Despite what Steve has to say following the Dallas game, I think if there's one thing Rudy has noticed this year from watching the Mavs and experimenting himself is that the zone can be an effective defensive weapon in the NBA, especially when you have an anchor in the middle like Yao. The Rockets zone last night did get scorched repeatedly by Stackhouse. But the Wizards were shooting 7/9 from 3 point land at one point. And they were still struggling to keep the lead. What I did notice was that the zone was a very aggressive and active one. For the most part we closed down the lanes, did a decent job on the boards, and got our hands on a few steals. If the Wizards weren't shooting lights out from 3 point land in the first half, we would have gone into halftime with a ten point lead. Additionally, Francis' comments do have some merit. The zone can be a good defense, but in the playoffs it will be exposed. We can't just pack in a zone for 48 minutes a game. The last few games Rudy has done an excellent job, imo, of mixing the zone with the man to man. I hope he continues to have a good balance in this area. Come playoff time, this team will have to be able to clamp down defensively regardless of what type of defense is play. I admit I was wholeheartedly against allowing the zone defense a few years ago. But with the additional rules (defensive 3 seconds), the ability of NBA players and the 24 second shotclock, the zone does seem to be providing a different, and interesting change to the game.
