The 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers did a number of things in winning their season opener. They defeated the Boston Celtics, who had knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs last year. The Cavs also won at home, where they last lost by 32 points to the Celtics in the foreshadowing Game 5 playoff loss. They won tonight with a new Head Coach--Byron Scott. And, they did it without superstar LeBron James.
The victory tonight was very refreshing. Coach Scott showed the poise of an experienced coach, and he did not shy away from making frequent calculated substitutions during the closing minutes of the game. He played the lineups that he felt gave the Cavs the best chance to win, with former All-Star forward Antawn Jamison accepting a role as a bench player. He did not give up on his players; Daniel Gibson, for one, kept shooting confidently, and the shots eventually fell for him.
The way the Cavs played tonight was reminiscent of the Cavs squads under former Head Coach Lenny Wilkens. The offense was fluid, and there were no egos limiting the offense's capabilities. The offense run by LeBron James--the offense of the Miami Heat that lost to the Boston Celtics last night--was not present tonight. People did not just stand around and watch LeBron like the Heat did last night down the stretch.
Likewise, the defense was pretty impressive. LeBron James was supposedly the Cavaliers' best defender, but that was not evident tonight. The team defense and individual defense played by guys like Anderson Varejao, Jamario Moon, J.J. Hickson, and Ramon Sessions kept the Celtics' players in check. It seemed like Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis were the ones trying to rally Boston, not the Big Three of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Even the O'Neals--Shaquille and Jermaine (no relation)--were held in check. While former Head Coach Mike Brown's defense limited points allowed, Head Coach Byron Scott's defense forced more turnovers and scored more points off those turnovers.
Sure, the Cleveland Cavaliers no longer have LeBron James. They lost Zydrunas Ilgauskas as well, as Z was a link all the way back to the Mike Fratello/Wayne Embry days. Furthermore, this team does not have Jason Kidd or Chris Paul--premier pure point guards who ran the show for Coach Scott's championship contending teams in New Jersey and New Orleans. However, whether people realize it or not, this Cavaliers team just might have more talent overall than any of Coach Scott's previous rosters. In lieu of superstars, the Cavaliers have a roster full of capable players. Add in the fact that a lot of these players are hungry to prove themselves and hungry to win--the fist-pumping of Ryan Hollins exemplified this--and it is hard to see the Cavaliers crumbling like they did in the 2007 NBA Finals, or the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, or the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals. One win does not make a legacy, but a win like the one tonight opens the door for a new era and a new legacy to be written.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Zone Defense: The Rule Change Michael Jordan is Forgetting
In accordance with the release of the new NBA 2K11 basketball video game, legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan has returned to the media's spotlight. That is, Michael Jordan has caught the sports world's attention by saying that today's NBA rules would have allowed him to score 100 points in a game. No one is questioning Michael Jordan's uncanny ability to make plays, create shots, and score points.
Michael Jordan is right in saying that, overall, today's rules favor offensive players, particularly guards. Much less contact is allowed in defensive play; some of what was legal when Jordan played (such as forearms and handchecking) is now deemed personal foul-worthy. Furthermore, with a 30-team league, talent is spread out more than it used to be, and players--while on average are more athletic today--come into the league much less fundamentally sound.
However, Michael Jordan has forgotten about the re-emergence of zone defense in the NBA. True, no team is running a defense that only consists of varying zone coverages--one-on-one, "man-to-man" defense is still considered more manly than playing zone defense. However, much of what used to be called "illegal defense" when Jordan played is now permitted by NBA rules. The current "illegal defense" rule is known as "defensive three seconds". Aside from staying in the key on defense when nobody is around, in terms of placement and spacing, most coverage concepts are allowed. While Michael Jordan was a top ranked prospect in college, the absence of zone defense in the NBA really cultivated his game. Teams could double team him, but only to an extent.
When Jordan came back out of retirement in 2001, the new "defensive three seconds" rule was in place. While Jordan lacked the same physicality and agility he had in his earlier playing days, he kept the same shooting touch. Yet, his points per 36 minutes in his two years with the Washington Wizards were the lowest of his career. Despite reduced contact, defenses could play the veteran Michael Jordan differently than the 80's and 90's NBA players could. Maybe defenders could not defend Jordan as physically, but they certainly could double team and triple team him more freely. Add in the fact that the NBA has also cracked down on traveling violations, and even a young Michael Jordan would not be able to move as freely on offense like he did during his playing days.
In the end, Michael Jordan probably could have scored 100 points if he had tried--old rules or new rules. However, the now retired Air Jordan overestimates his ability to dominate under the new rules and underestimates the defensive advantages created by the return of zone defense and the reduction of "illegal defense" to a "defensive three seconds" violation.
Michael Jordan is right in saying that, overall, today's rules favor offensive players, particularly guards. Much less contact is allowed in defensive play; some of what was legal when Jordan played (such as forearms and handchecking) is now deemed personal foul-worthy. Furthermore, with a 30-team league, talent is spread out more than it used to be, and players--while on average are more athletic today--come into the league much less fundamentally sound.
However, Michael Jordan has forgotten about the re-emergence of zone defense in the NBA. True, no team is running a defense that only consists of varying zone coverages--one-on-one, "man-to-man" defense is still considered more manly than playing zone defense. However, much of what used to be called "illegal defense" when Jordan played is now permitted by NBA rules. The current "illegal defense" rule is known as "defensive three seconds". Aside from staying in the key on defense when nobody is around, in terms of placement and spacing, most coverage concepts are allowed. While Michael Jordan was a top ranked prospect in college, the absence of zone defense in the NBA really cultivated his game. Teams could double team him, but only to an extent.
When Jordan came back out of retirement in 2001, the new "defensive three seconds" rule was in place. While Jordan lacked the same physicality and agility he had in his earlier playing days, he kept the same shooting touch. Yet, his points per 36 minutes in his two years with the Washington Wizards were the lowest of his career. Despite reduced contact, defenses could play the veteran Michael Jordan differently than the 80's and 90's NBA players could. Maybe defenders could not defend Jordan as physically, but they certainly could double team and triple team him more freely. Add in the fact that the NBA has also cracked down on traveling violations, and even a young Michael Jordan would not be able to move as freely on offense like he did during his playing days.
In the end, Michael Jordan probably could have scored 100 points if he had tried--old rules or new rules. However, the now retired Air Jordan overestimates his ability to dominate under the new rules and underestimates the defensive advantages created by the return of zone defense and the reduction of "illegal defense" to a "defensive three seconds" violation.
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