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"Bill Laimbeer came and gave Larry a chop" - Dennis Rodman on the brawl that started the Pistons-Celtics rivalry
"Bill Laimbeer came and gave Larry a chop" - Dennis Rodman on the brawl that started the Pistons-Celtics rivalry originally appeared on Basketball Network.
During the '80s, every game between the Detroit Pistons and the Boston Celtics was competitive and definitely physical. Though there were times when players lost it and ended up having some physical altercations, those hardcore battles weren't the reason the Pistons and the Celtics hated each other.
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According to Pistons legend Dennis Rodman, he could already sense the animosity between his teammates and the C's early on in his time with Detroit. However, the historic rivalry officially began in the thrilling Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1987.
To this day, "The Worm" can still remember how it all started. After an unsurprisingly physical play between him and Celtics star forward Larry Bird, Pistons bruiser Bill Laimbeer hacked the living lights out of "Larry Legend." As expected, all hell broke loose, and the two teams have hated each other since then.
"Oh, My God. Like I said, man, I was just so green behind the ears. I didn't know. I just wanted to go out there and play. But I think Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Rick Mahorn, Vinnie Johnson, all of those guys that were there before me, they hated them so much," Rodman told Basketball Time Machine when asked how the Pistons-Celtics rivalry started.
"Now you can see the last years we played in the Silver Dom; you saw that brawl when I tried to block Larry Bird's shot. Bill Laimbeer came over and I fell backwards and Bill Laimbeer came and gave Larry a chop with a forearm. Then all of a sudden, the melee," he recalled. "That's when the rivalry started to really happen, right there and I said, 'Oh man, I'm in the league now; this is fun, this is fun.'"
Dennis loved being a Bad Boy
After the disgraceful incident during the '87 playoffs, both the Celtics and the Pistons eagerly anticipated their upcoming matchups. Whenever they stepped on the hardwood, the atmosphere was charged with animosity, and almost every player on both squads was driven not only to secure a win but also to inflict damage on their opponents.
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Fully embracing the Pistons' notorious "Bad Boys" persona, Rodman recognized his pivotal role in these brutal encounters. His task was simple, exhilarating, and yet a bit challenging — to provoke and hurt the Celtics.
However, "Dennis the Menace" had to perform these duties with a strategic mindset. He had to successfully irk and beat up the C's, but not in a very obvious way.
"So, all of a sudden, the 'Bad Boys' started to stick with us," Rodman reflected. "In 1988, and it stuck with us until 1991. I loved it, man. I loved doing my thing. I loved kicking ass and just running basketball games, brother."
"I became the quiet assassin with the 'Bad Boys,'" the two-time All-Star added. "I did my job. I did the dirty work. I loved the work. I loved the people and that just drove me to do bigger and better things for the Detroit Pistons. And I just joined the 'Bad Boys' because I loved it."
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Celtics out, Bulls in
The underlying tension between the Pistons and the Celtics turned every game into a battle of strength and will, with each player fully committed to their cause. However, just before the '80s concluded, Detroit found a new nemesis on the court in the younger and charging Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
With the Celtics no longer in contention and almost out of the picture, the Pistons turned their attention to Jordan and the Bulls. During this period, the "Bad Boys" were not only older but also physically stronger than Chicago.
With their notorious aggressive style of play and wild antics, Detroit often bullied the younger Bulls. While the Bulls may not have matched the toughness of the Celtics during that era, Rodman openly confessed that he also relished the challenge of facing them, particularly when it came to facing Jordan.
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"All of a sudden, we have a difficult time now; Chicago started coming up… we have to get over them now. So, the Celtics, they're pretty much gone, then the Bulls started to come up, and it was a war every game," Rodman said. "I had to stop Scottie Pippen, Michael, those two guys were at us every game."
"It was cool," the two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year said of facing MJ. "Because he gave us the opportunity to work harder because we knew these guys was coming. But it's hard to keep that guy under 30 points; he was that good man."
Rodman's controversial stories from the past only prove that NBA rivalries back in the day weren't just about winning and showcasing skills. For them, it was about pride, glory, and, most importantly, dominance.
Related: "Dennis Rodman won two basketball games" - George Karl hinted that Dennis Rodman was the MVP of the 1996 NBA Finals
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
