The TRUTH of the 1991 Chicago Bulls vs Detroit Pistons series
When will the lies stop? There is a lot of confusion surrounding the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals series between the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. That is mostly due to how badly the Bulls defeated the Bad Boys Pistons. They were swept by an average margin
Of 11.5 points per game. The explanation that we’ve gotten for the way they were dismantled was that the Pistons were too old and too banged up. Since they were not at full strength, it almost tainted the Bulls’ series victory in the eyes of some NBA fans. I’m here to
Tell you that is completely false. I have the real reason why the Pistons got destroyed by the Bulls. It’s all because Michael Jordan dominated the series, right? I wouldn’t go that far. His performance was excellent, don’t get me wrong. He averaged 29.8 points on nearly
54% shooting, 7 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. He was extraordinary on both ends of the floor. But he was scoring at a lower rate than his regular season average. The most he scored in that series was 35 points. For his lofty standards, that’s not considered
Special. So the Bulls didn’t exact revenge on the archnemesis because of Michael’s offensive explosion. There has to be more to it. If we look back at some of the explanations we’ve gotten throughout the years, it still leaves some question marks.
For example, in all the documentaries about Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls, or the Bad Boys Pistons, they always credit the mental toughness that the Bulls gained that helped them stand up to the bully. And that allowed them to finally get past the hurdle that the
Pistons were to them. But that just always seemed too simplistic. I do conceive that the Bulls did a much better job in not reacting to their physical play. They refused to get drawn into an all-out physical confrontation, but they also stood their ground when it was
Necessary. Horace Grant even admitted to the Chicago Tribune that season that it frustrated the Pistons when they kept their composure. So I believe that aspect was important. From an X’s and O’s standpoint, it was their supremely underrated defense that made
The Pistons look like they didn’t belong. They couldn’t figure out how to crack the energetic Bulls defense. Let’s take a look at the numbers. The Pistons averaged 100.1 points per game for the regular season. But for this series, they were held to 95.3 points
Per game. We’ll get to why the whole “they were too old and banged up” claim is bogus in just a moment, but let’s first prove that the Pistons weren’t the only team to underperform due to Chicago’s dominant defense. In the first round, the New York Knicks averaged
17.1 points less than their regular season average. In the second round, the Philadelphia 76ers averaged 11.2 points less than their regular season average. And in the Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers averaged 14.7 points less than their regular season average. So
I guess the Bulls made everyone look old and banged up. There is a reason why Chicago went 15-2 in the playoffs. But let’s go back to the series in question. Let’s look at some of the numbers that the Pistons players recorded. We first have Joe Dumars, who was their leading scorer in the
Regular season with a 20.4 points per game average. He was held to 12.5 points for the series. James Edwards and Bill Laimbeer, who combined to average 24.6 points in the regular season, averaged a combined 13.1 points for the series. The secret to the Bulls’ success
Was their constant pressure on the ball that didn’t allow the Pistons to set up their half-court offense. The two-man offensive game, usually featuring Isiah and Bill running a pick and roll, with Laimbeer either shooting a wide-open jumper or Thomas driving to the
Basket was completely eliminated. The Bulls were so effective in fighting through screens and switching defenders, allowing Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen to bother Isiah with their length. They showed that their traps, pressure, and athleticism on defense were their most dangerous
Weapon. You had Scottie Pippen, who was all over the court. Take for example his Game 1 performance when he had 6 steals and 5 blocks. The only other player to record over 5 steals and 5 blocks in a playoff game is Hakeem Olajuwon. When you have a player averaging over 3 steals
And 2 blocks, along with 22 points per game… I mean, how do you even contend with that? Then we have the defensive versatility of Horace Grant. We’re talking about a 6-foot-10 power forward who could guard the full length of the floor. If that’s an incredible luxury
To have in today’s game, imagine the advantage the Bulls had during that time. And finally, they had the greatest two-way player in NBA history. Michael Jordan played an important role in forcing the backcourt of the Pistons to play inefficiently. For
Example, Jackie MacMullan made this interesting observation for an ESPN article in 2020 about Jordan’s strong defensive play against the Detroit Pistons: “In that series, Detroit averaged just 0.79 points per play with Jordan as the primary defender, and shot just 35%,
According to ESPN Stats & Info. Jordan relentlessly tracked guards Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, pickpocketing them in the backcourt or springing out of his low defensive stance with catlike quickness to flood their passing lanes.” And that’s exactly what we saw. Joe Dumars
Was affected the most by Jordan’s stifling defense. He averaged 34.7% from the field for the series. That is the lowest field goal percentage that he shot in a series for his career. So don’t think for a second that the Pistons were no longer a formidable opponent just
Because they got their butts handed to them. Don’t forget that Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, and John Sally were all under the age of 30 at the start of the season. This wasn’t like the Bulls were playing the 1999 Houston Rockets. The series wasn’t
Close because that’s how good the Bulls’ defense was. If you think I’m guilty of revisionist history, check out this quote from The Washington Post back in 1991 before the start of the playoffs: “Why will Detroit be so tough to beat again? Isiah and Dumars
Are still the best backcourt in the league. Rodman is still the best defender. Sally is a dunking/swatting monster. Aguirre, a 25-point scorer for his career, is certainly capable of filling Vinnie Johnson’s old role. And there’s always Laimbeer.”
This team was expected to be a threat. This team was expected to give the Bulls problems, but they ended up being exposed. For the record, I understand that Isiah Thomas was limited. He has said multiple times that his quote “career-ending wrist surgery” was the
Reason why they were swept. I understand that the Pistons were a bit banged up throughout the year. But come on! Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman played all 82 games. Joe Dumars played 80 games. Mark Aguirre played 78 games. And John Sally and James Edwards played over 70
Games. They weren’t as banged up as you think they were. They simply lost to a better team. Even if they were 100% healthy, the result wouldn’t be much different. It was time for the Chicago Bulls to start the greatest dynasty in the modern NBA, and there was nothing
They could do to stop it. But that’s just my two cents. What do you think was the main reason why the Bulls swept the Detroit Pistons? What do you remember the most from that series? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for watching!
The 1991 Eastern Conference Finals series between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons ended in a sweep, culminated by the infamous walk-off. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were finally able to defeat Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys Pistons. The author of “The All-Time Greatest NBA Book” discusses the real reasons why the Bulls were able to dominate the Pistons.
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9 Comments
But Rasheed Wallace said MJ's defense was overrated
Nice analysis. I totally agree with you.
All the Pistons players with the exception of maybe John Sally just won't admit that the Bulls were that much better that year. They didn't like that they called them bad champions. So they refuse to give them any credit or respect.
But he an overrated defender Rasheed Isiah LeBron stans
Nobody liked Detroit rough house basketball except the people in Detroit
I remember Isaiah dunking his peanut 🥜 head trying to sneak out 😂.
Lost ALL respect for him after that. Glad he was NOT on Dream Team 👍🏿💯
The Greatest two player was 94 ft Versatilitian Pip.
Dude this was when teams played defence. I know you clowns today are used to this watered down bullshit we call basketball today so don't look back on the past with these rose coloured glasses. The reason why the bulls won this series was actually because of defence. The bulls at this stage under Phil Started a half-court trap that was deadly. It wasted time of the clock because of Pippen being the front man on the press. By the time teams got into their offence it was 14 seconds on the clock. To beat the bad boys you had to out defend them so the Bulls did it in their own unique way. Also this was his first year in the triangle so it was an adjustment since he was not going to be as ball dominant as he was before which was the point of the offence to keep other people involved. When players are involved offensively, they are more willing defenders. Before people would just stand around and watch Michael do his thing and there was always a sense that he would save them. With the Triangle in place, players felt more apart of the game and took some responsibility to try and help win it instead of waiting to be saved. This was not some super team like today. All these players were home grown and had to be developed.
In game 1, Michael's defesne was the key — not Scottie's. In the first quarter, Michael literally took away at least 8 points from the Pistons on his own. Look at his steals, blocks, and interference. This threw off the Pistons' so much that his likely defensive impact was probably far greater. Then in the second quarter, the Bulls were so fired up by this (similar to Ben Wallace's effect on the 04 Pistons), that they continued to play stifling defense. It was in this context that Scottie had a phenomenal defensive and offensive third quarter. But when the Pistons are already rattled, it makes Pippen's job much easier. And don't get me wrong, Pippen was always destined to be a good player, and he was very good in that game. And you can even see back in 1988 round 1 that Pippen and Grant were going to be great defenders. But their aggression on defense that they showed even as rookies was never guaranteed. However, those tremendous defensive talents were following Michael's lead. So, fast-froward to 1991 game 1… after Michael played the best quarter of defensive basketball I've ever seen, and his team followed suit, it was then the case that the guy he had long inspired to be more aggressive than he would have been… that guy… Pippen… then really went for it in the third quarter against an already weakened and psychologically worn-down Pistons' team. If you put that together, you have to give Jordan the majority of the credit, there. And the rest of the Bulls then played insanely well in the 4th quarter… I think that would have happened even without Pippen on the team… all due to the insanely high level of defensive intensity Michael brought that game — and the intensity he helped bring to the team. And I think that Bulls would have eeked out that game without Pippen. But there is no way in heck they would have won that game without MJ's first quarter. So, even though MJ's offense wasn't that great that game, if you have to point to one guy, Michael's the guy that game. Not Scottie.
Excellent analysis! Doin' the lord's work.