The Pistons' Bad Boys Era Comes to a Close, the Gang Walks Out on Chicago (1991)

1.5KLikes

318,165Views

2019Sep 26

After three consecutive NBA Finals appearances and back-to-back championships, the Detroit Pistons finally saw their run come to an unceremonious end at the hands of the Chicago Bulls during the 1990-91 playoffs. Having defeated the Bulls in each of the previous three postseasons, tensions ran high between the two ball clubs and with a newfound upper hand, the Bulls didn't waste too much time trumpeting the Pistons' demise. “The Pistons are undeserving champions,” Michael Jordan said on the day between Games 3 and 4 in Detroit in 1991. “The Bad Boys are bad for basketball.” The critique of the reigning back-to-back champions later continued. '"You never lose respect for the champions. But I haven`t agreed with the methods they used," Michael Jordan said. "I think people are happy the game will get back to a clean game (with a Bulls triumph) and away from the `Bad Boy` image. '"I don`t think people want that kind of basketball. I think they want to push that type of basketball out. We may not have liked Boston because they won, but they were a good, sound basketball team. '"Detroit`s been very successful with their style and other teams tried to copy it because they were successful, and that`s not good for the game." With comments in a similar vein coming from the likes of Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen, a contingent of the Pistons roster was in no mood to congratulate their rivals following the completion of a four-game sweep. While the Joe Dumars, James Edwards, and John Salley were among those shaking hands with the Bulls following the final horn, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, and others opted to head straight to the tunnel, with Thomas and Laimbeer embracing Bad Boys architect Jack McCloskey along the way. Months later, when the two teams met near the start of the 1991-92 regular season, Isiah Thomas admitted wrongdoing when it came to the walkoff but stopped well short of apologizing. "Was it unsportsmanlike? Yes," Thomas told the NBA on TNT crew. "Was it the wrong thing to do? Yes. But at that time is that the way we felt? Yeah, it was a very emotional response and, you know, for me to sit and say now that we didn't really mean it, that we didn't really feel that way, that'd be a lie." With nine players aged 30 or over on the 1991 playoff roster, the Pistons gentle re-build began in earnest. James Edwards and Vinnie Johnson turned into Orlando Woolridge and Darrell Walker and when Chuck Daly left for New Jersey in '92, the wheels effectively fell off. Detroit would have to wait close to a decade before they'd win another playoff series. https://sports.yahoo.com/dont-buy-int...