As highlighted in the ESPN docu-series “The Last Dance,” Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were brick-walled by the Detroit Pistons for three consecutive years before they won their first championship. The “Bad Boys” employed the so-called “Jordan Rules,” where they would use any means necessary to contain Jordan.
Obviously, such strategy took a toll on Jordan and his teammates, so much so that Jordan still hates the “Bad Boys” even up to this day — some 30 years later.
“Oh, I hated them,” Jordan said in “The Last Dance,” as transcribed by Bill DiFilippo of UPROXX. “That hate carries even to this day. They made it personal, they physically beat the sh*t out of us.”
From 1987 to 1990, the Bulls met the Pistons in the playoffs where Detroit essentially pummeled them. Jordan was already a bona fide star then, having won his first Most Valuable Player award as well as being crowned Defensive Player of the Year in the 1987-88 regular season.
Knowing this, the Bad Boys of Detroit utilized a type of defense that wouldn't be allowed today. They got extra physical with Jordan. In “The Last Dance,” former Pistons assistant Brendan Malone shared what exactly the Jordan Rules were.
“This is what the Jordan Rules were0. On the wings, we’re going to push him to the elbow and we’re not gonna let him drive to the baseline. Number two, when he’s on top, we’re gonna influence him to his left. When he got the ball in the low post, we’re gonna trap him from the top. That’s the Jordan Rules, and it was that simple,” Malone shared
Michael Jordan's abhorrence towards the Bad Boys Pistons is understandable. But at the same time, it should be noted that because of the immense desire to beat them, Jordan worked his tail off — which is why there is “The Last Dance” detailing their journey to a second three-peat.
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