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The Jordan Rules – The Detroit Pistons’ Dirty Strategy To Stop Michael Jordan

The Detroit Pistons Bad Boys team was a nightmare for many legendary teams. Larry Bird and his Boston Celtics, Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.

On their way to back-to-back NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, the Pistons were an obstacle that Jordan and the Bulls couldn’t clear. The heated matchups between the two teams went down in history.

But what did the Pistons do better against Jordan than so many other teams? Well, it included a somewhat dirty and vicious strategy out of Pistons coach Brendan Malone’s box of tricks. A four-step plan to stop Jordan, dubbed ‘The Jordan Rule’:

1. On the wings, push him [Jordan] to the elbow. Don’t let him drive baseline.
2. When he’s on top, influence him to the left.
3. When he got the ball in the low post, trap him from the top.
4. If he gets in the paint, knock him down to the ground.

How did the Pistons stop MJ?

The Jordan Rules. #TheLastDance pic.twitter.com/G8UchQU260

— ESPN (@espn) April 27, 2020