MJ was efficient because he was an elite midrange shooter

[JohnMax]

He shot 49% on midrange in 1997.

He shot lower the next seasons and his FG% declined by a lot which shows it was his midrange, not slashing, that made him a career 50% FG.

[juju151111]

He shot 49% on midrange in 1997.

He shot lower the next seasons and his FG% declined by a lot which shows it was his midrange, not slashing, that made him a career 50% FG.
He had a messed up wrist in 98

[ShawkFactory]

:wtf:

[3ball]

He shot 49% on midrange in 1997.

He shot lower the next seasons and his FG% declined by a lot which shows it was his midrange, not slashing, that made him a career 50% FG.


People don't realize that during his 2nd three-peat, he led the league in scoring by shooting primarily midrange jumpshots - this is statistical fact - he attempted 1202 midrange jumpshots in 1997, which is TWICE as many as Durant took this year (and Durant's midrange volume is very high for today's game).

Yet despite Jordan's insane midrange volume, he was still precise and athletic enough with his drives that he amassed 94 dunks in 1996 (http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=j82vl1&s=8#.VI_5qyvF_Ck), and 89 in 1998 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) - this is nearly twice as many as Westbrook gets every season, and significantly more than Kobe and McGrady averaged in their primes (they averaged 65-75 dunks per season in their primes).

But ultimately, midrange is why Jordan was so unstoppable because midrange is the only shot that a defense can't prevent - layups can be prevented by clogging the paint, and 3-pointers can be prevented or bricked with a good contest..

Otoh, midrange shooters aren't affected by paint-clogging and good midrange shooters are accustomed to shooting with defenders draped all over.. The "unpreventability" of midrange shots is why they're the most-used shot in the clutch, and that's the primary reason Jordan is GOAT - there's never been a superathlete with goat midrange, and the combination of the two made him unstoppable.

[CTbasketball92]

People don't realize that during his 2nd three-peat, he led the league in scoring by shooting primarily midrange jumpshots - this is statistical fact - he attempted 1202 midrange jumpshots in 1997, which is TWICE as many as Durant took this year (and Durant's midrange volume is very high for today's game).

Yet despite Jordan's insane midrange volume, he was still precise and athletic enough with his drives that he amassed 94 dunks in 1996 (http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=j82vl1&s=8#.VI_5qyvF_Ck), and 89 in 1998 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) - this is nearly twice as many as Westbrook gets every season, and significantly more than Kobe and McGrady averaged in their primes (they averaged 65-75 dunks per season in their primes).

But ultimately, midrange is why Jordan was so unstoppable because midrange is the only shot that a defense can't prevent - layups can be prevented by clogging the paint, and 3-pointers can be prevented or bricked with a good contest..

Otoh, midrange shooters aren't affected by paint-clogging and good midrange shooters are accustomed to shooting with defenders draped all over.. The "unpreventability" of midrange shots is why they're the most-used shot in the clutch, and that's the primary reason Jordan is GOAT - there's never been a superathlete with goat midrange, and the combination of the two made him unstoppable.

Yup. I think what made Jordan's midrange game even more deadly was his size/athleticism though. Curry and Klay are both actually a very good midrange shooters, Curry lacks the suddenness and power to play downhill in an MJ way and create the same space as instantly, and Klay lacks the ballhandling. I think that's why they struggled this year in the finals (along with his lingering knee issues). MJ had broad shoulders and obviously a goat level first step, so defenders kind of had to backpedal, keeping them off balance. He was a super legit threat to get to the basket where he shot like 75%, so you had to give him a shot where he made about 47% for his career on a very high volume. That's how you become the most dominant scorer ever without a 3 point shot. It allowed him to take control of games in a way other superstars usually can't.

KD, Kyrie Irving and CP3 are also great at the midrange, with all of them shooting like 51% from 10-16 feet this year (!) and around 45-46% from 16-23 feet. Really, very few people i want with the ball at the end of the game more than those two, even though KD went ice cold this postseason.

[bond10]

What's really insane about MJ is that he was mostly a slasher in the start of his career and later became more of a shooter. Most guys can't transform their games like that and still dominate, not even Lebron. It's really impressive....

[CTbasketball92]

What's really insane about MJ is that he was mostly a slasher in the start of his career and later became more of a shooter. Most guys can't transform their games like that and still dominate, not even Lebron. It's really impressive....

Well, MJ became more of a shooter, but I think he was elite from midrange starting in '87 or '88 at latest. I think he just relied on it more from 1990-onward. LeBron, other than that four year period in Miami, was just never a truly, truly reliable shooter.

[Hey Yo]

What's really insane about MJ is that he was mostly a slasher in the start of his career and later became more of a shooter. Most guys can't transform their games like that and still dominate, not even Lebron. It's really impressive....
Even more insane is that when he played further away from the basket, as he got older, he was still getting to the line.

in 1990, MJ went to the line 699 times. The amount of FTA went down each season after.......until his last season in Chicago. He some how, primarily as a jumpshooter, all of a sudden got 721 FTA.

1997 -1,892FGA- 572FTA
1998 -1,893FGA- 721FTA..............:oldlol:

Stern at his finest.

[Smoke117]

Pick 97 when a player is in his early 30s to say that's how he played...jesus christ you're a ****ing moron.

[Dro]

Its crazy.....haters will hate..Its like something that consumes the soul....

[juju151111]

Even more insane is that when he played further away from the basket, as he got older, he was still getting to the line.

in 1990, MJ went to the line 699 times. The amount of FTA went down each season after.......until his last season in Chicago. He some how, primarily as a jumpshooter, all of a sudden got 721 FTA.

1997 -1,892FGA- 572FTA
1998 -1,893FGA- 721FTA..............:oldlol:

Stern at his finest.
His fta went down during his first 3 peat

[Smoke117]

Even more insane is that when he played further away from the basket, as he got older, he was still getting to the line.

in 1990, MJ went to the line 699 times. The amount of FTA went down each season after.......until his last season in Chicago. He some how, primarily as a jumpshooter, all of a sudden got 721 FTA.

1997 -1,892FGA- 572FTA
1998 -1,893FGA- 721FTA..............:oldlol:

Stern at his finest.

Pretty much...he averaged the most ft's since he was 25 in 98...retirement tour indeed. 3ball going on about all these mid range shots he was taking...while averaging over 8 fta's in 98...lmfao. There has never been a player as protected as Michael Jordan.

[jstern]

Pick 97 when a player is in his early 30s to say that's how he played...jesus christ you're a ****ing moron.
There's no data from before 97 for midrange percentage. At least that was the case a couple of months ago.

[Hey Yo]

His fta went down during his first 3 peat
I know. I stated that in my post.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

People don't realize that during his 2nd three-peat, he led the league in scoring by shooting primarily midrange jumpshots - this is statistical fact - he attempted 1202 midrange jumpshots in 1997, which is TWICE as many as Durant took this year (and Durant's midrange volume is very high for today's game).

Yet despite Jordan's insane midrange volume, he was still precise and athletic enough with his drives that he amassed 94 dunks in 1996 (http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=j82vl1&s=8#.VI_5qyvF_Ck), and 89 in 1998 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) - this is nearly twice as many as Westbrook gets every season, and significantly more than Kobe and McGrady averaged in their primes (they averaged 65-75 dunks per season in their primes).

But ultimately, midrange is why Jordan was so unstoppable because midrange is the only shot that a defense can't prevent - layups can be prevented by clogging the paint, and 3-pointers can be prevented or bricked with a good contest..

Otoh, midrange shooters aren't affected by paint-clogging and good midrange shooters are accustomed to shooting with defenders draped all over.. The "unpreventability" of midrange shots is why they're the most-used shot in the clutch, and that's the primary reason Jordan is GOAT - there's never been a superathlete with goat midrange, and the combination of the two made him unstoppable.

That is because your statistics are from NBA.com which does not include long twos (in their data a midrange jumper is up to 22 feet).... it skews the data.

[G0ATbe]

So Demar Derozen would pretty much be MJ if he played in the 90s.

[3ball]

That is because your statistics are from NBA.com which does not include long twos

(in their data a midrange jumper is up to 22 feet).... it skews the data.


Actually, NBA.com defines a midrange jumper as all shots outside the paint and inside the 3-point line

Jordan is the only super athlete in the history of the game that had an all-time great midrange jumpshot, OR the goat fadeaway jumpshot, or ANY type of all-time great jumpshot... Super athlete + goat jumpshot = goat





(in their data a midrange jumper is up to 22 feet).... it skews the data.



Let's go by distance - Jordan was a FAR better shooter inside 20 feet than Curry:



........................MJ 1997 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season).................Curry 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Regular%20Season)............. Curry 2016 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/) <--- link to nba.com data

5-9 ft.......... 49.2%, 126 fga........... 40.3%, 72 fga.......... 48.6%, 72 fga

10-14 ft....... 51.5%, 466 fga........... 52.9%, 85 fga.......... 50.9%, 57 fga

15-19 ft....... 49.5%, 594 fga........... 43.9%, 132 fga........ 37.3%, 102 fga



Overall midrange percentage (all shots inside the 3-point line but outside the paint)



JORDAN 1997 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):. 48.9%, 1202 fga

S Curry 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):.. 41.1%,. 285 fga
S Curry 2016 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):.. 42.5%,. 200 fga



Interestingly, Curry's goat 3-point shooting and Jordan's goat midrange shooting isn't needed to be a top scorer in today's game - Lebron, Westbrook, Wade, Derozan and Butler have poor midrange (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12389778&postcount=41) and 3-point jumpshooting, yet they're still top scorers because today's wide open spacing and hands-off defense allows good athletes easier access to the rim.

Today's spacing and hands-off defense would benefit MJ's athleticism the same way, except he had the goat midrange efficiency shown above, which would put him in Curry's category as a goat shooter, and gave him a similarly massive advantage over the aforementioned non-shooters Lebron, Westbrick and company.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Actually, NBA.com defines a midrange jumper as all shots outside the paint and inside the 3-point line

Jordan is the only super athlete in the history of the game that had an all-time great midrange jumpshot, OR the goat fadeaway jumpshot, or ANY type of all-time great jumpshot... Super athlete + goat jumpshot = goat




Let's go by distance - Jordan was a FAR better shooter inside 20 feet than Curry:



........................MJ 1997 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season).................Curry 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Regular%20Season)............. Curry 2016 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/) <--- link to nba.com data

5-9 ft.......... 49.2%, 126 fga........... 40.3%, 72 fga.......... 48.6%, 72 fga

10-14 ft....... 51.5%, 466 fga........... 52.9%, 85 fga.......... 50.9%, 57 fga

15-19 ft....... 49.5%, 594 fga........... 43.9%, 132 fga........ 37.3%, 102 fga



Overall midrange percentage (all shots inside the 3-point line but outside the paint)



JORDAN 1997 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):. 48.9%, 1202 fga

S Curry 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):.. 41.1%,. 285 fga
S Curry 2016 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season):.. 42.5%,. 200 fga



Interestingly, Curry's goat 3-point shooting and Jordan's goat midrange shooting isn't needed to be a top scorer in today's game - Lebron, Westbrook, Wade, Derozan and Butler have poor midrange (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12389778&postcount=41) and 3-point jumpshooting, yet they're still top scorers because today's wide open spacing and hands-off defense allows good athletes easier access to the rim.

Today's spacing and hands-off defense would benefit MJ's athleticism the same way, except he had the goat midrange efficiency shown above, which would put him in Curry's category as a goat shooter, and gave him a similarly massive advantage over the aforementioned non-shooters Lebron, Westbrick and company.

If you look closely you will see the discrepancy in their (NBA.com) data regarding midrange.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Oh and btw.... you are also using data for Jordan where there was a shorter 3 point line... 22 feet all the way around....

But yet they break down shots by distance:
Less than 8 feet
8-16 feet
16-24 feet
24+ feet

Breakdown of shots by area:
Restricted area
Paint (Nonrestricted area)
midrange
3 pointer

Now do you see the discrepancy?

[3ball]

Oh and btw.... you are also using data for Jordan where there was a shorter 3 point line... 22 feet all the way around....

But yet they break down shots by distance:
Less than 8 feet
8-16 feet
16-24 feet
24+ feet

Breakdown of shots by area:
Restricted area
Paint (Nonrestricted area)
midrange
3 pointer

Now do you see the discrepancy?



Let's go by distance.

Jordan had goat efficiency on goat volume inside 20 feet - no one is remotely close - i.e. he was a FAR better shooter inside 20 feet than Curry:



........................MJ 1997 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season).................Curry 2015 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/?Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Regular%20Season)............. Curry 2016 (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/201939/stats/shooting/) <--- link to nba.com data

5-9 ft.......... 49.2%, 126 fga........... 40.3%, 72 fga.......... 48.6%, 72 fga

10-14 ft....... 51.5%, 466 fga........... 52.9%, 85 fga.......... 50.9%, 57 fga

15-19 ft....... 49.5%, 594 fga........... 43.9%, 132 fga........ 37.3%, 102 fga



Interestingly, Curry's goat 3-point shooting and Jordan's goat midrange shooting isn't needed to be a top scorer in today's game - Lebron, Westbrook, Wade, Derozan and Butler have poor midrange (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12389778&postcount=41) and 3-point jumpshooting, yet they're still top scorers because today's wide open spacing and hands-off defense allows good athletes easier access to the rim.

Today's spacing and hands-off defense would benefit MJ's athleticism the same way, except he had the goat midrange efficiency shown above, which would put him in Curry's category as a goat shooter, and gave him a similarly massive advantage over the aforementioned non-shooters Lebron, Westbrick and company.

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

19 feet is not midrange no matter how you want to spin it. Yes, Jordan is better than Curry at midrange. Why not show his 97-98 year?

43% from midrange.

Why not his 01-02 season?

41% from midrange

02-03 season

43% from midrange.

Oh, wait... it won't fit into the agenda.

[3ball]

Why not show his 97-98 year?

43% from midrange.


That's still better than Curry and considered elite in today's game..

More importantly, you're forgetting Jordan's VOLUME - his midrange volume was the highest ever - this alone makes his 43% goat.

43% is better than all (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12389778&postcount=41) of today's wings except Durant's 45%, but Durant has half the volume.

Btw, it's common knowledge that Jordan fu.cked up his finger before 1998 season (he damn-near cut it off with a cigar cutter).. So his shot was off, and he was just over-the-hill in 2002/2003 (while still having the bad finger).

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

That's still better than Curry and considered elite in today's game..

More importantly, you're forgetting Jordan's VOLUME - his midrange volume was the highest ever - this alone makes his 43% goat.

43% is better than all (http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12389778&postcount=41) of today's wings except Durant's 45%, but Durant has half the volume.

Btw, it's common knowledge that Jordan fu.cked up his finger before 1998 season (he damn-near cut it off with a cigar cutter).. So his shot was off, and he was just over-the-hill in 2002/2003 (and still had the bad finger).

43% is not good no matter how you want to spin it. Volume or not. And saying that other wings are bad.... doesn't make Jordan's any better. That's like saying the cowsh*t smells better than horsesh*t. It all stinks.

And I love that excuse about his finger. :rolleyes:

[Hey Yo]

That is because your statistics are from NBA.com which does not include long twos (in their data a midrange jumper is up to 22 feet).... it skews the data.
True mid-range is 12-17 feet.

3ball doesn't acknowledge the long 2 which is considered 18 feet to the 3pt line.

EXPOSED

[CuterThanRubio]

3ball skewing stats again?

How surprising!

:coleman:

I don't know how the official NBA website fails to accurately record statistics, its truly laughable!

[3ball]

43% is not good no matter how you want to spin it.


It isn't spin - it's facts - 43% is elite in today's game and better than every wing except Durant, whose volume is half of Jordan's, and who Jordan shot better than in 1997 (49%).

[CuterThanRubio]

You guys are incompetent - NBA.com "midrange" category includes any shot outside the paint but inside the 3-point line.

Jordan shot better on these shots in 1997 than any wing in history, on far greater volume.

No, you are incompetent

Any shot inside the line but outside of the paint isn't "mid-range"

A foot on the arc jumper is midrange in your mind, because that is how it is defined on NBA.com?

Wow!

:hammerhead:

[3ball]

True mid-range is 12-17 feet.

3ball doesn't acknowledge the long 2 which is considered 18 feet to the 3pt line.

EXPOSED
You guys are incompetent - NBA.com "midrange" category includes any shot outside the paint but inside the 3-point line.

Jordan shot better on these shots in 1997 than anyone in history - 49% on volume that was far greater than anyone in history - it's not even close.. Just wait until they come out with his first 3-peat stats

[3ball]

No, you are incompetent

Any shot inside the line but outside of the paint isn't "mid-range"

A foot on the arc jumper is midrange in your mind, because that is how it is defined on NBA.com?

Wow!

:hammerhead:
NBA.com's "midrange" category includes long two's - so Jordan was better at midrange shots and long two's

[CuterThanRubio]

NBA.com's "midrange" category includes long two's - so Jordan was better at midrange shots and long two's

No, they aren't separated, so his true midrange superiority can mask and conceal the sloppy long two percentages, its not hard to understand.

[3ball]

No, they aren't separated, so his true midrange superiority can mask and conceal the sloppy long two percentages, its not hard to understand.
We have the data by distance - and Jordan shot 39.6% (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) from 20-24 feet in 1997, compared to 29.5% (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/2544/stats/shooting/?Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) for Lebron this season.

take this L.. you have nothing left, and your argument was weak as hell to begin with

the stats are what they are - Jordan is the GOAT midrange shooter - best efficiency on BY FAR the most volume - it's simple.

[jstern]

Jordan's is the greatest mid range shooter that I've ever seen. And I wonder what percentage of them were fade aways. Which is why is probably the reason why his volume was so high.

[CuterThanRubio]

We have the data by distance - and Jordan shot 39.6% (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/893/stats/shooting/?Season=1996-97&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) from 20-24 feet in 1997, compared to 29.5% (http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/2544/stats/shooting/?Season=2015-16&SeasonType=Regular%20Season) for Lebron this season.

take this L.. you have nothing left, and your argument was weak as hell to begin with

the stats are what they are - Jordan is the GOAT midrange shooter - best efficiency on BY FAR the most volume - it's simple.



:coleman:

Yeah, according to data that wasn't collected until 97

:hammerhead:

I wasn't arguing his midrange efficiency in the first place you retard, I was nitpicking the stat skewing you were trying to pull by lumping long two percentages with true midrange numbers, get it together!

Also, MELTDOWN, LeBron has infected your mind, you purposely compared a poor shooter to MJ, conveniently ignoring Curry's midrange shooting from this past season, which was higher than anything Jordan has ever put up, FACTS!

[Hey Yo]

Not a coincidence that the "new 3pt line' was within MJ's range


"The 1995-96 Bulls are one of only three of the NBA's "All Time Great teams" who have a primarily perimeter oriented offense. The other teams were the 1989 the Detroit Pistons who won 63 regular season games & rolled through the '89 playoffs and the 1991-92 Bulls. Unlike the 96 Bulls the Pistons did not have a shortened 3 point line to help their outside shooting quartet of Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Mark Aguire and center Bill Laimbeer. The 1986 Celtics (Ainge, Bird & Wedman) would also have the potential to feast off a shortened 3 point line as would Byron Scott (1987 Lakers).

From 1994-95 to 1996-97 the NBA shortened the three point line to near the college level in an attempt to help offensive players score more.

A rule change like this would certainly bolster a perimeter oriented team that has the greatest shooting guard ever. In a great coincidence the new shorter line was just inside the outer rim of Michael Jordan's "respectable" shooting range. The Bulls' mega superstar (who had a career 3 point percentage in the mid 20's before the change) shot 43% from 3 point range in 1995-96.

Jordan also set career highs in 3-point attempts and made 3 point feld goals.

These career highs were nearly double Jordan's previous career highs. The shortened three point line was certainly an additional weapon to any team that had a perimeter based offensive attack and the 1995-96 Bulls used it big time. The Bulls' #2 star Scottie Pippen also had his 2 career best 3 point field goal percentage seasons with the shortened line. The increased 3 point accuracy of the Bulls' two brightest stars was also a help to the 1996-97 Bulls who won 69 games. The chart below shows an obvious correlation between Jordan's 3 point accuracy and the Bulls' win total.

3 point Field Goal Percentage:
Year Jordan 3 Pt. FG% Pippen 3 Pt. FG% Bulls Record
1995-96* .426 .374 72-10
1996-97* .374 .368 69-13
1997-98 .238 .318 62-20
_____

Plus add Kerr's 50% and Kukoc's 40% from 3 in 1996

Then add the league's best rebounder and 1st team All-Defense in Rodman

That my folks is a super stacked team who feasted on the "NEW" 3pt line

[CuterThanRubio]

Not a coincidence that the "new 3pt line' was within MJ's range


"The 1995-96 Bulls are one of only three of the NBA's "All Time Great teams" who have a primarily perimeter oriented offense. The other teams were the 1989 the Detroit Pistons who won 63 regular season games & rolled through the '89 playoffs and the 1991-92 Bulls. Unlike the 96 Bulls the Pistons did not have a shortened 3 point line to help their outside shooting quartet of Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Mark Aguire and center Bill Laimbeer. The 1986 Celtics (Ainge, Bird & Wedman) would also have the potential to feast off a shortened 3 point line as would Byron Scott (1987 Lakers).

From 1994-95 to 1996-97 the NBA shortened the three point line to near the college level in an attempt to help offensive players score more.

A rule change like this would certainly bolster a perimeter oriented team that has the greatest shooting guard ever. In a great coincidence the new shorter line was just inside the outer rim of Michael Jordan's "respectable" shooting range. The Bulls' mega superstar (who had a career 3 point percentage in the mid 20's before the change) shot 43% from 3 point range in 1995-96.

Jordan also set career highs in 3-point attempts and made 3 point feld goals.

These career highs were nearly double Jordan's previous career highs. The shortened three point line was certainly an additional weapon to any team that had a perimeter based offensive attack and the 1995-96 Bulls used it big time. The Bulls' #2 star Scottie Pippen also had his 2 career best 3 point field goal percentage seasons with the shortened line. The increased 3 point accuracy of the Bulls' two brightest stars was also a help to the 1996-97 Bulls who won 69 games. The chart below shows an obvious correlation between Jordan's 3 point accuracy and the Bulls' win total.

3 point Field Goal Percentage:
Year Jordan 3 Pt. FG% Pippen 3 Pt. FG% Bulls Record
1995-96* .426 .374 72-10
1996-97* .374 .368 69-13
1997-98 .238 .318 62-20
_____

Plus add Kerr's 50% and Kukoc's 40% from 3 in 1996

Then add the league's best rebounder and 1st team All-Defense in Rodman

That my folks is a super stacked team who feasted on the "NEW" 3pt line

:applause:

Shortened three point line era NBA basketball is NOT legitimate!

72-10 was the result of a gimmick, the worst rule change the league had ever seen!

[3ball]

That my folks is a super stacked team who feasted on the "NEW" 3pt line


Anyone remotely competent knows that ALL teams used the shortened 3-point line, so there was no advantage to the Bulls.. So your argument is one of the dumbest...

Btw, a shortened 3-point line means there's less spacing - defenders cover less ground and contest shots better.. Less spacing means tougher basketball, which is why league-wide PPG and pace was slower during Jordan's 2nd three-peat than today's game.

Also, Jordan had to CARRY the Bulls offense while still being the best defender ever at his position - so the Bulls weren't stacked or a super-team.

You need 3 all-stars for a super-team and Jordan's Bulls never had that at any point in his career.. Rodman was 35 years old and his all-star days were long gone - he didn't make any all-defensive team in 1997 or 1998 and only averaged 4/8 in the entire 1997 playoffs, while not being a starter in 1998 playoffs.

[Hey Yo]

Anyone remotely competent knows that ALL teams used the shortened 3-point line, so there was no advantage to the Bulls.. So your argument is one of the dumbest...

Btw, a shortened 3-point line means there's less spacing - defenders cover less ground and contest shots better.. Less spacing means tougher basketball, which is why league-wide PPG and pace was slower during Jordan's 2nd three-peat than today's game.

Also, Jordan had to CARRY the Bulls offense while still being the best defender ever at his position - so the Bulls weren't stacked or a super-team.

You need 3 all-stars for a super-team and Jordan's Bulls never had that at any point in his career.. Rodman was 35 years old and his all-star days were long gone - he didn't make any all-defensive team in 1997 or 1998 and only averaged 4/8 in the entire 1997 playoffs, while not being a starter in 1998 playoffs.
1996 Bulls had the 3rd best 3pt%, 1st in scoring and the 2nd best defense.

2 All-NBA 1st team and 3 All-NBA 1st team defense with Rodman leading the league rebounds per game at 15.

SUPER STACKED after moving the 3pt line closer.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1996.html#all_team_stats

[Dragonyeuw]

Not a coincidence that the "new 3pt line' was within MJ's range


"The 1995-96 Bulls are one of only three of the NBA's "All Time Great teams" who have a primarily perimeter oriented offense. The other teams were the 1989 the Detroit Pistons who won 63 regular season games & rolled through the '89 playoffs and the 1991-92 Bulls. Unlike the 96 Bulls the Pistons did not have a shortened 3 point line to help their outside shooting quartet of Joe Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, Mark Aguire and center Bill Laimbeer. The 1986 Celtics (Ainge, Bird & Wedman) would also have the potential to feast off a shortened 3 point line as would Byron Scott (1987 Lakers).

From 1994-95 to 1996-97 the NBA shortened the three point line to near the college level in an attempt to help offensive players score more.

A rule change like this would certainly bolster a perimeter oriented team that has the greatest shooting guard ever. In a great coincidence the new shorter line was just inside the outer rim of Michael Jordan's "respectable" shooting range. The Bulls' mega superstar (who had a career 3 point percentage in the mid 20's before the change) shot 43% from 3 point range in 1995-96.

Jordan also set career highs in 3-point attempts and made 3 point feld goals.

These career highs were nearly double Jordan's previous career highs. The shortened three point line was certainly an additional weapon to any team that had a perimeter based offensive attack and the 1995-96 Bulls used it big time. The Bulls' #2 star Scottie Pippen also had his 2 career best 3 point field goal percentage seasons with the shortened line. The increased 3 point accuracy of the Bulls' two brightest stars was also a help to the 1996-97 Bulls who won 69 games. The chart below shows an obvious correlation between Jordan's 3 point accuracy and the Bulls' win total.

3 point Field Goal Percentage:
Year Jordan 3 Pt. FG% Pippen 3 Pt. FG% Bulls Record
1995-96* .426 .374 72-10
1996-97* .374 .368 69-13
1997-98 .238 .318 62-20
_____

Plus add Kerr's 50% and Kukoc's 40% from 3 in 1996

Then add the league's best rebounder and 1st team All-Defense in Rodman

That my folks is a super stacked team who feasted on the "NEW" 3pt line

You act as though only MJ and Pippen took advantage of the shorter 3point line. Wouldnt that have benefitted other shooters as well? What you seem to be complaining about is the fact that the shortened 3point line gave another weapon to the most potent offensive player of his era. Had MJ only won titles in the shorter 3point line seasons it may be a point worth deliberating. Why it isn't is because MJ won 4 championships( the first 3peat) without reliance on the 3, an above average rebounder and defender in Grant, and just coming into Prime Pippen, and the 98 title was brought home by past Prime MJ with Pippen missing 38 games, and in the deciding game 6 against Utah complimented by the following 'super efforts':

Kukoc- 15 points
Kerr- 0 points
Rodman- 8 rebounds
Pippen- 8 points( injured back)

Why the amount of effort in bigging up the 96 Bulls for no other reason than to trivialize MJs greatness, when the 96 team isnt even the best version of the championship Bulls, the 92 squad IMO is and they by no means had superior talent to a handful of other contenders between 91-93, the difference above all else being that Chicago had the best player at his peak....and everyone else didnt.

[OldSchoolBBall]

Yes, Jordan is better than Curry at midrange. Why not show his 97-98 year?

43% from midrange.

Cracked knuckle and torn ligament on the index finger of his shooting hand ledd to him shooting horribly the first 15-20 games of the season from the field and the line until he adjusted his form to compensate. He shot ~41% FG/72% FT the first 15-20 games (the FT% especially is a dead giveaway for a guy who was a career 83+% FT shooter), and he shot 48% FG/83% FT the rest of the way


Why not his 01-02 season?

41% from midrange

Sliced ligament in his finger from a cigar-cutting incident just prior to his return with the Wizards (this is documented) coupled with both old legs/knees and not being able to get the spacing he once did due to diminished athleticism.

[/quote]


02-03 season

43% from midrange..

See above. But yeah, let's compare a 40 year old's percentages to a player's prime percentages. :oldlol:

There is ZERO doubt that 26-30 year old Jordan was at 46-50% FG from midrange annually.

[G-train]

19 feet is not midrange no matter how you want to spin it. Yes, Jordan is better than Curry at midrange. Why not show his 97-98 year?

43% from midrange.

Why not his 01-02 season?

41% from midrange

02-03 season

43% from midrange.

Oh, wait... it won't fit into the agenda.

:roll:

Bringing up Grandpa Jordan stats?

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

Cracked knuckle and torn ligament on the index finger of his shooting hand ledd to him shooting horribly the first 15-20 games of the season from the field and the line until he adjusted his form to compensate. He shot ~41% FG/72% FT the first 15-20 games (the FT% especially is a dead giveaway for a guy who was a career 83+% FT shooter), and he shot 48% FG/83% FT the rest of the way



Sliced ligament in his finger from a cigar-cutting incident just prior to his return with the Wizards (this is documented) coupled with both old legs/knees and not being able to get the spacing he once did due to diminished athleticism.



See above. But yeah, let's compare a 40 year old's percentages to a player's prime percentages. :oldlol:

There is ZERO doubt that 26-30 year old Jordan was at 46-50% FG from midrange annually.

And other players haven't played through that sort of stuff? I mean, jut look at Dirk who has repeatedly had elbow issues throughout his career that has affected his shot some years. Just two years ago he had a stomach ailment that affected his shot for nearly half the year....Larry Bird's back that prevented him from shooting as well. Etc etc.

And he probably did shoot well from midrange. But you are just speculating from one year is all..... But let me throw a stat to you about Nash and Ray Allen one year.....

Nash can get a shot off from anywhere, at any time, and it will have a good chance of going in. Nash is “only” making 46% of his 16-23 foot shots, but he’s a master of the 10-15 foot range that most NBA players have no idea how to operate in: Nash averages one make from that area a game, and makes 56.7% of his attempts from the 10-15 foot range. I’ll also mention Ray Allen here — Allen’s shooting prowess is well-known, but the fact that he’s making 63% of his shots from 10-15 feet seems worth mentioning.

And that quote was not for the whole year... at the time of the article it was like 2 thirds of the games. Allen's took a dip I imagine but I doubt Nash's dropped that much..... by the end of the season.