It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Michael Jordan’s rivalry against the Detroit Pistons the stepping stone for his superstardom. During the late 1980s, the Pistons dominated the NBA with their aggressive play and won back-to-back championships until MJ’s Bulls stepped in. Jordan proved to be an unstoppable force in the league with his consistent high-scoring performances and other-worldly skills. However, the Pistons laid out a special plan to restrict the young Michael Jordan. Moreover, a Pistons legend recently revealed the ugly side of the plan. 

The Bad Boys Pistons invented the ‘Jordan Rules’ in order to restrict the scoring spree of His Airness. When the Detroit team was on the run to clinch their consecutive championships in 1990, the Bulls came in as a hurdle in the Eastern Conference Finals. The intense Conference Finals went down the wire for a decider in game 7. Notably, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Bulls by applying this infamous strategy. 

An ugly strategy to restrict Michael Jordan

In the recent podcast episode of All The Smoke, the Pistons legend Isiah Thomas discussed an array of topics, including the Jordan Rules. Notably, Thomas and Jordan’s relationship took a turn for the worse after the release of The Last Dance. The portrayal of the Pistons and Thomas in the docu-series didn’t seem to impress the two-time NBA champion. In the podcast, Thomas explained the detailed specifics of the strategy. The plan was to reduce the ball possession in the hands of MJ and get into the heads of the Bulls. He said, “We take your little brain and just twist it until you fu**ing fall off.” 

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He termed Air Jordan as a “Reluctant passer,” and the plan involved pushing MJ to the left side of the court and blocking his right hand. This left Jordan with no option other than taking the shot on his own and reducing his field goal percentage. Moreover, it reduced the ball possession of Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant. Eventually, the field goal percentage of the mighty Chicago Bulls fell, and they succumbed to a loss in game 7. This strategy even decimated the number of shots taken by the Bulls players.

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However, the Bulls bounced back the next season and went on to create history with a three-peat. So, it is safe to say that Jordan Rules paved the way for the superstar Michael Jordan that we all adore today.

Isiah Thomas and MJ’s relationship

The relationship between both legends has always been bitter. It reflected when Thomas refused to shake hands with MJ and the team after losing the Eastern Conference Finals in 1991. Moreover, the distance grew further after the release of the docu-series in 2020. Notably, he still seeks an apology from Jordan for the portrayal.

Watch This Story – “I Never Heard It From Michael Jordan”: Hurt By ‘The Last Dance’ Betrayal, Isiah Thomas Still Seeks An Apology

While the Bulls and the Pistons established one of the greatest rivalries of all time, there was a lot of bad blood. In fact, most of the players from those teams don’t get along to this day. However, there was one star who crossed the divide and joined the Bulls after his stint in Detroit. Dennis Rodman, who epitomizes the words Bad Boy, went on to win three straight championships with the Bulls in the late 90s.

Somehow, he still maintains good relationships with his ex-teammates from both iconic teams. It’s probably best for everyone involved to move on from this, but Thomas seems adamant about receiving an apology from MJ. What do you make of Isiah Thomas’s explanation of the Jordan Rules? Let us know in the comments below.