“Michael Jordan didn’t play vs zone defense”: Popular myth busted as NBA Twitter pulls up a video from the archives 

The NBA is full of myths and misconceptions that Michael Jordan didn’t take on the zone defense or become a double team, which made him simpler for the GOAT in his day.

Basketball as we know it today did not exist in the 1990s.

Yes, the goal of the game was still to get the ball into the basket.

Yes, after 48 minutes, the team with the most points was declared the winner.

However, it was not the same game. Today’s game is fast-paced, guard-driven, perimeter-oriented, and littered with space and chaos. The most important offensive talent is the outside shot; the most crucial defensive skill is lateral quickness and length. The game in the 1990s, on the other hand, was everything that the game today is not. Slow, post-oriented, physical and regimented. You had a huge advantage if you were big and/or tall.

Did Michael Jordan’s first or second 3-peat impress you more? pic.twitter.com/MYdMBLwOJI

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 31, 2020

That’s why many people find Michael Jordan’s supremacy during that time period all the more amazing. Jordan was successful at a time when the odds were stacked against shooting guards. He towered over his taller opponents, relishing the opportunity to dethrone Patrick Ewing.

This has led to the same school of thought that suggests Jordan would have it easier today, taking advantage of the extra space that isn’t filled with giants and violent hand-control defenders.

But that would be too simplistic. Could Jordan really dominate today’s game?

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Busting the myth that Michael Jordan didn’t face zone defense and double teams during his era

One of the most popular fallacies in basketball is that Michael Jordan never faced zone defense.

MJ remains as captivating a character today as he was in 1998, but the documentary doesn’t address the major differences between how the game was played during its prime and how it is now. It’s the only obvious flaw in a project that seems to have been designed to cement his legacy.

Contrary to common thought, Jordan actually DID face the zone defense during his time. Jordan was an MVP candidate in the 2001/02 season when zone defense was legalized in the rulebook and he was still racking up Tracy McGrady-esque numbers.

When someone tries to tell you that zones and double teams didn’t exist in the Michael Jordan era, do them a favor and show them this. pic.twitter.com/hJaT0MVIdL

— The most realist (@FactMerchant23) August 28, 2022

NBA fans should never again use the ridiculous excuse that Jordan didn’t play against a zone defense. They also shouldn’t imply that Jordan would have a problem with that because the 40-year-old Jordan totally destroyed the 2003 Nets, who had the second-best defense in the league and were using zones in an attempt to stop him.

Also, due to the adoption of the 3 second defensive rule, most of the current zones aren’t even real zones. This prevents big men from camping out in lane to be an intimidating defensive presence or rim protector.

And, hand control and physical play were still used to improve zones in Jordan’s day, as seen in the movies above. Not only did Jordan face zones in his day, but the zones he faced were considerably more challenging, physical and complex than today’s zones, which are weakened by a host of rule modifications and the illegal three-second rule.

Also, read: Shaquille O’Neal, who dabbled in the $35.6 billion vodka industry, says he doesn’t drink alcohol.