The 1996 Western Conference Finals were an incredibly intense series. The intensity was clear not just on the court but off it as well. This was especially true due to the clash between the teams' head coaches, Jerry Sloan, and George Karl, who were constantly at odds with each other.
This media-fueled conflict began when the Sonics' Karl accused Sloan of using questionable defensive strategies with his Jazz team. True to his character, George added a touch of irony to this claim.
"Utah plays the best zone in basketball. They play a 2-1-2 with five guys with a foot in the paint 90 percent of the time," remarked Karl, per Deseret News.
Revisiting the rules from that time
During the 1996 playoffs, the NBA didn't have the current defensive three-second rule. This rule, which limits players to three seconds in the paint, was only introduced in the 2001-2002 season to open up gameplay and restrict strong interior defenses, especially zone schemes.
Before that implementation, teams like the Jazz , the Bulls, and, funnily enough, the Sonics themselves used a variation of this type of setup. While they still had to follow certain rules to prevent clogging the paint, defensive players were allowed to stay there as long as they were actively guarding an opponent.
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Sloan fired back
According to Karl, the Utah team significantly exploited this loophole. Knowing Sloan , his response wasn't long in coming.
"I'm not trying to circumvent the rules to play the game. Never have. Never will. I'm not trying to beat the system. I've never told our players to cheat. If that word was used, I'm a little offended by it," responded the Hall of Famer.
Jerry added that throughout his career, he had never been one to cheat. What he had also learned during this period was that some opposing coaches used criticisms like Karl's to somehow gain the upper hand in the contest. This was precisely what Sloan pointed out next.
"That'd be the best thing to say if you're in his ( Karl's) situation. It's a way to get the officials' attention on it, just like trying to get the officials' attention on the number of fouls on Karl Malone," said the then-54-year-old.
Ultimately, tensions continued to rise as the series went to Game 7, which the Sonics won, allowing them to advance to the 1996 NBA Finals . There, their defensive system would be put to the ultimate test against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
In the six games that followed, Karl's team managed to hold the legendary MJ to his lowest scoring averages of any Finals he ever played. Their strategy was clever: quick double teams, crowding the strong side, maintaining a strong presence in the painted area, and playing aggressive on-ball defense. Despite these efforts, the Bulls came out on top, winning the series 4-2 and securing the championship title.
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