Former NBA champion John Salley said players who were prime shooters were not even allowed to drive toward the basket to make shots.
Speaking to VLAD TV, the former Detroit Pistons star referenced Ja Morant as an example. In the interview, he recollected his chat with Shaquille O’Neal recently.
“You can’t hit anybody,” Sally said. “As a matter of fact, they don’t even try to hit anybody. You try not to hit anybody. It was almost like what college used to be. So, when I see Ja Morant going to the basket, yeah, he’s dynamic, but I realized in my time, he wouldn’t have been free to do that. It would have been one real foul that made him think about going to the lane, and it’s not flagrant. It was a big man foul.”
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Salley wasn’t mincing his words. The four-time NBA champion played basketball in an era where physicality was a major distinct factor that determined a team’s chances of winning.
He was part of the “bad boys” Pistons batch that would constantly pummel Michael Jordan and the other Chicago Bulls players to the hard floor when they were ready to take the shot. Technically, it was hard fouls that were committed.
Surely, in the modern-day era, fouls of that magnitude would result in some serious action against the players, but Salley was one of those who took it and dished it out in equal measure.
John Salley Said The “Jordan Rules” Were Just For Michael Jordan
In an interview earlier, Salley explained that the Jordan Rules were designed for the sole purpose of knocking MJ down to the hardwood.
https://twitter.com/Rules23Jordan/status/1632727611653918720
“Detroit had the Jordan Rules, just for Michael,” he added. “I don’t know how he came out of it alive. You have to stop him before he takes flight ’cause you know he’s not human. As soon as he steps in the paint – get him.”
And they did until Jordan decided to give them a dose of their own medicine. The 1991 Eastern Conference Finals was when Jordan and the Bulls finally got the better of the Pistons. They won 4-0 and MJ averaged 29.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 7.0 APG to finally trounce Detroit.
But there’s no doubt that the present-day NBA is a far cry from the brutal sport it was back in the 80s.
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