Today, Michael Jordan is regarded as the greatest basketball player to ever play in the NBA. But prior to the 1991 playoffs, the narrative around MJ was much different.
Yes, he was still considered one of the best players in the NBA, but come playoff time, Jordan faced the ‘Bad Boys’ Detroit Pistons for three consecutive years and was eliminated by them. Heading into the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, Michael Jordan talked about finally fighting back against the Pistons’ brutal hits in an interview with Pat Riley.
“You try to play the good sportsmanship basketball that you always thought it was, and then now Detroit comes and wins with all out, a little bit dirty, a little bit of physical play,” Jordan said. “You get to a point where you just, ‘Hey, I’m not going to take any more of this. You know, I took it for three years. Now, let’s start fighting back.'”
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Overcoming the ‘Jordan Rules’ was undoubtedly the toughest thing that Michael Jordan had to do during his NBA career. After bulking up in the offseason, MJ could finally withstand the Pistons’ rough style of basketball.
Jordan’s training paid off as the Chicago Bulls swept the Detroit Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. In the 4-0 sweep, MJ averaged 29.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, and 1.8 BPG while shooting 53.5% from the field.
Michael Jordan Won The First Ring Of His Career In 1991
After eliminating the Detroit Pistons from the playoffs, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls had to face the Western Conference juggernauts in the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers won five NBA Championships during the 1980s (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988) and were touted as the best team of the decade. However, they were no match for Jordan and the Bulls.
The series was wrapped up in five games as the Bulls won it 4-1. During the series, Jordan averaged 31.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 11.4 APG while shooting 55.8% from the field. MJ loved making a statement against the Lakers.
It was a statement win and the start to Jordan’s true dominance over the NBA. MJ led the Bulls to their first three-peat by winning the 1992 and 1993 NBA Championships.
After retiring from the NBA for one and a half seasons (Oct. 1993-Mar. 1995, Jordan returned to win three more rings in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Thus, taking his total championship tally to six before retiring for a second time in 1998.
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