The Michael Jordan-Bad Boy Pistons rivalry has gone down in history as one of the most hostile, bitterest, and personal rivalries in sports. It began in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals, a battle between the NBA’s star player and its rising star team. In a sign of times to come, Chicago was eliminated in five games.
Detroit took out Chicago the next two seasons on their way to consecutive championships. Their physical and unsportsmanlike manner of play struck a nerve with Jordan, who entered the 1991 playoffs stronger, better, and itching for revenge after getting physically pushed around in their previous series’.
PISTONS INFAMOUSLY WALKED OFF PREMATURELY AFTER GETTING SWEPT BY MJ
The Detroit Pistons’ plan against Michael Jordan involved wearing him out with raw power and unrelenting defense, a scheme referred to as the “Jordan Rules”. In response, MJ added 15 pounds of muscle over the offseason in 1990. The Bulls only lost a single game on their way to a rematch with the Pistons. Along with first-time All-Star Scottie Pippen, MJ nullified the Bad Boys’ patented defense en route to a clean four-game sweep.
The victory should have been something to savor, but the moment was soured when in Game 4, the Pistons’ key players including Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman walked off the court before time expired. Joe Dumars remained on the bench to shake the Bulls’ hands, feeling it was the right thing to do.
Michael Jordan resented the display even three decades later as he made clear during the 2020 Last Dance documentary. Even so, the Bulls carried on to beat Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the Finals for their first championship in franchise history, as this series victory was a major event to kick off their 1990’s dynasty.
May 27, 1991: SG Michael Jordan's #Bulls swept the reigning 2x champion Pistons, who eliminated them in the ECF both previous years, reaching Chicago’s 1st ever Finals. Key DET players infamously walked off before the game ended without shaking Bulls hands pic.twitter.com/9iG4D8UjUo
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 27, 2021
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDIomQOstBY
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