The bad blood between Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls and Isiah Thomas' Detroit Pistons is highlighted in Episodes 3 and 4 of “The Last Dance.” One of the key storylines is the Pistons' infamous walk-off after getting swept by the Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Jordan and other Bulls players are still upset to this day about key members of the Pistons, including Thomas and Bill Laimbeer, not shaking their hands after the series. Laimbeer went on ESPN's “The Jump” on Monday to deliver some body blows of his own, calling out Jordan's Bulls as “whiners” because of their complaints about the Pistons' physical style of play:
“They whined and cried for a year and a half about how bad we were for the game. But more importantly, they [said] we were bad people. We weren't bad people. We were just basketball players, winning. That really stuck with me because they didn't know who we were or what we were about as individuals and our family life. All that whining they did, why shake their hands? They were just whiners. They won the series, give them credit. We got old, they got past us. Okay, move on.”
Bill Laimbeer with some *strong* words on Michael Jordan's Bulls – "they were just whiners." Plus some great conversation on the Bad Boys, his own throwback unicorn status, the WNBA, and of course…Sleestaks!! pic.twitter.com/4sG0jn09qu
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) April 27, 2020
Laimbeer acknowledges he was the ringleader who led the movement to walk off the court, and he has no regrets about doing so and never will.
This isn't a surprise given the nature of this rivalry. The Pistons frustrated the Bulls by eliminating them from the playoffs three years in a row before the Bulls finally beat them in 1991. Laimbeer played a key role in implementing The Jordan Rules with his physical and sometimes dirty presence in the paint.
The Pistons' style played a role in Jordan ripping them as “undeserving champions” prior to Game 4 in 1991, which in turn led to Laimbeer, Thomas and others walking off the court without shaking hands after the sweep.
Given the nature of the comments in “The Last Dance” and the ensuing reaction, it appears this beef is going to live on forever.
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