?I Was Beat Down?I Didn?t Have It to Compete with Them?: Michael Jordan Made a Humble Admission on His Rivals Who Resorted to ?Jordan Rules? in 1989

NBA legend Michael Jordan dominated his opponents ever since he stepped foot into the league. Jordan is arguably the best player ever. However, if there is one team he struggled against, it was the Detroit Pistons. When MJ joined the Chicago Bulls, they had never won an NBA title.

After his inclusion, Jordan talked about turning the Bulls into a dynasty like the Boston Celtics. He always knew he had to win championships to be put on the same level as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

Despite dominating the league with his individual abilities, His Airness was not able to convert it into team success. Also, they did not have a great team when he joined them. He started averaging mind-boggling numbers but still had no collective success. In the playoffs, the Pistons were a huge roadblock.

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The Pistons were a great team led by the legendary Isiah Thomas and had some great players like Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman. Their starting five averaged more than 15 points during their title-winning 1988-89 season. More importantly, they were a strong defensive team.

Michael Jordan admits he could not compete with the Pistons

For three straight seasons, Michael Jordan and the Bulls lost to the Pistons in the playoffs. The Pistons knew it is not easy to stop a prime Jordan. So they resorted to the infamous Jordan Rules where they play the superstar very physically. There were no easy baskets for MJ. He had to earn every point whenever he faced them and it took a toll on him. The Pistons enjoyed huge success and won two straight titles in 1989 and 1990.

Jordan once admitted he was not able to handle the Bad Boys. “I was beat down because of the physicality of what was happening within the game, you know. And I didn’t have it to compete with them,”?he said.

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So he decided to become stronger and worked hard. After struggling against the Pistons for years, the Bulls finally overcame them in 1991. Chicago didn’t just beat them, but they swept them comfortably. After the sweep, players from the Pistons famously went to the locker room immediately and did not shake hands with their opponents.

There was no stopping MJ and the Bulls after that. They went on to win the 1991 NBA finals against Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. But they were not finished yet, as they won three straight titles from 1991 to 93. Then another three straight titles from 1996 to 98 after Jordan came back from his retirement.