#11: The Shaq Rule and Zone Defense Adjustments
Calling the NBA’s 2001 defensive overhaul a rule created only to stop Shaquille O’Neal would make the story neater than it really was. The league’s stated concern was broader: offenses had become filled with isolations, scoring was down, and old illegal-defense restrictions dictated where defenders were allowed to stand. The Lakers had just won consecutive championships, O’Neal had been the 2000 MVP, and trying to guard his combination of size and mobility with traditional coverage could look hopeless. For 2001-02, the NBA eliminated its illegal-defense guidelines and allowed far more zone principles, meaning help defenders could shade toward stars and occupy spaces they previously could not.
