The 1980s was an incredible time for the NBA. The Showtime Lakers, led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were asserting their dominance, winning five rings between 1980 to 1988. At the same time, Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics had a pretty decent run as well, winning three titles between 1981 to 1986. However, towards the latter half of the decade, Isiah Thomas and the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons were coming to the limelight.
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With the 6ft 1″ guard leading the way, the Pistons back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990. En route to their championships, they trampled Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. This led to a lot of bad blood between the two teams.
Finally, in 1991, the Bulls managed to beat the Pistons and went on to win their first out of six championships. Looking back at that time, Zeke had something to say about the Bulls and MJ.
Also Read: “I Should Make You Take My Shoes Off”: When Michael Jordan Terrified a Rookie Chauncey Billups
Isiah Thomas pointed out how only MJ and the Bulls complained about ‘physicality.’
Basketball in the 1980s was far different from what we’re used to seeing now. It was a lot more physical, and the players used to live and die in the paint. The ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons, as the name suggests it, made their name by being the biggest bullies in town.
Teams were used to it being a rough game, and Isiah Thomas and the Pistons used this to their full advantage. This is however, till the Bulls started complaining to the league. Talking to Peter Vecsey from NBA Alumni, Thomas said,
“That is how we played. You come down the lane, and everybody gets hit. The only people who cried about it were the Bulls. I saw Michael Cooper leveling Bird in the Finals. I saw Bird tried getting away, and Cooper grabbed his jersey. When he broke away, Coopers’ fingernails were all up on his skin. There was nobody crying, saying he held me or he hit me. The only team that really cried a lot about getting hit, in my opinion, were the champions, Chicago Bulls.”
The Pistons did enforce ‘The Jordan Rules’ meant to stop Michael Jordan from making his way to the bucket by any means necessary.
How did the Bulls overcome the Pistons?
In the 1991 ECF, the Chicago Bulls were again against the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons had taken down the Bulls in the previous two playoffs and looked to do the same a third time. However, this time, Michael Jordan and the Bulls were ready. Their personnel had gotten used to the beatdown and figured out a way to take down the aging Pistons.
Michael Jordan averaged 29.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 5.3 rebounds as the Bulls swept the Pistons.
After beating the Pistons, the Bulls went on the face the Lakers in the Finals. Beating the Lakers 4-1, the Bulls registered their first NBA Championship.
