Zone defense... your thoughts?

[muggins]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

Don't be so foolish.

Some of the best basketball EVER played by some of the best players that will ever have walked on an NBA court was done in years that there was not even a thought of adding a zone to the lane, the 3 point line either not there or moved back further than it is now, and players were allowed to play hand-checking physical basketball every night.

If your team has weak defensive liabilities, that's not the team with the advantage fault. If you cannot double Shaq quickly enough then fine, that's your problem.

I will even say Detroit was just brave enough to go one on one with Shaq in the finals a few years back and it didn't work becasue someone on his team was too selfish to want that mismatch exploited.

Don't give me this crap about the zone being apart of the game. It wasn't apart of any NBA game and it survived just fine without it.

You don't even have to make a smart decision on the court defensively now (whether to double or to hang with your man), you can just sag in the middle all night long.

That type of basketball is nauseating.

Nauseating to you, much more fun to watch to others. I'd much rather watch an intelligent defense than iso brickfests any night.

[23]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

I see you don't have much of a real explanation as to why the zone makes the NBA better than how it was before.

Talking about iso and crap of that manner. Please explain to me why players like Kobe and AI are still playing Iso games when they feel the need to?

A team game has nothing to do with a zone, never has and never will.

[rocker78]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

I see you don't have much of a real explanation as to why the zone makes the NBA better than how it was before.

Talking about iso and crap of that manner. Please explain to me why players like Kobe and AI are still playing Iso games when they feel the need to?

A team game has nothing to do with a zone, never has and never will.

key word is when they feel the need to, not all the time, the zone opens up the game more imo, i think the game has been better since it was instituted.

and again everyone else uses zone so why should the nba be any different

[23]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

Easily, the NBA went through a golden era without it. It produced a multitude of HOF players and all time greats.

People who shot a higher percentage on average than now, and played tough basketball without the refs intervening all of the time.

The zone is just a cheap way to help teams and players who suck on defense.

[amra01]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

Easily, the NBA went through a golden era without it. It produced a multitude of HOF players and all time greats.

People who shot a higher percentage on average than now, and played tough basketball without the refs intervening all of the time.

The zone is just a cheap way to help teams and players who suck on defense.

Zone defense isn't cheap and you said earlier that nba got away without it, let me correct you it didn't got away check the pathetic(has the best talent from any other team) US team from 2002 until today can't win cause of a simple zone defense. the problem isn't the zone, a lazy defender in any type of defense is a bad defender. the problem is that most of the players need to learn the basics move without ball feed the open player shoot a midrange jumper not only dunks and 3point shots this is no nba jam it's real basketball. pistons, suns, bulls, jazz, spurs, mavs can do what ever they want against zone defenses the others need to hire a new coach.

[muggins]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

I see you don't have much of a real explanation as to why the zone makes the NBA better than how it was before.

Talking about iso and crap of that manner. Please explain to me why players like Kobe and AI are still playing Iso games when they feel the need to?

A team game has nothing to do with a zone, never has and never will.

Please explain to me why AI and Kobe are out of the playoffs? I'm not interested in 120 point games.

[ehh]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

Zone defense shouldn't be allowed at any level, from youth leagues through the NBA.

[Dice]

Re: Zone defense... your thoughts?

I was a proponent of the NBA-style zone when it was implemented. BUT now looking at it for the last 5 years I say they should go back to strictly man-to-man defense again.

I finally realize that this pseudo-zone was just an excuse for the NBA to answer for the lack of fundamentals in most of today's NBA players.

Zone defense is not a lazy excuse for lack of defensive talent. I still feel that a poor defensive team will still be exposed even if they do run a zone. Look at the college game. Why do you think a team like Chicago State wins 5-6 games a year and their base defense is a 2-3 zone? BUT I feel that man-to-man defense is the hardest defense to play. AND if you have a talented defensive team your team would be more effective playing man-to-man than zone.

Man-to-man defense requires more thinking AND more teamwork. In a zone it requires a little less thinking and more athleticism, which is a description of today's NBA game. As you all know, zones require you to guard a space on the court. You'd assume that your team mates have your back if players come in and out of your zone. Man-to-man requires you to know where your help is at. It requires player to know the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents offensive tendencies. So if your guy like to drive left then make him go right. Man-to-man defense also makes you think about how you guard your guy because if your in foul trouble then your not going to guard him tight. Nowadays, teams can just run a zone if their star players are in foul trouble. Man-to-man also requires you to adjust quickly to the little things. Like, when someone sets a pick do you switch off? Fight through the pick? OR go around the pick? And once you make a decision to go around the pick do you go high or low?

Zone defenses are better suited for college because it makes the college offensive game better. In college you got 35 seconds to shoot compared to the NBA where you have only 24 seconds. In the college game you have more time to swing the ball around the floor and break a zone compared to the NBA where you'll only have about 4-5 passes at most for each offensive possession.

Implementing a zone is one thing BUT applying rules to how to play zone is another. Basically, if your going to implement a zone then let them play a true zone and not this pseudo-zone that's allowed. And for those who claimed that they got tired of the iso offense of 4 four players going to one side and one player on the other side need to look at the referees. As it was with illegal defense there was an illegal offense call. And if referees would call it we wouldn't be at this point of trying to stop it. The rule was already there, the refs just needed to blow their whistle.

I think the players should be held to a higher standard since they are professionals. Let's stop blaming the rules and start blaming the players and refs for the lack of offense.