There are a few NBA rivalries more intense than the one involving the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. During the late 80s and early 90s, these two teams engaged in big battles to become the rulers of the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA. The Pistons dominated the matchups for the most part, but once the Bulls figured out the way to beat them, there was no stop for them.
Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas led the Bulls and Pistons, respectively, going at it each year and becoming the faces of this huge rivalry. It’s not a secret that they had no love for each other, as Jordan constantly made it known he didn’t like the way the ‘Bad Boys’ played the game.
It was the same for Thomas, who simply didn’t like Jordan or his Bulls. The hate was so intense that Zeke couldn’t even hear the Bulls’ introduction song without getting mad at it. Working as a commentator during a Chicago Bulls-Houston Rockets game, Thomas admitted that he ‘hated’ the music the team played before games.
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“They’ve been in the Sirius thing since the day I met them,” said Zeke. “I hate that music, I got back to the days when I was a Detroit Piston, and whenever they turned out the lights here and started playing that music, my blood would just boil, and every time we’ve been here and they turn out the lights, my blood starts boiling.”
This is how you know that these two teams and especially their superstars, didn’t like each other. Thomas has taken shots at MJ years after they both retired from the game. Jordan admitted during The Last Dance that he hated Thomas, and even though the point guard said he was surprised to hear that, his actions haven’t shown that he feels any different about His Airness.
After all those battles, these two sides have plenty of reasons to dislike one another and that won’t change anytime soon.
