Michael Jordan full court speed

[KobesScarf]

Westbrook, Rose, Wall and Iverson are faster IMO. Among 2 guards David Thompson and MJ are even as the top 2

[LakerLegend]

Aint no catching MJ on the break. MJ had the speed of a point guard, the top speed unmatched.

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I hope you realize that video is sped up or the framerate has been messed with.

That is NOT what it looked like watching in real life.

[NO-KG-AI]

I think it is nit picky to try and argue with 100% certainty that one particular guy is so much faster that it's noticeable.

That said, I don't think anyone of that height/length is that comparable in terms of first step explosion and full court top end speed.

[KobesScarf]

That said, I don't think anyone of that height/length is that comparable in terms of first step explosion and full court top end speed.

David Thompson

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

There is quickness. (First step forward, first step any other direction and reaction time) Iverson was great.
Their is 3rd step and 5th step speed. By the 5th step in a straight line with an exposed pushed forward dribble LeBron is super fast.
Their is speed with the ball.
Their is speed without the ball.
Their is change of directions with the ball.
Their is change of direction without the ball like cutting arround screens to get open.
Then their is baseline to baseline speed.

Then their is ball and body fakes which can slow down the player making the fake but that's all good as long as the fakes slow down the defender more than they slow down the player making the fake.

Basketball IQ, court vision and basketball creativity are not speed but stupid speed is useless speed. Running to the correct place is as important as running fast.

In an open court by the 5th step in a straightest line with an exposed forward pushed dribble so that there is more running and less dribbling then under those conditions I think peak LeBron might be faster than peak Jordan. On 2nd step speed or if a change of direction is needed then Jordan is faster then LeBron. On first step Iverson is faster then Jordan.

The longer legs of LeBron or James Worthy can cover a lot of ground per step so once those longer legs get moving at top speed they are covering more ground per second then the shorter legged quicker guys.

Apparently AC Green was faster then Worthy and Probably faster then LeBron baseline to Baseline without the ball. But having the ball can really slow a guy like AC Green down where as having the ball only slows LeBron down if he has to change directions. Changing directions doesn't slow down Jordan.

Jordan might not have been the best at anything but he was so good at every type of speed and athleticism and dribbling so that for overall effective speed Jordan might be the best.

[jojo4341]

Here is an example of higher top speed with longer strides:

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Aside from grainy vids of Wilt, I've yet to see another big guy run the floor like DRob in his prime.

[magicmerl]

I think all his gambling on steals is a bit disingenuous, since he already has a full head of steam going in the opposite direction from the defense. Most NBA guards would look amazing in that sort of situation.

The ones that come off a missed shot by the offense are the most interesting to me (since the defense should be expected to play transition D).

[dhsilv2]

Aint no catching MJ on the break. MJ had the speed of a point guard, the top speed unmatched.

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Worthless video, it's shot in an old aspect ratio and the stretched to modern aspects. It exaggerates his speed. You can't judge **** from this.

[bledredwine]

Westbrook, Rose, Wall and Iverson are faster IMO. Among 2 guards David Thompson and MJ are even as the top 2

What? In the open court? I watched all of Rose's prime. To me, no way. Show video if you can of any of the above mentioned? I'd (sincerely) like to see it. When it comes to mph speed, jordan takes the cake, even on drives. He was as "quick" as Rose too, just longer. I also admit I don't know enough about Thompson, but from what I've seen I didn't consider him as fast (though definitely athletic). Jordan's still the only player I've seen that was able to actually "blow by" everyone in the open court.

[Goudelock]

Westbrook, Rose, Wall and Iverson are faster IMO. Among 2 guards David Thompson and MJ are even as the top 2

What? In the open court? I watched all of Rose's prime. To me, no way. Show video if you can of any of the above mentioned? I'd (sincerely) like to see it. When it comes to mph speed, jordan takes the cake, even on drives. He was as "quick" as Rose too, just longer. I also admit I don't know enough about Thompson, but from what I've seen I didn't consider him as fast (though definitely athletic). Jordan's still the only player I've seen that was able to actually "blow by" everyone in the open court.

I've watched every Thompson game on the internet, so I'll give my two cents. Thompson was only about 6'3, so he wasn't nearly as tall as Jordan and we should keep this in mind when discussing speed and quickness. Thompson's first step was as good as Jordan's or Rose's or Westbrook's or Norm Nixon's or Worthy's or Wade's or whoever else you want to add. His top speed in the open court was breathtaking as well and I'd probably say that he was faster than Jordan in there too.

But MJ is in another tier in terms of quickness and was way better at beating his man in halfcourt situations, and the reason for this is that David Thompson's handle sorta sucked. Sure, without the ball, David Thompson was probably as quick as MJ. But with the ball it was another story. He got stuck taking a lot of contested jumpers because he couldn't dribble around guys like MJ.

[PharmD]

Zach Lavine is really fast.

[qm22]

He really controls his speed well--I guess graceful would be the succinct description. I don't think he's going his top speed in most cases. He reaches a high speed fast but looks like he could handle going faster and handle any needed changes.

I'm not sure he's the fastest in a straight line, but he has instant acceleration and ability to control it. Those defenders weren't going full speed because they'd probably be out of control and MJ would just go around an area they cut off.

It would be cool if there were highlights of MJ on transition D to judge speed as that is much harder. A lot of guys look unstoppable on the break, though MJ clearly stands out.

[qm22]

Yeah Jordan's still the fastest I've seen. Wade has had some comparable plays. Lebron of course is a blur full court. But good gracious, seeing Jordan just out sprint multiple defenders when he's dribbling and starting behind them is mind boggling.

Different rules for carry too, these are all basic top down dribbles. MJ also the only guy still to dunk from the ft line with a live dribble.

You mean in the dunk contest? LBJ did it a foot inside in the game around defenders. I think James White did it on video too.

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[Golden Knight]

MJ also the only guy still to dunk from the ft line with a live dribble.

Scottie Pippen.

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[mysticOscar]

He really controls his speed well--I guess graceful would be the succinct description. I don't think he's going his top speed in most cases. He reaches a high speed fast but looks like he could handle going faster and handle any needed changes.

I'm not sure he's the fastest in a straight line, but he has instant acceleration and ability to control it. Those defenders weren't going full speed because they'd probably be out of control and MJ would just go around an area they cut off.

It would be cool if there were highlights of MJ on transition D to judge speed as that is much harder. A lot of guys look unstoppable on the break, though MJ clearly stands out.

One thing that stands out from memory bank when u mention transition D is from that famous sequence in g7 against the Knicks...losing the ball and outbalanced to quickly recover, run back and swipe the ball..

Starts 6:50

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