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Message: [QUOTE="nelsonmuntz, post: 4140292, member: 833"] There is no way Jordan wins 6 championships in the modern NBA. Jordan had 4 major boosts that modern players do not have (in reverse order of importance): 1) Pre-Analytics - The 90's Knicks team are the perfect example of how teams were assembled before analytics. Teams were assembled by position back then rather than by skills. No modern GM would create a backcourt of Rivers, Starks and Anthony today. All 3 were solid players, and there is no way in hell that all 3 should have been in the same backcourt. 2) Zone defenses - The zone defense has completely changed NBA basketball. Teams used to leave players on islands against Jordan, and he would light them up. When teams can double off the ball, it forces teams to play more of a team offense. The Bulls would not have been able to run all those ISOs today. 3) Expansion - 4 teams were added right before Jordan's first run, and 2 more before his second run. This diluted the league significantly. Imagine if Shaq was on the 1990's Suns and Mourning was on the 1990's Knicks instead of on expansion teams. 4) European Invasion - If Arvydas Sabonis goes to Portland in the late 80's like he was supposed to, Portland has somewhere between 3 and 6 NBA titles now. Beyond that, the Europeans were just beginning to produce top talent in the early 90's, and the Bulls got one of the best in Toni Kukoc. Jordan was able to win his titles before the trickle of European talent became a tidal wave. [/QUOTE]

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