MJ's Bulls vs Isiah's Pistons

[Da_Realist]

I hadn't seen too many videos of the great rivalry between MJ's Bulls and Isiah's Pistons so I will try to keep a running diary of every playoff game during this 4-year war.

Hopefully you'll notice a few of the following...

1. The Pistons were a great team that deserves more credit than history gives them

2. Physicality

3. Adrian Dantley, Doug Collins, Dave Corzine, Sam Vincent, Brad Sellers, etc

4. The maturation of Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, John Paxson, Dennis Rodman and John Salley

5. The Jordan Rules

6. MJ learns to trust his teammates more

7. The Birth of the Triangle Offense

8. The "Migraine Headache"

9. The transformation of both the Pistons and Bulls to championship-level teams

10. The animosity between the two teams

11. The Takeover

[1987_Lakers]

Isiah's Pistons had a negative impact in the NBA.

[Da_Realist]

1988 NBA ECSF Bulls Pistons Game 1 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2BB605160E8D01D2)

[DeuceWallaces]

Should of had a 3-pete. Got screwed in the '88 Finals vs. the Lakers.

[crisoner]

Should of had a 3-pete. Got screwed in the '88 Finals vs. the Lakers.

Isiah got hurt that year in the Finals......

And the year after Magic and Worthy got hurt......
So really us Laker fans can say the are thing for our team.....
Magic even said it....we would of three-peated!

But us Laker fans are happy we did it in 00-02. :)

[DeuceWallaces]

Isiah got hurt that year in the Finals......

And the year after Magic and Worthy got hurt......
So really us Laker fans can say the are thing for our team.....
Magic even said it....we would of three-peated!

But us Laker fans are happy we did it in 00-02. :)

No, Magic and Scott were injured, and still played more than half the series but got blown out in a 4-0 sweep so it didn't even matter.

And it didn't matter Isiah was hurt because he still dominated. They got screwed on some BS Phantom call which costed them the series.

[Da_Realist]

No, Magic and Scott were injured, and still played more than half the series but got blown out in a 4-0 sweep so it didn't even matter.

And it didn't matter Isiah was hurt because he still dominated. They got screwed on some BS Phantom call which costed them the series.

Magic was injured late in the 2nd Quarter of Game 2, I think. Either that or right after halftime.

That having been said, I think Detroit has a better case of woulda-shoulda-coulda's than LA because Detroit really should have beaten LA in 88. They were up 3 with a minute to go (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nlzUtqZGU) in Game 6. That game's gotta hurt Pistons fans to this day...

[Psileas]

No, Magic and Scott were injured, and still played more than half the series but got blown out in a 4-0 sweep so it didn't even matter.

And it didn't matter Isiah was hurt because he still dominated. They got screwed on some BS Phantom call which costed them the series.

You're wrong. Magic got injured with 4 minutes to go for the 3rd quarter and wasn't able to finish the game. He also played only 5 minutes during game 3. So, he was able to finish only 1 game and, out of a total of 192 minutes, he played in only 75. You're even more incorrect about Scott, who didn't play a single second throughout the whole series. That's 2 of the 3 best players of the team.

[DeuceWallaces]

It didn't matter, because they got blasted 4-0 and my point was Worthy played. Either way, with Isiah on one leg he still beasted them in Game 6 and that series was over, until the refs called some BS on Bill to end the game, which was a total crock.

The Pistons were clearly better than that late 80's Lakers core.

[1987_Lakers]

It didn't matter, because they got blasted 4-0 and my point was Worthy played. Either way, with Isiah on one leg he still beasted them in Game 6 and that series was over, until the refs called some BS on Bill to end the game, which was a total crock.

The Pistons were clearly better than that late 80's Lakers core.

'87 Lakers > '89 Pistons

[nycelt84]

'87 Lakers > '89 Pistons

What does that have to do with the Bulls vs Pistons rivalry from the late 80's and early 90's?

[Da_Realist]

1988 NBA ECSF Bulls at Pistons Game 2 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F7E1C7FE0C853BBE)

[shaoyut]

isiah is the wrost coach in nba history but one of the best pgs

[Da_Realist]

1988 NBA ECSF Pistons at Bulls Game 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8C79BB94B3387537)

[Da_Realist]

1988 NBA ECSF Pistons at Bulls Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1ED03F170EDF983E)

[Da_Realist]

1988 NBA ECSF Bulls at Pistons Game 5 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AC0469F4B6A034A6)

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 1 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1459F833690FD108)

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 2 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=62E606D96E60B255)

[Loki]

Thanks again for getting all those games up. Gave me something to watch at work. :D

[Da_Realist]

Thanks again for getting all those games up. Gave me something to watch at work. :D

No problem. I actually had a feeling you were watching this at work. I'd wake up and check the vids in the morning and you would have already commented on some of them overnight. :cheers:

[Sonic R]

:cheers:

Thanks for the vids!

These days were the best days of the NBA

[Da_Realist]

[QUOTE=Sonic R]:cheers:

Thanks for the vids!

These days were the best days of the NBA

[Heilige]

Thanks Da_Realist! I never watched any of these before! :cheers:

[Da_Realist]

Thanks Da_Realist! I never watched any of these before! :cheers:
:cheers:

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C547D0DE2A21ECD9)

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=097BCDE55EEAA644)

[Heilige]

CBS Intro 1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HckYlkP2AQk)

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (1 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfdUv890MQw)

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (2 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opSjjf1LWmQ)

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (3 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JggtzQFqgRA)

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (4 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuzwyil-NwQ)

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (5 of 5) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6IUDzZc938)


:rockon: :cheers:

[momo]

Great post! Thanks a ton for putting them up, it is like a blast from the past... I will comment after watching some more.

[Scott Pippen]

:applause:

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 5 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E996199CF0192C40)

[ZMonkey11]

BBBBBBAAAAAADDDDDDDDDD BBBBOOOOOOOYYYYYYYSSSSS

BBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDD BBBBBOOOOYYYYYYYYSSSSSSS

:party: :party: :party:

[Da_Realist]

Interesting note:

MJ stats against Detroit in 1988

Game 1 -- 29 pts, 6 assists, 11 rebounds, 7 for 18
Game 2 -- 36 pts, 1 assist, 11 rebounds, 14 for 21
Game 3 -- 24 pts, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 8 for 20
Game 4 -- 23 pts, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 11 for 20
Game 5 -- 25 pts, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 10 for 22

Overall -- 27.4 points, 4.6 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 49.5 fg%

[momo]

It took me a while to peg what was strange watching them play. Eight or nine years of watching the triangle made everyone seem out of position.

Post defenders had a much better chance back then :D They seem like sitting ducks now by comparison.

[Da_Realist]

It took me a while to peg what was strange watching them play. Eight or nine years of watching the triangle made everyone seem out of position.

Post defenders had a much better chance back then :D They seem like sitting ducks now by comparison.

What's also interesting to note is that this is before MJ started to put an emphasis on weight training. You'll notice he's a lot stronger and more toned in 1990. And he hadn't really incorporated the post-up game into his offense just yet. He's basically just beating guys (Dumars, Rodman) off the dribble.

Also, anybody notice how quick Dennis Rodman used to be?

[Da_Realist]

1989 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 6 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8CA9AB344960758F)

[Da_Realist]

MJ stats against Detroit in 1988

Game 1 -- 29 pts, 6 assists, 11 rebounds, 7 for 18
Game 2 -- 36 pts, 1 assist, 11 rebounds, 14 for 21
Game 3 -- 24 pts, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 8 for 20
Game 4 -- 23 pts, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 11 for 20
Game 5 -- 25 pts, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 10 for 22

Overall -- 27.4 points, 4.6 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 49.5 fg%

MJ stats against Detroit in 1989

Game 1 -- 32 points, 4 assists, 11 rebounds, 10 for 29
Game 2 -- 27 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 8 for 16
Game 3 -- 46 points, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 16 for 24
Game 4 -- 23 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 5 for 15
Game 5 -- 18 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 for 8
Game 6 -- 32 points, 13 assists, 4 rebounds, 13 for 25

Overall -- 29.6 points, 6.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 47.8 fg%

[Da_Realist]

This video has probably been posted before, but this is a very good video about MJ's maturation.

Here's the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8M5p9IWj44)...

Now, here's the question. Look at the above stats that MJ put together against the Pistons in 88 and 89. How is that selfish??? Can it be stated that MJ tried to get them involved throughout, but the rest of the team just wasn't ready? Also, the Triangle wasn't the offense until 1990. Maybe it wasn't MJ that needed to mature, but his teammates.

I respect Joe Dumars opinion, but I would like for someone to explain this to me.

[Dengness9]

Da Realist, you are the man. The Bulls/Pistons rivalry was the first great rivalry in sports i was ever old enough to witness. The Pistons were older, more experienced, and just better for a while in the rivalry, a team that was truly the last mountain to climb for the Bulls to reach greatness. When the Bulls finally beat the Pistons to reach the finals, it has to rank as my favorite accomplishment for any Bulls championship team w/out a doubt. The only thing that sucks was how the Pistons walked off without a handshake or anything else when they exited the conference finals. I know the Pistons were so competitive that they couldn't bring themselves to congratulate the Bulls, but thats bull****. It took the Bulls 3 years to do it, and they couldn't even get the respect for what they did.

The Pistons Bad Boys championship teams were great, but they definitely weren't as great as the Bulls first 3 peat squads, and the Pistons themselves know that deep down.

[RoseCity07]

Da Realist, you are the man. The Bulls/Pistons rivalry was the first great rivalry in sports i was ever old enough to witness. The Pistons were older, more experienced, and just better for a while in the rivalry, a team that was truly the last mountain to climb for the Bulls to reach greatness. When the Bulls finally beat the Pistons to reach the finals, it has to rank as my favorite accomplishment for any Bulls championship team w/out a doubt. The only thing that sucks was how the Pistons walked off without a handshake or anything else when they exited the conference finals. I know the Pistons were so competitive that they couldn't bring themselves to congratulate the Bulls, but thats bull****. It took the Bulls 3 years to do it, and they couldn't even get the respect for what they did.

The Pistons Bad Boys championship teams were great, but they definitely weren't as great as the Bulls first 3 peat squads, and the Pistons themselves know that deep down.


Lol, did you ever hear of Bird vs Magic? The Lakers and Celtics were on the decline at the time, and the Piston still edged the Bulls because Pippen and Grant were rookies. When Pippen and Grant put on some muscle and got some experience they owned the Pistons. A lot of people thought had Thomas been 6-6 he would have been as good as Jordan.

[Loki]

A lot of people thought had Thomas been 6-6 he would have been as good as Jordan.

Actually only one person thought that. And that was his coach.

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 1 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=0182432954428465)

[stewen12]

Bull were better and changed the NBA in a good way unlike the Pistons

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 2 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=13C35FA686BC3FDC)

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=41427408A03C42F1)

[Da_Realist]

Just had to post this commercial. :oldlol:

Chuck Daly and Sparky Anderson TEAM UP (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tzsu6EmVQ)

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=977DDD958360C71E)

[puppychili]

1991 Bulls Pistons Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mQwubKA3lc)

Sorry I'm impatient, had to get to the good part.:D

I had some respect for the Pistons till the end of this game. How they left was just classless. Dumars was the only one who showed sportsmanship. Lambier was asked about that just recently too and he defended it!! He said that the Bulls said bad things about them in the press so thats why they walked off like that. What a lameass excuse. Whatever cheap shots the Pistons put on the Bulls or no matter heartbroken the Bulls were in 89 and 90 they still shook the Pistons hand at the end of the series.

What a sorry end to the Bad Boys legacy. Walking off like a bunch of bytches hugging some crying old dude. You think the Celtics were happy when Detroit finally got past them? But after the Pistons beat them in 6 McHale walked up to them and said "Now go win it all" Thats called passing the torch. The Pistons just chose to piss on it though.

Thats karma for you though: Dumars is the GM of the Pistons who returned them to glory while Isaiah will be regarded as the guy who crippled the Knicks and Lambier is coaching in the WNBA. Karma is a bytch.

One more observation. In todays NBA when you win a conference title you get a shiny trophy and post game celebration. In 1991 you got a hat from Ahmad Rashad.:oldlol:

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 5 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D1A8447CD1862DD8)

[KINGK]

MJ getting torched by Dumars through the first 5 games. Dude is avg around 20+ PPG on 50% shooting.:oldlol:

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 6 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=6CDF5E7CCA5136C3)

[Da_Realist]

1990 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 7 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E245CC5642690B1C)

[Da_Realist]

1991 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 1 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=959334AA21EA466F)

[HisJoeness]

No problem. :cheers:

At first, I was a little surprised there weren't already a thousand videos of it dedicated to the this rivalry. I'm happy to fill in the gap because this was such a great rivalry.

And it's the last of it's kind. The Lakers and Celtics dominated the early-to-mid 80's together with the odd hiccup (76'ers) in 83. Starting in 84, the Celtics totally dominated the East (4 straight EC Champs) During this time the Pistons slowly changed from an offensive-minded team to a defensive-minded one. Every year they modified the team by changing the roster. As the Celtics dominated, the Pistons persistently knocked on the door. In 85, the Celtics beat them. In 86, the Hawks beat them. In 87, the Celtics beat them again, this time very painfully so. By 88, you could tell the Pistons were ready. They overcame the Celtics and received another painful loss, this time to the Lakers in the Finals.

The next year, the Pistons were ready to conquer the world. And they did, but now they are hearing that persistent knock on the door. It was the Bulls. As soon as the Pistons climb the mountain, they have to deal with a challenger that would not leave them alone. Just as the Pistons had done, the Bulls changed the makeup of their team every year to become more of a threat to the Pistons. By 1991, they became the new king.

I don't think this has happened since Pistons/Bulls. No one knocked off the Bulls -- they imploded in 1998. The Sacramento Kings could have done the same to the Lakers earlier this decade, but they didn't have the fortitude to pull it off. So they lost 3 straight and disappeared.

This rivalry was the last of its kind.

And it must be posted! :)

:applause:

[HisJoeness]

I think we should keep doing these type of threads. . .if anyone has the '93 WCF, Sonics/Suns. . .pls, I beg of you bless us with that

[72-10]

Interesting note:

MJ stats against Detroit in 1988

Game 1 -- 29 pts, 6 assists, 11 rebounds, 7 for 18
Game 2 -- 36 pts, 1 assist, 11 rebounds, 14 for 21
Game 3 -- 24 pts, 3 assists, 7 rebounds, 8 for 20
Game 4 -- 23 pts, 5 assists, 7 rebounds, 11 for 20
Game 5 -- 25 pts, 8 assists, 8 rebounds, 10 for 22

Overall -- 27.4 points, 4.6 assists, 8.8 rebounds, 49.5 fg%

Actually he was 10 of 22 in Game 1 and and 11 of 22 in Game 4.

[72-10]

MJ getting torched by Dumars through the first 5 games. Dude is avg around 20+ PPG on 50% shooting.:oldlol:

And Jordan averaged 33. Apparently it matters none to you that he had to shoulder his team's scoring load and therefore could not constantly dominate on defense. By the way he was coming off a series where he averaged 43 points on 55% shooting.

[Da_Realist]

Actually he was 10 of 22 in Game 1 and and 11 of 22 in Game 4.

You're right. The announcers made a mistake near the end of the game when MJ sat for good. They said he was 7-18 so I took it at face value. :confusedshrug: I just re-watched Game 1 and marked his shots. I came up with 10-21. But I'll assume you're right and adjust it to 10-22.

Where did you get these numbers?

[ShawnieMac06]

Thats karma for you though: Dumars is the GM of the Pistons who returned them to glory while Isaiah will be regarded as the guy who crippled the Knicks and Lambier is coaching in the WNBA. Karma is a bytch.

The irony there was that Isiah was originally suppose to get the job that Dumars has now. Then again, a lot of people said that Isiah was the "defacto" GM of the Pistons anyway during his playing career.

[Da_Realist]

1991 NBA ECF Pistons Bulls Game 2 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=408EA71F6DFCADA0)

[Da_Realist]

1991 Scottie Pippen

Everyone remembers his migraine headache and his poor performance in Game 7 of 1990 ECF, but we don't give Pippen enough credit for how he played against Detroit in 1991. He was AWESOME. He played through the physical play and the cheap shots and became the main reason the Bulls finally beat the Pistons. Aguirre, Laimbeer and especially Rodman tried to punk him but it just didn't work.

Pippen finally became a big-time performer this series. :applause:

Now MJ had what Larry and Magic had before him -- help. There was no stopping Chicago after this.

[Da_Realist]

1991 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 3 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=5AC1E0EBB5E668E0)

[72-10]

You're right. The announcers made a mistake near the end of the game when MJ sat for good. They said he was 7-18 so I took it at face value. :confusedshrug: I just re-watched Game 1 and marked his shots. I came up with 10-21. But I'll assume you're right and adjust it to 10-22.

Where did you get these numbers?

I got those numbers through some research that I did in my free time, old newspapers for the most part, so they are pretty much the official stats. That is actually part of the reason why I am curious what Western Conference footage you have, because both the footage and stats for those are much harder to find, and it would be helpful to be able check against.:hammertime:

[Da_Realist]

...

Thanks for the correction. :cheers:

[Da_Realist]

1991 NBA ECF Bulls Pistons Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=1032219CE09FBE0B)

[Da_Realist]

Michael Jordan's Playoff stats against the Detroit Pistons

note: Some of these shooting percentages are not official. In those games, I calculated his fg% myself so they may be off a little. If anyone has the official stats and see a mistake let me know. Most of these games are in the 1990 series

1988
Game 1 -- 29 pts, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 10 for 22
Game 2 -- 36 pts, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 14 for 21
Game 3 -- 24 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 for 20
Game 4 -- 23 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 11 for 22
Game 5 -- 25 pts, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 10 for 22
Series Avg -- 27.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 50 fg%

1989
Game 1 -- 32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 10 for 29
Game 2 -- 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 for 16
Game 3 -- 46 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 16 for 24
Game 4 -- 23 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 for 15
Game 5 -- 18 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 for 8
Game 6 -- 32 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 13 for 25
Series Avg -- 29.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 48 fg%

1990
Game 1 -- 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 12 for 25
Game 2 -- 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 for 16
Game 3 -- 47 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 17 for 32
Game 4 -- 42 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 13 for 25
Game 5 -- 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 for 19
Game 6 -- 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 11 for 20
Game 7 -- 31 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 13 for 27
Series Avg -- 32.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 48 fg%

1991
Game 1 -- 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 for 15
Game 2 -- 35 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 10 for 20
Game 3 -- 33 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 11 for 19
Game 4 -- 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 11 for 17
Series Avg -- 29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7 assists, 54 fg%

Overall Avg --29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 49 fg%

[Da_Realist]

Bulls Pistons 3-4-87 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=F8771EB03779C4E5)

Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan 61 pts (22-39 fgs), 7 rebs, 3 asts, 3 stls, 3 blks

Detroit Pistons
Isiah Thomas 31 pts (14-24 fgs), 5 rebs, 18 asts, 2 stls
Adrian Dantley 32 pts (13-20 fgs), 6 rebs, 4 asts, 1 stl

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198703040DET.html

[Niquesports]

isiah is the wrost coach in nba history but one of the best pgs

I guess I get your point on the word "wrost" but just to name one "wrost" Dick Vitale

[Da_Realist]

Bulls Pistons 12-15-87 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=14F0210FB368E5E6)

Chicago Bulls
Michael Jordan 38 pts (12-26 fgs), 8 rebs, 12 asts, 3 stls, 1 blk
Charles Oakley 19 pts (6-18 fgs), 17 rebs, 4 asts, 3 stls, 1 blk
John Paxson 22 pts (11-18 fgs), 5 asts, 1 stl

Detroit Pistons
Isiah Thomas 25 pts (9-23 fgs), 5 rebs, 4 asts, 1 stl
Adrian Dantley 27 pts (4-9 fgs, 19-19 fts) 8 rebs, 7 asts
Bill Laimbeer 29 pts (12-20 fgs), 8 rebs, 3 asts

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198712150DET.html

[O.J A 6'4Mamba]

This had to have been the best rivalry. I have a lot of the actually game footage. It was great to see Jordan going up against the badboys. the pistons even making "The Jordan Rules". Teams are going to start maying the " OJ Rules" when he starts abusing the league.

[Da_Realist]

1988 Bulls Pistons 4-3-88 (http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9994F55FB8C45A41)

Michael Jordan explodes for 59 points (21-27 fgs)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198804030DET.html

[OldSchoolBBall]

I don't think Jordan's 49 pt/6 reb/8 ast game and his 36/10/10 game vs. Detroit from the 1988 season are on youtube. I might have the 49 point game (not sure; I might be confusing it with one of his 40+ games vs. Detroit from the '89 playoffs). It'd be cool to see those, but they seem to be very rare.

[Doctor K]

Michael Jordan's Playoff stats against the Detroit Pistons

note: Some of these shooting percentages are not official. In those games, I calculated his fg% myself so they may be off a little. If anyone has the official stats and see a mistake let me know. Most of these games are in the 1990 series

1988
Game 1 -- 29 pts, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 10 for 22
Game 2 -- 36 pts, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 14 for 21
Game 3 -- 24 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 for 20
Game 4 -- 23 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 11 for 22
Game 5 -- 25 pts, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 10 for 22
Series Avg -- 27.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 50 fg%

1989
Game 1 -- 32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 10 for 29
Game 2 -- 27 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 8 for 16
Game 3 -- 46 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 16 for 24
Game 4 -- 23 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 5 for 15
Game 5 -- 18 points, 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 4 for 8
Game 6 -- 32 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 13 for 25
Series Avg -- 29.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 48 fg%

1990
Game 1 -- 34 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 12 for 25
Game 2 -- 20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 rebounds, 5 for 16
Game 3 -- 47 points, 10 rebounds, 10 rebounds, 17 for 32
Game 4 -- 42 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 13 for 25
Game 5 -- 22 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 for 19
Game 6 -- 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 10 for 19
Game 7 -- 31 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 13 for 27
Series Avg -- 32.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 47 fg%

1991
Game 1 -- 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 for 15
Game 2 -- 35 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 10 for 20
Game 3 -- 33 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 8 11 for 19
Game 4 -- 29 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 11 for 17
Series Avg -- 29.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7 assists, 54 fg%

Overall Avg --29.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 48.9 fg%


No offense to Dumar's Pistons, but I'd say the Payton's 96 Sonics defended Jordan better. I mean, Jordan had some decent series against the Pistons.

[andgar923]

No offense to Dumar's Pistons, but I'd say the Payton's 96 Sonics defended Jordan better. I mean, Jordan had some decent series against the Pistons.

Well to the Pistons' defense, MJ was in his declining years.

[Fatal9]

Game 2 -- 36 pts, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 14 for 21

He actually shot 14-22.




1989
Game 3 -- 46 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 16 for 24
Game 6 -- 32 points, 4 rebounds, 13 assists, 13 for 25

16/26 in game 3 and 13/26 in game 6 (5/12 at the line...yikes). Anyone watching the series knows Jordan got shut down here and the Jordan rules weren't even being used for most of it! He exploded for one game, maybe two you could say. Bulls had a great chance to win, Jordan just went MIA in those two crucial games (had only 41 points over those two games on 23 shots...was he trying to prove a point? Hodges and Cartwright both gave him tons of help in game 5 for example).

[OldSchoolBBall]

He actually shot 14-22.


16/26 in game 3 and 13/26 in game 6 (5/12 at the line...yikes). Anyone watching the series knows Jordan got shut down here and the Jordan rules weren't even being used for most of it! He exploded for one game, maybe two you could say. Bulls had a great chance to win, Jordan just went MIA in those two crucial games (had only 41 points over those two games on 23 shots...was he trying to prove a point? Hodges and Cartwright both gave him tons of help in game 5 for example).

:oldlol:

The agenda continues unabated.

[Da_Realist]

He actually shot 14-22.


16/26 in game 3 and 13/26 in game 6 (5/12 at the line...yikes). Anyone watching the series knows Jordan got shut down here and the Jordan rules weren't even being used for most of it! He exploded for one game, maybe two you could say. Bulls had a great chance to win, Jordan just went MIA in those two crucial games (had only 41 points over those two games on 23 shots...was he trying to prove a point? Hodges and Cartwright both gave him tons of help in game 5 for example).

If these are true, I'll change the post. Most of the games, I had to count myself. And I don't want to have to do it again. Do you have a source?

[Da_Realist]

1990 Pistons Bulls 11-7-89 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#g/c/C082727B440BACF8)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198911070CHI.html

[Samurai Swoosh]

1991 Scottie Pippen

Everyone remembers his migraine headache and his poor performance in Game 7 of 1990 ECF, but we don't give Pippen enough credit for how he played against Detroit in 1991. He was AWESOME. He played through the physical play and the cheap shots and became the main reason the Bulls finally beat the Pistons. Aguirre, Laimbeer and especially Rodman tried to punk him but it just didn't work.

Pippen finally became a big-time performer this series. :applause:

Now MJ had what Larry and Magic had before him -- help. There was no stopping Chicago after this.
Bada Bing

:pimp:

[Da_Realist]

1989 Pistons Bulls 1-31-89 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#g/c/A406B96154405E58)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198901310CHI.html

[Soundwave]

LOL at the Bulls starting 5 in 1988 ... pure scrubs with Jordan (Corzine). At least they had Oakley back then.

[ukplayer4]

sam vincent is such a scrub.

[Bigsmoke]

i'm a little off.

but can anybody upload Game 6 Suns VS Spurs in the 1993 WSF?

that game where Barkley hit that shot over David.

[Da_Realist]

1989 Pistons Bulls 2-5-89 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#g/c/2D679EA74D8FA1C0)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198902050DET.html

[Da_Realist]

1989 Pistons Bulls 4-6-89 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#g/c/00D6C9BD9EE92C7D)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198904060DET.html

[Da_Realist]

1989 Pistons Bulls 4-7-89 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#g/c/1C9EBCFC6F3C73DF)

Go here to see the fight from the 1st quarter -- > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C_A9NO5-r4 (this video WILL be deleted from youtube by the NBA within a couple of days)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198904070CHI.html

[chitownsfinest]

Cartwright would have ripped Zeke apart in seconds but Zeke is a g for not backing down to a much bigger and stronger opponent. Much respect to Zeke for showing some toughness there.

[Da_Realist]

Cartwright would have ripped Zeke apart in seconds but Zeke is a g for not backing down to a much bigger and stronger opponent. Much respect to Zeke for showing some toughness there.

That left caught Cartwright on the jaw a couple of times before he could even start charging at Zeke. Damn that was quick. Good thing Cartwright didn't catch him, though. He was a gentle giant but that was the maddest I've ever seen him.

[Alhazred]

I wish more older fights were available on Youtube, like the one with Bird and Erving back in the 80s. What's up with that, does the NBA try to make a conscious effort to censor them?

[OldSchoolBBall]

I wish more older fights were available on Youtube, like the one with Bird and Erving back in the 80s. What's up with that, does the NBA try to make a conscious effort to censor them?

Yes, they do. Many people who have uploaded fights or even entire games with the fights included have been warned to take them down by the NBA, and in cases where they haven't, have had their accounts suspended. The NBA protects its image.

[Da_Realist]

1990 Bulls Pistons 01-09-90 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9siRnLO0U4Q)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199001090DET.html

[Glide2keva]

1990 Bulls Pistons 01-09-90 (http://www.youtube.com/user/tjhunt76#grid/user/60BC1ABE5499152F)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199001090DET.html
For anyone wanting to watch the games as they happened, get the Piston 1988-89 Dynasty Series Championship DVD set.

It has all six games of the ECF against the Bulls. Plus you get to see a young Jordan taking on The Jordan Rules Defense.

This was a great series, hard fought, but MJ came up short in this one. Still a great series though.

[Da_Realist]

1990 Pistons Bulls 01-23-90 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMYfsZA07Es)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199001230CHI.html

[Da_Realist]

20 years ago today... :eek:

1990 Pistons Bulls 03-16-90 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqTUjSNTD_w)

Boxscore
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/199003160CHI.html

[NugzHeat3]

Da Realist, clear your PMs.

Sucks your account was terminated.

[Round Mound]

i'm a little off.

but can anybody upload Game 6 Suns VS Spurs in the 1993 WSF?

that game where Barkley hit that shot over David.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtWzgSwPjE

[Da_Realist]

Da Realist, clear your PMs.

Sucks your account was terminated.

Looks like a lot of other good channels have been deleted, too.

ShaqAttack71, patvilhauer, WiltatKansas, NBAClassics, jjdunn...

:wtf:

[StarJordan]

nba sucks on this

[Kovach]

WiltatKansas has a new channel set up, can't remember the name though.

[PHILA]

WiltatKansas has a new channel set up, can't remember the name though.His new account was just suspended as well.


http://www.youtube.com/user/PhillyDippy5

[Lebron23]

Jordan was also 1-3 vs. the Detroit Pistons in a playoffs series.

[TheGoatest]

jordon lost to the 54-28 Pistons in 1988.
jordon lost to the 63-19 Pistons in 1989.
jordon lost to the 59-23 Pistons in 1990.
jordon beat the 50-32 Pistons in 1991.
The 48-34 Pistons lost in the first round to another team in 1992.
The 40-42 Pistons missed the playoffs entirely in 1993.

Notice a pattern? The pattern that points to the emergence of the era with the weakest competition in modern basketball?

[Duderonomy]

Isiah's Pistons had a negative impact in the NBA.

They mainly got physical when guards entered the paint, that was a common practice in those days.

[light]

I hadn't seen too many videos of the great rivalry between MJ's Bulls and Isiah's Pistons so I will try to keep a running diary of every playoff game during this 4-year war.

Hopefully you'll notice a few of the following...

1. The Pistons were a great team that deserves more credit than history gives them

2. Physicality

3. Adrian Dantley, Doug Collins, Dave Corzine, Sam Vincent, Brad Sellers, etc

4. The maturation of Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, John Paxson, Dennis Rodman and John Salley

5. The Jordan Rules

6. MJ learns to trust his teammates more

7. The Birth of the Triangle Offense

8. The "Migraine Headache"

9. The transformation of both the Pistons and Bulls to championship-level teams

10. The animosity between the two teams

11. The Takeover

A lot of that was reliant on the firing of Doug Collins and the promotion of Phil Jackson. #4, #6, #7, #9 and #11 were all the results of the coaching of Phil Jackson.

[RogueBorg]

1991 Bulls Pistons Game 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mQwubKA3lc)

Sorry I'm impatient, had to get to the good part.:D

I had some respect for the Pistons till the end of this game. How they left was just classless. Dumars was the only one who showed sportsmanship. Lambier was asked about that just recently too and he defended it!! He said that the Bulls said bad things about them in the press so thats why they walked off like that. What a lameass excuse. Whatever cheap shots the Pistons put on the Bulls or no matter heartbroken the Bulls were in 89 and 90 they still shook the Pistons hand at the end of the series.

What a sorry end to the Bad Boys legacy. Walking off like a bunch of bytches hugging some crying old dude. You think the Celtics were happy when Detroit finally got past them? But after the Pistons beat them in 6 McHale walked up to them and said "Now go win it all" Thats called passing the torch. The Pistons just chose to piss on it though.

Thats karma for you though: Dumars is the GM of the Pistons who returned them to glory while Isaiah will be regarded as the guy who crippled the Knicks and Lambier is coaching in the WNBA. Karma is a bytch.

One more observation. In todays NBA when you win a conference title you get a shiny trophy and post game celebration. In 1991 you got a hat from Ahmad Rashad.:oldlol:

I'm no Pistons fan here BUT, the Celtics walked off the court on them the year before so that's where they got it from.

[Rake2204]

I'm no Pistons fan here BUT, the Celtics walked off the court on them the year before so that's where they got it from.

I am a Pistons fan but still generally abide by the NHL post-game code of conduct (that is, not matter what happens on the ice, you shake hands when it's all said and done).

That said, those members of the Pistons who chose to walk-off viewed it as sensible retaliation for what Michael Jordan had said the day prior, once his team was sitting on a 3-0 lead, when he declared, "The Pistons are undeserving champions... The Bad Boys are bad for basketball.” A few members, in turn, distilled the situation down to, "If you're not going to respect us, then we're not going to respect you."

Even then, I think it would have been so much easier to just... you know... shake hands and call it good. Or wait for time to expire and sort of just wander away without making a scene like most losing teams did up to that point in NBA history. But doing what they did, when they did it, was always going to invite unsavory attention.

To this day though, I'm always surprised that a lack of handshakes is what continues to ruffle people's feathers all these years later, not the egregious Dennis Rodman flagrant foul on Scottie Pippen by throwing him into the stands on a layup attempt just a couple minutes prior, when the Pistons were down 20 late in the fourth already in an 0-3 hole (resulting in stitches for Pip).

For what it's worth, it's interesting to see the juxtaposition between how the Pistons responded to elimination in '91 and how they handled it at the hands of the Knicks the year following. Seemed to be much more of a "game recognizes game" situation when the Knicks beat them using Pistons tactics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8-xvW62G2Y&ab_channel=RyanVanDusen[/url]

[Baller789]

jordon lost to the 54-28 Pistons in 1988.
jordon lost to the 63-19 Pistons in 1989.
jordon lost to the 59-23 Pistons in 1990.
jordon beat the 50-32 Pistons in 1991.
The 48-34 Pistons lost in the first round to another team in 1992.
The 40-42 Pistons missed the playoffs entirely in 1993.

Notice a pattern? The pattern that points to the emergence of the era with the weakest competition in modern basketball?

Yeah. We notice a pattern alright.

A pattern of you posting about a retired player 24/7.

[Full Court]

Yeah. We notice a pattern alright.

A pattern of you posting about a retired player 24/7.

:roll: