Five great NBA playoff rivalries of all time

3. Chicago Bulls v/s Detroit Pistons

The Bulls v/s Pistons rivalry is arguably the most bitterly fought rivalry of all time. The rivalry witnessed the transformation of Michael Jordan from being the most talented player in the NBA, to becoming the greatest hoopster of all time.

The two teams met each other four times in the 1990’s with the Pistons winning three of the four encounters. The rivalry was marked by utter despise, animosity and hatred between the two teams. The unrelenting competitive spirit and utter desire to win and dominate the other resulted in one of the most physical and highly contested encounters of all time.

Jordan Rules, a reality or just a brilliant mind-game.

The most hyped part of the rivalry was the psychological mind-games that the Pistons played to throw the Bulls leader and the league’s leading scorer Michael Jordan off his game. The Pistons deployed a new strategy to stop Jordan from scoring, famous by the name of “Jordan Rules”. What exactly comprised the strategy is still a mystery, but whatever it was, it had the desired effect and the Pistons were able to subdue the attacking threat of Jordan.

The defining moment of the rivalry came after the Bulls routed the Pistons 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals of 1991. Anticipating the loss, the Pistons stars like Isiah, Bill Laimbeer and Mark Aguire walked off the court with 7.9 seconds left in the final game, so that they wouldn’t have to congratulate the Bulls. Not a great show of sportsmanship, but considering the animosity and hatred shared between the two sets of players, one wasn’t exactly surprised or shocked.