Not a big fan of cross-era/time travel matchups. I generally believe that whichever era's rules the game would be played under, that team would win. I think the '18 Warriors would beat the '96 Bulls if we're playing under today's rules but I think it'd be the opposite if we were playing under the old rules. GSW's entire free-flowing offense wouldn't translate to the old era and they'd have to rely on a ton of isolation. You take away a team's bread and butter and they aren't winning.
Teams were built based on the rules and style of play of their day. It doesn't make much sense to knock a team for losing to another team from another era that was built for a completely different game.
Anytime that 2020 Jordan were to play with a nonshooter, that player’s defender would clog the lane and force him to give up the ball.
Or he'd destroy teams with his mid-range jumper. He's the deadliest mid-range shooter ever and defenses today are designed to give up mid-range jumpers. You do the math. It's an efficient shot if you can make it at an absurd clip. Mid-range jumpers are still en vogue in the playoffs because it's the most unstoppable shot in the sport.
Arenas: I’m starting to hate everyone in the ’90s who played basketball. That whole group. They just think their don’t stink. You have Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman talking about they going to stop somebody in today’s game. You are a little guard in today’s game. You are little guys.
Williams: Every 10 years the game changes.
Arenas: They have no idea about evolution.
Williams: I always have these debates with my friends. Can you imagine dropping LeBron in 1975? He would win 15 championships in a row.
Arenas: They forget evolution. They say this game is soft. They flop too much. I say no. That’s the skill.
Arenas is a lunatic but he's a bright guy who really knows the game. Still, this is an awful take. Scottie Pippen is not a "little guard" in today's game. He's literally the prototype for dozens of guys around the league from size to skill. Dennis Rodman couldn't hang in a league where 6'5" Draymond Green won DPOY? C'mon. If anything the burgeoning smallball style benefits those Bulls teams.
Lou Will proves my point that I've made a ton of times in the last six weeks: MJ didn't play in 1975. He was still playing in 2003. Human evolution doesn't work that fast. Players generally take better care of their bodies today but they aren't inherently far more athletic in just three decades. Also, prime MJ would still be the best athlete in today's NBA.
I think the beef that older players have is that physical strength is far less important these days. In the old days, if you were someone like Steph, or undersized, you'd get posted up all day on defense. The refs wouldn't bail you out. You were a liability then, now you're not. You can hide poor defenders much more easily in today's game because team defense is more important than individual defense. Your ability to master your scheme and understand and make timely rotations has become more important than "man up and stop your guy". If you were a liability back then, they'd exploit and isolate you until your coach made an adjustment or took you out of the game.
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