I think most of the "no defense" agenda comes from spacing. If someone gets burnt off the dribble, there's no one in the lane to stop their man from scoring like there used to be. Players back then would get burnt off the dribble too, but have teammates in the paint to help.
Bring back the hand check or get rid of the 3second rules , and all of a sudden all the small guards like Steph, dame, fox, etc will struggle to even score layups.
Exactly this. Also, removing handchecking made drives even more difficult to stop, add better shooting to allow kickouts and it is the perfect storm. Either 3 sec rules or freedom of movement should be changed IMO.
It's not rule changes that unlocked this level of NBA offense. The hand-checking rule was implemented in 2005. 18 years ago. The 3 sec rule was implemented 2002. 21 years ago.
Yes and no at the same time. In the 1980s, you had rules in place that allowed fast players to cut to the basket. Or helps shooters taking mid-range jumpers on an island. The Illegal Defense wasn't greatly officiated, but when it happened... there were games slowed down by illegal defenses calls! Horace Grant was famous for pointing at his defender in order to gain illegal defense calls from officials.
this video goes to show how insanely co-ordinated you have to be to stop a single possession at NBA level in the modern game, and the fact that these players can still score against it is crazy
Yeah as this vid was goign on it’s just insane to me that there’s practically nothing defense can do. If all else fails anyone in th e league can hit a contested 3 or a step back. Defense nowadays is just hoping the other team can miss. It’s fun exciting but must be frustrating. There’s nothing you can do cause everyone is athletic nowadays. Anyone above 6’9 should not be hitting 3’s this much but what can ya do.?
@@thesnipingspider3852 Cause there is no defense. You are not allowed to check anyone. See how everything changes if they just reinstate the handcheck rule. xD
@@cesco1990 Lol, hand checking got removed when Kobe got locked up in 2004, and teams weren't scoring like they were now until over a decade later. Nobody complained about no more hand checking until 2015 when Curry started bombing 3's. Hand checking would also invite more flopping. Harden/CP3 would easily abuse the rip through and hooking the defenders arm to draw more fouls.
@Ali Lamar What's the complete picture? Hand checking isn't going to help players who can't slip through screens and give up the open 3. Nobody had an issue with Kobe Bryant winning 2 more rings after they removed hand checking because he had his worst final worse ever, but now we do? Lmao
can’t believe one of the best games of all time happened on random saturday night in february also hope this game causes the kings to get more love because they deserve it
@@DatBoi-xc3ny What's amazing about two teams running around and jacking up threes non-stop? You're probablt a casual fan. Look at the teams the fans still love and remember, like the Ben Wallace's Pistons. You'll never see anything like that anymore. This is noob basketball.
De'Aaron Fox stays one of the most underrated players in the NBA, dude is elevating himself to superstar status each and every game. Without him, the Kings would easily have won less than 20 games at most. His clutch performances and hard carry in the 4th quarter have single handedly won the Kings at least 10 games and possibly more if they didn’t get screwed by the refs in several games. Unbelievable at the fact that the NBA media was focusing on the Clippers and Westbrook rather than acknowledging the success Fox, Sabonis, and the Kings have had this season. The turnaround they have had in just one season is pretty historic.
I’m surprised they are even talking about the Clippers, usually it’s all Lakers talk and before the trade they would talk about the Net sometimes too😂😂 The media doesn’t talk about Milwaukee, Denver, and Cleveland even though these are all Championship contender teams two of them having former MVP’s…
It really bugs me when people say “defense isn’t being played” yes the rules favor offense so it’s harder to play d and some stars legit just give no effort and that end that’s true. However it’s also true that offense now a days is just soo good that even smothering and making all the rotations on time, you can get beat by a behind the back step back deep 3. Also the pace of this game was crazy both team just running and gunning you couldn’t really get set into your defense. Great shotmaking and a amazing thriller.
U realize that it’s virtually impossible to guard any player one v one because of the rules right? These constant rotations happen bc of the defensive rules. If Kawhi tries to handcheck any of these dudes they would get locked up most of the time. But since it’s not allowed, they can easily beat him with speed or get a fouled “drawned” on him. This is the biggest factor why perimeter players are seemingly so much “better”. These cats still shoot the 3 at 36-37% on par with most seasons in history. So their 3pt shooting hasn’t improved much apart from some outliers carrying that % this ridiculously high volume like Steph, Dame. Now take away those rotations by buffing perimeter D, then all this “superior” offense this biased dude talked about wouldn’t be occurring. Teams would be worrying about the 3 much less because u can have someone actually able to stay on ball at all times. Not to mention these dudes are tiny with barely any defensive centers on the floor, which increases layup %s, thus; opening up more 3s bc they have to overcompensate to guard the paint. The shot making when defense was played/contested shots was great, but it’s not like is an every game occurrence. This guy is using one anomaly game to prove his biased points as usual. Mf used a javalee clip to prove centers couldn’t dribble while ignoring players like Gasol (7”1) ran breaks by himself like a guard sometimes in 08-10. These 6”9 “Centers” like Bam would be power forwards AT Best in past eras. Ben Taylor has become a joke, i used to have respect for him until he started showing his true colors about a yr ago…
You'd genuinely need a team of 5 Miami Lebrons or Kevin Garnetts to be able to cover all the ground on rotations every play, all game from some of these teams and still have energy for offence
@@johngriller4997 You are right. But, I've watched my fair share of basketball prior to the NBA-ABA merger and I've never seen so much movements off the ball. In 2004, we saw a lot of teams relying on hero ball actions and some teammates weren't even moving during some offense trips. Also, shooters are getting better. Just look at FT and 3PTS efficiency. It's off the chart.
@DazeOfNoah On the contrary. Offenses sells a lot. The NBA changed rules in 2004 for obvious reasons ($$$). Real fans like us were pleased, but the NBA wasn't a printing money like today. The NFL, the NHL and other sports shifted to offense because it sells. If people love defensive juggernauts and used their wallets in that way, the NBA will make changes to please those fans.
This is why Golden State was so good last year, not be cause of individual defense but because of TEAM defense ( #2 in the league) where the most important thing is not necessarily stopping someone one on one, although Wiggins, GP2 and Draymond could do that, it was really well organized TEAM defense that funnels people into other defenders or funnels them to their less dominant hand
That's cause Curry is actaully one of the quickest players at the PG of all time. Quick like Mark Price and Tim Hardaway. Then they have Thompson who's rather quick and he's 6'7 at the SG. He's one of the biggest and more Athletic SG's of all time for 6'7. Quite the All Time Back Court.
@callmecatalystDidn't know I needed to do a book report on the Warriors. Yes they have had other All Stars like Iggy, Green, Durant, West and many others for the inside game.
Excellent breakdown. This is such an iconic game. It highlights both the Kings and Clippers strengths and weaknesses. Apart from a few players being new on the clips, you can really see they lack defenders that can keep up with fast guards. Both Fox and Monk are two of the fastest guards in the league and outside of some good team defense, they really were a problem for most of the game. The Kings on the other hand, always have some defensive issues and usually they make up for it by simply outscoring their opponents. However, the Clippers could keep up with them and even surpass them in the 3rd, where Kawhi almost won them the game by himself. (as he tends to do) This almost felt like a playoff game and its nice to see teams battle it out for such an insane endresult.
The amount of shots hit with a hand in their face was insane in this game. How in the hell is it "bad defense" when players are splashing shots with a hand in their face???
As a Cavs fan, it's crazy to think we were playing 2 completely non-shooting big men with Lebron at that time, at the peak of his slashing prowess. Z could step into the midrange if he needed to, but looking at it now the plan should've just been get everyone out of the way.
Well you can’t really do that when the other team would just keep their two big guys in the lane and then there’s not enough room. There were no big men that provided spacing so even if they sat on the 3 point line their defenders would just stay in the lane and stop bron
Such a shame the Cavs couldn't put more beside young Bron. Watching him 08-10 was just insane but he never had a chance to win a title without anyone else to rely on.
Good Lord, how much information. Seems like hell to read all this plays correctly, and I'm talking about the offense. The cuts, the screens, the space, who to pass, when to pass.... it's nuts. Shows how good the players are today. Technical and tactical. So, Imagine how worse is to the defense to read all that. Man, it's nonsense. Oh yeah, there's no better NBA content than yours Ben. You're the MVP.
Absolutely loved this. I hate when everyone says defense has just gotten super soft. Obviously there are rules changes that benefit the offense, but stuff like zone defense is actually helpful for defenses. But offenses have just gotten so much better. Spacing the floor and *actually running plays* are the two keys. On JJ Reddick's podcast a while ago, KD said it's way easier to score now than when he first came into the league because teams actually run stuff to get their best guys open shots instead of just isolating all the time. I think you absolutely have to get rid of defensive 3 seconds for defenses to have any hope and that's not nearly enough
even that will only really help bad drop defenders. when a team has a complete non-shooter guys like brook or jjj will just sit in the lane and dance around or tap guys to "cleanse". really the biggest thing is how much offensive players are rewarded for initiating contact, but i don't think giving less foul calls on drives would make for a better product bc then guys would kick it out even more and even more of scoring would be dominated by 3s. hell, apart from getting rid of take fouls all the changes in the last few years have helped defenders (less grifting for fouls, actually calling travels) and offense continues to get better
i disagree, the defensive 3 sec is one of the best rules at creating good gameplay; including heroics on defence (steals and blocks). i’m sure there are coaches who will find a fix. The guidelines of calling defensive fouls are already shifting back a bit and that should allow good defenders to attempt more steals.
I simply love this well-detailed tactical explanation you give, Ben. Great vid as per usual! Amazing to see how much more skilled and technical players have become over the years.
One of my favorite games to watch this year was Kings vs Sixers. As a Philly fan I was terrified watching Fox hit every floater and shot in the 4th quarter. He's really took that next step this year
The fact that ESPN tried so hard not to talk about the Kings and discussed the Clippers while the rest of the internet admitted that this shows the Kings could have a deep playoff run says a lot
So glad im a kings fan so i got to watch this one live. Nba dropping the ball not having a game like this on national tv and having some random okc game on abc that night
14:23 that pass and relocation to receive the pass was beautiful. Great offense beats great defense every time. To stop great offense you need *perfect* defense. And that’s obviously much easier said than done.
this very moment was bad defense/coaching by Ty Lou in the time-out: Kahwi had to foul behind/under the basket taking away the 3pt opportunity because of the free throws and only 2 seconds left to play.
The more I think about this and watch games, I don’t think it’s bad defense. I really just think this is the result of the advent of more 3 point shooting. Defenses in the 90s were playing off the perimeter and just doing war in the paint. Defenders are actually playing harder now than in past eras but it’s just more difficult to guard 5 3 point shooters for 24 seconds than 1 player trying to get a shot off in the lane. To me, the only solution (if you think this is a problem) would be to move the 3 point line farther out and get rid of corner threes. It will re emphasize getting inside and devalue outside shots.
2005 rule change was a big impact you can see that with Iverson and Kobe where suddenly they were shooting above 45% for the first time, and their scoring average went up by 5 points, 33 and 35 ppg, respectively. Even James who shot an abysmal 40% as a rookie, made a huge jump in just over a year. The Spurs and Pistons were limiting teams to 70 points before the rule change, and the NBA was losing ticket sales because nobody could score. It seems people forgot that. The change started the 7 second Suns and the whole league followed, bombarding 3s on every break.
There was also a stubborn idea of building an offense around ISO scorers even around that time. Kobe really was one of the few you could build around and he wouldn't get that support to chase rings until late 2000s. Spurs lucked out getting the right kind generation talent who can dominate the interior on both ends of the floor so they ran the West in the 2000s for the most part. They came up short in some situations due to lack of help in key areas like depth and perimeter talent to handle certain match ups. All that wouldn't change until the early 2010s where teams/coaching would evaluate spacing a lot more differently with talents like Lebron who was the quintessential drive-kick MVP. And the capacity of what a wing role player could be in the regular season.
I think this video is so so well crafted. Each point is perfectly illustrated by the clip you play while you make it. It just makes it difficult to disagree with anything you've said in this video... well done!
Great breakdown and use of clips from previous decades. I really think that folks who gripe about the lack of defense in today's game don't appreciate how much harder it is to gaurd all the extra space that multiple shooters creates. When you add multiple playmakers who can create and exploit advantages the only thing that is going to save your night defensively is if those shooters are in a slump. This game may not have been an exposition of elite defense but is was definitely a display of two offenses firing on all cylinders with some good to great scorers on both sides who were simply on fire 🔥🔥🔥
People can argue all they like over whether it's good offense or bad defense, but one thing we can all agree on is that this is simply the pinnacle of basketball analysis - great work 👏
For fans who don’t watch the kings 15:29 since monk was hot jay triano, monks old head coach in charlotte and now the kings lead assistant for offense, drew the hammer play for him at the end the 4th with mike brown telling him to draw the play for a 3 pointer with jay knowing monk would remember this play from his younger days. I really like how mike brown trust the whole coaching staff.
Hi, my name is Gabriel and I'm from Brazil, I'm a huge fan off your job because I simply love basketball and the way you show the plays. I would like to repost your video but not with the original audio but with my voice, I don't wanna monetize or anything because i don't even have any video posted but as I said, I really love basketball and your job so maybe it's a good way to incentive more people into this, because here in Brazil we have a language barrier.
Yes! The defenses in today's game are incredibly versatile it's simply the shooting and great offensive plays that make things look like the game has no defenses
If the rule changes and rule enforcement make it harder to play D, than isn't it true that today's players can't play as good defense as in the past? Not because the players don't have the ability but because those changes were meant to make it harder to play D.
So what about the countless clips I've seen of players playing no D at all. Making no effort at all. I watch games and see it all the time. Go to 6:20 of this video and look at how pathetic that is by Paul George. A reach and then just stand there. Doesn't fully rotate over to stop the ball and even if he had he's still so close to Fox he can easily get back. Instead a half ass reach and stop moving. Somehow this is defense? 9:10 is another example. Yes I know he's showing how big men have to cover more ground. But Jokic makes a half ass reach as the guy drives by him and scores. Watch Jokic. Reach and stops moving. I've never seen such low effort. Defense is all about effort, it's literally part of what makes most good defensive players good defensive players.
@@roboninja3194 my dude, jokic is not a great defender like that,jokic is literally know for being slow and he got blitzed by a faster player,PG was literally guarding him and his teamate for a quick second and alot of players do a reach in and stand there(like micheal jordan,kobe Bryant and even gary payton sometimes)
I think NBA can easily get rid of defensive 3 seconds. Today that rule doesn't make any sense anymore, 5 shoot threes so no one is going to park big under the basket. However, that would allow defenses to play true zone and mix some stuff a bit, because it would seem offenses is only getting faster and more ridiculous every year.
Also The NBA should also consider moving the shotclock to 28 seconds and 20 seconds after a rebound This would allow The Players Too have More time so they can set up higher % shots. Cause there is nothing worse than seeing a game where the teams are 7-38 on Threes Cause they seem the act like they only have a few seconds to shoot. Also go back to 10 seconds in the back court. Cause sometimes if Entertaining to Watch a Team the Back Court . Really spread it out and set up plays from The Back Court. Also the NBA should think about doing away with the corner threes. It's boring to watch players stand in the corner. Push the 3 point line back 1'1/2 feet. Tighten the Rims and put them at 10'1" Like they were in the 1990's. Make the Free Throw line 15 feet from the rim. Make the Lane rule 10 seconds in the lane. Allow Zone Defense of Any Kind.
True. I think they should get rid of the shot clock violation where the opposition attains the ball instead of play stoppage. It ruins a lot of potential fast breaks and exciting plays.
@@vincenuevo91 They already did that a long time ago like 12 years ago. So if the shot clock goes off but the other team has the ball then there is no stop in play.
What can they realistically do though? Allow you to get underneath shooters? Well that’s just a recipe for so many rolled ankles. Handchecking? I mean sure, that would slow players down a bit, but how does that stop defensive breakdowns off-ball due to all the shooting talent? I predict this offensive surge will continue to happen until the league is saturated with tall, lengthy, switchable defenders like AD, Bam, JJJ, Vanderbilt, etc. who can cover all this ground that there is now.
@@kendrickjenkins96 biggest thing is probably moving screens, if they can make the pick and roll easier to guard by limiting what the screener can do it would eliminate alot of breakdowns, also you gotta completely eliminate rewarding flopping, just don't call anything most of the time and players will stop doing it.
Yea, the NBA could bring back hand checking which would reduce scoring but the league does not want to do that. Most fans (who are usually casuals) like high scoring games.
So the oversimplified explanation is that teams in previous decades generated the higher percentage shot by getting as close as possible to the basket. While teams in the last decade or so generate the higher percentage shot by getting as open as possible. I guess with the amount of elite paint protectors and shot blockers running around before, only few players could master hitting those tough contested shots. Which presumably kept overall scoring under control. Whereas with the current approach, more players can master hitting the open shots before the close out can happen. Maybe it also means that there aren't enough elite perimeter defenders to curb the league-wide scoring surge.
Players are harder to guard now than any other era because calls favor the offense and there is no hand checking. When a team plays good defense the player gets a gift superstar call anyway to keep the scoring higher. Numbers are being artificially inflated by design.
Highlights the impact of the 2010s Dynastic Warriors and a little of bit of the 2010s Rockets. On offense: lots of off-ball movement & screening, transition opportunities out to the three-point line, extended spacing, lineups that favor mobility, accurate & quick decision making from all positions, match-up hunting, forward-centers handling the ball, off the dribble shooting, secondary/hockey-assists and complex half-court schemes. On defense: lots of off-ball pre-switching, switching on the ball, the use of defensive mobility & positioning, like-sized defensive players, avoiding crucial one-pass away mistakes, and long defensive rotations.
I was saying a similar point to my friend when we talk about "the big 3 era" I said big 3 era is dead because modern NBA makes it impossible for anyone to guard even just 2 player Back then guys like duncan or mutombo basically guard 3 player with their rim protection and the opponent lack of 3pt And the problem with having a "superstar big3" is that the rest of the roster is a minimum salary guys, and most of minimum salary guys is not that good in defense or they r awfully bad at offense
Yup. Can't beat the Warriors unless you have an all-time center like Shaq or Hakeem to destroy their rim. Either that or play switch all and hope to shoot more 3's against them ala the Rockets. It almost worked, until it didn't
Gotta love warriors fans - they watch a video about two other teams and make it all about theirs. I love steph and klay and Kerr as much as the next guy, but man the fans make it hard to root for them!
Yeah offense is too good nowadays. Centers and PF should not have a 3 point bag in there arsenal. It’s horrifying to see. Defense is just hoping the other team misses
Actually I’d say the fact that illegal defense no longer exists helps the defense DRAMATICALLY. That’s why scoring went down in the early 2000s and didn’t jump back up until the league finally adjusted and spaced out
Ben just used a clip of Javale McGees Shaqtin a Fool MVP run to represent the “Old Days” I’m 22, you can’t be making me feel old like this 😅. I remember that clip like it was yesterday
I was getting confused at times and I’m just sitting at home watching slowed down and reversed film breakdown from a broadcast angle from a professional analyst spoon-feeding me what’s going on…I can only IMAGINE how difficult it is for the actual players in real-time lmao. Insanity
This was such a great video, It’s definitely a combination of both good offense and bad defense the 3 ball has changed everything I think the league should allow hand checking again to even the odds and help the defense a little before it gets outta hand.
Yeah that's kind of why I don't think it's easy to just look at offensive and defensive ratings to tell if a team is good at offense or defense since pace doesn't account for these back and forth possesions
Skills, spacing, and offensive schemes. These are all getting better and are all good things. The BIG problem is the rules and officiating are favorable to offense. Pushoffs, dribble contact initiation, moving screens, jumping into defenders. THESE are also on the rise and they are unfair offensive advantages.
This score line when I woke up and saw it is utterly ridiculous lmao great video as always showing the difference in spacing and elite offense over the years
3:22 That's INSANE, it's like a bullet chess. Any positioning matter and you have to think pretty fast, speed also doesn't allow the defense to set so doesn't take much to outsmart them. It's just much better, or efficient if you want to think in Economic Productivity term, than a ton of brain power and friction. As long as you have stamina, you're not a steam engine, so so much running will gas you out and you will ineviatebly have to count on slow smart play, unless you built a wide gap. Well, this didn't happen this time so something changed.
Great video, I love how you broke it all down. I'm no expert but it looks like in most of these clips the defense is giving a more than reasonable level of effort. The defenders are hustling and communicating, but it just looks like there's so much going on with the offenses. You said exactly what I was thinking when you said it's a nightmare to play against these offenses.
Why do people complain about an exhibition game? Who cares? No one is going to try because players are worth too much money now to risk injury in a meaningless game in the middle of the season. When stars are getting paid upwards of 45m a season no one will ever try.
@@LeominsterFC He wasnt complaining about the all star game, he was just trying to demonstrate the clear difference between bad defense and good defense in todays game
Offenses have just gotten better. Good 3 point shooting effectively doubles the area that defenses need to cover compared to a generation ago. This opens up slashing and passing lanes as well. Then you add in new offensive innovations like dribble-hand-offs, which are like a PnR on steroids, and defenses are routinely put in almost impossible positions. I saw the Kings/Clippers game, and in all seriousness the defense was very solid on both sides of the ball. Only so much a defense can do when teams are shooting over 50% from 3 on extremely high volume.
You put the 1988 Detroit Pistons here right now and they'd Shut everyone down to 90 points. Rodman today would probly average around 2 Steals 1.5 blocks 22 Rebounds 10 points 2 Assists
@@JimBrave-vi9ji no. Not with the current rules. The only reason why they beaten the Bulls is because they just started commiting flagrant fouls which was just a plain foul back then. They got cooked by MJ when they played it straight in the first game, then they just said F it, and started to basically throw MJ to the ground everytime he went up for a lay up.
This video is an excellent breakdown. It’s amazing how ppl will watch games nowadays & think the defense is “bad”. It’s not that the defense is bad, it’s that the offenses are so good, and there isn’t much you can do. Adding back hand checking wouldn’t solve any of this - my only suggestion is to get rid of the defensive 3 second rule. It serves no purpose anymore & was put there specifically to ‘open up the game’. There are usually 4-5 shooters on the floor at a time, so why restrict teams from keeping a guy down there to protect the rim?
Im wondering if you can talk about how Sacramento's dhos could be even more impossible to guard if domas could use the space they give when droping and just shoot
you see this with jokic. guys get so many easy looks off handoffs from him. if you overplay the handoff. since he tends to set these at the nail sometimes he'll just take it himself to the rim if they overplay the handoff
Defense was being played but the skill level in the NBA is at an All Time High!!! People need to understand how difficult defense is in a skilled complex battle the nba is today
There is skill yes, but there are, as well, loose carries, loose travels, moving screens, stepbacks, no handcheck, 3s in the paint, foul even if offense initiates the contact...All those things which have changed in the last 20 years or so favor offense. I think carries, moving screens and foul even if offense initiates contact are the worst to defend.
@@20dieux i think the “carries” aren’t that bad there are some examples more egregious than others but i do agree about the fouls i feel like basketball hasn’t mastered its contact rules yet. The travels and etc are jus bad officiating has nothing to do with rule book and you can see examples of this wayyyy before now i mean every sport has bad refs really no controlling it
Now i noticed how we have more space between crowd and game, still isn't protection enough tho. The video was great, it's been a while since i've been so hyped.
THere was never a time where perfect defense has been able to stop perfect offense. Perfect offense will always find a way to score while the perfect defense can only react to the perfect offense. No matter how good you are at defending, perfect offense can shoot with uncomfortable shooting motion but if perfect defense isn't comfortable, it isn't stopping perfect offense. Perfect defense can at most, make it difficult for the offense and it has always been that way even before the 3 point era
This is not true. Nobody could consistently stop Jordan (the offense) from dropping 50+ in the playoffs in the Bulls run in the 90s. Shaq+Kobe Lakers when they got rolling in the playoffs controlled the series especially with Shaq going 40pts/20rebs. The better offense with more dynamic ways to get a bucket puts more strain on how the defense should adapt. It is because the defense always plays out of principle and is ALWAYS a step behind. Sure the best defense can get stops for maybe 30~40 mins in a crucial game. Those last 8 minutes especially in the 4th may be enough for the offense to open things up and walk away with the W in the end.
@@blacknetsmed much different, sure, but that’s not informative, insightful, or empirical. You can go watch old games and see that they pushed more in the paint, and fouls would sometimes be vicious. I hear this, but go watch. It’s not as physical as all the old guys would love you to believe.
@@DigitaIJustice I don't get it. Let's say you ignore the old heads who never played in this era. You still have the guys who actually played or coached in both eras saying the exact same things the old players (and league rules) said. So you watch a video and all of a sudden you know than the actual people who were in the videos? You know more than people who watched games in person? You know more than the league itself saying it wanted to open the game for perimeter offense, changing rules, then all of sudden getting what it wanted? I'm legit curious what the strong pushback is. Does the same logic apply to the NFL too?
@@gumballwaterson1957The rules changes do make sense, and the game is less physical. It’s not MUCH MUCH less physical. It’s not much easier. They just want to seem tougher and better. Of course they’ll play up their era. Just go watch for yourself and compare, dude. They have an agenda and an ego. Go watch old games. You have access.
Mike Brown for COTY I still believe Sacramento were robbed during the playoffs vs Shaq and Kobe Very glad for them to be back in the mix They're the 4th of 4 California teams and I'm glad they're getting their time again!
It's a byproduct of many things. Players talk, they talk off court and a lot of that context is about "how to survive the NBA". Playing defense is hard and takes a lot of energy. If you are being paid for your offensive abilities and most are, the defense isn't a priority. That is the first and foremost reason why players aren't playing defense. Defense is a mindset. If you aren't into stopping other players but instead chucking it up because maybe you're good at it, then that's a mindset issue. See Kobe. Why on earth aren't all 30 teams being taught that defense leads to offense and easier offense. It's amazing.
Im not one of those who think this era has no defense or defenders but it is watered down due to the rules. Players needing to reset their 3 second on the paint, removing hand checking. The defense is watered on rules that is another dimension to defensive skills. Players has to adjust but the rules today's are implemented due to making the league entertaining by making it easier to score. I think there would better defense today if the rules doesn't hinder defenders for tools that back in the days were part of the game. international basketball doesn't have these rules and that's why Europeans think it's easier to score in the NBA vs an outside league.
At this point in the league, unless you block the player on a contested shot it feels like it'll go in. At one point in time splashing in someone's face used to be "BANGGG!!!!" now it's just a common occurrence, often multiple times in a single quarter and not even always by a Steph level shooter. Players have just gotten too damn good at scoring. You can say that "there is no defense" but when a defender is a fingertip away from blocking a shot and the ball still goes in the net what do you want them to do? The ONLY way it could have been better defended is if they blocked it, good D better O as we say in pick up.
Fantastic video. Every basketball fan needs to watch this at some point to understand where these incredible scoring performances are coming from and just how much has changed in the last few decades of basketball that really has nothing to do with lazy takes like "bad defense."
I still cant believe coaches and players held the 3 in such low regard for such a long time. And im also confused why the nostalgics have so much love for the 90s when there were 8 dribble post ups and so many inefficiënt long 2s. I love the physicality of the 90s but the stupid illegal defence rule and predictable offense (with too much isolation) really make it average at best to watch. If you dont agree please rewatch a few complete games and let me know what you see differently
NBA should follow FIBA rules and allow the bigs to be in the paint without violation, this alone will decrease scoring because everytime the offense player does downhill eventually he will meet someone in the paint but on other hand will decrease significantly the highlight dunks and all of that
A bit of both. I definitely think in any given sport, players become more skilled with time, however 1. It must be recognized it is easier to score with the current rule book, 2. Player apathy, as they simply don’t care about regular season games it seems like 3. Spacing and how impacts defense
I had to rewatch the game. Defense was definitely played but waned on the latter part of the game and just gotten back towards the endings of OT AND 2OT
It's hiliarous that people still believe only college basketball teams play defense. Turns out it's easier to scheme around an offense when there's, at best, one NBA-level shooter on the opposing team.
Call me European (because i am) but this video worries me. If perfect defenses cannot stop this barrage of 3s and elite playmaking (which is honestly impressive) then the scales tip each time towards the team with the hottest hands. Not exactly good for the sport. Maybe it's time for some rule changes? Don't know to what direction though.
This is such a great video and I think you've pretty much hit on why scoring has exploded. It's the approach to the game and freedom coaches has given to the players in what shots are acceptable and not limiting them in what they can do base on position. Not to mention players today are so skilled and teams are pretty much limited on what they can do on defense. I think to counterbalance this, the league should bring back hand checking or remove the defensive 3secod rule.
The reason the defence is so bad is that the communication at the professional level is pathetic. The amount of mismatches off of makes is embarassing. Also nobody can guard their man, mentions that when the big comes out there is no rim protection, why not? A guard is the one coming down so the attacker is coming down on his own guard, this change of having lead guards that can't guard other lead guards is the reason this happens. Also videos like this paint bias pictures, where are the stats and tracking? I would have liked to see the offensive numbers backed up with some stats but I don't see it here
Would love to see you do a retro breakdown of the Phoenix/Denver game from early in the 1990-1991 season. In today's environment, making no three-pointers and committing 27 turnovers often results in a 30-point loss, but for Phoenix they did that and won by 30, scoring 107 points by halftime and 173 total. If the game were any competitive, maybe Phoenix scores 190 points. Truly the most amazing box score of all time.
@@nonamewillbegiven9989 Everyone? Just today, someone was telling me that the NBA shortened the three point line before the 1994-1995 season specifically for Jordan even after I told him Jordan was playing baseball at that time. And another guy was telling me that Jordan shot well from 3 in 1990 because the "the line was shorter in the 1990s." I think a lot of twenty-somethings are not that educated about otherwise-obscure teams from the late 80s and early 90s.
it would still happen trust. Maybe not as much but the offensive sets theyre running nowadays combined with 3 pt shootinh makes it basicly unguardable hand checking or not
Defenses are less restricted by the rules in several important ways than they were back in the 90s. The old illegal defense rules allowed for iso-ball that you can't pull off any more.
Here's More on the Kings fast break speed: ruclips.net/video/BrbRuCdINIU/видео.html
I think most of the "no defense" agenda comes from spacing. If someone gets burnt off the dribble, there's no one in the lane to stop their man from scoring like there used to be. Players back then would get burnt off the dribble too, but have teammates in the paint to help.
Bring back the hand check or get rid of the 3second rules , and all of a sudden all the small guards like Steph, dame, fox, etc will struggle to even score layups.
Exactly this. Also, removing handchecking made drives even more difficult to stop, add better shooting to allow kickouts and it is the perfect storm. Either 3 sec rules or freedom of movement should be changed IMO.
It's not rule changes that unlocked this level of NBA offense. The hand-checking rule was implemented in 2005. 18 years ago. The 3 sec rule was implemented 2002. 21 years ago.
Yes and no at the same time. In the 1980s, you had rules in place that allowed fast players to cut to the basket.
Or helps shooters taking mid-range jumpers on an island.
The Illegal Defense wasn't greatly officiated, but when it happened... there were games slowed down by illegal defenses calls!
Horace Grant was famous for pointing at his defender in order to gain illegal defense calls from officials.
@@wattheuface my guy one of the main reasons why offenses are so good now is because of the removal of the illegal defense
this video goes to show how insanely co-ordinated you have to be to stop a single possession at NBA level in the modern game, and the fact that these players can still score against it is crazy
Shows the value of guys like Vanderbilt and Mobley
Yeah as this vid was goign on it’s just insane to me that there’s practically nothing defense can do. If all else fails anyone in th e league can hit a contested 3 or a step back. Defense nowadays is just hoping the other team can miss. It’s fun exciting but must be frustrating. There’s nothing you can do cause everyone is athletic nowadays. Anyone above 6’9 should not be hitting 3’s this much but what can ya do.?
@@thesnipingspider3852 Cause there is no defense. You are not allowed to check anyone. See how everything changes if they just reinstate the handcheck rule. xD
@@cesco1990 Lol, hand checking got removed when Kobe got locked up in 2004, and teams weren't scoring like they were now until over a decade later. Nobody complained about no more hand checking until 2015 when Curry started bombing 3's. Hand checking would also invite more flopping. Harden/CP3 would easily abuse the rip through and hooking the defenders arm to draw more fouls.
@Ali Lamar What's the complete picture? Hand checking isn't going to help players who can't slip through screens and give up the open 3. Nobody had an issue with Kobe Bryant winning 2 more rings after they removed hand checking because he had his worst final worse ever, but now we do? Lmao
can’t believe one of the best games of all time happened on random saturday night in february also hope this game causes the kings to get more love because they deserve it
One of th best games of all time? Wow that's a bad take. This isn't basketball anymore. The NBA is done.
@@rg7535 Bro I don't know how you can be so wrong that game was amazing to watch
@@rg7535 casual
@@rg7535 weirdo
@@DatBoi-xc3ny What's amazing about two teams running around and jacking up threes non-stop? You're probablt a casual fan. Look at the teams the fans still love and remember, like the Ben Wallace's Pistons. You'll never see anything like that anymore. This is noob basketball.
De'Aaron Fox stays one of the most underrated players in the NBA, dude is elevating himself to superstar status each and every game. Without him, the Kings would easily have won less than 20 games at most. His clutch performances and hard carry in the 4th quarter have single handedly won the Kings at least 10 games and possibly more if they didn’t get screwed by the refs in several games.
Unbelievable at the fact that the NBA media was focusing on the Clippers and Westbrook rather than acknowledging the success Fox, Sabonis, and the Kings have had this season. The turnaround they have had in just one season is pretty historic.
superstars are players that elevate their game in the playoffs you can’t call fox a superstar yet
I’m surprised they are even talking about the Clippers, usually it’s all Lakers talk and before the trade they would talk about the Net sometimes too😂😂
The media doesn’t talk about Milwaukee, Denver, and Cleveland even though these are all Championship contender teams two of them having former MVP’s…
nah they have Sabonis they will win more games, Sabonis is the most important piece and the engine
He's no where near a superstar lol
@Chris Simmons no he's not in the mvp race stop it lol
It really bugs me when people say “defense isn’t being played” yes the rules favor offense so it’s harder to play d and some stars legit just give no effort and that end that’s true. However it’s also true that offense now a days is just soo good that even smothering and making all the rotations on time, you can get beat by a behind the back step back deep 3. Also the pace of this game was crazy both team just running and gunning you couldn’t really get set into your defense. Great shotmaking and a amazing thriller.
U realize that it’s virtually impossible to guard any player one v one because of the rules right? These constant rotations happen bc of the defensive rules. If Kawhi tries to handcheck any of these dudes they would get locked up most of the time. But since it’s not allowed, they can easily beat him with speed or get a fouled “drawned” on him. This is the biggest factor why perimeter players are seemingly so much “better”. These cats still shoot the 3 at 36-37% on par with most seasons in history. So their 3pt shooting hasn’t improved much apart from some outliers carrying that % this ridiculously high volume like Steph, Dame.
Now take away those rotations by buffing perimeter D, then all this “superior” offense this biased dude talked about wouldn’t be occurring. Teams would be worrying about the 3 much less because u can have someone actually able to stay on ball at all times.
Not to mention these dudes are tiny with barely any defensive centers on the floor, which increases layup %s, thus; opening up more 3s bc they have to overcompensate to guard the paint.
The shot making when defense was played/contested shots was great, but it’s not like is an every game occurrence. This guy is using one anomaly game to prove his biased points as usual. Mf used a javalee clip to prove centers couldn’t dribble while ignoring players like Gasol (7”1) ran breaks by himself like a guard sometimes in 08-10. These 6”9 “Centers” like Bam would be power forwards AT Best in past eras. Ben Taylor has become a joke, i used to have respect for him until he started showing his true colors about a yr ago…
You'd genuinely need a team of 5 Miami Lebrons or Kevin Garnetts to be able to cover all the ground on rotations every play, all game from some of these teams and still have energy for offence
Same. Defenses have to work harder than ever. And they're given the least amount of legal tools to do it.
@@johngriller4997
You are right.
But, I've watched my fair share of basketball prior to the NBA-ABA merger and I've never seen so much movements off the ball.
In 2004, we saw a lot of teams relying on hero ball actions and some teammates weren't even moving during some offense trips.
Also, shooters are getting better. Just look at FT and 3PTS efficiency. It's off the chart.
@DazeOfNoah
On the contrary. Offenses sells a lot.
The NBA changed rules in 2004 for obvious reasons ($$$). Real fans like us were pleased, but the NBA wasn't a printing money like today.
The NFL, the NHL and other sports shifted to offense because it sells.
If people love defensive juggernauts and used their wallets in that way, the NBA will make changes to please those fans.
This is why Golden State was so good last year, not be cause of individual defense but because of TEAM defense ( #2 in the league) where the most important thing is not necessarily stopping someone one on one, although Wiggins, GP2 and Draymond could do that, it was really well organized TEAM defense that funnels people into other defenders or funnels them to their less dominant hand
That's cause Curry is actaully one of the quickest players at the PG of all time. Quick like Mark Price and Tim Hardaway. Then they have Thompson who's rather quick and he's 6'7 at the SG. He's one of the biggest and more Athletic SG's of all time for 6'7. Quite the All Time Back Court.
It was actually Wiggins defense and Draymond who slowed a lot Tatum and Brown.
@callmecatalystDidn't know I needed to do a book report on the Warriors. Yes they have had other All Stars like Iggy, Green, Durant, West and many others for the inside game.
@@silomonptolomeo3759 Fair enough
@@silomonptolomeo3759 Yes but they also have a great defensive backcourt the lie that Curry isn't a top guard defenders is just that a lie.
Excellent breakdown. This is such an iconic game. It highlights both the Kings and Clippers strengths and weaknesses. Apart from a few players being new on the clips, you can really see they lack defenders that can keep up with fast guards. Both Fox and Monk are two of the fastest guards in the league and outside of some good team defense, they really were a problem for most of the game. The Kings on the other hand, always have some defensive issues and usually they make up for it by simply outscoring their opponents. However, the Clippers could keep up with them and even surpass them in the 3rd, where Kawhi almost won them the game by himself. (as he tends to do)
This almost felt like a playoff game and its nice to see teams battle it out for such an insane endresult.
The amount of shots hit with a hand in their face was insane in this game. How in the hell is it "bad defense" when players are splashing shots with a hand in their face???
M0r0n
@@tboss8157 get lost kid
The amount of uncontested shots in this game are just as gross tbh
As a Cavs fan, it's crazy to think we were playing 2 completely non-shooting big men with Lebron at that time, at the peak of his slashing prowess. Z could step into the midrange if he needed to, but looking at it now the plan should've just been get everyone out of the way.
Well you can’t really do that when the other team would just keep their two big guys in the lane and then there’s not enough room. There were no big men that provided spacing so even if they sat on the 3 point line their defenders would just stay in the lane and stop bron
@@xXSprMgaAwsmFxyHtXx If they did that Lebron could just pass it out, they would give up so many wide open threes
@@fetti22 reading comprehension bro
@@fetti22 the players miss wide open shots
Such a shame the Cavs couldn't put more beside young Bron. Watching him 08-10 was just insane but he never had a chance to win a title without anyone else to rely on.
Good Lord, how much information.
Seems like hell to read all this plays correctly, and I'm talking about the offense. The cuts, the screens, the space, who to pass, when to pass.... it's nuts. Shows how good the players are today. Technical and tactical.
So, Imagine how worse is to the defense to read all that. Man, it's nonsense.
Oh yeah, there's no better NBA content than yours Ben. You're the MVP.
9:58 that was one of two insane passes Kawhi made in this game sometimes I forget how good he actually is
top ten MAYBE. the field is just so stacked. It's also debatable whether or not he is the best player on his team.
@@simonnash4201 this has to be a joke
Absolutely loved this. I hate when everyone says defense has just gotten super soft. Obviously there are rules changes that benefit the offense, but stuff like zone defense is actually helpful for defenses. But offenses have just gotten so much better. Spacing the floor and *actually running plays* are the two keys. On JJ Reddick's podcast a while ago, KD said it's way easier to score now than when he first came into the league because teams actually run stuff to get their best guys open shots instead of just isolating all the time.
I think you absolutely have to get rid of defensive 3 seconds for defenses to have any hope and that's not nearly enough
even that will only really help bad drop defenders. when a team has a complete non-shooter guys like brook or jjj will just sit in the lane and dance around or tap guys to "cleanse". really the biggest thing is how much offensive players are rewarded for initiating contact, but i don't think giving less foul calls on drives would make for a better product bc then guys would kick it out even more and even more of scoring would be dominated by 3s. hell, apart from getting rid of take fouls all the changes in the last few years have helped defenders (less grifting for fouls, actually calling travels) and offense continues to get better
i disagree, the defensive 3 sec is one of the best rules at creating good gameplay; including heroics on defence (steals and blocks). i’m sure there are coaches who will find a fix. The guidelines of calling defensive fouls are already shifting back a bit and that should allow good defenders to attempt more steals.
I simply love this well-detailed tactical explanation you give, Ben. Great vid as per usual!
Amazing to see how much more skilled and technical players have become over the years.
One of my favorite games to watch this year was Kings vs Sixers. As a Philly fan I was terrified watching Fox hit every floater and shot in the 4th quarter. He's really took that next step this year
I did not like that game because we lost lol but thanks for the recognition!
It's 4 in the morning...this is definitely the best use of my time
Australia?
The fact that ESPN tried so hard not to talk about the Kings and discussed the Clippers while the rest of the internet admitted that this shows the Kings could have a deep playoff run says a lot
lol they can’t make a deep playoff run
I’d still be shocked if they got past the second round
They won't make a deep playoff run lol it's a good story but first round is were it ends
The Clippers have a koala.
@@McFly7414 you're a casual.
So glad im a kings fan so i got to watch this one live. Nba dropping the ball not having a game like this on national tv and having some random okc game on abc that night
Nah it was on ESPN OKC vs Phoenix which was a travesty. Should’ve been this game instead lol
14:23 that pass and relocation to receive the pass was beautiful. Great offense beats great defense every time. To stop great offense you need *perfect* defense. And that’s obviously much easier said than done.
this very moment was bad defense/coaching by Ty Lou in the time-out: Kahwi had to foul behind/under the basket taking away the 3pt opportunity because of the free throws and only 2 seconds left to play.
Space, shooting, and lack of interior presence, and not allowing contact have been the perfect storm to make the scoring absolutely explode.
The more I think about this and watch games, I don’t think it’s bad defense.
I really just think this is the result of the advent of more 3 point shooting. Defenses in the 90s were playing off the perimeter and just doing war in the paint. Defenders are actually playing harder now than in past eras but it’s just more difficult to guard 5 3 point shooters for 24 seconds than 1 player trying to get a shot off in the lane.
To me, the only solution (if you think this is a problem) would be to move the 3 point line farther out and get rid of corner threes. It will re emphasize getting inside and devalue outside shots.
Man, this channel is a gem! Can’t believe that I’m watching this content for FREE! Thank you!!
2005 rule change was a big impact you can see that with Iverson and Kobe where suddenly they were shooting above 45% for the first time, and their scoring average went up by 5 points, 33 and 35 ppg, respectively. Even James who shot an abysmal 40% as a rookie, made a huge jump in just over a year. The Spurs and Pistons were limiting teams to 70 points before the rule change, and the NBA was losing ticket sales because nobody could score. It seems people forgot that. The change started the 7 second Suns and the whole league followed, bombarding 3s on every break.
There was also a stubborn idea of building an offense around ISO scorers even around that time. Kobe really was one of the few you could build around and he wouldn't get that support to chase rings until late 2000s. Spurs lucked out getting the right kind generation talent who can dominate the interior on both ends of the floor so they ran the West in the 2000s for the most part. They came up short in some situations due to lack of help in key areas like depth and perimeter talent to handle certain match ups. All that wouldn't change until the early 2010s where teams/coaching would evaluate spacing a lot more differently with talents like Lebron who was the quintessential drive-kick MVP. And the capacity of what a wing role player could be in the regular season.
What 05 rule change?
This video is something special. On par with the game. Amazing job!
I think this video is so so well crafted. Each point is perfectly illustrated by the clip you play while you make it. It just makes it difficult to disagree with anything you've said in this video... well done!
@ss kisser
Great breakdown and use of clips from previous decades. I really think that folks who gripe about the lack of defense in today's game don't appreciate how much harder it is to gaurd all the extra space that multiple shooters creates. When you add multiple playmakers who can create and exploit advantages the only thing that is going to save your night defensively is if those shooters are in a slump. This game may not have been an exposition of elite defense but is was definitely a display of two offenses firing on all cylinders with some good to great scorers on both sides who were simply on fire 🔥🔥🔥
People can argue all they like over whether it's good offense or bad defense, but one thing we can all agree on is that this is simply the pinnacle of basketball analysis - great work 👏
Thanks so much. Appreciate that.
For fans who don’t watch the kings 15:29 since monk was hot jay triano, monks old head coach in charlotte and now the kings lead assistant for offense, drew the hammer play for him at the end the 4th with mike brown telling him to draw the play for a 3 pointer with jay knowing monk would remember this play from his younger days. I really like how mike brown trust the whole coaching staff.
Hi, my name is Gabriel and I'm from Brazil, I'm a huge fan off your job because I simply love basketball and the way you show the plays. I would like to repost your video but not with the original audio but with my voice, I don't wanna monetize or anything because i don't even have any video posted but as I said, I really love basketball and your job so maybe it's a good way to incentive more people into this, because here in Brazil we have a language barrier.
incredible breakdown the game TRULY has evolved players are absolutely PEAKING in skill
Yes! The defenses in today's game are incredibly versatile it's simply the shooting and great offensive plays that make things look like the game has no defenses
If the rule changes and rule enforcement make it harder to play D, than isn't it true that today's players can't play as good defense as in the past? Not because the players don't have the ability but because those changes were meant to make it harder to play D.
So what about the countless clips I've seen of players playing no D at all. Making no effort at all. I watch games and see it all the time. Go to 6:20 of this video and look at how pathetic that is by Paul George. A reach and then just stand there. Doesn't fully rotate over to stop the ball and even if he had he's still so close to Fox he can easily get back. Instead a half ass reach and stop moving. Somehow this is defense? 9:10 is another example. Yes I know he's showing how big men have to cover more ground. But Jokic makes a half ass reach as the guy drives by him and scores. Watch Jokic. Reach and stops moving. I've never seen such low effort. Defense is all about effort, it's literally part of what makes most good defensive players good defensive players.
@@roboninja3194 my dude, jokic is not a great defender like that,jokic is literally know for being slow and he got blitzed by a faster player,PG was literally guarding him and his teamate for a quick second and alot of players do a reach in and stand there(like micheal jordan,kobe Bryant and even gary payton sometimes)
@@roboninja3194 just cause you've seen clips doesn't mean they don't play defense the WHOLE GAME(watch the games man)
I think NBA can easily get rid of defensive 3 seconds. Today that rule doesn't make any sense anymore, 5 shoot threes so no one is going to park big under the basket. However, that would allow defenses to play true zone and mix some stuff a bit, because it would seem offenses is only getting faster and more ridiculous every year.
True! We should be able to zone. We are seeing zones FIBA and NCAA... but it is illegal in the NBA since 1947. Why?
Also The NBA should also consider moving the shotclock to 28 seconds and 20 seconds after a rebound This would allow The Players Too have More time so they can set up higher % shots. Cause there is nothing worse than seeing a game where the teams are 7-38 on Threes Cause they seem the act like they only have a few seconds to shoot. Also go back to 10 seconds in the back court. Cause sometimes if Entertaining to Watch a Team the Back Court . Really spread it out and set up plays from The Back Court.
Also the NBA should think about doing away with the corner threes. It's boring to watch players stand in the corner.
Push the 3 point line back 1'1/2 feet. Tighten the Rims and put them at 10'1" Like they were in the 1990's. Make the Free Throw line 15 feet from the rim. Make the Lane rule 10 seconds in the lane. Allow Zone Defense of Any Kind.
True. I think they should get rid of the shot clock violation where the opposition attains the ball instead of play stoppage. It ruins a lot of potential fast breaks and exciting plays.
@@vincenuevo91 They already did that a long time ago like 12 years ago. So if the shot clock goes off but the other team has the ball then there is no stop in play.
@@JimBrave-vi9ji yeah they need to bring it back.
It’s crazy how the center position is really revolutionizing the nba
It's so clear the nba has to give defense more leeway, the game is too imbalanced, and these guys shoot it too well
But what can they do say there needs to be less spacing
What can they realistically do though?
Allow you to get underneath shooters? Well that’s just a recipe for so many rolled ankles.
Handchecking? I mean sure, that would slow players down a bit, but how does that stop defensive breakdowns off-ball due to all the shooting talent?
I predict this offensive surge will continue to happen until the league is saturated with tall, lengthy, switchable defenders like AD, Bam, JJJ, Vanderbilt, etc. who can cover all this ground that there is now.
@@kendrickjenkins96 biggest thing is probably moving screens, if they can make the pick and roll easier to guard by limiting what the screener can do it would eliminate alot of breakdowns, also you gotta completely eliminate rewarding flopping, just don't call anything most of the time and players will stop doing it.
Yea, the NBA could bring back hand checking which would reduce scoring but the league does not want to do that. Most fans (who are usually casuals) like high scoring games.
@@akeemwilliams4971 Oh yeah, cutting down on moving screens is a big one for sure.
So the oversimplified explanation is that teams in previous decades generated the higher percentage shot by getting as close as possible to the basket. While teams in the last decade or so generate the higher percentage shot by getting as open as possible.
I guess with the amount of elite paint protectors and shot blockers running around before, only few players could master hitting those tough contested shots. Which presumably kept overall scoring under control. Whereas with the current approach, more players can master hitting the open shots before the close out can happen. Maybe it also means that there aren't enough elite perimeter defenders to curb the league-wide scoring surge.
Great video. So helpful in explaining why defense is so difficult in today's game
No. M0r0n
I wouldn't say bad defense, a lot of players this era are harder to guard in any other era because of how skillful they are. That's just my opinion.
When a game ends overtime or not with a team scoring 175 points ... Defense was not being played
Players are harder to guard now than any other era because calls favor the offense and there is no hand checking. When a team plays good defense the player gets a gift superstar call anyway to keep the scoring higher. Numbers are being artificially inflated by design.
@@theretrosavage bro didnt watch the video
I don't see how much getting rid of the 3 second rule would change things because I don't see teams purposefully worsening their spacing
Love the channel Ben, and so happy JJ Reddick just gave you a shout out on national TV for this video!
M0r0n
Ben, you do such phenomenal work!! I love the pod, but the videos just hit different
Highlights the impact of the 2010s Dynastic Warriors and a little of bit of the 2010s Rockets.
On offense: lots of off-ball movement & screening, transition opportunities out to the three-point line, extended spacing, lineups that favor mobility, accurate & quick decision making from all positions, match-up hunting, forward-centers handling the ball, off the dribble shooting, secondary/hockey-assists and complex half-court schemes.
On defense: lots of off-ball pre-switching, switching on the ball, the use of defensive mobility & positioning, like-sized defensive players, avoiding crucial one-pass away mistakes, and long defensive rotations.
I was saying a similar point to my friend when we talk about "the big 3 era"
I said big 3 era is dead because modern NBA makes it impossible for anyone to guard even just 2 player
Back then guys like duncan or mutombo basically guard 3 player with their rim protection and the opponent lack of 3pt
And the problem with having a "superstar big3" is that the rest of the roster is a minimum salary guys, and most of minimum salary guys is not that good in defense or they r awfully bad at offense
Great video. You're the best at breaking down the actions happening to give us that in depth look at the game.
This game to me highlighted Curry and even more so Draymond’s influence on the game
??????
Absolutely
@@matthieusaade3616 shooting revolution and the high level defence scheme that warriors run
Yup. Can't beat the Warriors unless you have an all-time center like Shaq or Hakeem to destroy their rim. Either that or play switch all and hope to shoot more 3's against them ala the Rockets. It almost worked, until it didn't
Gotta love warriors fans - they watch a video about two other teams and make it all about theirs. I love steph and klay and Kerr as much as the next guy, but man the fans make it hard to root for them!
6:37 that perfectly sums up lower levels of high school basketball and why there's such a difference in skill between D2 and D3 teams
Current NBA rules promote offense over defense and the offensive skill set of players in today's game is at an all time high.
Yeah offense is too good nowadays. Centers and PF should not have a 3 point bag in there arsenal. It’s horrifying to see. Defense is just hoping the other team misses
Teams need to develop zone defenses and NBA needs to remove defensive 3 seconds.
Actually I’d say the fact that illegal defense no longer exists helps the defense DRAMATICALLY. That’s why scoring went down in the early 2000s and didn’t jump back up until the league finally adjusted and spaced out
Zone defense used to be illegal. That’s a big benefit for todays defenses compared to the 90s
People who grew up watching 80/90s basketball love to say how no defense is being played today bc of the lack of physicality or hand checks
Ive always leaned more to good offense because honestly the defense bnack in the day really wasnt that differennt when i see it
I agree, sure maybe refs was a little bit tougher but the defence was basically the same, maybe worse when the NBA removed zone defence for awhile
Ben just used a clip of Javale McGees Shaqtin a Fool MVP run to represent the “Old Days” I’m 22, you can’t be making me feel old like this 😅. I remember that clip like it was yesterday
Clip at 5:53
I was getting confused at times and I’m just sitting at home watching slowed down and reversed film breakdown from a broadcast angle from a professional analyst spoon-feeding me what’s going on…I can only IMAGINE how difficult it is for the actual players in real-time lmao.
Insanity
Dolt
I don't think its a matter of defense being bad nowadays. I think its a matter of the rules don't support defense to be effective anymore.
The best basketball channel in RUclips. Kudos to your research and the knowledge you share to the basketball community. Regards from Macau, China.
M0r0n
This was such a great video, It’s definitely a combination of both good offense and bad defense the 3 ball has changed everything I think the league should allow hand checking again to even the odds and help the defense a little before it gets outta hand.
Hand checking is terrible defense and easy to beat
bad defence? how? players now are more skilled defensively than any other time in Nba HISTORY!
@@GlizzySan how else can the defense get a boost? les foul calls? I’m just throwing ideas out there
@@dimelo58 imma be honest there ain’t really anything they can do, honestly there isn’t really a problem with defense during the playoffs
@@GlizzySan there’s always something start with the hand checking and what kinds of plays are fouls could always be changed
Thank you for actually including what game is the highest scoring NBA game. They always say that this game is second, but i’m so lazy to search lmao
Yeah that's kind of why I don't think it's easy to just look at offensive and defensive ratings to tell if a team is good at offense or defense since pace doesn't account for these back and forth possesions
The contribute of this video cannot be understated. It made reflect on how difficult is to play help defense nowadays.
Skills, spacing, and offensive schemes. These are all getting better and are all good things.
The BIG problem is the rules and officiating are favorable to offense.
Pushoffs, dribble contact initiation, moving screens, jumping into defenders. THESE are also on the rise and they are unfair offensive advantages.
This score line when I woke up and saw it is utterly ridiculous lmao great video as always showing the difference in spacing and elite offense over the years
13:03 the problem here is not bad defense but moving screen which seem to be allowed nowadays lol
its almost 6 pm where I live, this video is going to be great.
3:22 That's INSANE, it's like a bullet chess. Any positioning matter and you have to think pretty fast, speed also doesn't allow the defense to set so doesn't take much to outsmart them. It's just much better, or efficient if you want to think in Economic Productivity term, than a ton of brain power and friction.
As long as you have stamina, you're not a steam engine, so so much running will gas you out and you will ineviatebly have to count on slow smart play, unless you built a wide gap. Well, this didn't happen this time so something changed.
Great analysis on an amazing game! Subscribed!
Kings defense really tightest up after the 3rd quarter, they actually have a pretty good rating during the second half of games.
Great video, I love how you broke it all down. I'm no expert but it looks like in most of these clips the defense is giving a more than reasonable level of effort. The defenders are hustling and communicating, but it just looks like there's so much going on with the offenses. You said exactly what I was thinking when you said it's a nightmare to play against these offenses.
So bad defense. Got it
you’d think the all star game would have made it very clear to people what bad defense looks like
Why do people complain about an exhibition game? Who cares? No one is going to try because players are worth too much money now to risk injury in a meaningless game in the middle of the season. When stars are getting paid upwards of 45m a season no one will ever try.
@@LeominsterFC He wasnt complaining about the all star game, he was just trying to demonstrate the clear difference between bad defense and good defense in todays game
this is a w vid, really highlights the changes of modern nba offense. Great film breakdown.
Offenses have just gotten better. Good 3 point shooting effectively doubles the area that defenses need to cover compared to a generation ago. This opens up slashing and passing lanes as well. Then you add in new offensive innovations like dribble-hand-offs, which are like a PnR on steroids, and defenses are routinely put in almost impossible positions. I saw the Kings/Clippers game, and in all seriousness the defense was very solid on both sides of the ball. Only so much a defense can do when teams are shooting over 50% from 3 on extremely high volume.
Good 3 point shooting BY BIGS. That's what effectively doubles the area for defenses to cover.
They've Made it Easier with rules and changes to the other parts of the Game.
You put the 1988 Detroit Pistons here right now and they'd Shut everyone down to 90 points. Rodman today would probly average around 2 Steals 1.5 blocks 22 Rebounds 10 points 2 Assists
Exactly people acted like there was no defense, when so many contested shots made.
@@JimBrave-vi9ji no. Not with the current rules. The only reason why they beaten the Bulls is because they just started commiting flagrant fouls which was just a plain foul back then. They got cooked by MJ when they played it straight in the first game, then they just said F it, and started to basically throw MJ to the ground everytime he went up for a lay up.
This video is an excellent breakdown.
It’s amazing how ppl will watch games nowadays & think the defense is “bad”.
It’s not that the defense is bad, it’s that the offenses are so good, and there isn’t much you can do.
Adding back hand checking wouldn’t solve any of this - my only suggestion is to get rid of the defensive 3 second rule. It serves no purpose anymore & was put there specifically to ‘open up the game’.
There are usually 4-5 shooters on the floor at a time, so why restrict teams from keeping a guy down there to protect the rim?
The defense is bad and you're a blind simpleton
Im wondering if you can talk about how Sacramento's dhos could be even more impossible to guard if domas could use the space they give when droping and just shoot
you see this with jokic. guys get so many easy looks off handoffs from him. if you overplay the handoff. since he tends to set these at the nail sometimes he'll just take it himself to the rim if they overplay the handoff
@4:58 that 'exit screen' was a moving screen. Teams slow this down by being a lot more strict on moving screens. As one example.
Defense was being played but the skill level in the NBA is at an All Time High!!!
People need to understand how difficult defense is in a skilled complex battle the nba is today
Yeah "defense" was being played
There is skill yes, but there are, as well, loose carries, loose travels, moving screens, stepbacks, no handcheck, 3s in the paint, foul even if offense initiates the contact...All those things which have changed in the last 20 years or so favor offense.
I think carries, moving screens and foul even if offense initiates contact are the worst to defend.
@@20dieux i think the “carries” aren’t that bad there are some examples more egregious than others but i do agree about the fouls i feel like basketball hasn’t mastered its contact rules yet. The travels and etc are jus bad officiating has nothing to do with rule book and you can see examples of this wayyyy before now i mean every sport has bad refs really no controlling it
JJ Reddick just gave you a shoutout for this video specifically on ESPN during the Nets-Celtics game. That's legit
M0r0n
One the best games I’ve ever watched if not the best
Now i noticed how we have more space between crowd and game, still isn't protection enough tho. The video was great, it's been a while since i've been so hyped.
We are at a point where perfect offense beats perfect defense for the first time ever.
THere was never a time where perfect defense has been able to stop perfect offense. Perfect offense will always find a way to score while the perfect defense can only react to the perfect offense. No matter how good you are at defending, perfect offense can shoot with uncomfortable shooting motion but if perfect defense isn't comfortable, it isn't stopping perfect offense. Perfect defense can at most, make it difficult for the offense and it has always been that way even before the 3 point era
This is not true. Nobody could consistently stop Jordan (the offense) from dropping 50+ in the playoffs in the Bulls run in the 90s. Shaq+Kobe Lakers when they got rolling in the playoffs controlled the series especially with Shaq going 40pts/20rebs. The better offense with more dynamic ways to get a bucket puts more strain on how the defense should adapt. It is because the defense always plays out of principle and is ALWAYS a step behind. Sure the best defense can get stops for maybe 30~40 mins in a crucial game. Those last 8 minutes especially in the 4th may be enough for the offense to open things up and walk away with the W in the end.
You should cover the “physicality” of the game now vs the older generations. You bust so many myths, I’d love to see that.
That's not a myth. The physicality was much different in prior decades. Ben talks about this in the video: The Evolution of the Rules.
@@blacknetsmed much different, sure, but that’s not informative, insightful, or empirical. You can go watch old games and see that they pushed more in the paint, and fouls would sometimes be vicious. I hear this, but go watch. It’s not as physical as all the old guys would love you to believe.
@@DigitaIJustice I don't get it. Let's say you ignore the old heads who never played in this era. You still have the guys who actually played or coached in both eras saying the exact same things the old players (and league rules) said. So you watch a video and all of a sudden you know than the actual people who were in the videos? You know more than people who watched games in person? You know more than the league itself saying it wanted to open the game for perimeter offense, changing rules, then all of sudden getting what it wanted? I'm legit curious what the strong pushback is. Does the same logic apply to the NFL too?
@@gumballwaterson1957 yea
@@gumballwaterson1957The rules changes do make sense, and the game is less physical. It’s not MUCH MUCH less physical. It’s not much easier. They just want to seem tougher and better. Of course they’ll play up their era. Just go watch for yourself and compare, dude. They have an agenda and an ego. Go watch old games. You have access.
Im so happy for Fox, as an ugly dude the world is against you in every capacity so to see him doing so well brings my joy
You’re calling him ugly? Lol
„The beam team“ might be the best thing I’ve heard today
Mike Brown for COTY
I still believe Sacramento were robbed during the playoffs vs Shaq and Kobe
Very glad for them to be back in the mix
They're the 4th of 4 California teams and I'm glad they're getting their time again!
It's a byproduct of many things. Players talk, they talk off court and a lot of that context is about "how to survive the NBA". Playing defense is hard and takes a lot of energy. If you are being paid for your offensive abilities and most are, the defense isn't a priority. That is the first and foremost reason why players aren't playing defense. Defense is a mindset. If you aren't into stopping other players but instead chucking it up because maybe you're good at it, then that's a mindset issue. See Kobe. Why on earth aren't all 30 teams being taught that defense leads to offense and easier offense. It's amazing.
Boomers will say that the defense is watered down in today's NBA. But, I think it's because the players in general have become way better than before.
Im not one of those who think this era has no defense or defenders but it is watered down due to the rules. Players needing to reset their 3 second on the paint, removing hand checking. The defense is watered on rules that is another dimension to defensive skills. Players has to adjust but the rules today's are implemented due to making the league entertaining by making it easier to score. I think there would better defense today if the rules doesn't hinder defenders for tools that back in the days were part of the game. international basketball doesn't have these rules and that's why Europeans think it's easier to score in the NBA vs an outside league.
There is no defense today and no the players have not become better than before you 1d1ot
@@blowc1612there is no defense today you schmuck
More people need to see this breakdown! 👍
At this point in the league, unless you block the player on a contested shot it feels like it'll go in. At one point in time splashing in someone's face used to be "BANGGG!!!!" now it's just a common occurrence, often multiple times in a single quarter and not even always by a Steph level shooter. Players have just gotten too damn good at scoring. You can say that "there is no defense" but when a defender is a fingertip away from blocking a shot and the ball still goes in the net what do you want them to do? The ONLY way it could have been better defended is if they blocked it, good D better O as we say in pick up.
Fantastic video. Every basketball fan needs to watch this at some point to understand where these incredible scoring performances are coming from and just how much has changed in the last few decades of basketball that really has nothing to do with lazy takes like "bad defense."
I still cant believe coaches and players held the 3 in such low regard for such a long time. And im also confused why the nostalgics have so much love for the 90s when there were 8 dribble post ups and so many inefficiënt long 2s. I love the physicality of the 90s but the stupid illegal defence rule and predictable offense (with too much isolation) really make it average at best to watch. If you dont agree please rewatch a few complete games and let me know what you see differently
Yeah you have no idea about the 90s so shutup and quit pretending like you know what you're yapping about kid
Nothing more predicable than watching a million threes launched up. 1d1ot
nah old heads dont get it
They just mad and salty
It was one of the most exciting games I've watched in a long while
Yup. Looks like defensive 3 seconds needs to go. Defenses are half assing zone because of this rule and there's nothing they can do about it.
NBA should follow FIBA rules and allow the bigs to be in the paint without violation, this alone will decrease scoring because everytime the offense player does downhill eventually he will meet someone in the paint but on other hand will decrease significantly the highlight dunks and all of that
A bit of both. I definitely think in any given sport, players become more skilled with time, however 1. It must be recognized it is easier to score with the current rule book, 2. Player apathy, as they simply don’t care about regular season games it seems like 3. Spacing and how impacts defense
I had to rewatch the game. Defense was definitely played but waned on the latter part of the game and just gotten back towards the endings of OT AND 2OT
Good defense, better offense
It's hiliarous that people still believe only college basketball teams play defense. Turns out it's easier to scheme around an offense when there's, at best, one NBA-level shooter on the opposing team.
Call me European (because i am) but this video worries me. If perfect defenses cannot stop this barrage of 3s and elite playmaking (which is honestly impressive) then the scales tip each time towards the team with the hottest hands. Not exactly good for the sport. Maybe it's time for some rule changes? Don't know to what direction though.
I admit I am an old timer. I still can’t believe the traveling allowed, for the euro stepsssssss.
Man, remember when Sacramento and the Clippers were both irrelevant for like two decades?
This is such a great video and I think you've pretty much hit on why scoring has exploded. It's the approach to the game and freedom coaches has given to the players in what shots are acceptable and not limiting them in what they can do base on position. Not to mention players today are so skilled and teams are pretty much limited on what they can do on defense. I think to counterbalance this, the league should bring back hand checking or remove the defensive 3secod rule.
They aint so skilled you 1d1ot
Defense is gone
I started watching the NBA the day before this game!
The reason the defence is so bad is that the communication at the professional level is pathetic. The amount of mismatches off of makes is embarassing. Also nobody can guard their man, mentions that when the big comes out there is no rim protection, why not? A guard is the one coming down so the attacker is coming down on his own guard, this change of having lead guards that can't guard other lead guards is the reason this happens.
Also videos like this paint bias pictures, where are the stats and tracking? I would have liked to see the offensive numbers backed up with some stats but I don't see it here
Would love to see you do a retro breakdown of the Phoenix/Denver game from early in the 1990-1991 season. In today's environment, making no three-pointers and committing 27 turnovers often results in a 30-point loss, but for Phoenix they did that and won by 30, scoring 107 points by halftime and 173 total. If the game were any competitive, maybe Phoenix scores 190 points. Truly the most amazing box score of all time.
You 1d1ot, everybody knows about the deal with the 91 Nuggets
@@nonamewillbegiven9989 Everyone? Just today, someone was telling me that the NBA shortened the three point line before the 1994-1995 season specifically for Jordan even after I told him Jordan was playing baseball at that time. And another guy was telling me that Jordan shot well from 3 in 1990 because the "the line was shorter in the 1990s."
I think a lot of twenty-somethings are not that educated about otherwise-obscure teams from the late 80s and early 90s.
Would love to see an offensive explosion if you could actually hand check someone and play normal basketball
it would still happen trust. Maybe not as much but the offensive sets theyre running nowadays combined with 3 pt shootinh makes it basicly unguardable hand checking or not
Defenses are less restricted by the rules in several important ways than they were back in the 90s. The old illegal defense rules allowed for iso-ball that you can't pull off any more.