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The Bulls vs. Pistons rivalry: when Michael Jordan dropped 59 points on the "Bad Boys"

Originally posted on Chicago Bulls on SI
By Stephen Beslic | Last updated 4/9/23

The rivalry between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons remains legendary in the annals of NBA history. Michael Jordan had many iconic games against the "Bad Boys" throughout his career, and perhaps the most impressive one was when he dropped 59 points on their home floor on Easter Sunday in 1988. Jordan's performance that night was miraculous, and it soon gave birth to Detroit's ultra-specific rules targeting His Airness called the "Jordan Rules."

In a zone

On that April afternoon, Jordan was simply unstoppable as he connected on all but six of his 27 attempts from the field and made 17 of his 19 free-throws. He also filled the stat sheet up with six assists, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in what was Jordan's second-highest scoring performance against Detroit. Most importantly, Chicago came away with a 112-110 victory.

The Jordan Rules

Considering that Jordan also dropped 61 points on them a year before that game, Detroit head coach Chuck Daly was frustrated and simply had enough of Jordan beating the Pistons by himself.

"We made up our minds right then and there that Michael Jordan was not going to beat us by himself again," said Daly. "We had to commit to a total team concept to get it done."

And so the "Jordan Rules" were created. From that point on, when Jordan had the ball in his hands, he was literally double-teamed and even triple-teamed to prevent him from scoring. The Pistons were so committed to this strategy that it eventually became known as "The Jordan Rules."

This hard-hitting tactic slowed down Jordan for many years, as he was unable to get past the Pistons in the playoffs until 1991. As Jordan's Bulls began to mature, they became a well-oiled machine and eventually figured out how to break "The Jordan Rules." The Bulls finally conquered the Pistons in 1991 and went on to win their first championship that same year.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bulls on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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