Why did the Bulls improve defensively the first time

[Vino24]

MJ retired? Was Pete Myers that good defensively?

[E_Stamkos]

Let me sniff?

[Vino24]

Pippen upped his defense and took on an even bigger defensive load

[3ball]

Why did the Bulls improve defensively the first time

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.

MJ retired?

teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year

Was Pete Myers that good defensively?

mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

[superduper]

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.



teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year



mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

This might be the GOAT post in ISH history

[Detroit]

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.



teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year



mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

Goodness Gracious

[TheMan]

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.



teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year



mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

Thread backfire

[bigkingsfan]

Pippen upped his defense and took on an even bigger defensive load

In 95, they ranked #2

[jstern]

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.



teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year



mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

[sportjames23]

The Bulls ranked 7th, 4th, and 7th from 91-93', and 6th in 1994

So basically no improvement at all

And the entire league improved in DRtg in 94', so the Bulls didn't improve relative to the league (hence their ranking remaining the same)

Since their defensive ranking remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.



teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year



mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

Otoh, Lebron's teammates play bad with or without him because he reduces everyone to spot-up shooters - weak teams let 1 guy dribble most of the time, so the team collapses without that guy.. Otoh, dynasty teams play great basketball with or without their star because they move the ball instead of having 1 guy dribble it all the time

Similar to other ball-dominators like Westbrook and Harden, lebron's teams play bad basketball.... people simply ignored it because he had super-teams that were winning the LEast every year.
.

Damn, I felt that over here.

[1987_Lakers]

[NBAGOAT]

the average drtg in 1993 was 108, the bulls had a 106.1 so a rdrtg of -1.9.

the average drtg in 1994 was 106.3, the bulls had a 102.7 so a rdrtg of -3.6.

This is why looking at just ranks can be misleading, they're not exact. Another example but calling the Knicks in 93 and 94 just the no1 defense in the league for example is completely underselling them since they were 3-4pts better than the 2nd best team in the league. They were a -8.3 while the sonics who were 2nd were a -3.1 so the sonics were far closer to an average defense than the knicks.

There are obviously contextual factors like the Bulls coasting in 93 because it was the 3rd year of a 3peat, becoming more of a defensive focused team etc. No one thinks jordan's a negative defender. However, lol at people thinking 3ball is ethering people when he isnt even correct however

[3ball]

the average drtg in 1993 was 108, the bulls had a 106.1 so a rdrtg of -1.9.

the average drtg in 1994 was 106.3, the bulls had a 102.7 so a rdrtg of -3.6.

This is why looking at just ranks can be misleading, they're not exact.

Your metric shows that the Bulls' defense was best with Jordan (1992), and 1994 was basically the same as the first 3-peat overall:

1) 1992 - 3.7 below league average
2) 1994 - 3.6 below league average
3) 1991 - 2.7 below league average
4) 1993 - 1.9 below league average

Since their defensive capacity remained the same, the massive decline from 3-peat dynasty to 2nd Round team was due entirely to the absence of MJ's goat offense, which caused their ORtg to crater from #1 all-time (during the 3-peat) to 14th in the league in 1994.

Another example but calling the Knicks in 93 and 94 just the no1 defense in the league for example is completely underselling them since they were 3-4pts better than the 2nd best team in the league. They were a -8.3 while the sonics who were 2nd were a -3.1 so the sonics were far closer to an average defense than the knicks.

teams have a limited amount of energy to expend on both ends - shifts in performance/effort on one side normally take away from the other side.. But even though the Bulls offense fell off a cliff in 1994 and they focused more on defense, their defense didn't improve relative to the league because they were missing their best defender.

Otoh, the presence of MJ gave the Bulls the highest ORtg's of all time.. But this GOAT improvement on offense didn't come at the expense of defense like it would for most teams.. His presence enabled a TWO-WAY team, which isn't surprising, since he's the goat two-way player according to Popovich.

So imagine Kawhi Leonard (as Popovich references), with the capability of scoring 15 more ppg.. That's Jordan... That's the GOAT.. we're seeing Kawhi dominate this year

There are obviously contextual factors like the Bulls coasting in 93 because it was the 3rd year of a 3peat, becoming more of a defensive focused team etc. No one thinks jordan's a negative defender. However, lol at people thinking 3ball is ethering people when he isnt even correct however

the bulls won 47 games and would've missed the 45-win playoff cut without mj's 33/8/8 in 1989.. that same lottery cast three-peated from 91-93' - so the 94' Bulls were a lottery cast that had developed the know-how, teamwork and goat brand required of all dynasties.. they managed off teamwork, not talent.

[bigkingsfan]

95 Bulls won one less playoff game with Ordan, team beat them got swept.

[3ball]

95 Bulls won one less playoff game with Ordan, team beat them got swept.

3 reasons the Bulls lost in 1995:

1) bad chemistry
2) Pippen laid another egg (19 on 40.9%)
3) MJ was rusty from baseball


They fixed up #1 and #3, which resulted in another 3-peat (Pippen was still aids - 17 on 40.8% in 96-98' playoffs)
.