"They took a lot of cheap shots, too" - Magic Johnson on why Michael Jordan is still angry the Pistons refused to shake hands

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"They took a lot of cheap shots, too" - Magic Johnson on why Michael Jordan is still angry the Pistons refused to shake hands originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The Detroit Pistons walked off the court in 1991 without offering Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls a handshake after a series sweep in the Eastern Conference finals. It wasn't just a sore-loser moment but the climax of years of bruises, elbows, bitter quotes and a brand of basketball that was as unapologetic as it was effective.
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The moment carries so much weight, especially for Jordan, who, decades later, brought back the distaste he had for Isiah Thomas and his Pistons side for that unsportsmanlike act.
The Pistons' antics
Magic Johnson had battled the same Detroit side on more than one occasion, and he knew exactly the animosity that built up between Jordan and the Bad Boys.
"Because the Pistons were so physical — and they took a lot of cheap shots, too, so — I can understand why Michael was upset," Johnson said. "Because we played against them twice…they took a lot of cheap shots. But that's how they played. They were a rough, tough team, one of the best defensive teams that ever played."
Back then, the Pistons were built to wear opponents down. Led by Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman, Detroit beat and broke opponents, physically and psychologically. From 1988 to 1990, they won back-to-back NBA titles by swarming stars, double-teaming on the perimeter and delivering hard fouls in the paint.
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Their defense was historically elite: in the 1989–90 season, they held opponents to just 98.3 points per game (second-best in the league) and boasted the highest defensive rating (101.9).
Johnson had his own scars from playing Detroit. In the 1988 NBA Finals, his Los Angeles Lakers barely escaped in seven games. The Pistons made every possession a fight. Laimbeer's sneaky elbows, Rodman's relentless energy, Rick Mahorn's post presence.
It was rough.
But Johnson also knew that Jordan, at that point in his career, wasn't just fighting for titles but wanted respect.
Each hit Jordan took from Detroit in the late '80s chipped away at the flash-and-finesse image he carried from North Carolina and his early years in the league. Detroit dared him to earn his greatness the hard way.
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For three straight postseasons, they stopped the Bulls cold. Jordan Rules. That's what it came down to. A defensive strategy designed to contain, bully and frustrate Jordan. They'd force him left, hit him on drives, deny him post space. And it worked. Until it didn't.
Related: "God, if you let me get through this, I won't play no more" - Larry Bird describes the moment that made him retire for good
Jordan's comeback
In 1991, the Bulls finally figured it out.
Chicago swept Detroit 4–0 in the Eastern Conference finals. Jordan dropped 29.8 points per game in the series, while Scottie Pippen emerged as a legitimate star. And then, before the final buzzer sounded in Game 4, Detroit walked off. No congratulations. No eye contact. Just a quiet exit past the Bulls' bench and straight into NBA infamy.
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The Pistons' refusal to acknowledge that moment with a handshake wasn't just bad sportsmanship. It was a refusal to concede. To Jordan, it was personal.
Johnson understands the DNA of rivalries. The Lakers-Celtics wars of the 1980s taught him what grudges could do to legends. But even he acknowledges that the Bulls-Pistons feud hit differently.
"For Michael," Johnson said, "that was a bitter rivalry for both those teams and even today, they still hate each other. But the great thing is, I think the Pistons made Michael Jordan the G.O.A.T."
The physicality Detroit forced upon Jordan reshaped his body and game. He added muscle. He learned to pick his spots. He transformed into a player who could take punishment and still be close. By 1991, he was the league's best player, and he was punishing defenders in return.
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That year marked the start of Chicago's first three-peat. Six titles followed and a legacy was cemented.
But beneath all the rings and trophies, that walk-off moment still lingers.
In "The Last Dance," Jordan makes it clear he hasn't forgotten about the walk-off decades later. Legacy cuts both ways. The Pistons are remembered as villains, but also as champions who set the standard for physical dominance.
Jordan is remembered as the greatest — but also as the man who climbed through Detroit's fire to get there.
Related: "They already had Clyde Drexler, and he was a Jordan-type player" - Bulls GM that drafted MJ explained why Portland passed up on Michael Jordan
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.