The rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons during the late 1980s and the early 1990s is regarded as one of the best in the history of the NBA. The two teams faced off against one another several times in the regular season and the postseason.
Although the Pistons got the upper hand in the initial years by using brute force against Michael Jordan and co., the Bulls clapped back at them in the 1991 NBA playoffs.
To counter the rough tactics of the “Bad Boys” Pistons, Jordan put on a lot of muscle and withstood the rough play. As a result, MJ and the Bulls were able to win the series with ease in just four games.
MJ talked about that series in an interview. The interview was published in the May 1992 edition of Playboy Magazine.
Via Ballislife:
Playboy: Have Pistons players tried to hurt you?
Jordan: Laimbeer has. The first time it happened, I thought it was just an initiation into the league. And then the crap started happening every time on the break, he and I angling off at the break. He doesn’t even try to block the shot. His whole body is coming at me. And I’m going up in the air, I can lose control, anything can happen. I’m irritated by it but I handle it. I’m waiting for my last year.
Playboy: Is Laimbeer worse than the rest of them, even Rodman?
Jordan: No, I think Rodman and Laimbeer are just alike. They try to live up to their image of being a*****s.
Playboy: The Detroit series was a remarkably thorough beating.
Jordan: That’s why they walked off the court. We embarrassed them. To sweep them four zip, it was embarrassing. Defending champions, embarrassing. It was like good overriding evil.
Mike spoke honestly about how Bill Laimbeer tried to hurt him during the series. Moreover, he drew comparisons between Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman’s approach to the game.
Despite the Pistons doing their best to stop Michael Jordan, it didn’t work well. Following the 1991 playoff series, the NBA saw the dominance of Jordan and co. in the league.
He then went on to win six NBA Championships and a spotless record of 6-0 in the NBA Finals. Maybe if the Pistons never pushed Jordan to his extreme limits, fans would have never witnessed the true dominance of Jordan and the Bulls. At the end of the day, it was enjoyable to see that rivalry throughout the years.
