Just to get it out of the way, I don’t like the way the video is titled since Michael Jordan was mentioned only briefly in this clip. Rule changes and strategy has certainly evolved over the past 70 years of the NBA. Coach Hubie Brown talks about the lane widening and hand check being eliminated. Widening the lane has definitely made it so that the key isn’t crowded which makes it easier for players to attack the basket. Barring hand checking takes that further which allows the ball handler more room and freedom from the defender.
There is just 1 thing that I disagree with coach Brown even if I’m not qualified to say so in comparison to him. His point that it’s tougher to get shots off and offensive sets in the 80s were a beauty to watch is certainly true. His mention of the Bad Boy Pistons is a great reference to tough defenses of that time, and you can watch the Showtime Lakers or Celtics of that era to see some great offenses. However the NBA has certainly come into its own in the past 5 years or so. Offenses are just so much more fun to watch, and this year’s Finals is just proof of that with the Spurs running possibly the greatest offense ever with their incredible passing, screen plays, zipper cuts, and all the motion that goes on. This style of offense is really what we’ve been seeing just recently as the 2000s was a time of mostly isolation basketball which might have elevated certain players to stardom, but it was rather simple and not as fun to watch. Spacing is better than ever with an emphasis on shooting.
Great short little clip which deserves to be expanded upon.
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