• Former Piston William Bedford called out Michael Jordan for using ‘Bad Boy’ tactics to secure a three-peat
• Jordan was a public opponent of the physical style of play the Pistons used to win the 1989 and 1990 NBA Championships
• Bedford specifically named former Piston Dennis Rodman as the acquisition that swung the final few titles of Jordan’s career
Michael Jordan was the target of one of the most brutal defensive schemes in history when the ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons used the ‘Jordan Rules‘ to limit Jordan in the 1989 and 1990 Playoffs. MJ was publicly critical of the style but won three titles alongside Dennis Rodman, one of the key players on the Bad Boy Pistons.
Rodman’s former teammate William Bedford called out Jordan for his criticism of the Pistons and then accepted Rodman as a teammate to win his sixth title.
“It didn’t clean up and didn’t stop. Other teams picked it up. The New York Knicks picked it up right after us. So, no, the Bad Boy image didn’t stop. It didn’t go anywhere… And he beefed up to get those next championships, too. They started playing the same way. Why? Because you got our players. If it wasn’t for Dennis Rodman coming from the Pistons [Jordan] wouldn’t have got that sixth (ring).”
Rodman wasn’t the same player he was in Detroit during his time with the Bulls, but formed a feared defensive pairing alongside Scottie Pippen, someone Dennis had to apologize to before Phil Jackson let him join the roster.
Rodman averaged 5.2 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in three seasons with the Bulls, claiming a title for every single year he played with them.
Michael Jordan Did Everything To Get Past The Pistons
For four consecutive seasons, the Bulls and Pistons met in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pistons were victorious in the first three meetings before the Bulls finally completed their revenge in 1991, en route to their franchise’s first NBA Championship.
MJ averaged 27.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in the Bulls’ 4-1 series loss. Jordan averaged 29.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in the 1989 loss to the Pistons, being unable to overcome the physical Pistons defense over the course of a series.
His average improved in 1990 to 32.1 points, 7.1 rebounds. and 6.3 assists, but it still wasn’t enough, as the depth that the Pistons enjoyed with Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Mark Aguire, John Salley, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman.
In 1991, Jordan finally overcame Detroit and averaged 29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists for that series. They would never meet again, as the Pistons receded into the background of the newly minted Jordan era that saw him win six titles in eight seasons.
Michael Jordan Needed The Pistons Mentality On His Roster
Basketball games aren’t won alone. There’s a reason MJ fell to the Celtics and Pistons multiple times before 1991, and that was because of the cast of characters around him. As Scottie Pippen developed into a certified co-star, the Bulls became unstoppable.
The Pistons’ mentality ultimately became something Jordan sought out. His second three-peat has various players who also played in Detroit, primarily Rodman, John Salley, and James Edwards. Isiah Thomas criticized Michael Jordan for teaming up with these players as well.
Fans can debate this till the cows come home, but there’s no doubting that Jordan led those teams to titles. None of the Pistons that joined his roster were winning titles without him, so Jordan took them back to the promised land that they had been to with the Pistons.
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