Bulls–Pistons rivalry
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| First meeting | October 28, 1966 | ||
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| Latest meeting | March 22, 2017 | ||
| Next meeting | To be determined | ||
| Statistics | |||
| Meetings total | 289 meetings | ||
| All-time series | 145–144 (DET) | ||
| Regular season series | 128–126 (CHI) | ||
| Postseason results | 19–16 (DET) | ||
| Longest win streak | |||
| Current win streak | CHI W1 | ||
| Post-season history | |||
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The Bulls–Pistons rivalry is an NBA rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. The rivalry began in the late 1980s and was one of the most intense in NBA history for a couple of years, when Michael Jordan evolved into one of the league's best players and the Pistons became a playoff contender.
The rivalry started in the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals after the Pistons and Bulls beat the Bullets and Cavs in the first round 3-2. The aggressive Bad Boys, as Detroit became known, were the rising power in the Eastern Conference. Michael Jordan, on the other hand, was league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and the ultimate challenge for the Pistons' top-notch defense. In a nationally televised game in Detroit on Easter Sunday, Jordan torched the Pistons for 59 in a 112-110 Bulls victory (He burned them for 61 in a 125-120 OT victory in 1987). This angered Chuck Daly, who vowed never to allow him to light them up again. Despite Jordan's individual skills, the Bulls lacked the talent and mental toughness to beat Detroit, who ravaged Chicago in 5. The Pistons went on to beat Boston in 6 and won their first Conference title since they moved from Fort Wayne.
In 1989, the Pistons were stronger than ever, having posted a season-best record of 63-19. They reached the Conference Finals by sweeping the Celtics and Bucks. The 6th-seeded Bulls (47-35) had surprising success in the playoffs by upsetting the Cavs 3-2 with The Shot and Knicks 4-2. The Bulls met Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals. Their success continued as they took a 2-1 series lead. But the Pistons clamped down and employed the "Jordan Rules" (which consisted of solely targeting Jordan) which worked so well for them the year prior. While they remained mum about them when asked by the media, many Pistons today say that it was just another psychological ploy they made up to throw the Bulls off their game. According to Pistons forward Rick Mahorn,
The Pistons took a stand and won 3 straight and went on to win their first NBA title.
While both teams intensely disliked each other, there was particular animosity between Michael Jordan and Pistons star Isiah Thomas. Thomas, who was a Chicago native and basketball legend in the city, felt that Jordan was taking the city away from him and getting unearned attention. Thomas was accused of leading a so-called "freeze-out" in the 1985 NBA All-Star Game that involved Thomas and other NBA veterans keeping the ball away from Jordan. In retaliation, when the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team was being formed Isiah was not part of the team, which people attribute to Jordan and Scottie Pippen stating that they did not want to play if Thomas was on the team, with Pippen going as far to label him as a "cheap shot artist".
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