Bulls STRATEGY (not age) destroyed Bad Boys

[Manny98]

Rodman wasn't the core. Nice trying to throw him in there instead of Laimbeer to lower the age average, though.



Are Bulls fans really still this insecure about being owned by the Bad Boys?

[guy]

Rodman wasn't the core. Nice trying to throw him in there instead of Laimbeer to lower the age average, though.



Are Bulls fans really still this insecure about being owned by the Bad Boys?

You can add Laimbeer in there but how was Rodman not part of the core? He was making all star games, all-defensive first teams, and winning DPOYs during that time. He was clearly one of their most important players.

[Phoenix]

Rodman wasn't the core. Nice trying to throw him in there instead of Laimbeer to lower the age average, though.



Are Bulls fans really still this insecure about being owned by the Bad Boys?

Nice try acting like Rodman wasn't comfortably the third best player on the team by 91. He was easily a 'core' piece. You could give a silly hot-take and act like Laimbeer was the third wheel in 91 for shits and giggles, and that ups the core to 31, which still isn't old. Point remains whichever direction you'd like to go. The 91 Bulls would have likely beaten either of the Pistons title teams. 'Age' was why they got swept, not why they got beaten.

But yes, 30 years old in 1990 is different from 30 in 2019. We all know the current NBA is comparatively a cupcake era.

[sdot_thadon]

If I wanted to pump up MJ .....

Your words not mine.

My thing is why the notion that it has to be one or the other when it's clearly all of the above? After 3 finals runs alot of teams are spent, especially if they don't add or change pieces of the core. Also the bulls improved, especially their 2nd and 3rd best players so there's also that. 30 in 1991 is not the same as 30 in 2019, there's also that to consider. The rule change that directly targeted Detroit's team identity was also implemented.

In a vaccum one of those, maybe 2 of those are possible to overcome as a team. But all at he same time? There's good reason they never did anything of consequence beyond that season.

[Da_Realist]

Your words not mine.

My thing is why the notion that it has to be one or the other when it's clearly all of the above? After 3 finals runs alot of teams are spent, especially if they don't add or change pieces of the core. Also the bulls improved, especially their 2nd and 3rd best players so there's also that. 30 in 1991 is not the same as 30 in 2019, there's also that to consider. The rule change that directly targeted Detroit's team identity was also implemented.

In a vaccum one of those, maybe 2 of those are possible to overcome as a team. But all at he same time? There's good reason they never did anything of consequence beyond that season.

The Pistons were a tough team and they got under a lot of people's skin but they beat people because they were a great basketball team not because they beat people up. This idea that they needed to beat people up in order to win would insult me if I were a Pistons fan.

[ArbitraryWater]

The Pistons lost their edge because they did not shake hands with the opponent


After this, the league had them figured out



thx OP

[3ball]

Straight from the mouth of John Salley. The Bad Boys couldn't match up with Pippen at the point and they couldn't deal with the triangle while at the same time try to contain MJ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNPP-Cjw8Xg&t=6m33s

Right, but Pippen didn't play the point and the year the bulls beat the Pistons was MJ's big point guard and high assist playoffs (1991)

Salley is correct that strategy beat them though, but he can't flesh it out - he can't actually articulate as to why

But here's why:

the goat + minimal offensive help (18 ppg pippen) = dynasty

Salley is essentially saying that as soon as pippen got to that minimal level (18 ppg), it was enough help for mj to be a dynasty... Before that, the Pistons said they "didn't even think" about Pippen

[sdot_thadon]

The Pistons were a tough team and they got under a lot of people's skin but they beat people because they were a great basketball team not because they beat people up. This idea that they needed to beat people up in order to win would insult me if I were a Pistons fan.

So what you're basically saying then, is their decline had nothing to do with the rule change, nothing to do with their age, and only due to the bulls strategy? Aka the strategy that was so great they lost the 1st rd the following year to a completley different opponent and never made the postseason again going forward?

[3ball]

So what you're basically saying then, is their decline had nothing to do with the rule change, nothing to do with their age, and only due to the bulls strategy? Aka the strategy that was so great they lost the 1st rd the following year to a completley different opponent and never made the postseason again going forward?

Yes, the Bulls beat them so convincingly, that they ended the Pistons' way of playing

After that series, it was clear the Pistons would never win that way again, even though Isiah/dumars/rodman were only 29/27/29 years old

It was similar to the 14' Finals, when the Spurs ended the Heat's 3-peat attempt - the Heat and the little 'efficiency' kick they were on was over - that way of playing was done and proven inferior

[Phoenix]

You could see the Bulls gaining on the Pistons before 91. In 89, they were the only team to take any games off the Pistons that entire playoffs. To take that a step further, between 89 and 90 the Bulls won more games against Detroit than all other teams combined when you add BOTH playoff years. The 91 Pistons weren't as good and on the decline, no argument. But a worse version of Chicago was pushing the best version of Detroit further than anyone else.

Is it *unreasonable* to extrapolate that the Bulls win in 91 even if Detroit was better/younger/healthier? I'm not talking sweep, but a comfortable 6 games? Unreasonable? Detroit's formula for beating Chicago was a by-committee defensive effort designed to punish MJ without having to worry about one of his teammates picking up the slack. That strategy was going to only work until 1) MJ got stronger, more able to withstand the physical defense and more intelligient about how best to attack it and 2) Pippen/Grant developed enough for it to not be a one man band out there. But again, you saw the Bulls gaining ground. The results of 91 really seemed inevitable regardless of which Pistons squad was out there.

[LAmbruh]

[Phoenix]

Got ole Lames swinging from the ole curlies again

[tpols]

so basically once they had even a smidgen to deal with outside jordan they couldnt keep up.

...

GOAT.

[kuniva_dAMiGhTy]

Got ole Lames swinging from the ole curlies again

When lamb isn't talking to himself, he feels that echo chamber closing in.

[Da_Realist]

Funny thing is...Salley never took responsibility to do what was needed. "Who's gonna guard Scottie? He'll back Isiah down. Dennis? Put Dennis on him. Well then who's gonna rebound? Laimbeer has to chase Horace."

That should have been Salley's responsibility!