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>I'm old enough to know that Phoenix team didn't play defense - >I watched them that whole season and had the Bulls winning >because of MJ and because the Bulls did play defense, despite >Phoenix's league best record I had belief in them whatsoever >beating MJ in a 7 gm series - Magic was doing the play-by-play >for that series w/Bob Costas and who kept pointing out how >easy MJ's points were coming....
I'll let you rock here but Thunder Dan wasn't garbo no less than Delly is and Dan was much more athletic.
>C'mon, fam, Mahjerle was ALL hustle and effort - he got steals >but he wasn't by any mean what you would call an elite >perimeter defender - he didn't have the lateral movement to >stay w/Jordan...which is why Phoenix tried putting the smaller >KJ on him and he too got torched
I won't disagree with this but he was all defensive 2nd team playing on a team you said played no D. How does that happen if he wasn't an elite defender?
>Stockton nor Larry Nance had to guard Jordan and Starks was >just too small and so was Dumars but he had a lot of help in >defending MJ - none of these players except GP were true elite >defensive players...particularly compared to the wing players >Lebron has had to go up against
>Nance was a PF lol - and again compare the perimeter defenders >Jordan faced compared to these wing players Lebron is facing - >not even close if we're being honest
The point being, you made it seem like MJ just layuped his way to 6 rings over crème puffs...these dudes have pedigree and while they weren't always primarily matched up against him, they did spot duty. Only guys in the playoffs the last two years to spend almost exclusive time guarding Bron were Jimmy and Kawhi. And comparatively, I'll concede that yeah some of these guys are bigger/tougher defenders. Do I think that would stop Jordan in his prime? No. Same way it's not stopping LeBron.
>He and Russell both were bit players on that team - you >could've let Hornacel and Russell guard MJ at the same time >and they still would've gotten torched lol - neither of those >dudes were great one on one defensive players...not even >close
Yet no one else was getting off on the Jazz BUT MJ...and he was 33 and 34 when it happened to boot.
>But this ain't abt Bean - this is abt the perimeter defenders >Lebron has had to face
Sorry, confused you with Kira who seems to nuthug both. My bad.
>Kawhi Leonard/Paul George/Jimmy Butler are easily better than >any three perimeter players MJ had to play against
Spreewell, Ray Allen, Payton, Dumars, Dominique, Vernon Maxwell, Clyde Drexler, Penny Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Grant Hill, Allan Houston, Steve Smith, Glen Rice, Jim Jackson, Jamal Mashburn, Eddie Jones, Reggie Miller...are you really saying those 3 are better than ANY 3 on this list?
>Eh the age thing is a plea cop because that was the Bulls team >that won 72 gms and MJ was the MVP - GP was just in his jersey >and not enough credit is giving to him ((Macmillian too) for >their defense on him
Age matters...that's why people are amazed at Tim Duncan to this day. 32 is athleticism decline stage for NBA perimeter players. You remember what a beast Vince use to be right? Look at his stats at age 32+ or his highlights...right.
>Yo, Bruh, you got the wrong guy if you think I'm abt to defend >Kobe - no one has dissected Bean's career more than me - "I'm >off that" (c) Jayz
My bad.
>Both instances were more abt TEAM DEFENSE than individual >defense - BB admitted that it was having Timmy behind him that >enabled the Spurs to slow Lebron down moreso than just great >one one one defense - but we've still seen Lebron put in work >against better wing defensive players than the ones you >listed
Nice plea cop there.
>It's not abt discounting what MJ has done but some things need >to be put into a certain perspective - I've mentioned before >that MJ happened to come along at a time when 2-guards and >other perimeter players weren't as skilled as the ones in >today's game...
I think you're cysing this a lil 'too' much. There's some merit to it though. I could argue that today's interior defenders aren't as good as yesteryears and that helped teams play better team D back then but we'd just be running in circles (especially given your plea cop for bron's wack performances being he had great interior defenders helping).
>Even Iggy is probably better than any perimeter defender who >guarded Jordan during his title reign except for GP who was >giving giving up some size to MJ
Iggy is comparable to somebody like Gerald Wilkins as a defender. And Mike roasted him too. You're cysing this waaaaay too hard.
>Perimeter players today are bigger, more athletic and more >skilled and better defensively than the perimeter players in >Jordan's era
bigger (lie if we're talking 90-98, that started the wave of bigger SG's and SF's, I listed a gang of them that were between 6'5" and 6'8" which is what they average out about now) more athletic (a bit, I agree) more skilled (in some aspects, but lack fundamentals in areas that matter so it's a wash) better defensively (marginally...it's probably heavier up top than overall)
I'll concede some of this by I think you're pushing that barometer waaaaaay too far to the left. ____________
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