Chicago Bulls - Detroit Pistons | 1991 Playoffs | ECF Game 2: Jordan MVP, leads the way with 35 pts

[@YashRamisetty]

i am mesmerized by MJ's passing skills. never knew he was so good

[@Stormtrooper-fv7dr]

MJ was going toe to toe in assists with Magic in the next series!

[@hoopsencyclopedia]

At 4:00, MJ gets stripped and runs back at mach speed to get back on D. Today's stars would be standing and verbally flopping to make excuses for getting worked. At 5:30, MJ is hand-hip-checked by 3 guys and dishes it out to get the open look. Brilliant. If that was today, you'd have 3 whistles of course. At 6:15, the Jumper is head level with the rim. That extreme-elevated Jumper has only been done by MJ. These 3 plays belong only to the smartest and most athletic player ever.

[@alaskanmarine1]

I loved the Jordan and Dumars match-up, the two of them could got at each other the entire game

[@joelb9]

Greater Defense, Greatest Offense. Unbelievable!

[@jordanlover23]

People should take note of the intensity Jordan played with in this entire series on both ends. Just ferocious. You never see any of the stars today save perhaps for Wade occasionally play full blast like this for an extended period of time (much less full games, never mind full series). He just expended tremendous energy on the court, and still had enough after this series to go on to have one of the best Finals series of all time. Amazing conditioning.

[@scorpionJB]

I tell yall what though, JOE DUMARS should have been named one of the greatest 50 players of all time because he had to defend michael jordan in the playoffs AND had to score also....and he won 2 championships back to back

[@jumpnam]

Look at the intensity, how furious the two teams are going at it. This doesn't exist in the NBA today. I cant think of any game I've watched in the last 10 years that can match this. It's sad, but it aint coming back.

[@dudeh88]

And the thing is, Jordan just got up and played as though nothing happened. Those Bad Boys could bend him, but they sure couldn't break him.

[@WatchVenusSpa]

Everything that can be possibly said about MJ has been said but watch these 4 games against the Bad Boys and tell me Scottie Pippen doesn't belong in the HOF with him.

[@peewenkz80]

Pip and Rodman jawing at each other. not knowing that 5 years after, they will become teammates in Chicago. LOL

[@vincespell]

Let's try to ignore the intensity of the game for a minute. Let's try to ignore stifling and suffocating defense for a minute! Ignore Jordan and Pippen for a minute. What do you see from the Bulls? You see the rest of that team playing their asses off. Not tentative in today's game, these guys are killing it when it's time. BJ, Johnny Paxson, Grant, Livingston, and Cartwright all hitting the shots when it counts, all of them playing defense and maintaining the same intensity of Jordan and Pippen. Matching the intensity of the Bad Boys of Detroit. People, it's all on the line and the rest of the squad is up for it! They want it as bad as Jordan does. They want to climb that mountain! You rarely find this intensity in today's game. They believe in Jordan, they believe in Phil and they believe in their offense! This is what playoff basketball should look like every game. Not like today's game when your 3point shot isn't dropping then you lose a 3-1 lead because you can't create any offense without the 3 ball. Hard Fouls, Hand Checking, Superb Coaching, and Strategy! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS BASKETBALL AT ITS PUREST FORM. THE ATMOSPHERE IS OOZING WITH FEAR AND DETERMINATION. FEAR OF LOSING YOUR CROWN, DETERMINATION TO TAKE A CROWN! WINNER TAKES ALL HERE. DETROIT FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIFE, THEIR CROWN, THEIR PRIDE. CHICAGO FIGHTING FOR A NEW LIFE AND REDEMPTION. MAKES FOR A GREAT SERIES HUH? THIS IS ALI VS FRAZIER, RAY LEONARD VS HEARNS, HAGLER VS MUGABI! ENJOY! AND I SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T COMPARE THIS SERIES TO ANY SERIES OF TODAY'S GAME. THERE IS NO COMPARISON!

[@agentk1986]

Funny to imagine Rodman playing with Pippen and MJ in the future, winning three more titles.

[@willhopson1277]

@M there are only 196 countries in the entire world dumbass 🤣

[@jxn23]

Awesome man, thanks. I love the intensity of this series. It really brought out the best basketball out of both teams. I also think Jordan was at his most determined in this series.

[@KQH8]

Jordan should have received the MVP every year that he played, no one has had an impact on the game like he has.

[@ALTAIR2]

Michael Jordan said Joe dumars was the best defender he played against. I bet he was happy when they beat like they did

[@jashuwah]

Jordan's defense at 3:02 is li;ke that of an unearthly creature

[@FreddyGomezThinksTooMuch]

The Bulls' Dynasty starts Here.

[@danielmatos2533]

7:34 that jump shot elevation!

[@malcomkonate9807]

I'm out of words

[@3DStoneCt]

Pippen came through. I'm a hardcore Pistons fan and I can't even front or disrespect what Scottie did to us in 1991. I hate it but I've learned to accept it. What urked me about this series is that Detroit never adjusted after game 2 or never found other ways to score, even though we were injured. Still, Chuck could have started Rollins/Aguirre putting Edwards/Rodman on the bench to play them like we did in '89 with 'Horn. I don't think the Pistons took Chicago seriously that year. '91 was given

[@toekneeshin23]

mnyvsr, I think the summary is an actual news summary of the game from 91, i.e., the two instances you cite hadn't happened yet. Great post korone, you've got a lot of games I haven't seen...keep up the great work. As an aside, it still amazes me how physical it was back then, and, conversely, how non-physical the league is now. I miss those days.

[@3DStoneCt]

I just wish Detroit had more time to prepare for the Bulls. They still could've won the series but gave up. I hadn't seen this game in about 16 years and the players on both teams look a lot quicker than I remembered. I guess when you watch today's game it looks slower and much less physical and efficient than how guys played back then. I'm a Pistons fan but I had to give it up for how the Bulls responded. Great game and great post. I wish Detroit had more time to prepare for this team.

[@TBlake34]

God, how nice was life for John Paxson on that team? Just jogs up the court and finds a little opening while MJ slashes and gashes the D.

[@SeecretWeapon]

5:13 the past 11 year sin this league this type of defense has been BANNED! Jordan faced this type of defense especially through out his playoff runs where he averaged 33.4pts and 48.7% shooting NONE of the players today face physical defense like this that wears on you and doesn't allow you to get separation. add the vacancy of the defense in the lane due to a defensive 3 seconds + the fact that when you do get fouled today they are not hammering you so you dont get a shot off You can probably add 4-6 pts more a game to Jordans average if he played during this era conservatively at +4 pts thats 34.1ppg x 1072 regular season games = 36,555 an all time great player and one of the greatest scorers in Kobe Bryant today has played 173 MORE games = more than 2 seasons and is still 592 pts BEHIND Jordan while Mike was injured in his 2nd year and left the game still in his prime for almost 2 years 94 & 95!

[@JohnLick96]

+Dkouts57 Kobe actually has a better 3pt shot than Jordan and he makes a lot of shots without space. I'm pretty sure he could score on these guys in his prime. He had the same coach as Jordan, and Phil wouldn't have a problem drawing up these same plays for him. Kobe wasn't really a starter on his team until 1998 and he's past MJ on the scoring list.That isn't to say that MJ was not better. MJ was more consistent and shot a higher percentage than Kobe because he has a better bball iq and he had a better team most of his career. Mj also scored more points over a shorter time than Kobe.

[@SeecretWeapon]

sonofaballer96 Kobe takes more 3s he doesn't shoot it better You can draw up the same exact plays Kobe wouldn't be as productive, he doesn't attack as well as MJ nor play off the ball as well and absolutely not as efficient Jordan needs 2-3 dribbles ot get a good look Kobe take 9-10 dribbles to get the same, If its the same. passing MJ on the scoring list an absolute bullshit stat it took him THREE EXTRA seasons to catch Jordan and Jordan has prime years taken out of his scoring assault due to Injury and self retirement. Kobe had ZERO years lost due to injury an now he's just compiling ineffective stats the last 3 years do no compare Kobe is #2 among SGs all time he is still not int he same galaxy as Jordan

[@flumestradamus]

this is when the bulls were still hungry. they full court pressed better than any other team. pippen was very important on the defensive end

[@Balal8281]

thanks so much for uploading these vids, you did a real nice job!

[@TBlake34]

I heard someone make a good analogy: they said it would be like an offensive linemen trying to keep a rusher from the quarterback without using their hands. It's an impossible task.

[@Oreoh303]

Ahh... now I remember why I use to Like basketball.. good stuff.

[@kOrOne79]

There were no more excuses, Bulls, especially MJ had to win this time. I still think if it wasn't for their failure in the years '89 and '90, the Bulls would've never been a dynasty, they had to take that particular hurdle at all costs.

[@scorpionJB]

daaaaaaaang, that shot by Dumars at 2:57 was crazy......jesus christ

[@uberathlete]

This was when the NBA stood for "No Babies Allowed". Today it means "Now Babies Allowed".

[@222333aaaaaa]

lol, Hubie Brown sounds EXACTLY the same.

[@Silvatari]

I miss this NBA times...

[@randyquench8731]

Watching games like these makes me sad to be born in 1994

[@mgreen27]

3:30. Wow Pippen went by the defender like he wasn't even there.

[@jordanlover23]

And check the amount of contact Jordan takes at 7:14-7:17. Raked hard with two arms across the face/chest by Laimbeer, and then watch on the follow through of the shot as Dumars or someone else literally clotheslines him across the head/neck on the way down. Wow. These cats today wouldn't last.

[@kOrOne79]

Portland won two more games, but Jordan's stats and his defense made the difference I think. Remember, the Bulls went 69-13 in 1997, but Karl Malone was named MVP, although the Jazz had a 64-18 record that year.

[@aktommy]

Dumars... 1 word... AWESOME

[@ShinAkuma21]

wow 7:17 MJ get headlock in mid air

[@thereal_notoriousakagdubb3486]

And the Pistons team has becoming unraveled

[@Jimbo19091]

Just look at how fast he runs back on defense to stop the ball on plays. And then always plays lock down D. something you don't see players have the will to do anymore

[@popeyeisgood]

@mj45jh23sp33 i think the 96-98 version of mj was still incredibly fast and strong, but was definitely not as fast as the 84-93 mj( but his first step was still there sometime). but that doesn't hurt much he can still jump and was super super smart. the way he played in 96-98 was probably the smoothest ever, as well as the whole team play( rivaled by maybe the prime larry bird)

[@dudeh88]

This was on TNT, not NBC.

[@airtime23]

INTENSITY !!!!!!

[@ALone970]

Does anyone know if there is a dvd version of old final series for sale? Thanks.

[@dudeh88]

Yeah, that's why Jordan was afraid of playing in Portland because they had the better season record. In the interview with Ahmad Rashad after game 4, Jordan said he'd prefer playing the Lakers in the Finals because the Bulls would have the home-court advantage (the Bulls, I believe, had more wins than the Lakers in '91).

[@lumbiaknight87]

No more excuses please..Michael Jordan and the Bulls were destined to win two 3 peat championships which no one have so far matched till today. Michael Jordan was at the beginning (at this point in time 1991)of his phenomenal stature as the mortal God of basketball if one is allowed to say that..He is.

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 excellent points man...PIPPEN arguably is the most misunderstood player in the history of the game in regards to his game...people don't know, and I just found out last year, PHIL JACKSON said in an interview during BULLS practice, that JORDAN asked PIPPEN to show him certain baseline moves to the rack from his left hand that PIPPEN could do better than him...heck, PIPPEN had to defend JORDAN in practice, that alone grants 50 greatest player ever distinction..

[@GreatkingAlexander]

the mission was almost complete

[@JuiceCounty1]

its too bad no one noticed how dope pippen was cause he played with jordan

[@gilgamesurukaslani]

look how mj runs at 3:59; incredible...

[@kOrOne79]

Dumars was excellent at that.

[@thereal_notoriousakagdubb3486]

In GM 2 was more the same,Chicago Bulls had more speed,younger,quicker,athleticism and powerful the Detroit Pistons couldn't handle

[@jordanlover23]

Wow, Jordan got DESTROYED at the 7:16 mark -- first by Laimbeer across the chest/face, and then across the side of the head by Aguirre as he fell to the ground (watch closely). Ouch!

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 you're right, that Houston Rocket team, especially the team that repeated would have been a tough opponent even if michael jordan would have been playing, w/Hakeem playing at such a high level, a matchup between the two teams would have went 7 games and home court would have played a major role in the outcome.....great points about Derek harper/Jeff Hornacek....I think Hornacek would have been more potent because he could create his own shot, and automatic from the free throw line

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 very good point man.....pippen scored 33 points in game 5 of the nba finals against my lakers, made tons of clutch shots in the close out game vs. the knicks in 93 in game 6....PIPPEN could have been a greater scorer than he was, but he sacrficed his game for the better of the team, plus JORDAN earned that right to be the go to guy due to the fact he was there 3 years before PIPPEN entered the league

[@VESHMusic]

4:14... Right now charging is the only thing player do at the defensive end. Shane Battier for example...

[@kOrOne79]

Yes, I'll post them in the next 1-2 weeks.

[@ChrisJWatts504TV]

🐐

[@BrBenning]

I got all the dvds. u can get em all in one packet at any video store

[@reubenuy8451]

this is very interesting! references?

[@kOrOne79]

Yes, I'm currently uploading Game 3 :)

[@moonoink]

back when men played in the NBA

[@VanPebble]

detroit was sooooo dirty. This was like watching good versus evil.

[@khawaja1951]

defenses were getting too tough to beat without the implementation of the hand checking rule. if you watch the trends for defensive statistics, you can see that defensive stats peaked (lowest ppg and fgp allowed) around 2005: the year of the spurs pistons finals. i think that summer the hand check rule was tightened to allow less contact on the perimeter. since then, offensive stats have been climbing to late 1980s levels and defensive stats have been getting worse

[@kOrOne79]

That's right, it's from the NY Times (game summary from 1991). It's pretty obvious when you think about it.

[@yoshigettingdope1104]

lbj never gonna pass mj。 mj is the goat。

[@kOrOne79]

I think it was Isiah, not Aguirre. Other than that, you're right, Bad Boys at their best :-)

[@aom9913]

I’ll be a Bad Boy forever

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 I agree man, w/out DUMARS, as great as ISIAH THOMAS was, detroit never beats chicago in the playoffs because dumars had to guard the ultimate shooting guard in JORDAN, and he had to score on offense to and did it, mvp of the 89 finals, clutch shots, big time defense, consistency, he's definitely one of the top 50 greatest players of all time because he delivered when he had to

[@Trancymind]

Kobe even said he wished he played for the Lakers in the 80s because they fouled hard back then.

[@francoisgrenier]

@ChiSox2386 actually, im mj's biggest fan, but i have to say that kobe went closer to anybody to acheive mjs standard. but he'll never be the cultural phenomenon that mj was, which changed the way we see sports today. from the shoes, to looney tunes, videos with michael jackson, mcdonalds with larry bird, the clothing, his talent at golf, rayovac batteries, hanes underwear, the cars he drove, gatorade, wheaties. also, honorable mention for not getting into trouble with ladies, like kobe , woods.

[@khawaja1951]

and that football analogy is terrible. the rusher has one goal in mind: get from point A to point B as fast as possible and hit point B as hard as possible. the o-lineman would need his hands to stop a brute force like that. offensive basketball players arent just trying to sprint to the basket: they have to worry about dribbling a ball, not charging into the defensive player, and are trying to get the ball into the basket.

[@meg-k-waldren]

Normally Kobe plays like MJ but on this day MJ played like Kobe.

[@Trancymind]

Back then. Players even MJ could bark at the referees and not get a technical foul. It was a way to get Jordan some calls favoring him. Today you cant even do that or else you will get tossed out of the game.

[@dudeh88]

Sad, isn't it? Back then, "hand-checkers" were supposed to make life miserable for ball-handlers. That's why those games were so competitive: the more personal contact, the harder it was to put the ball into the net. Hand-checkers forced ball-handlers to flex their muscles and their brains to avoid or overpower the hand-checker and try to score. Otherwise, the hand-checker could get a steal, make a block, or--even better--draw a foul (pushoff).

[@popeyeisgood]

piston's 2 guards was good but it was the team d that stopped jordan for 3 straight years( as well as the immature bulls relying too much on mj)

[@Mykoveli]

Those kind of fouls would be an automatic ejection today.

[@crb4059]

We may not have MJ anymore, but at least we have Kobe

[@goodvibrations6]

3:20... 14 already for dumars? from 18 pistons points? waw.

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 great points man, I was routing for the knicks to finally dethrone the bulls but even myself knew scottie pippen got robbed when hugh hollins made the worst officiating call in the history of the nba playoffs, pippen made a clean block on hubert davis, I don't like it when officials determine the outcome of games, and eventually series.....Pippen would have at least took the bulls to the finals for a chance to win a 4th straight title.

[@SeecretWeapon]

5:11 They dont allow that defense today or int he past 10 years! and they tell me how much better this league is when Jerry Stackhouse can avg 28 a game and Gilbert Arenas is a scoring machine?

[@lumbiaknight87]

dont forget your couch appointment :))

[@billymockery6272]

Bill always tried to face wipe/foul players. Its okay to play solid defense but he intentionally tried to hurt/injure the other players. Anyways, MJ got the last laugh though.

[@marzilyas]

@8:00 is this when Mark Aguirre supposedly challenged Pippen to a fight in the Chicago Stadium parking lot? Haha

[@dunemetal67]

Aguirre "The Baker" was a colossal fat assed stooge. What a douche bagged clown he was. He would have a hard time beating up Joy Behar.

[@TheSands83]

dunemetal67 shit Aguirre could fucking play man...

[@artygunnar]

wow

[@char4ever]

see what marv said at 4:25. theres no way to get a charge in the NBA. now what? nba calls load of charging as of today. LAME!

[@accepttrue]

you ll like rodman if he is on your team, but i think you would hate him if he is not on your team, love him but also hate him in different situation, haha

[@thereal_notoriousakagdubb3486]

But it won't matter

[@moonoink]

Michael Jordan Is The Best!

[@blackadam06]

@Trancymind Please.. Kobe's ALWAYS struggled MIGHTILY against ANY semblance of physical defense. Why do U think his greatest offensive games are ALWAYS vs the WORST defenses? Why do U think he's NEVER scored 50+ pts vs a Top 5 defense? This era has rules that handicaps defenses so that they can't be as physical as the 80s/90s, and gives perimeter scorers more freedom and makes it EASIER for them. Yet look at his FG% vs the 3 physical defenses of the Y2K ('04 DET & '08-10 BOS). It's TERRIBLE!

[@SpcMedia21]

@paulp1021 but Mike is the man

[@VESHMusic]

then just dont compare lebron to MJ

[@thereal_notoriousakagdubb3486]

The Pistons tried to do everything they could to stop Michael Jordan,it don't matter?

[@williamshereef2755]

The Jordan Rules?? What a joke 😂

[@lovingadam2011]

Why does Detroit have on those tiny shorts?

[@RollingInMy5pt0]

lovingadam2011 they have big dicks

[@lunatilunati8248]

Darlene Amaro i got big one to. do you want to see it.

[@gwynedd1]

That is a little too much of a fan. Who needs two signed jerseys?

[@SpcMedia21]

Michael is still the best ever Kobe however is one of the best but he is not Mike and i am a big kobe fan

[@popeyeisgood]

@olympiag1 not so sure about the second half of your comment. just because the team the bulls faced in the playoff didn't have good 2 guards doesn't mean they didn't play good team defense. but then again who is good enough to guard jordan anyway? drexler? cooper or majerle? the fact is no one in the history of nba has a consistent record of stopping jordan. even those so called good defenders like alvin, doug christie and so on, none.

[@3DStoneCt]

A sweep! Are you kidding me?!!??! I think more was said by Detroit getting swept than Chicago winning. The Pistons never wanted to win this series, they just needed some rest and wanted the season to be over. Plus, politics played a role in this series because Detroit got no calls and the NBA just signed a new deal with NBC and wanted Jordan to sign. Zeke was President of P.A. and fought Stern for players to have more $. Rod Thorne (who drafted Jordan) instituted the flagrant foul rules. Joke!

[@scorpionJB]

@ilovegod300 awww yeah, good ole Herb Williams...lollll.....the knicks should not have celebrated too much, they beat a chicago bulls team missing it's starting shooting guard for the past 9 years....Scottie Pippen was definitely robbed of what should have been his moment....