Basketball in the late '90s and early 2000s was a different battlefield. It was physical and gritty. Defenders had an extra weapon — the ability to guide offensive players with their hands.

There was a time when the NBA's hardwood was a warzone of elbows, sweat and pride. Defense ruled and guards learned to survive under the pressure of a palm pressed into their ribs every trip down the ...

For anyone who has followed the NBA for a long time, the most contentious, famous and widely discussed rule change is hand checking. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why it has become the barometer by ...

In the early 2000s, the NBA underwent a shift that permanently changed how perimeter defense was played. The league began phasing out the art of hand checking, a once-prized tool of defenders that had ...

The New York Knicks were renowned for their tough, physical basketball style in the 1990s. Charles Oakley, one of their leaders, showed bravery, strength, and a strong defense. He never backed down ...