Because LeBron James and Stephen Curry are among the best players of their generation, fans can't help but compare them to other NBA legends who came before them, like Michael Jordan. Recently, a fan used clips of how the Utah Jazz covered Jordan in the NBA Finals to point out that James and Curry could have played in his era, but Jordan's ex-teammate Stacey King added some clarity on the matter.
When a fan shared a montage of the Bulls' scoring on the Jazz to try to frame it like it was too easy for them to score, which they used to make the point that James and Curry could have done the same, King responded by going into full detail why Utah gave Jordan space on the perimeter.
"They guarded MJ like this to encourage him to shoot and to keep him out the lane and off the free throw line. Take the drive away and make him a shooter that’s how Utah played him! Just like teams do to LeBron now you want him to launch 3’s and jumpers to limit his downhill attacks off the bounce but you can’t let him do both just like MJ!"
He also explained that even if Curry is a different player than Jordan was, teams would still cover him tightly even if it would be different from Jordan and James.
"Teams wouldn’t let Steph stand around and shoot 3’s either in the 90’s he would have a guy on him at all times with no air space! Also anytime he would cut to the basket he would get popped and in pick and roll he would’ve gotten trapped and had to be a playmaker. They both would have to adjust to the physicality of that era of play which I think they would."
They guarded MJ like this to encourage him to shoot and to keep him out the lane and off the free throw line. Take the drive away and make him a shooter that’s how Utah played him! Just like teams do to LeBron now you want him to launch 3’s and jumpers to limit his downhill… https://t.co/7cOYMKHDhW
— Stacey King (@Stacey21King) July 30, 2025
Even if three-point shots weren't as emphasized during Jordan's era like they are now, there were still stars whose calling card came from there, like Reggie Miller and Ray Allen. Even Jazz legends like Jeff Hornacek relied on his floor spacing to make him as dependable as he was.
The Jazz's defense failing to stop Jordan reflects more on how good Jordan was. In case anyone didn't know, he was the whole package as a basketball player. Defenses always schemed to make him a non-factor. While he'll be remembered for being perhaps the most unstoppably scorer the NBA has ever seen, he also knew how to break through whatever defensive scheme was thrown at him.
James and Curry had similar pressure and they were smart enough to beat it in their own way too. NBA defense has definitely changed and evolved, but the strategy in a nutshell was simple enough: stop the other team's best player no matter what.
Coincidentally, King was played for three Bulls title teams in the 90s - 1991 through 1993 - but wasn't on the team anymore when they beat the Jazz in 1997 and 1998.
Why King's comments are pretty cool to see
In this day and age, we're seeing a bunch of former NBA players crap on the current generation of stars - look no further than what Shaq just said about Rudy Gobert - but King's comments weren't tearing down this generation to prop up the old one.
He defended the Jazz while also making it clear that he still believes James and Curry would be just as good then as they were when they played. This is the kind of conversation we need to see. The game has definitely changed in the almost three decades since Utah made the NBA Finals, but that doesn't mean neither the old or the new generations deserve to be criticized for it.
Offenses have definitely changed, which leads to defenses having to evolve their schemes to stop them. The Jazz did everything they could to stopo Jordan and definitely made things interesting. LeBron James and Stephen Curry are definitely different from Michael Jordan, but those Jazz teams from the 1990s would have adjusted accordingly no matter who they faced,