Jordan Rules: A Detroit Pistons Secret to Stopping MJ

The Detroit Pistons were arguably the only team to shut down Michael Jordan and the Bulls on their run to the 1989 and 1990 NBA Championship. The secret to their success was the Jordan Rules. Now 25 years later Bad Boys' Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, James Edwards, and additional members of the Pistons press core during that era sit down to talk about it.

[KDSRirelandboy]

Jordan Rules in short: If Mike has the ball, anything that doesn’t kill him, is totally fine.

[rlg]

The fact that an entire team had to devise such a plan, a set of rules for one man Wow!!

[spitnificent]

Jordan was always tough. The Pistons forced him to be even tougher. They slowed him down but never stopped him. Once he trusted his teammates it was over for Detroit.

[aircrew]

“If Michael goes to the bathroom, we’re all going with him.”

Brilliant!

[multiplepassions]

The difference between Jordan and almost every other super star is that when shit got tough, he didn’t make excuses, he didn’t switch teams, he actually got better. He had heart and he had balls lol

[archyfrank]

"He wouldn't give up, that's what I would say about Michael Jordan, he would not give up".-James Edwards.

[frederik]

Imagine being guarded by Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman in the same game!😁

NBA was a real man's game back in that day

[radioactivehands]

0:04 testament to how amazing MJ was. "He was sensational going right. Only GREAT going to his left" which was where the Pistons were trying to force him to.

[netomilt]

Let's all take a moment of silent and thank the Pistons for making MJ the monster he became. Beating this man for 3 years took him from superstar to the GOAT.

[tke]

Jordan should praise the Pistons for playing him so hard. It caused him to become stronger and get his teammates more involved. I honestly think that his teammates were caught off-guard when he passed the ball while driving to the basket.

[joshmedici]

They tried to stop him, there were Jordan stoppers coming every year, and yet, it doesn't matter who they played against him, Jordan would always go and get his 30 points. That's greatness.

[heic]

These "Lebron is better than Jordan fans" had no idea what the league was like.

[ILoveOldTWC]

The GOAT was resilient, didn't give up, and Phil Jackson implemented a new offensive philosophy, the triangle offense, which was getting other team members involved in the offense, so he was no longer the only "player on the ball club that can beat you". It paid off with a 4-game sweep in 1991. The statement him and his team made in 1991: "We're sick and tired of losing to this ball club, so if we're going to get to the finals and win the title, we're going to have to beat the Detroit Pistons." They were the standard. And they did, plus 5 more titles in the 1990s. 2 threepeats, and some of the teams the Bulls beat in the 1990s probably would've won a title (Blazers, Suns, Sonics, Jazz) had it not been for MJ and the Chicago Bulls.

[wisekingsetnam]

THE FACT IS THEY SPECIFICALLY DEVISED A STRATEGY TO STOP... 1 MAN..
(A PLAN TO STOP MJ)
WHY?? HE WAS GREAT & UNSTOPPABLE!!!

[kingdavid]

I loves Rodmans style of play! Mind games!!! 😂 A cerebral assassin

[tennaj]

The Bad Boy Pistons are probably the greatest team unit in sports history ! They were truly a family.

[badplush]

Pistons were the team that made Jordan great. Here is why: Towards the end you hear Laimbeer say that Jordan won by passing the ball more. Hence, Jordan was a ballhog and tried to do it all. Ofc Phil Jackson helped him but ultimately it was Jordan himself who changed his game and was able to dominate the 1990's. If MJ didnt change his style he wouldve been less great.

[LordDisneyland]

It was a real pleasure to watch Pistons in that era, a well-oiled defensive machine...

[darkphantom]

"If Jordan got loose, you have to hit him---- go Physical to destroy his Rules".
Imagine Player these
Jordan Survived and Conquered HandChecking BattleFields....