Latest news with #JordanRules
Yahoo
9 hours ago
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'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef
'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef originally appeared on Basketball Network. Many old rivalries don't die with time, and one of the most enduring has been the long-standing tension between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. Both are legends, both Hall of Famers and both unshakable pillars in the history of the NBA. Their friction has been brewing for over three decades. Advertisement At this point, their feud feels like part of NBA tradition, a chapter that keeps reopening with each new generation of fans and each documentary revisit. And now, one of the few men who knows both sides personally is calling for peace. Jordan vs. Isiah Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is a friend of the two legends. And like many others, he wants this decades-old rift to end. "I hope that both of them can bury this hatchet and move on, because we are too old for this right now," Johnson said. "If they both sat down and just aired this thing out, both guys will be able to move on with their lives and they would say, 'Hey, let us be friends, because life is too short.'" The beef began, and then it was built slowly, over years of playoff collisions and cultural dominance. Advertisement In the late '80s and early '90s, no team was more symbolic of bruising, physical, win-at-all-costs basketball than Thomas' Detroit Pistons. The Bad Boys redefined defense, and when it came to Jordan, they created a strategy just for him. The Jordan Rules were designed to batter him every time he touched the ball. They worked — at least for a while. From 1988 to 1990, the Pistons ousted the Bulls from the playoffs for three straight years. Detroit's defense, especially its relentless targeting of Jordan in the lane, became legendary. But 1991 marked a shift in power. The Bulls finally broke through, sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. As the final seconds ticked away, Thomas and several teammates walked off the court without shaking hands, a move that seared a permanent scar into NBA memory and, by many accounts, into Jordan's. It symbolized a bitter respect, or perhaps a lack thereof, between two players who had battled on the court for years. Related: "I know Dennis will not throw a punch. No way" - Phil Jackson was confident Dennis Rodman will never start a fight Call for peace The cold war between Jordan and Thomas intensified in 1992 when the Dream Team was assembled for the Barcelona Olympics. Advertisement It was the greatest basketball roster ever created, but it lacked one glaring name: Thomas. Though the point guard was at the tail end of his prime, his accolades were undeniable — two NBA championships, 12 NBA All-Star appearances and an All-NBA First Team selection in 1986. Rumors swirled that Jordan, who wielded immense influence at that point, had quietly made it clear he wouldn't play if Thomas was selected. That sentiment lingers to this day. Whether it was the walk-off in '91 or the Dream Team snub, Jordan and Thomas never publicly reconciled. Even their interviews decades later still sound like transcripts from a conflict frozen in time. "I hope those two guys get together because they are Hall of Famers and they're good people," Johnson said. Johnson stands uniquely between the two. He was close with both men during their careers, won championships and shared the same competitive blood. Both Jordan and Thomas are over 60. Their careers have long ended, but their stories still orbit the present day. In the spirit of reunions and bridges being rebuilt, Johnson's call is a hopeful wish and a reminder that even the greatest need room to heal. Advertisement Statistically, both men sit on the upper crust of basketball history. Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game over his career — tied for the highest in league history — and won six NBA championships. Thomas, while never as statistically dominant, orchestrated the Pistons with surgical precision and brought the city two titles in 1989 and 1990. They were leaders of contrasting styles, Jordan through sheer individual brilliance, Thomas through heart and grit. Perhaps that contrast added to the tension. But as the Los Angeles Lakers legend suggests, the scoreboard has long since stopped counting. The real victory now lies in the resolution. Related: "The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef
'We are too old for this right now' - Magic Johnson pleads with Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas to talk out their beef originally appeared on Basketball Network. Many old rivalries don't die with time, and one of the most enduring has been the long-standing tension between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas. Both are legends, both Hall of Famers and both unshakable pillars in the history of the NBA. Their friction has been brewing for over three decades. Advertisement At this point, their feud feels like part of NBA tradition, a chapter that keeps reopening with each new generation of fans and each documentary revisit. And now, one of the few men who knows both sides personally is calling for peace. Jordan vs. Isiah Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is a friend of the two legends. And like many others, he wants this decades-old rift to end. "I hope that both of them can bury this hatchet and move on, because we are too old for this right now," Johnson said. "If they both sat down and just aired this thing out, both guys will be able to move on with their lives and they would say, 'Hey, let us be friends, because life is too short.'" The beef began, and then it was built slowly, over years of playoff collisions and cultural dominance. Advertisement In the late '80s and early '90s, no team was more symbolic of bruising, physical, win-at-all-costs basketball than Thomas' Detroit Pistons. The Bad Boys redefined defense, and when it came to Jordan, they created a strategy just for him. The Jordan Rules were designed to batter him every time he touched the ball. They worked — at least for a while. From 1988 to 1990, the Pistons ousted the Bulls from the playoffs for three straight years. Detroit's defense, especially its relentless targeting of Jordan in the lane, became legendary. But 1991 marked a shift in power. The Bulls finally broke through, sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. As the final seconds ticked away, Thomas and several teammates walked off the court without shaking hands, a move that seared a permanent scar into NBA memory and, by many accounts, into Jordan's. It symbolized a bitter respect, or perhaps a lack thereof, between two players who had battled on the court for years. Related: "I know Dennis will not throw a punch. No way" - Phil Jackson was confident Dennis Rodman will never start a fight Call for peace The cold war between Jordan and Thomas intensified in 1992 when the Dream Team was assembled for the Barcelona Olympics. Advertisement It was the greatest basketball roster ever created, but it lacked one glaring name: Thomas. Though the point guard was at the tail end of his prime, his accolades were undeniable — two NBA championships, 12 NBA All-Star appearances and an All-NBA First Team selection in 1986. Rumors swirled that Jordan, who wielded immense influence at that point, had quietly made it clear he wouldn't play if Thomas was selected. That sentiment lingers to this day. Whether it was the walk-off in '91 or the Dream Team snub, Jordan and Thomas never publicly reconciled. Even their interviews decades later still sound like transcripts from a conflict frozen in time. "I hope those two guys get together because they are Hall of Famers and they're good people," Johnson said. Johnson stands uniquely between the two. He was close with both men during their careers, won championships and shared the same competitive blood. Both Jordan and Thomas are over 60. Their careers have long ended, but their stories still orbit the present day. In the spirit of reunions and bridges being rebuilt, Johnson's call is a hopeful wish and a reminder that even the greatest need room to heal. Advertisement Statistically, both men sit on the upper crust of basketball history. Jordan averaged 30.1 points per game over his career — tied for the highest in league history — and won six NBA championships. Thomas, while never as statistically dominant, orchestrated the Pistons with surgical precision and brought the city two titles in 1989 and 1990. They were leaders of contrasting styles, Jordan through sheer individual brilliance, Thomas through heart and grit. Perhaps that contrast added to the tension. But as the Los Angeles Lakers legend suggests, the scoreboard has long since stopped counting. The real victory now lies in the resolution. Related: "The greatest debut of a shoe since Mike" - Jeff Teague says Tyrese Haliburton gave his new Puma shoes an iconic debut This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michael Jordan's former agent David Falk said MJ would win 15 championships if he did the same thing as LeBron in his career: "He would've won 15 championships"
Everyone has a take on the GOAT debate, and David Falk is no exception. Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan's longtime agent backs his former client, but he doesn't stop there. Even though he considers LeBron James a top 10 player all-time, Falk adds a pointed remark that many see as a subtle jab at the Los Angeles Lakers superstar. "I really like LeBron, but I think if Jordan had cherry-picked what teams he wanted to be on and two other superstars, he would've won 15 championships," said Falk, per David Schaefer of Sports Business Journal. Advertisement Fifteen championships is obviously an exaggeration. MJ played only 13 years before the two-year stint with the Washington Wizards. However, the 75-year-old former sports agent's point is crystal clear: Jordan won organically, leading a core that was primarily built, not bought. LeBron's route, built through free agency and alliances, remains a lightning rod in the GOAT debate. Is LeGM actually real? LBJ's "LeGM" moniker began to make the rounds in 2014 when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to reports, James lobbied for the Cavs to trade No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins for Minnesota's Kevin Love to assemble a win-now core with Kyrie Irving. After all, no matter how good Wiggins was coming in, he still needed to get his feet wet while K-Love was already a double-double machine who could space the floor. Although James and others familiar with the situation didn't explicitly acknowledge LeBron's role in roster construction, they referenced it indirectly on several occasions. For instance, Stefan of the YouTube basketball channel Heat Check showed clips of the four-time champion taking credit for the Russell Westbrook trade in 2021. Advertisement Moreover, Irving said this on the I Am Athlete podcast (H/T: Outkick): "Bron was like, behind the scenes… what's his nickname that people call him? LeGM? He put the squad together. I wasn't mad at him. I was like, 'Alright, this is how it goes.'" "There is no secret that James and (his agent Rich) Paul help build rosters," OutKick's Sam Amico said back in 2022. "They did it with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-18, and they've been doing it with the Lakers since. Usually, it works out OK." Nonetheless, an athlete of James' stature should have that type of pull anyway. After all, the Akron native cannot afford to waste his final years playing for a rebuilding team with no real shot at a title. The four-time MVP's supposed efforts to acquire his preferred players do not always go as planned, but they reflect a calculated urgency to stay in contention while time runs short. Did MJ stay in his lane? As Falk alleged, "His Airness" chose not to meddle with front office affairs and let Jerry Krause do his job. Krause himself admitted that MJ "never once" pressured him to draft or trade a particular player. Advertisement However, that's not entirely true. Jordan Rules author Sam Smith wrote about Jordan's repeated explicit requests to acquire players of his choosing directly to Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. For instance, the six-time champion publicly wanted Walter Davis, a fellow UNC alum. Jordan lobbied for a Horace Grant-Buck Williams trade because he never believed Grant would develop to become a trusted force at power forward. Whether they admit it or not, superstars almost always leave their fingerprints on roster construction. Some, like Jordan, benefited from stability and a front office that ultimately delivered a co-star in Scottie Pippen, one he grew with over time. Others, like LeBron, have had to be more assertive, adapting on the fly and building competitive rosters across different franchises, often with less patience and more pressure. In the end, comparing eras means comparing different systems, expectations, and paths to winning. The GOAT debate will always reflect those differences more than it resolves them. Related: "Jordan had Dean Smith. LeBron James has no coaching tree" - Isiah Thomas made a case for LeBron over Jordan in the GOAT debate due to coaching disparity
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"If they played today, they'd be Flagrant twos" - MJ talks about how the 'Bad Boys' Pistons played defense on him
The Detroit Pistons were known as the "Bad Boys" during the late 80s and early 90s because of their toughness and physical defense. The Pistons rode this defensive identity to win back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. However, this persona also put them in a bad light because they were perceived to be a "dirty" team that wanted to hurt their opponents. No one was more familiar with the "Bad Boys" defense than the GOAT himself, Michael Jordan. MJ's ascent to greatness had to pass through the Pistons in the Eastern Conference. Although he eventually got over the Detroit hump, it wasn't easy, as Jordan himself said. Advertisement "They like to junk up the game. They like to beat you down, hard fouls. If they played today, they'd be Flagrant twos. I was beat down because of the physicality of what was happening within the game. And I didn't have it to compete with them," Mike admitted during an interview with Ahmad Rashad. The Jordan Rules Because Mike and his Chicago Bulls were the Pistons' emerging threat in the Eastern Conference, the "Bad Boys" used an even more intense defensive strategy when playing them. People coined it the "Jordan Rules," which put emphasis on stopping Jordan at all costs, literally. The Pistons were successful with their ploy, as they eliminated MJ's Bulls in the playoffs in three straight seasons from 1988 to 1990. In the last of those three years, Chicago took Detroit to its limit by forcing a Game 7. However, the "Bad Boys" proved to be the tougher team once again. For Michael, a second straight loss to the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990 was enough. Advertisement "That's when I really started to physically build my body up and give myself up for that type of beating. From that year on, I got stronger, stronger, stronger, stronger because that became as important as anything else," he added. Related: "I knew my days with the Celtics were over' - Larry Bird admits his love for Boston ended when the team traded his favorite teammate Jordan bulked up to beat the Pistons During the 1990 offseason, Michael hired young trainer Tim Grover for a 30-day trial run that ultimately became a career partnership and turned Tim into one of the most in-demand athletic trainers in the business. In "The Last Dance" documentary, Grover revealed that Jordan went from 200 to 215 pounds that summer, adding 15 pounds of muscle in preparation for another physical showdown with the "Bad Boys." Advertisement "I would give him a certain amount of reps to do, but he would never stop at that number," Grover said of Jordan. "If I asked for six, I knew he was gonna do 12." The results were immediately felt. After going 3-14 during the regular season against the Pistons from 1998-1990, the Bulls won their regular season series 3-2 during the 1990-91 campaign. Chicago finished with its first 60-win season and the best record in the Eastern Conference. In the Conference Finals, they met Detroit for the third straight year, but with Jordan more than ever physically and mentally ready for the Pistons' physical play, the Bulls swept them 4-0 on their way to their first NBA championship. More importantly, MJ finally put the "Bad Boys" in his rear-view mirror. Related: "I didn't get irritated by any of the Pistons" - MJ claims Rodman and the 'Bad Boys' never fazed him
