The Dismantling of The Detroit Bad Boys

The Dismantling of The Detroit Bad Boys - How the Bad Boys broke up following their loss to the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 NBA Playoffs

[@mr.e347]

One fact is: everybody complains that legends like Barkley, Ewing, Malone, Stockton, Drexler couldnt get rings (ok Clyde joined Hakeen in 95 to get one). Isiah and the gang beat MJ 3 times Bird 2 times and Magic 1 time (88 almost did by the way) to get their rings. Respect to Daily, Isiah, Dumars and Rodman!

[@Thekingpac2014]

The Celtics from 1980-1988 were the same,in fact they're the ones that taught Detroit how to be tough,Detroit went beyond what the C's taught them,but to tell the truth,every team back in those days had a goon or two. Jordan(although not really a dirty player) could throw elbows and get away with it 90% of the time.He was very sneaky with his dirt.

[@tonyjames1953]

Jordan was no angel, nor would I want him to be, but you're right about the "dirt."

[@bgiles26]

Man, being a Pistons fan in the late 80's was a great fuckin' time. We loved the Bad Boys and winning back to back champions was the ultimate.That said, come 1991 we knew they were no longer thirsty. They were tired and ripe to be mauled to death by the Bulls. There was no comeback for these boys so they had to break up the team. We saw each member leave one by one until all that was left was Dumars. I am just glad that I was able to fully appreciate the good times with the Bad Boys.

[@LadyL31786]

I think that since Rick Mahorn got picked up in the expansion draft, the Bad Boys were in the early stages of dying.😢

[@tonyjames1953]

When Mahorn left, the beginning of the end began. Say what you want, but the powers-that-be wanted a Jordan dynasty, and the Bad Boys stood in the way.

[@bloodgamer3487]

@@tonyjames1953 true

[@Pops34100]

Teams get old father is undefeated

[@3DStoneCt]

Isiah and Laimbeer retired in '94; Edwards was still playing for the '96 Bulls and had a game in '93. Johnson wanted at least another year to prove himself. Salley and Rodman could still play at a high level. They replace the Microwave with Daryl Walker (old) who could not shoot who wound up playing for the '93 Bulls. That entire situation makes no sense. The league didn't want Detroit to succeed, that's why Jack broke up that team. No logical reason to do otherwise unless it's to help Jordan.

[@3DStoneCt]

If the Pistons would've re-signed Vinnie Johnson and James Edwards, they would've won the title in 1992. The only reason why they lost in 1991 is due to Isiah's injuries during the 1990-91 season.

[@kingdomthinker9794]

I totally agree.

[@3DStoneCt]

Jordan on NBC making comments during the Detroit series how he wanted to destroy the brand of basketball the Pistons played and how the whole league was going to rejoice. Then I was like, "Hold up, this is fixed for Chicago to win," because I saw how the NBC commentators like Marv Albert, Fratello, and especially Bob Costas was just licking on Jordan. Everyone by that time paid Jordan respect but they kept showing more Bulls' games than Pistons and Detroit was back-to-back champs. Sad & obvious.

[@3DStoneCt]

All the eras were fixed: Bird/Magic; Pistons; Bulls - it was all staged for drama. Everyone had to go through Magic or Bird, mainly Magic because he was more marketable than Bird. But all those games and eras were staged. Isiah, Jordan, Magic, and Bird were all in on it together working together to give us great entertainment, and it was great. They have to have a story of Jordan (good guy) overcoming evil (The Bad Boys) to triumph with victory (Nike). It's a classic Greek tale and mythology.

[@albertmumphreyjr7498]

#1 for the rawest physicaly and mental thoughest team i ever saw in my life detriot has has the awsome brotherhood. Its like a movie with them i love Detroit pistons 1970s to 1980s till 1994.

[@3DStoneCt]

Then I began to see how the Pistons didn't re-sign Vinnie Johnson or keep James Edwards for 1991-92 and I was like, "Okay something is up because there's no reason why if they are healthy in '91-92 that they shouldn't win?" Everyone knew Jordan was the number one moneymaker so they wanted him to win. Plus I began to see how Isiah was the President of the Players Association and he fought Stern and the owners to make sure players got more TV revenue and agents got less $.....

[@eddy1947]

...and then bad boy rodman was born

[@ShogunX11]

As bad as he wanted to be

[@Thekingpac2014]

NBC was all about flash,Jordan was their boy.I'm not gonna lie,I grew up a Jordan fan as a little kid starting around '97.Still a BIG fan of his.....but I'm not gonna be blind to what I have seen over the years.Like this year,ESPN gave MJ as WHOLE 2 Weeks celebrating his 50th birthday.Which shows their true colors. Anyway,i loved the NBC commentating by Marv and the gang,but you could tell they would give MJ enormous credit every time he made a simple trick shot.

[@SuperDetroit9]

Thank you VERY much for pointing out that the Pistons that"Crybaby"(If I could whine like Mike)and the Bulls FINALLY beat was a pale SHADOW of the team that beat the Lakers and Blazers for the titles!! That team did WONDERS for the self-image of my town!! After the 1st title,EVERYBODY flooded the streets and partied ALL night-long,yet not one incident of violence broke out,because all the thugs and hoodlums were SO glad the Pistons finally"did it",conflict was driven far from everybodys mind! :)

[@JK-br1mu]

No, they didn't make that excuse at all here. They showed AFTER 1991. They didn't even talk about the blowout loss to the Bulls, when the Pistons were still in their prime and had their dynasty ended at the halfway point, when they could have won more.......Isiah was only 29 in 1991, so was Rodman, Salley was 26, Dumars was 27. Jordan won 4 Finals in his 30s, so what's your pathetic excuse for getting blown out.

[@christianhilbert1446]

I’ll never know why they didn’t give this team a few more years

[@Pops34100]

They were done

[@docpj72]

RIP Chuck Daly-old school ball was great in the late 80's/early 90's with tough D.. hard to watch NBA now with players such as Kobe, LeBron and KD getting blown on and a foul is called.

[@incidentalist]

Don't forget 25 free throw WADE in 2006 FINALS LUL 97 total in the series, what a joke!!

[@ΚατερίναΔ-ζ6υ]

It's true that NBA is unbearably soft nowadays and that the 90's was the toughest and most glorious era, but don't forget that this ridiculous refball was happening with Jordan as well. You couldn't breathe near him. Everything was tough in the 90's except when you were guarding Jordan. Stern and Thorn paved the way for the Bulls dynasty, and each time the Bulls were in a tough situation, the refs were clearing the game for them.

[@antonioguglielmetti2661]

Not kobe lol he played in a the 2004 finals defense at least

[@SuperDetroit9]

AMEN,AMEN,AMEN!! Now Jordan WAS an exceptional player,but it was the leaguewhich"made"Jordan into this so-called basketball diety because HE"ressurrected"the league financially when it t was about to tank!! Jordan effectively BOUGHT his rings!!

[@3DStoneCt]

Sports is NEVER to be taken seriously. Players are nothing more than commodities and when a player "gets out of line" then they have to humble him - thus James in '11. As far as how sports is fixed or set-up, the players today are more obvious in revealing this than they were during the 80's when you thought it was just a game. The guys now aren't as good actors so they reveal a lot without even realizing it. Media does also but you have to think for yourself and realize it's just entertainment.

[@3DStoneCt]

Exactly! The NBA signed a new deal for 1990-91 with NBC and their job was to promote Jordan and the Bulls. Detroit won back-to-back rings going for a 3rd and they weren't promoted at all as Chicago was during that time. Detroit was the better team up until January when Isiah got hurt (which was fixed). Isiah was President of the Players Association fighting for the rights of players getting TV $ so they didn't want Thomas to win. It was good for business for Jordan to win for owners/commish.

[@officialmightynotoriousaka3897]

The Pistons had been to the Eastern conference finals five years in a row, and they're written off dead in the hot water for 1992

[@EFunkRock]

Piston fans are also owed 1988 rings.

[@3DStoneCt]

See what 'urks me and enabled me to put this together was how differently Detroit played in '91 ECF vs. Chicago than Boston or even in '90 vs. Chicago. Isiah in particular was more aggressive in 1990 vs. '91 and even against Boston Detroit fought more in the 2nd round than vs. Chicago. No aggressiveness and the only guys that played well were Vinnie Johnson and Aguirre. Then I went back and looked at how Zeke faked his '88 injury vs. L.A. and how Magic faked his '89 injury and so forth.

[@tkcwu]

James edwards had the fadaway way before jordan had it. he even did it when he was with mike at the buls wearing his XIs

[@t100base]

exactly, you're right on. We all need to wake up to the truth. i was a die hard bull fans as a kid, but as an adult i saw the truth. everyone needs to grow up and realize what you are talking about, because it's very true.

[@ΚατερίναΔ-ζ6υ]

Malone's elbow took place in Dec. 1991, ie BEFORE the Dream Team olympic tournament. And the Bad Boys dissolved in summer 1992, not summer 1991. Totally inaccurate documentary.

[@edmerc92]

It got that part out of order but the rest is correct. The first 10 players of the Dream Team were named in the summer of 1991. That same summer was when Edwards was traded and Vinnie let go. Isiah then dropped 44 on Stockton in the first meeting and in the rematch, Malone decked him. 1992 was when McCloskey and Daly resigned.

[@wallaceX2jc]

@RuflessRecords The Detroit team in 91 were similar to this year San Anotonio Spurs. Sure, Isiah, Dumars, and Lambieer (Duncan, Manu and Parker) was there, but the overall mentality wasn't there anymore.

[@hillbillydlux13]

@philsense Thats a great point. I can't remember how many conference championships they had; maybe 7. And to see them lose Ben and Chauncey, and eventually fade into mediocrity, you could tell the magic was fading. My dad was born in Detroit and he said that Piston team reminded him of the Bad Boys as far as chemistry and family atomosphere. Well put.

[@jsbruzina]

I felt then and still feel now that McCloskey broke up the Pistons at least two years too early ...

[@kosmicwizard]

Um, they couldn't compete against the bulls

[@Pops34100]

Their time was up

[@thok78]

R.I.P. Chuck Daly

[@jmckdekalb316]

A good thing must end

[@Cw311z]

As well Bad Things Too.😉

[@MrIgnaxius]

I agree, ben leaving detroit for chicago was tolerable for the team back in 06 but when chauncey was traded for iverson at the beginning of the 08-09 season, it was the start of their downfall and the members of the 04 title team left one by one, sad to see them in a losing state that they are in right now.

[@SuperDetroit9]

THANKS for an honest post,'cause this team meant SO much more to me than just some b-ball team,as their winning the title,brought my(ultra-violent)city"TOGETHER"for the first time EVER!! See,just AS soon as the horn blew,my ENTIRE 'hood sped downtown in droves; with BROOMS out the car windows shouting:"SWEEP"!! For the FIRST time EVER there're THOUSANDS in one area;withOUT a SINGLE"beef"among all these drunk folk,cause EVERYone's SO very ESTATIC that they FINALLY gave our city a WORLD title!!

[@thebionicbassplayer]

I remember all of this like it was yesterday. It hurt bad when Vinnie was traded, and that was the first fissures in the dam that would eventually break.

[@Agenthai7]

From this, it seemed only so when they broke up. He was part of family :)

[@3DStoneCt]

I mean this thing goes back far. The Magic/Bird rivalry was fixed; the Isiah pass to Bird in '87 was done on purpose; the Scott/Magic injuries were fake and the Jordan era was certainly fixed for $ purposes - everyone bowing to Mike and loved losing to him, which told on the league even more. Then I began to see how the coaches, refs, commentators, and players orchestrated games, scenarios, championships, and how everything was scripted from what guys said to offensive/defensive mishaps.

[@onblock7]

This team was legendary! Still well known today by younger kids!

[@Thekingpac2014]

Cont)The series would've went to 6 games.In actuality,the Pistons were in my book the "real" first team to 3peat since Red&Bill's Celtics,seeing that they were cheated out of the '88 Chip by Stern.I'm a big Pat Riley fan,but when he said that L.A. was going to repeat,Stern had to make that a reality for the what he figured was the betterment for the league a that time.That '88 team wasn't as good as the '87 team.The barley made it to the Finals,and barley beat Detroit w/ Zeke injured in GM6&7.

[@WillJM81280]

Do you have evidence of rigging/tampering?

[@antonioguglielmetti2661]

@@WillJM81280Kareem travelled and blew game 6 and the refs bailed him out with a foul call. All they needed was to force a game 7 because Isaiah was already injured and their chances were slim if it went to a game 7. Then at the end of game 7 fans ran into the court before the game was over. Magic fouled Isaiah who had a shot at tying it up and another no call happened. 1989's sweep was well deserved on the Lakers end

[@KORYANDRELSCOTT-yh7lr]

That's so true! Detroit had some great teams, but management,and money broke up a greta thing. Even though they had aging stars, they could have brought in some young blood to mix in with them to give them a coulpe of more runs. At the end of the day, every team has to make hard long term decisions. The Bulls Dynasty was broken u the same way as The Pistons was, in my opinion! When money talks, aging stars walk!

[@3DStoneCt]

So then things began to suddenly make sense with Isiah either faking his wrist injury or being told to throw 1991 vs. Chicago and being left off the Olympic Team in '92. As a Pistons fan I understood the 'walk-off' in '91 before I put the pieces together because we as Pistons fans never respected Jordan or what the Bulls stood for - a one man marketing team with scrubs. It would've been better to lose to Bird or Magic than to Jordan. The 'walk-off' was a protest against the NBA.

[@konstantinkoverchenko9587]

The Worm soon evolved into Rodzilla. ~_~

[@assholus228]

if isiah thomas really was a prick in trying to freeze-out Jordan in the 1985 All-star, then he deserved the prick-treatment by being taken out of the honor of the dream-team.

[@3DStoneCt]

When I say it's fixed, I'm not talking about a call or a bad scenario, I'm talking about the entire business being in on an agenda to promote things based upon how we see them. It's like everyone getting millions investing in this one product, the product is fixed to bring forth a certain outcome towards customers; everyone in the business knows it and contributes to it but customers (fans). That's how this works so whatever you see is planned out and has been negotiated behind the scenes.

[@xdcurlin]

It feels like we are repeating history

[@3DStoneCt]

Yeah, professional sports have always been a joke. I used to think what I was seeing was real when I was a teenager - then my Pistons lost to Chicago in '91 and I was like, 'Hold up?' I didn't mind that Detroit lost but I was like, "How the hell do you dominate a team 3 straight years throughout the regular season and playoffs and then get swept?" Then based upon the calls in that series (first 3 games) it was obvious; then I looked at the open comments by Jordan on NBC wanting to destroy...

[@WillJM81280]

You clearly haven’t watched the Last Dance. First off Jordan put on 25 lbs. of muscle after the 3rd time, so he could be strong enough to take the punishment. Second, Phil Jackson implemented the triangle which completely dismantled the Pistons “Jordan Rules” strategy. Third, Scottie Pippen came into his own that year and became the complement to Jordan. Fourth the series went from 4-1, 4-2, and 4-3, so it’s on Detroit to see the Bulls improving and make changes, which they did not do. Detroit had two championships, and then evolution passed them by. That’s the nature of things.

[@edmerc92]

There are parallels between McCloskey and Jerry Krause. Ron Rothstein was Jack's Tim Floyd, the coach in waiting. At least Trader Jack waited for the Pistons to lose once before he broke them up.

[@1millioneyes610]

Magic was injured for most of the nba finals in the Piston's first championship.

[@bcnihao]

Thomas was injured in the finals the year before that. So . . . ?

[@1millioneyes610]

No they weren't Magic on the Lakers woulda destroyed the Bad Boys Pistons in 7 games

[@1millioneyes610]

Well since you put it that way, The Houston Rockets woulda still won both NBA Championships in 94 and 95 regardless if Michael Jordan retired or not

[@Primitiveamoeba]

Tamentonen Hageshi the lakers were already down 2 games before magic got hurt. it may not have been a sweep, but the series was definitely over.

[@danielmatos2533]

Tamentonen Hageshi 1995 maybe, 1994 I don't think so

[@janitormopmop]

So you're saying that the Bulls, Pistons, and the media all cooperated to have the Bulls lose in 88-90 and win in 91? And also that Zeke's injury was faked?

[@3DStoneCt]

Let's look at the 1991-92 Pistons. All Rodman had to do was work on his game in the offseason of '91 developing a 15-20 foot jumpshot and a handle. How can you be in the NBA all those years and not even use the offseason to develop your skills to handle the basketball consistently? You mean to tell me Worm never went in the gym from June - Oct. to shoot jumpshots? It's sick. If Rodman develops his game with two basic skills - ball handling and shooting, then the Pistons win in 1992 easily.

[@3DStoneCt]

I will personally always believe something outside of the actual front office of the Pistons led them to break up their team. It's the same reason Magic had to retire (HIV) and they got rid of Isiah's Pistons to make way for Jordan to win. See, this is why I always say pro sports is fixed. You have a greater product in Jordan and you get rid of his greatest competition - Magic/Isiah by destroying their teams. It was all planned. I saw the 1992 Lakers preseason and they were really good.

[@3DStoneCt]

Think about it like this: You never hear the NBA say to fans not to spend money on merchandising or to NOT believe the games are legit/real? I'm sure you've played basketball in the backyard/gym with friends who are either better than you or you are better than. You toy with them/they with you to make you think you have a chance. You can foul on purpose, take a bad shot, miss an easy shot - all on purpose. These are pros, they are that gifted to manipulate the game on purpose.

[@Thekingpac2014]

Well said.I think maybe the NFL is the lesser evil of the many in pro sports. The Pistons core was pretty old by NBA standards,Zeke was also injured for most of the season and really wasn't the same anymore after that.He performed poorly in the playoffs cause of his busted ankle.But besides that,the NBA had a hand in getting rid of the physical play all together that year.In my opinion;the Bulls would still beaten the Pistons,but if Detroit had been given a fair shot by the refs...

[@3DStoneCt]

I don't understand what you are talking about? The Sixers played the Lakers in '82 and in '83, lost in '82 and won in '83. Birdsong played for the Nets and Celtics. Buck Williams was drafted by the Nets in '81 behind Mark Aguirre and Isiah Thomas. I'm not sure what you are asking or saying?

[@Thekingpac2014]

Wow! That's a very,very,very deep theory.I mean,do you think the NBA is similar to the WWE? I mean,the NBA doesn't make it as obvious as the WWE does,but from what you said,it makes some sense.As a Heat fan,I found it strange how we won the '06 chip,& w/ Wade talking all those FTAs,I still believe that Wade was the best player in the playoffs that year,but it was in our favor that year.And then how the Mavs came back and beat us in '11,and LBJ's strange underachieving play,that shit was unreal.

[@RuflessRecords]

@SuperDetroit9 why do you say that Deet-riot was a pale shadow of itself in the 91 season when the Bulls finally beat them? Looked like Isaiah was out there, and everyone else was. What was wrong with Isaiah during those playoffs? Was Rodman as much of an idiot back during the championship years or was that mostly later in the 90's?

[@OldSchoolwrestlingOG]

No body taught Detroit to be tough other then the streets of life Isish was tough his whole life

[@3DStoneCt]

I'll never understand why they broke up that team after losing to Chicago in 1991. Pistons fans were cheated out of revenge when the front office let go of Vinnie Johnson and James Edwards. I can understand getting Walker/Woolridge but not at the expense of your core guys. Microwave and Buddha were cornerstones and they would have won with a healthy 1991-92 Pistons team. Injuries got the Pistons in 1991 and the front office didn't allow them to succeed in 1992. Outside NBA pressure from handlers

[@3DStoneCt]

See, it's all fixed and everyone is in on it. The Magic/Bird era was fixed; the Bad Boys era was fixed; the Jordan era was fixed, but Jordan never gave it up to Ewing so things got stuck in the league - they forced Mike to retire and then got 3 more chips out of him and then forced him to retire. See everyone had to go through the Lakers, even to this day ('83 Sixers, '84 Celtics, 89 Pistons, '91 Bulls, '99, '03 Spurs, '04 Pistons, '08 Celtics, etc.) You don't see that as a coincidence?

[@AntonioWhite-ef4ue]

You got to look at the Pros and cons... Basketball is business and sometimes things are going to change even though some players don't know that or do...The Pistons had a great run winning 2 championships, but what hurt them in 1991 was some there key guys were hampered by injuries, but they didn' t use it as excuse...They did won 50 games in regular season and still made the play-offs which is good thing...But the Chicago Bulls one of my top 3 favorite NBA teams, they won 61 games and reasons they were able to beat the Pistons was because Jordan wasn't the only primary factor, he got the rest of his teammates involved even though he was still averaging 30 points a game, plus Scottie Pippen finally emergered as the 2nd superstar of the team behind Jordan with the implement of triangle offense thanks to Phil Jackson and his coaching staff...Plus jordan had to lift weights just to become strong 💪 enough to beat the pistons

[@nonamewillbegiven6847]

Oh shutup, he been had those guys involved, they just were able to hit their shots now and not let the Pistons punk them like before

[@edscottable]

which team is the greatest team ever, and which great team could beat other great teams are two different questions. bulls core had great health, played together for a long time, got together early enough in their career to have a long run together. in mho the 72-win bulls team has NO recent rival, but the '94 rockets, '87 lakers, '89 pistons, '02 lakers, '03 spurs are some of my tops for the last 25 or so years.

[@bwp2bruce]

Yup. All that needs to be said.

[@3DStoneCt]

* Correction WCF in 1986 not ECF

[@3DStoneCt]

The truth is I don't think there's anything wrong with sports being fixed. Nobody complains about a play, movie script, or book already being finished and written when you watch it/buy it? Sports is the same thing. Think about this: someone has to win the championship every year, so why try to achieve to play hard? Truth is these guys aren't paid all that $ to win, they are paid to follow the script. Owners, GM's, coaches, players, refs, and media are all on the same page about the same thing.

[@truthh8322]

Best thing that ever happened to the nba

[@3DStoneCt]

I think Jack McClousky purposely messed that team up because it makes no sense to have an injured championship team and get to the '91 ECF and then throw it all away when you can add a player or two and get healthy the next year and make at least another 2-3 year run adding players here-and-there around the core: Isiah, Dumars, Johnson, Aguirre, Laimbeer, Salley, Rodman, Edwards. Salley needed to work on his jumper and post game and Rodman needed to learn how to handle and shoot from 15-20 feet.

[@bertlovemorleo1096]

the bulls ended them

[@3DStoneCt]

I'm a Pistons fan but I know Zeke threw the ball to Bird on purpose in 1987 and faked his ankle injury in 1988 and Magic and Scott faked their injuries in 1989 so Zeke could win. I know the Bird/Magic era was fixed for the Celtics/Lakers to dominate and the propaganda of the white vs. black/ying vs. yang was there. The Jordan era was fixed by destroying all Jordan's obsticles: Zeke/Magic but Magic handed Jordan to torch; Zeke protested thus no Olympic Team. It's all by design.

[@3DStoneCt]

What got me to look at pro sports differently as being "staged" was the fact that I was a huge Pistons fan and I couldn't comprehend Detroit losing to Chicago 4-0 in 1991 after they constantly dominated Chicago from 1988-1990 throughout the regular season and playoffs. Plus I looked at how NBC had taken over the NBA and how they hyped up Jordan and the Bulls when Detroit was the defending champs that year. And why did Zeke have to be the one to get hurt in '91?.....

[@3DStoneCt]

Well it's like this: If you have 30 billionaires together in a joint-venture, nothing is by accident. Everyone you hire promotes your agenda. The customer (fans) aren't allowed to know what's going on because fans aren't investors. It's nothing more than a movie production - everyone has their role and job to do and nothing varies from the script, even adversaries are paid off to oppose you because they get paid to present another point-of-view to the consumer (fans).

[@sarnow76]

Sad this had to happen.

[@RuflessRecords]

Something about the new GM's smile at 3:04 didn't not inspire confidence in Pistons fans for how they would do after 1992.

[@3DStoneCt]

If anyone has played basketball it's very easy to fix, even if you are bad at playing. All you have to do is fake hustle, commit silly fouls, take bad shots, and not cover a good shooter and you can make it look as if you are playing hard but you aren't. The game is a circus that's scripted and players get paid to follow the script not play a sport. The better you are and more skilled you are, the easier it is to fake it and make it look real. Pro sports is scripted like a play/movie/sitcom.

[@3DStoneCt]

If Detroit wanted to win they would've kept Vinnie/Edwards and then signed Woolridge/Walker or at least signed Mahorn, who was a free agent at the time to help their front court. That was all fixed because there was no reason for Jack M. to make those moves. Plus, I have to also blame Salley and Rodman because had Rodman developed ball handling skills with a 15-20ft. jumper, Detroit would've been right back up there to win. The entire thing stinks. Pistons fans are owed 1991 and 1992 rings.

[@juancisterne]

Is it time to feel soft about an opponent, or rehab, heal, and play to win?

[@SuperDetroit9]

Hey,the N.B.A will do ANYTHING to fill its coffers,like"stage"that incident where Shaq(supposedly)jammed the rim so hard that he brought down the whole(hydralic) backboard apparatus!Excuse me but hydralics are SO strong that they can move rollercoaster/thrill rides(among other things)with over a TON of weight upwards over FIVE HUNDRED feet at amazing speeds!! So I'm to believe a big country-oaf like Shaq is STRONG enough to overpower hydralic pressure!! My"respect"for the N.B.A died that day!

[@3DStoneCt]

If you keep Vinnie Johnson and James Edwards, you still can win the '92 title. The only reason why Detroit lost in '91 was because Isiah was injured. Edwards wound up playing for the Clippers in '92 and then Lakers in '93 so you mean Detroit couldn't sign him for 2 more seasons? Plus, in 1992 Detroit still could have picked up Mahorn after he was released by Philly. Also, there's no excuse to let go of Vinnie Johnson replacing him with Walker who couldn't score. Fans missed out on 1992 all over.

[@3DStoneCt]

Magic got swept when he 'passed the torch' and how did that happen? He faked his hamstring injury along with Byron Scott so Detroit could win. Detroit's demise was fixed; Jordan's era of winning was fixed. Jordan didn't want to 'pass the torch' like others before him so they forced him to retire twice. In 1993, the Knicks were supposed to win and in 1998, the Jazz were supposed to win. Why? When great players lose (and it's fixed) it progresses the league forward. Jordan never gave it up.

[@Thekingpac2014]

Yeah,maybe you're right.But it gets this generalized idea as a "REAL" sport.I mean,besides the decision in '10,and promising 7 titles,I don't think LBJ did anything to be calmed down.But me and some of my friends were in amazement how he didn't play up to his level of play(after GM2).I never got to see Michael(Jordan) play in his prime( IMO was '87-'93),but he was protected a lot during his time as he was the golden kid.He was the opposite of his off-court persona,when he gave interviews.

[@jeffersoncereno7921]

'91-'97 6 years 5 summers 3.5 q.p.a.

[@jeffersoncereno7921]

2.7k papa[g].....

[@puppethound]

No sympathy for those Pistons. They were dirty af, they got everything they deserve

[@edscottable]

otis birdsong and i wanna say sugar and a young buck williams. how does that team beat the sixers

[@Badmojo323]

they were a dirty team. Jordan might have thrown some elbows, but the "bad boy" pistons did it every game and the players would intentionally hurt the other team. Bill Laimbeer is a perfect example

[@mobetta2092]

But when the rough house Pacers and Knicks of the 90s played physical, it was "cute" simply because those teams never defeated Jordan.

[@edmerc92]

Name one player that Laimbeer injured.

[@onblock7]

I would say this is very true except for probably the Spurs, I can't see why STERN would want that small market ratings killing team to win! He doesn't! The fact they were so successful in this hype media driven league it's crazy! I agree on alot of what you said there though.

[@oakmase7818]

the pistons always reborn from their ashes, they should play in phoenix. 89-90, 2004, now jennings and josh smith, sheed as assistant coach, it's a new dinasty;

[@beat1196]

oak mase Hope they 4-Peat this year!

[@brandonmorris9889]

The announcer sounds like Curtis Armstrong.

[@edscottable]

calm down. all i was talking about was that i remember that first round series in 84 when the nets beat the sixers and how sure dr j was in the media that nj couldn't win in philly. that comment wasn't addressing your weed head philosophy.

[@3DStoneCt]

Remember one hand washes another. Dr. J was ambassador for the NBA and he made sure Magic won in '80 and Bird in '81 after the 76ers were up 3-1 vs. Boston in the ECF. See there's a reason why Dr. J. is revered now - he lost vs. Magic/Bird to enable them to get on the grand stage - then Magic gave him the '83 ring in a sweep, the next year ('84) 76ers lost in the first round - same team. So now it's Magic/Bird 84-85, well you can't make it obvious so stick Houston in there and make Magic lose 86

[@Thekingpac2014]

Agreed.They're very honest about their agenda basically.I never thought that the WWE would still take over half of the population with being "real".Yeah,players and coaches 15-20 years ago may have had a completely different opinion of things.But not in the last 10 yrs.IMO when players give interviews about Jordan or Phil Jackson,or even Kobe,they(well most of them)seem sarcastic about how great they were.I mean,you don't got a player in the league today that doesn't believe MJ was the G.O.A.T.

[@Thekingpac2014]

I find that oddly strange,true that they have people that agree on things,but every single player and coach?John Salley is a perfect example;back when he worked for NBC,15 yrs ago,he said Michael was the greatest hands down,but last year,he changed his opinion,said it was Magic.So I do think that the NBA has a very,very biased view on certain players,especially the ones that make their league rich.NFL&MLB have done this too,but not to the extent of the NBA.It's pretty fucking annoying.

[@3DStoneCt]

Sure it does. If you are a star player (number 1 pick in '84) and a center, you are right up there with the best so you are well-able to manipulate games, series, circumstances, etc. Plus, Hakeem was one of the first international players in the NBA to take the game overseas. Houston was better than the '86 Celtics and better than the '86 Lakers (defending champs). They threw the '86 Finals for Bird and made it easier for Magic in '87 while losing to Seattle; Isiah helped Boston in '87.

[@3DStoneCt]

WWE tells everyone how the world works, that's why it's so popular. What's going on in sports is they are trying to put all players in a certain light so nobody can be free to say anything they really want in terms of their own professional opinion. If you've noticed, players don't speak as candid or as normal as they did 15-20 years ago. Neither do they keep it professional merely about the game or their job, it's like they have to promote an agenda based upon race, politics, religion, etc....

[@WatchVenusSpa]

McCloskey was a medler to a point of self destruction which is why the Pistons couldn't rebuild.

[@jeffersoncereno7921]

'09 - P50 later.....

[@SuperDetroit9]

I DON'T blame them,as the N.B.A itself conspired to bring the Pistons"down"and(purely for financial reasons)"set up"Jordan as the leagues"spokesman"because he put BIG MONEY into the NBAs' account,as the major"draw"for basketball!! He"whined"all week preceeding that game with the Pistons,and the refs(to keep him happy and not risk him ever leaving the game in disgust)LISTENED and"whistled"the Pistons for even"rolling their eyes"!! The Bad Boys got ROBBED by conspiracy to keep one man"happy"!!

[@essvee86]

Can't say I was shedding tears when they were breaking up.

[@MazzaMedia_]

I'm a Celtics fan. I hate Isiah. However, the guy was royally fucked by not being apart of the original Dream Team.

[@papaadot9369]

This is coming for the warriors soon

[@ancientsymbol]

The Bulls taking down the Pistons in '91 was so sweet! It was so much fun despising those thugs.

[@Thekingpac2014]

I'm not gonna lie,I have done that countless of times with my friends&family members...making them think they're gonna win,but when i see the pros doing it to fans...fucked up. It's very laughable when Stern gets asked questions about rigging,and he gets up tight.Everyone(well smart NBA Fans)know that it's all controlled by $. I mean I found out that Jordan grossed over 10 Billion$ in revenues during his career.It's kinda sad to find out that your favorite teams are basically meant to win......

[@jhumspogi3945]

its not the family atmoshpere or their bunch of player where trader.its because bulls is beating them and they need to change their style because its not working anymore

[@utubefanbase]

I know the league can cheat like they did for Kobe's lakers to win chips 1 and 3. In chip 1 the refs cheated vs. Portland and in chip 3 refs cheated Sacremento. But for the Bulls, I have to disagree with you. I mean the Pistons got old, management did a poor job of bringing in young talent to relieve Isaiah, Dumars, and Johnson of minutes. The lakers did do that but the bulls did not just win, the bulls beat them bad. I'm sure if Magic was handing the torch down it woulda been competitive.