post position (doesn't have the ball yet) without being doubled.
You do realize that doubling up on a post player or even shading to a post player whether he has the ball or not already leaves a defense in bad position, right? Not every team has these mythical quick close out defensive studs you seem to think every team today has :oldlol: Double teaming a low post player leaves you vulnerable to an open three point shot or if the defense tries to close out too aggressively, the shooter can pump fake and put the defense on it's heels by getting past his man. Anyways, post up players aren't that great to demand a double team today, coaches are fine with letting Marc Gasol go one on one but you absolutely would get destroyed if you let Shaq go one on one...big difference.

The reason you don't really see much double teaming on the low post today is because the best low post players today, while they are nice low block.scorers, they are nowhere near as good as th elite low post scorers of the 80s and 90s. Duncan has the best low post moves and he's 58 years old FFS.

Shaq would destroy the league today or at worst, he'd get his teammates a TON of open looks. Face it, the lack of elite quality low post bigs is still the biggest reason why big men today aren't what they used to be. KAJ, DRob, Patrick Ewing, Moses Malone, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon would still own in today's game, regardless of the rule changes. Way too much talent and skill for that not to happen.

Lastly, I've seen you get into it with 3Ball and he owns your soul...you've resorted to trying to bite his style too:oldlol:

[Im Still Ballin]

He's going to show up with atleast 5 GIFs and multiple paragraphs

[TheMan]

He's going to show up with atleast 5 GIFs and multiple paragraphs
:oldlol:

RF

[Showtime80']

Like I've said numerous times in other threads, the reason you don't see quality in post play is because there are no TRUE classic low post centers/PF's being developed anymore (aside from maybe Cousins) that you can build offenses around anymore, simple as that.

Let me get this straight, your telling me that if you change the rules back to the old ones teams could magically transform Al Hortford, Brooke Lopez and Roy Hibbert into Kareem, Shaq and Olajuwon?!? LOL

A great low post game is the HARDEST area to develop in basketball, it takes years to master and in takes more of a toll both mentally and physically that's why your second point about the Jordan/Iverson impact carries more weight. In the late 80's early 90's the I wanna be like Mike syndromne was already having a TON of influence on the way supposed big kids played the game and you saw the effects soon after.

The decline in great center post play started WELL BEFORE the rule changes, from 1992 to 2002 only 3, count them 3 great classic low post centers came into the league (Sabonis was an 80's player), that was Shaq, Zo and Duncan, that's it. Compare that to previous eras and its an extremely low number.

You mean to tell me that today's centers have less spacing than what guys like Kareem, Chamberlain, Hakeem, and Ewing used to have when they played in college against hard zones, no 3 point line and in Kareem's case no dunking? Yet they were still able to develop all time great post games in that atmosphere.

From the 90's onward in became more fashionable and easier to be face up center and the league adjusted accordingly becoming the soft, 3 point happy borefest that you have now. Check tha ratings for the Finals in the last 15 years, the lowest ratings in the tape delayed early 80's had better percentage numbers!

[Im Still Ballin]

I have covered that. AAU is development basketball brother.

[Showtime80']

Which is another reason fundamentals such as post play have gone down the crapper!

[FatComputerNerd]

Duncan has the best low post moves

He copied most of them from Daughtery, including his patented bank-shot.

[IGOTGAME]

I have covered that. AAU is development basketball brother.

AAU produced Okafor and Cousins. It isnt a bar to post play. It is actually taught in AAU.

For some reason great center talents have either gotten hurt or come through the system yet.

Embiid is a great talent like the others imo and is possibly the next great big man. but like Yao has injury concerns.

[FatComputerNerd]

This thread needs moar McHale

http://i.imgur.com/e8R9HT5.gif



Can't seem to find many other gifs of him, but he was a supreme low-post player.

[TheMan]

He copied most of them from Daughtery, including his patented bank-shot.
Wow, I didn't know that but now that you mention it, Duncan's game is somewhat similar to Daughtery. If it weren't for the injuries, Brad would be mentioned among the best big men of the 80s/90s much more often. Dude had skills.

[TheMan]

This thread needs moar McHale

http://i.imgur.com/e8R9HT5.gif



Can't seem to find many other gifs of him, but he was a supreme low-post player.
Dat up and under move, McHale was a beast. He'd easily be the best low post player today

[Akrazotile]

I think defenses have become much more effective in how they double post players.

I also think a larger premium has been put on big men who protect the paint on defense, regardless of their offensive capability, since teams tend to just dribble penetrate or bomb away from three anyway.

I also think teams generally encourage wing play now as a result of its fan friendly appeal.


However its not as if post players have disappeared. Shaq, Duncan, KG, Pau, even Zbo are all still active or in Shaqs case recently retired. I think the fact that we pay less attention to post players contributes to the impression they have diminished. Theres still good post play in this league, but high octane athleticism and three point shooting have reduced the spotlight upon it.

[Straight_Ballin]

This rule change was needed as the NBA product had become stale, popularity was decreasing, record defensive ratings where being recorded, the NBA had to give back more freedom to the offenses.

Translation: make the league soft so that more buckets can be scored. :lol

[Showtime80']

The 80's had high octaine athlecism, physical play, high scoring, TIMELY long range shooting, texbook fast breaking, mid range game, ALL TIME low post players as well as wing players and BAD BLOOD rivalries!

And they didn't need to tinker with the rules to make it happen unlike today!

What's todays great rivalry again?!? Oh that's due to rule changes also! LOL

[Straight_Ballin]

The 80's had high octaine athlecism, physical play, high scoring, TIMELY long range shooting, texbook fast breaking, mid range game, ALL TIME low post players as well as wing players and BAD BLOOD rivalries!

And they didn't need to tinker with the rules to make it happen unlike today!

What's todays great rivalry again?!? Oh that's due to rule changes also! LOL

:lol Can't have rivalries when collusion is allowed.

"Jordan was just lucky because they picked up rodman and Tony" :lol

[hitmanyr2k]

In the 90's the Illegal defense rule schemes forced defenses to play man to man, weak/strong zones were not allowed... Defenses had their hands tied behind their back. It also did not allow the doubling of an off-ball player, usually a big with good post position. You could double the ball handler but it had to be an aggressive attempt, any otherwise would be deemed illegal. What all this means for low post players is that, they could get a good position on the block without being disrupted. There also was no 5 second back to the basket rule that exists now (AKA the Kevin Johnson rule).

http://media.giphy.com/media/PfS9JTMb9zF7i/giphy.gif
- Notice the single coverage, open paint

Notice Tim Duncan getting single coverage at the highest level of competition, the WCF and NBA Finals. Where's this new and improved magical defense we keep hearing about?

http://youtu.be/mcULJMJFuNs?t=9s

In fact this entire video destroys your argument. The defense looks no different than any other era. Single coverage galore :oldlol: The fact is teams barely play any zone whatsoever. The rest of your post is meaningless as a result.

[dreamwarrior]

Bynum was the best post player in recent years. In his prime he could hang with the best of all time in the post

[raprap]

Teams don't focus on post play anymore. Its the age of pgs and 3 point shooting.

[Showtime80']

The league was FORCED to focus on PG and 3 pointers because all the big people began to play like guards anyway! The league was full of great PG's and shooters back in the 80's as well the difference was they didn't need to hoist 25 3 pointers because true post play was abundant and like I said before the inside game, from centers specially started eroding around the 90's, we'll before the rule changes took place

[Lebronxrings]

it worked back then because of the lack of defense. Now we have double teams, quick hand ball taps, traps, etc. The game has been improved.

[Showtime80']

Shaq was still dominant ti'll 2006 and Tim Duncan is still winning titles! Put Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson, Kareem or any other great center in today's league and they would still shred it. Great post play will beat ANY defense the problem is that after Duncan, the NBA is left with ZERO players of that ilk. But I hear AAU is really going to start telling their big kids to "play in the paint" for more than 5 minutes a game! LOL

[Chadwin]

very 3ball esque

In theory it was easier to score back then because of the illegal defense iso. You could have Jordan just post up every single time while the other 4 guys were 25 feet from the basket.

The reality though was that the majority of the time this didn't happen and there was some guy camping in the paint.

[Shih508]

The thing is great post players don't get good endorsement money comparing to players like MJ & AI. that's why young kids all wanna grow up playing like MJ or AI.

[T_L_P]

He copied most of them from Daughtery, including his patented bank-shot.

NBA fans and their need to find 'originators'.

Like anything Daugherty did was pioneering. :oldlol:

[hitmanyr2k]

Shaq was still dominant ti'll 2006 and Tim Duncan is still winning titles! Put Ewing, Olajuwon, Robinson, Kareem or any other great center in today's league and they would still shred it. Great post play will beat ANY defense the problem is that after Duncan, the NBA is left with ZERO players of that ilk. But I hear AAU is really going to start telling their big kids to "play in the paint" for more than 5 minutes a game! LOL

True, even better is those centers had damn good midrange jumpshots or in Kareem's case the skyhook. And as I've already shown that zone bullshit is a myth and a crutch posters like to use for the diminishing of skills on the low block. It's not because defenses are so sophisticated today, far from it.

[Im Still Ballin]

It would be foolish to not mention the rule changes and the impacts they have on the game. There are multiple reasons for post play diminishing, that which I have listed. The game today is a model of efficiency and at times, going to the post can be inefficient when the quality of 3 point shooting and the effects it has on dribble penetration opportunities (derived from the spacing) exist.

[GimmeThat]

Might as well tell me Jason Kidd was an overrated post player.

[hitmanyr2k]

It would be foolish to not mention the rule changes and the impacts they have on the game. There are multiple reasons for post play diminishing, that which I have listed. The game today is a model of efficiency and at times, going to the post can be inefficient when the quality of 3 point shooting and the effects it has on dribble penetration opportunities (derived from the spacing) exist.

No, it's foolish to say illegal defense was the cause of post players flourishing using one gif as evidence while trying to talk up these bullshit zones (that are hardly used) and how defense is so advanced today like you did here.



In the 90's the Illegal defense rule schemes forced defenses to play man to man, weak/strong zones were not allowed... Defenses had their hands tied behind their back. It also did not allow the doubling of an off-ball player, usually a big with good post position. You could double the ball handler but it had to be an aggressive attempt, any otherwise would be deemed illegal. What all this means for low post players is that, they could get a good position on the block without being disrupted. There also was no 5 second back to the basket rule that exists now (AKA the Kevin Johnson rule).

http://media.giphy.com/media/PfS9JTMb9zF7i/giphy.gif
- Notice the single coverage, open paint

I can do the exact same thing for this era. Where the hell is the defense here? Why is it so easy for Duncan to catch the ball 10 feet from the rim and do as he pleases? There's NO help :oldlol: Olajuwon has to at least make a spinning midrange fadeway over great defense from Shaq in your clip. Duncan?

http://i.imgur.com/U2ZPNmG.gif



In 2000 strong side zones were permitted, and in 2001 all types of zones were legal. Defenses were given more freedom. What this did was allow for more advanced defending schemes; today defenses are faster and smarter than ever before. It's incredibly hard for a limbering 7 footer to get good post position and adequate room to score when defenses are rotating and effectively doubling the block while still being able to cover the open man quick enough. Thus gone, were the days of the Illegal defense, the offensive ratings that were exponentially increasing from the 80's to the late 90's began to start to dip as defenses were finally allowed to fight back.

Here's some examples of the faster, smarter defenses here folks.

Wow, it sure is hard for Tim to get great post position. I wonder how he can even catch the ball 10 feet from the rim. Notice the speed of the advanced rotating defense and doubleteams. I mean holy shit. Centers of yesteryear wouldn't stand a chance of making a shot over a 6'9 PF with no help :oldlol:

http://i.imgur.com/U7fuPbH.gif

Once again Tim is having a rough time catching the ball on the low block. That defense is just so damn tough. Lumbering Tim can't get in the paint either. It's just too damn clogged with....no one. Advanced defense is just too hard to beat :banghead:

http://i.imgur.com/7DKJB41.gif

Cmon man, someone give Bron some help. It shouldn't be this easy.

http://i.imgur.com/C2VMSyD.gif

Lumbering Tim once again catches the ball where he wants. Advanced defense and zones at work here folks. Notice how much the paint is clogged with no one. Tim can go right. Tim can go left. So much room to work.

http://i.imgur.com/ywWxUmo.gif

[Im Still Ballin]

Great ****ing thread

beastmode take notes on how to be a legitimate poster

[Asukal]

http://media.giphy.com/media/PfS9JTMb9zF7i/giphy.gif
- Notice the single coverage, open paint


WTF are you talking about? Don't you see the help defense(nick anderson) waiting for Hakeem to drive here? This is why he went for the spin and fadeaway move. If he drove to the paint, he would've gotten a double team. :facepalm

Find a better gif. This one doesn't cut it. :hammerhead: