Film Room: Michael Jordan's Defense

These are the highlights that didn't make SportsCenter.

But don't think for one second that they weren't just as important to the greatness of Michael Jordan as the switch of hands, the shots on Craig Ehlo and Bryon Russell, the cradle dunks and all of the other Jordan plays that you see all the time.

Although Carmelo Anthony, Monta Ellis and Amar'e Stoudemire receive all of the criticism, there are many more players in the NBA who to one degree or another need to step up their games defensively.

And Michael Jordan is here to show everyone how to do it.

Notice how spectacular he is at so many different aspects of defense: ball denial, being physical, staying in front of his man and stopping dribble penetration, helping his teammates out, hustling and never giving up plays, reading and anticipating plays and taking the ball away from the other team.

Incredible.

Jordan was kind enough to tell exactly how he was able to pull most of these things off.

It started with his mental approach to the game and knowing the strengths and weakness of his opponents and trying to force them to do things they weren't comfortable doing.

Techniques like off-ball defense and keeping his eyes on his man and the ball at the same time helped him as well.

This is how it looks in game situations.

His defensive stance and the placement of his hands to block the passing lane with one and swat at the ball with the other helped him contain his man and get steals.

And eating right, staying in shape and getting plenty of rest gave him the energy to go all out and be a force on both ends of the floor.

There it is.

Michael Jordan, who is a great teacher, has laid a solid foundation for defensive improvement; so don't blame him if guys aren't better on defense.

And don't blame Scottie Pippen.

Between the two of them, those in the NBA have all of the examples they need to dominate the defensive end of the floor.

Comment or e-mail: thenbaoutsider@yahoo.com
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Michael Jordan: The World's Greatest

Today must be my lucky day.

I found the old Michael Jordan reel which got removed and a new one to R. Kelly's "The World's Greatest" on top of that.

I've been looking for Jordan to this song for a while because I wanted his clips to be the first I showed featuring the song.

I can start using the song for a few others now that Jordan is the first to put his touch on it.

Here are some more highlights to the same song.

I like the first one better, but you can decide for yourself which one you like most.

Comment or e-mail: thenbaoutsider@yahoo.com
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Power: Derrick Rose and Kanye West

No two men should have all this power.

Since Derrick Rose and Kanye West are both from Chicago, I thought it would be cool to find some Rose highlights with some West music.

And I so happened to find a really good one.

It starts kind of slow, but if you wait 50 seconds it will be worth your while.

For those of you who can't get enough Derrick Rose, here is a story Steve Aschburner wrote about him last month.

He tracks Rose's roots all the way back to elementary school and Murray Park, where Rose used to play basketball growing up, and follows him to high school and college and the NBA.

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Eastern Conference Finals Preview

NBA officials and television executives are probably still drunk after all of the champagne they popped when the Atlanta Hawks didn't advance to the conference finals.

MVP Derrick Rose and Chicago's media market going against the star power of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade for David Stern and the NBA was no doubt an orgasm-producing outcome.

And either of those teams advancing to the championship will be great business for all parties involved, not only for this season but for future seasons as well.

Many think Miami will roll over Chicago. But don't be fooled by what we just saw in the last round.

Atlanta has as much talent as almost any team in the NBA and is a good coach away from being a legitimate contender. And Miami benefited significantly from injuries to Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal and Rajon Rondo.

After seeing how the series played out, I would take a fully-healthy Boston team over a fully-healthy Miami team in a seven-game series.

Unfortunately for Boston, it didn't work out that way.

There is nothing to be gained from looking at Chicago's 3-0 sweep of Miami during the regular season.

LeBron James didn't play in the first game. Mike Bibby (not on the team yet) didn't play in the second. Joel Anthony didn't play in the third.

You could go back and forth with these playoff (or regular season) matchups for five hours and end up more confused than when you first started.

I wouldn't dare pick a winner in this or any other series.

The only thing I can say for sure is that it will be great television.

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Second Round Preview

I hope you're not coming here for any predictions.

The first round of the playoffs told you all you needed to know about why I refuse to make any.

The games are simply unpredictable.

Bless anyone who tries to make a living betting on these games!

They are stressful enough with nothing at stake.

Every first-round series was incredible, as far as the quality of play, and this round looks to be even better.

Each series is full of intrigue, and it is impossible to pick a winner or pick the series which will be the most competitive or the most entertaining.

But we'll have the answer to every question in two weeks.


BOSTON AND MIAMI

More and more, Erik Spoelstra is proving that he is not a championship coach.

He did a much better job driving the Chevy he had last year than the Cadillac he has now.

This series may tell us all we need to know about him.

If Miami goes down in six games, it might be time for Pat Riley to start searching his coaching database to bring in a winner.

Rajon Rondo finally revealed what was obvious when watching him play at the end of the season, that he wasn't 100 percent.

He was better against New York in the first round but still didn't look all the way back yet.

Hopefully, another week off did the trick.

Boston is the favorite in the East until they are eliminated from the playoffs.


DALLAS AND LOS ANGELES

This series is another real treat.

Dirk Nowitzki versus Kobe Bryant, two of the greatest players of their era, for the first time ever in the playoffs.

And don't forget about Rick Carlisle against Phil Jackson.

Carlisle has been on the doorstep for several years now but has never broken through.

This is another opportunity.

I remember watching the last time Dallas and Los Angeles met in the playoffs in 1988.

Anything close to that battle would be unbelievable.


ATLANTA AND CHICAGO

The injury to Kirk Hinrich is the perfect example of why you develop your bench by giving them consistent playing time during the season, an area Larry Drew failed miserably in this season.

As I said before, I'm down with the Jeff Teague Movement.

But I'd feel a lot better about him had Drew played him consistently during the season and in the first round against Orlando.

And there's no guarantee Drew will play him against Chicago.

I would take Atlanta's talent over Chicago's talent every day of the week, but Drew hasn't used that talent right all season long.

So there's no reason to think he'll get it right now.

At the same time, Atlanta is a smart team seasoned with valuable playoff experience; and Drew deserves credit for that.

Chicago's half-court offense was a mess against Indiana, meaning Derrick Rose had to walk on water to win the series.

More miracles will be required unless Chicago's supporting cast steps up.


MEMPHIS AND OKLAHOMA CITY

The Memphis-Oklahoma City games were some of the most entertaining, hardest-fought games of the regular season.

Kevin Durant versus Tony Allen was worth the price of admission alone.

This series is literally a blank slate. There's almost nothing to go by.

Kendrick Perkins didn't play in the one game they played after the trade deadline, so it's hard to tell what will happen without seeing Memphis go against Oklahoma City's full rotation.

One thing for sure is that this is a bad matchup for Russell Westbrook.

He is a high-turnover point guard going against a turnover-forcing defense, a formula for disaster.

But Mike Conley could come out and have more costly turnovers than Westbrook.

That's just how unpredictable the games are, and they have always been that way.

Comment or e-mail: thenbaoutsider@yahoo.com
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Cool Michael Jordan Highlight Reel

I'm always on the lookout for cool highlight reels to look at.

I found a new one featuring Michael Jordan a few weeks ago.

It features most of the footage you would expect in any good Jordan highlight: the shot at North Carolina, the press conference with Dean Smith to announce he was going pro, David Stern announcing his name at the draft, the shot over Craig Ehlo, the one over Bryon Russell, the threes on Portland, him crying over the trophy one year and on the court another, baseball, the comeback, the 45.

There is no "switch of hands" though.

It has the dunks he did when he was younger that he never did anymore after he got a few years in and shows the young Jordan with hair before he went with the bald look and shows the classic fashion, the gold necklace, the way he looked in his uniform and of course the shoes, all of which made him so popular in the '80s.

It starts off to "Mama Said Knock You Out" by Uncle L and ends with a style I really can't describe but which sounds appropriately dramatic for the situation, swan song type stuff peaking at just the right time as the video ends.

It sounds like something off of Titanic.

You might also enjoy this Scottie Pippen highlight reel I posted before. It is a lot more serious, basketball type stuff and also features some footage from the Game 5 classic against New York in 1993.

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Rose Is The MVP? Who Cares?

This isn't meant to pick on Derrick Rose.

I actually happen to be a big fan.

But when I hear him say he wants to be the MVP and hear others say he is the MVP, the only thing I can think is, who cares?

Or to quote Derrick Coleman, "Whoop de damn doo!"

You play basketball for one reason and one reason only, and it's not to win the MVP.

Herman Edwards best described why you play.

At the end of the day, the only thing which counts is whether or not this is happening in Chicago at the end of the season because it is the only thing that matters.

Do you think the city of Chicago will throw Derrick Rose a parade for winning the MVP?

I don't either.

Rose didn't grow up in Chicago rooting for the Bulls because Michael Jordan won six MVPs.

The six other things Jordan and the Bulls won probably had a little more to do with it.

I couldn't tell you who won the MVP in 1989 or most other years. But I can tell you who won every championship from 1957-2010.

And I don't know and don't care how many MVPs Bill Russell won. But I know he won 11 championships.

Robert Horry won 7, Jordan and Scottie Pippen 6, Magic, Dennis Rodman and Kobe Bryant 5; Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal 4, Larry Bird 3, Isiah Thomas and Hakeem Olajuwon 2 and Doctor J, Moses Malone, Ben Wallace, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo 1.

Derrick Rose has 0, along with LeBron James, Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, Vince Carter, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Love, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone and John Stockton.

Everyone has somehow gotten off track and lost sight of what is really important.

You establish your legacy in the NBA by winning championships, not MVPs or anything else.

MVPs, All-Star appearances, scoring titles, rebounding titles, assist titles, double-double streaks and all of those other things are nice; but to tell you the truth, they really don't matter.

Winning is the only thing that matters.

So Derrick Rose wants to be MVP, and he may win it.

Ten years from now, some people will remember.

When he brings a championship home to Chicago, no one will ever forget (:55).

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McGrady Puts Pistons In Driver's Seat

The Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls officially have some competition. The Detroit Pistons' signing of Tracy McGrady changes the entire balance of power in the Central Division and may decide the eventual champion.

The Pistons were already picked here to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA, and that was before they signed Tracy McGrady. The addition of McGrady only makes that pick more certain and the improvement more dramatic.

The Bulls worked McGrady out but eventually decided not to sign him and instead opted for Keith Bogans. Choosing Bogans over McGrady is a catastrophic error in judgment and player evaluation and will cost Chicago dearly.

Without McGrady or some player like him, they simply aren't that impressive. A healthy Tracy McGrady makes the Bulls an elite team. No McGrady makes them a team which may be able to win a playoff series and scare a team in the second round but do nothing more.

It looks like Chicago will wait until at least next year to bring in another top player to play with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and the others and try to become a championship team.

The status of the Milwaukee Bucks hasn't changed since early July: They are a healthy Michael Redd away from being elite. It has been reported that Michael Redd isn't coming back until February, a wise move but one which may cost Milwaukee in the short term.

That leaves the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were picked to improve because of the reason why they lost so many games last year: injuries to key players like Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince.

With those players coming back healthy and the addition of No.7 pick Greg Monroe and now Tracy McGrady, Detroit is in prime position to take the Central Division crown.

The only question left to be answered is ... How much does McGrady have left?

The answer to that question is slowly coming forward.

The Pistons have what they consider a secret weapon in strength-and-conditioning coach Arnie Kander, and they believe that with Kander's guidance, Tracy McGrady will be just fine.

It should again be pointed out that McGrady is still five months away from the two-year mark, when players start feeling like themselves again, on his microfracture surgery.

Kander did some research on McGrady and had two things to say which should trouble Bucks and Bulls fans: (1) He believes McGrady has a good chance to revive his career with the Pistons, and (2) "From all the people I’ve spoken to, he’s not someone who cuts corners."

That means that whatever Tracy McGrady has to do to get his game back, he is going to do it and do it to the best of his ability.

Coach John Kuester watched McGrady work out recently and came away impressed and optimistic about the season.

He's not the only one.

The addition of Tracy McGrady makes Detroit absolutely loaded: Rodney Stuckey, McGrady, Prince, Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Greg Monroe, plus the young guys coming off the bench.

It is an abundance of talent.

Detroit is at least a playoff team and could come close to being one of the top teams in the East. Few teams are as deep and talented. They also have great team chemistry, something they will need with all of these players who deserve minutes.

McGrady may never get back to his Orlando level, but 80% of Tracy McGrady is better than 90% of the NBA.

He is also a veteran now with a high basketball IQ, meaning he can beat the opposition with his mind like he used to beat them with his speed and athleticism.

Here is footage of McGrady in his prime* with the Orlando Magic, an outstanding video of his trials and tribulations while fighting injury with the Houston Rockets and a radio interview he did after signing with the Detroit Pistons (scroll to bottom).

The Arnie Kander "Eagle Eye" article was posted by John Schuhmann on the league website, and the radio interview was posted by Bill Ingram at HoopsWorld.

*Video update 2-25-2012, 2:20 PM

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Basketball IQ Sneak Preview

There isn't very much news in the NBA these days now that summer league has ended and most of the major free agents have picked their teams.

Tracy McGrady working out for the Chicago Bulls was the most interesting thing which happened this week.

They still are undecided on signing him.

Yawn. While rumors and speculation are great and special entertainment, only things which are concrete--agreements and signings--will be covered here.

So here are some stories being anxiously anticipated, stories which will be covered when something concrete happens, along with other stories which will likely be covered in coming articles.


THE NEXT BIG THREE

This is the biggest story left to be covered. Nothing is more exciting--and frustrating--than waiting to see where Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson and Gilbert Arenas will end up.

The Bulls not signing McGrady only means they aren't serious about winning a championship. Their thinking also hints that as an organization they don't have what it takes to win one.

Let's look at how ludicrous their thinking is: They only want McGrady if he is (1) healthy and (2) willing to come of the bench, this according to Marc Stein.

What?! What kind of team would bring a healthy Tracy McGrady off the bench?

A dumb ass team not ready to win a championship, that's what kind.

It was then reported that they wanted to look at other guards like Eddie House before making a final decision on McGrady. Eddie House.

The Bulls aren't ready.

Keep in mind that McGrady is nowhere near the 2-year mark on his microfracture surgery which took place in February 2009. The general rule with major knee surgeries is that the player will be back playing in one year but won't be fully-recovered until two years later.

Having just turned 31, McGrady has plenty of basketball left in him as long as he is patient with his injury and takes care of his body.

It will be believed that Gilbert Arenas is staying with the Washington Wizards when he is on the court with them on opening night.

Other than that, his new team awaits; and maybe Allen Iverson will end up somewhere as well.


THE SUPER FRIENDS

The Miami Heat didn't have enough of a roster to evaluate their chances of winning a championship, and I couldn't care less that LeBron James announced his decision to go to South Beach on national television, so no story was written about Miami's free agency signings of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Now that the rest of their team is rounding into shape, they can be evaluated along with almost everybody else.


OFF-SEASON WINNERS

This will feature teams which have improved themselves with the draft and free agency and other moves made since the end of last season. Surprise teams will be covered as well, my favorite.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will most definitely be covered here, if for no other reason than to tick this guy off.

Most everything the Timberwolves have done this off-season has been terrific, especially getting rid of gluttonous ball-hog Al Jefferson.

In his three years in Minnesota, Al Jefferson had a field goal attempt-to-assist (FGA:A) ratio of 10.6:1.

That means that Jefferson shot the ball 10.6 times for every 1 assist he made. For his career, his FGA:A ratio is 10.9:1, and last season it was 8.2:1.

For a comparison, let's take a look at Kobe Bryant, surely one of the most notoriously gluttonous ball-hogs of all-time, right?

For his career Kobe Bryant has a 4.1:1 FGA:A ratio.

In 2005-06, when Bryant earned his reputation as a mad gunner, he averaged a career-high 27.2 FGAs per game.

His FGA:A ratio? 6:1, or two less than Al Jefferson's career-low just last season.

Allen Iverson? For his career it is 3.5:1. When Iverson averaged a career-high 27.8 FGAs per game in 2001-02, it was 5:1.

Not fair, you say, to compare guards to a big man like Al Jefferson?

Darko Milicic's career ratio is 6.6:1.

Playing with the same teammates last year in Minnesota and shooting essentially the same field goal percentage themselves, Milicic's FGA:A ratio was 4.3:1, compared to Jefferson's 8.2:1.

Milicic also averaged .1 more combined blocks and steals than Jefferson even though Milicic played about seven fewer minutes per game.

Still think David Kahn is crazy?

Other notoriously gluttonous ball-hogs include Eddy Curry (16.4:1 career), Zach Randolph (8.6:1 career) and Rudy Gay (8.5:1 career).


ADVANCED STATISTICS

In a determined effort to bring the NBA out of the Stone Ages when it comes to player and team analysis, advanced statistics like the one mentioned above with Al Jefferson will be used to help commissioner David Sternrock out of his dark cave.

There will also be an area, yet to be named, dealing with clutch performance. In general, clutch will be defined as the last five minutes of the game, or overtime, with neither team ahead by more than three points.


POWER POLLS

Finally, there will be four Basketball IQ Power Polls throughout the season:

(1) Season-Opening Power Poll
(2) Mid-Season Power Poll
(3) Playoff Push Power Poll
(4) Playoff Power Poll

They will be done (1) about two weeks into the season; (2) after about 41 games; (3) after the trading deadline and (4) before or during the first round of the playoffs.

There will no doubt be lots of fun and entertaining games and stories to cover as the NBA looks to capitalize on its high ratings from the Finals with the competition challenging the Los Angeles Lakers and the NBA's new super team in Miami.

In another area of the league, you'll have rookies trying to find their way in the league and make names for themselves.

The Milwaukee Bucks will be eagerly attempting to prove they can bark with the big dogs, and the Los Angeles Clippers will be trying to change history with Vinny Del Negro, Baron Davis, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman.

These are just some of the stories which may be covered in the weeks and months ahead as we speed toward another playoff push and look to celebrate and crown another NBA champion.

Note: numbers rounded up starting at 7.

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Scottie Pippen: Ultimate Defender

There are two great videos on the internet showcasing Scottie Pippen and his "ultimate" defense.

They are called Scottie Pippen: Ultimate Defender and Scottie Pippen: Ultimate Defender II.

Watching these videos is a mind-blowing experience. We all know Scottie Pippen was great, but his defensive highlights reveal that he was even greater than first thought.

By the end of the Bulls' second three-peat people were saying that Scottie Pippen might be the second-best player in the NBA. Looking at these videos makes it hard to argue against it.

Pippen literally puts on a defensive clinic from start to finish, and these videos alone could be used to teach basketball players how to play defense.

All you have to do is show the videos and say, "Play like this!"

Pippen displays every characteristic--intelligence, toughness, tenacity, intensity, focus, competitiveness, resilience, versatility, conditioning, footwork, skill, everything!--which a coach would want in a player in any sport.

It is well known that Scottie Pippen was a great defender, but seeing all of these defensive highlights back-to-back on one reel brings a different level of understanding ... WOW!

Scottie Pippen has never gotten his due for how great he actually was.

A lot of it has to do with the offensive bias in judging greatness, but these videos show that great defensive play is just as important as great offensive play when it comes to impacting basketball games.

It is crazy how disruptive he was and how he completely dismantled everything which the opposing team's offense tried to put together, and I mean everything!

Guarding every position on the floor, from point guard to center, he was simply a menace.

While we're at it, lets look at one of Scottie Pippen's finest moments, his performance in Game 6 of the 1993 Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks.

And for a real trip down memory lane, here are some Bulls highlights from the Game 5 classic against the Knicks in 1993, including Pippen's multiple rejections against Charles Smith to save the game in the final seconds.

Also of note from Game 5, check out Doc Rivers daydreaming and ball-watching (5:13) as Scottie Pippen sneaks up from behind him and sets a screen on him which gets Rivers' man BJ Armstrong open for the game-winning three-pointer.

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