Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, and John Salley’s true thoughts on the level of brutality of the Jordan Rules.
Credit: Fadeaway World
Michael Jordan played against many amazing players during his time in the NBA. But even among those, the Detroit Pistons were MJ’s true archenemies.
So much so that the Detroit Pistons used the ‘Jordan Rules’ in order to stop Jordan in his tracks. Now, what were the Jordan Rules? Well, it meant to stop Michael Jordan using any means possible, including physically hurting him in the process. Isiah Thomas, John Salley, and Dennis Rodman once talked about what the Jordan Rules meant to them.
“We had to do everything from a physicality standpoint to stop him,” Isiah said. “When he was in the air, we had no shot.”
Dennis Rodman, who later became Jordan’s teammate, revealed the Pistons wanted to physically hurt Jordan on the court.
“This is the Jordan Rules,” Rodman said. “Every time he goes to the f*****g basket, put him on the ground. When he comes to the basket, he ain’t gonna dunk. We’re gonna hit you, and you’ll be on the ground. We tried to physically hurt him. I can’t compare Michael Jordan to nobody because for him to survive that and still maintain that greatness, it’s very unparalleled.”
Finally, Thomas’ teammate John Salley further explained the meaning of the Jordan Rules.
“Detroit had the Jordan Rules, just for Michael,” he added. “I don’t know how he came out of it alive. You have to stop him before he takes flight ’cause you know he’s not human. As soon as he steps in the paint – get him.”
Thomas, Salley, and Rodman didn’t shy away from admitting that they wanted to hurt Michael Jordan in order to stop him from scoring buckets. Their words aren’t empty as there are plenty of examples where the trio did everything in its power to destroy Jordan.
Despite taking so many hits from the ‘Bad Boys’ Pistons, Michael Jordan never backed off from the challenge. If anything, he became an even better player after overcoming the Jordan Rules.
Michael Jordan vs. The Bad Boys Pistons
Considering the level of brutality of the Jordan Rules, one would assume that Michael Jordan succumbed to it and failed to get over the hump. It’s partly true, as Jordan failed three times before finally getting the better of the Pistons.
Michael Jordan first met with the Detroit Pistons in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals when the Chicago Bulls lost 1-4. In that series, Michael Jordan averaged 27.4 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 0.6 BPG while shooting 49.1% from the field.
A year later, in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls once again locked horns with the Detroit Pistons but lost the series 2-4. Jordan averaged 29.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 6.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, and 0.5 BPG with a 46.0 FG%.
It was obvious that head coach Doug Collins could not lead the Bulls past the Pistons. As a result, the Bulls promoted Phil Jackson as the head coach of the team. In his first season as head coach, Phil and MJ’s duo lost against the Pistons in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals 3-4. This time around, Jordan averaged 32.1 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 6.3 APG, 2.1 SPG, and 0.6 BPG while shooting 46.7% from the field for the series.
The 1991 Eastern Conference Finals was when Michael Jordan and the Bulls finally got the better of the Bad Boys Pistons. The series finished 4-0 in favor of the Bulls. Mike averaged 29.8 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 7.0 APG, 2.3 SPG, and 1.8 BPG. He shot an insane 53.5% from the field.
Michael Jordan finally defeated the Detroit Pistons, thanks to his insane workout routine to overcome the Jordan Rules.
It was the start of MJ’s legendary career in the playoffs as he went on to win six NBA Championships in the 1990s.
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