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DEFENSE
Again, Jordan is in a class by himself, having made the NBA’s all-defensive team nine times. His teammate, Scottie Pippen, was another tremendous defender, often taking the toughest assignment to free up Jordan to concentrate on offense.
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It’s often forgotten that a major ingredient to the Bulls’ six championships was their incredible 1-2 defensive punch. James isn’t afraid to stick his nose in on defense — why not, he’s so quick and strong?
He doesn’t block shots the way Julius Erving, but James is the equal of the good doctor when it comes to stalking the ball. James averaged 2.2 steals per game in 2005, much improved from his rookie campaign. But at present, James is not the lock-down one-on-one defender that Pippen was.
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