The only way to stop the Chicago Bulls 23

Michael Jordan’s legacy transcends his own sport. The Chicago Bulls’ No. 23 jersey changed the game of basketball and took the NBA to places where they had never been interested in the art of shooting.

“Air Jordan” had an impeccable record in the Finals. Six wins, six wins, six championship rings. This fact is often used in his defense in conversations about the best players of all time—often along with LeBron James—but the truth is, without Chuck Daly’s Detroit Pistons, Mike Ben More championships can be won.

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The proverbial bad boys, hated by all teams but beloved in their city, stopped Jordan from reaching the NBA Finals two more times and once again in the conference semifinals, a situation that left Black Jesus feeling. Frustrated.

But how do they do it? Jordan Rules is a defensive system designed specifically for Bulls No. 23 to stop and limit him on the court.

The main basis of these rules is physical confrontation. During the seasons of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jordan was a slight player whose strengths were dunks and jumps that seemed to lift him into the air.

Therefore, the purpose of the defense and physical game is to mark him, tire him out, and if possible, beat him so that he doesn’t get into the paint and can only shoot from mid-range or beyond the arc. This caused Jordan’s scoring to drop and the team’s scoring to drop, forcing the team to pass the ball to Mike.

“If Michael is on point, we force him out and double-team him,” Dailey explained Detroit’s strategy. “If he’s on the left wing, we’re going to double-team from the top. If he’s on the right, we’re going to double-team slowly. He can do the same damage to you from either side.”

Two Western Conference Finals losses against the Pistons, which also meant two championship rings for Isiah Thomas’ team, forced the Bulls to make changes. Phil Jackson led the team to change its philosophy. Everyone is a team and no longer completely dependent on Mike.

In turn, Jordan added over 80 kilograms of muscle to cope with the Bad Boys’ street style. Just like that, after being eliminated in three consecutive playoff games, Chicago swept the Pistons 4-0 in the 1991 Finals.