Chicago Bulls - Detroit Pistons | 1991 Playoffs | ECF Game 3: Bulls keep their poise, take 3-0 lead
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- čas přidán 12. 03. 2008
- They are not afraid of the Detroit Pistons. They are not afraid of the past. And now, the Chicago Bulls are one victory away from eliminating the team that eliminated them from the playoffs the three previous years.
Taking a major step toward the NBA Finals, the Bulls defeated the Pistons, 113-107, here this afternoon at the Palace. Chicago leads the Eastern Conference Finals, 3-0, and can eliminate the Pistons by winning Game 4 here Monday afternoon.
History says that the Pistons' two-year reign as NBA champions is about to end. No team in league history has recovered from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. And the Pistons appeared to throw everything they had at Chicago today, yet the Bulls withstood it.
"We've put the Pistons in a position that they haven't been in for a long time," said Michael Jordan, who scored 33 points for the Bulls on 11-for-19 shooting, saving 14 of them for the final quarter. He also had 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 blocks and 2 steals. "In my seven years here, we've never been to the finals, and we've never beaten this team in the playoffs. We can do both with one more win."
Jordan is playing with tendinitis in both knees, but that has not kept him from being the most dominant player in the series. Whenever the Pistons tried to rally during the fourth quarter, Jordan would make a shot, make a pass or make a defensive play to keep the Bulls in control.
"Anytime they need a big shot, they go to Jordan and he completes the play," Daly said. "He's their finisher. If they can keep the game close, they know they have Jordan around at the end to finish the job."
The Bulls, who led the entire second half, did not flinch when the Pistons made one last, furious run. Detroit's final chance disappeared on a pivotal play with 1 minute 40 seconds remaining and the Pistons trailing, 103-98. After Scottie Pippen lost the ball, Vinnie Johnson (25 points) and Joe Dumars came downcourt two on one against Jordan. But Dumars threw up a wild off-balance shot, trying to draw a foul. Jordan rebounded, and the Pistons never got closer.
"I was going to let Vinnie have the layup because I had four fouls, but he passed to Joe," Jordan said. "I anticipated the pass, then tried to rush at Joe. I didn't foul him. He was off balance. When the shot came off the rim, I grabbed it."
The Pistons were in trouble almost from the opening tap. Chicago shocked Detroit by jumping to a 24-8 lead after 10 minutes, as the Bulls looked more poised and more confident than the defending champions.
Just as they have done previously in this series, the rest of the Bulls gave Jordan plenty of help. Pippen (26 points, 10-for-16 from the field, 10 rebounds) continued to make a name for himself as one of the game's top small forwards, while Horace Grant (17 points) and Bill Cartwright (13 points) were solid throughout the game.
"We've become a mature team that can win on the road," Pippen said. "We're playing smarter. I see the Pistons frustrated because they haven't been able to win a game. We're ready for all the physical stuff they throw at us. Instead of retaliating when they throw a cheap shot, we just let the refs call the fouls and play our game."
For much of the game, the Pistons used a three-guard offense of Isiah Thomas (29 points), Dumars and Johnson (25 points), with Mark Aguirre (17 points) and John Salley (13 points) in the frontcourt. Except for Salley, all of those players are 6 feet 6 inches tall or shorter. But that was a gamble the Pistons' coach, Chuck Daly, felt he had to take. Both Bill Laimbeer (10 points) and James Edwards (2 points) continued to be almost invisible offensively.
"Chicago's athleticism is taking some of our people out of the game," Daly said.
Chicago almost took Detroit out of the game in the first eight minutes. Because the Pistons were so frantic to start quickly, they had trouble controlling their emotions. They missed easy shots and made unforced turnovers. They committed needless fouls. And the Pistons seemed more interested in physically punishing the Bulls than in beating them.
Meanwhile, the Bulls executed their offense. They passed the ball crisply and got all five starters involved early, as the Pistons were reminded again that there is much more to the Bulls than Jordan.
When Detroit fell behind, the action temporarily deteriorated from basketball into a hybrid of wrestling and rugby. Players blantantly shoved each other fighting for rebounds, as the referees, Ed T. Rush, Bernie Fryer and Hue Hollins, struggled to keep play from deteriorating into chaos. But the Bulls appear to have this series firmly under control.
"We've won two championships on the road, and I'd hate to see it die here in our own building," Daly said. "But we're going to have to play a lot better if we're going to beat this club." - Sport
That block by Jordan at 3:27 is amazing. I've always said that I've never seen another player who ALWAYS got ball on those kind of blocks/strips at full speed and no matter the angle he had and no matter how the offensive player protected the ball or when they showed it. Just amazing timing and reflexes.
2 on 1 fast break and Jordan stops both of them, with a bad knee! #GOAT
the game was a bit tougher in those days. i think pippen and jordan would carve up even more in today's game.
That steal by MJ on Edwards. Like foreal who in the Hell steal a ball like that...This man skill-set was simply on another level!
Amazing i mean every bit of that word amazing. Mighty Michael an mighty Scottie an the.mighty Chicago bulls one of the greatest teams of all time they came to take what Detroit had cheated them out of for about three years an now they can enjoy this victory forever an.a.day might Michael an mighty Scottie an the mighty mighty bulls forever an a day
He got his arm that's a foul
@@antonioguglielmetti2661 Thats all ball mate, be real here
@@LOL-ro9efit's close, but picture Isaiah Thomas doing that to MJ. It's gonna be called a foul
@@antonioguglielmetti2661 Its not close, its clean. Idk how it would be called if it was IT and its irrelevent
MJ stopping Dumars and Johnson at the end was classic.
The Bulls broke thru & beat the pistons once in the playoffs but give pistons credit cause MJ & the Bulls lost to the Pistons the last three years 88, 89, 90. That's why MJ & Pippen hated the Bad Boys👍.
Exactly!! Bad Boys will always be in there nitemares probly wake up sweatin!! Ahhh sht..da worm..spider..budda..zeke!!!!!! Duuuuuuuuuuuuumars..wat..huh....
Mj had nothing to do with Joe dumars throwing the ball in the air. It was the fact that the pistons were mentally worn down from winning and dominating the past 2 years. Look at 1989 game 5 when dumars goes flying out of bounds, different mentality back then. They were tired of it and the only reason the bulls won so long was because of their anger of losing to Detroit who destroyed then so badly every year and sang the goodbye song at the end of game 7 the year prior. This play is what decided between a sweep and 7 games
@Low Class Yuppy you'd give me the same excuses if Jordan's wrist got fused too
@Low Class Yuppy I guessed it's that simple for someone too simple to comprehend why. They lost in 7 if things didn't change. No credit for sweep. Period
Notice how this series MJ was a lot more physically stronger than in previous years against Detroit and he unleashed a weapon that he already had , but perfected it more during the 1991 season and that was his jump shot/fade-away jumper. Although MJ was strong enough to withstand driving the lane against Detroit’s defense, MJ took advantage of his perimeter game, still being able to rack up the points and involving his teammates, in particular a more determined and mature Pippen.
Yeah he looks wider and you can tell off the bat
He was beat up in the 90 ECF … Jordan immediately hit the weights after that season. His body looked much different in 91 compared to previous years .
the bulls on defense where insane
its just an awesome sense of relief as relative to life's struggle in the sense that for three years a team can just absolutely own you but yet you can fight through, get better, grow, improve, and then say 'fuck you' i got you now completely....DONT EVER GIVE UP!!!!!!!!
BLADEMACAPHEE nice comments.
I was a huge Bulls fan living in Chicago at the time and I hated the Pistons with a passion. The hatred that existed between these two cities was immense. But as the years have gone by I have come to appreciate all the battles the Bulls and Pistons had. I really believe those epic battles made each team better. And definatley forged the Bulls into the dynasty they would become. Nothing would compare to the tests the Pistons gave them.
What Foul?MJ never came close to a Foul.....BIG Big Big Play though.The guy never Quits...GOAT.
The 7:41 shot and the 2 on 1 fast break that Jordan defended successfully is just amazing. I don't see any player in today's game that will do either of those (with a slightly twisted knee too?)
that steal at 9:49 is absolutely unreal ... jordan was amazing
The bulls learned from Detroit just like Detroit learned from the bird lead Celtics. The pistons ended 2 dynasties by beating both the Lakers and Boston on their way to 2 world titles. The bulls owe Detroit much respect for helping mold them into 6 x world champions.
silvester dorsey, and MJ admitted it.
Yeah. If the pistons didn't win in 1990 the bulls wouldn't have been hungry enough for their 6. They yelled the goodbye song at them in the final minute.
Watch at exactly 3:58 -- the ball is actually stripped out of Jordan's hand on the way up, but he manages to regain control and nail a fadeaway shot. Amazing. He actually did this again vs. Dumars in 1997, but it was much more pronounced then -- Joe D literally knocked the ball out of MJ's hands on the way up on a pull-up, and the ball bobbled around near MJ's chest, and Jordan regained it in midair, double-clutched, and hit the 18-footer. Insane play.
It's even crazier when you see it at full speed (I didn't see it in this video, but have seen the game before). He reacts so quickly, and contorts his body around Edwards so fast as he spins in the air and manages to get a hand on the ball. It's unbelievable.
Michael had ONE all star teamate!
Came out the fucking draft. Horace too.
I'll go as far as saying that Jordan MADE Pippen. Guess who guarded MJ in practice. When you have the best scorer In the game going at you every day in practice you either get better or you get lost. When you have Jordan barking at you every day you get tough. Made him defend at a high level all the time. They helped each other get better.
The Bulls time and time again came up short and couldn't get over the slump. They stuck it out until they got it right. And dominated, consistently. They got Horace and Scott in 87 and didn't win it all until 91.
I know a self proclaimed "King" who left when the going got tough. In a weak Ecf too. Smh. He didn't make any one better. I'm not talking about passing the ball so they can score. I'm saying he couldn't push anyone to actually get better. So they can run along with him to win. So he jumped ship to a team with two stars.
Lebron would have left after game 7 against The Pistons in the 1990 playoffs. Haha. Lose to the Spurs runs away. Loses to the Spurs runs home.
Nice man, you are totally right.
He shoulda left Chicago formed the Big three with Barkley and Kevin Johnson! Haha
+Iceburgg Slimm I'd say Pippen had all the physical gifts to be a great player, but MJ's obsession with winning pushed Scottie.
I know a person who won three chips with two different teams tell your idol to do that
Bill Russell - no. The Jordan Rules failed because they played in the Triangle at the start of the '89-'90 season. This idea that MJ didn't pass is media generated nonsense but the different systems he played in before Phi Jackson came that season in conjunction with the constant changing of players and coaches - terrible players and mediocre coaches at that - made it necessary for him to score so much. Still, in those first five seasons, he had ridiculous assists. Don't buy into the media generalizations - they're almost always lazy and deceptive explanations.
this dude MJ was to clutch
Loved watching the Bulls mop the floor with these guys this series. Bad boys were never heard from again
god damn thomas on that jump ball tho
@orinocoPL Simply an epic performance. Kobe has never faced the kind of punishment MJ had to endure in his first 7 years in the elague.
love when mike abdenour (the trainer) stand up when some pistons player made a basket and 1,jeje
i miss even that kind of detail.
90-91 and 91-92,my two favourite season.
God bless, from Uruguay!!
I have this game on tape and I remember that leap by Isaiah Thomas. Extraordinary. People don't know that he could easily dunk a basketball. He just had small hands. He had to have at least a 40 inch vertical.
Incredible that over 4000 people have watched this. Amaziong.
The right-back fade at 4:00 and the left-back fade at 7:00 - these are shots only MJ made consistently in history and why he is the only volume shooter to hit 50%. The ability to hit 50% on shots he created is unparalleled. Also, the defense at 8:30 is perhaps the sickest defensive play ever. Stopping the 1 on 2 fastbreak and then getting the rebound outmanned 1 on 3 with the freshly injured knee. This is why MJ never ceased to amaze.
Lebron crying about the physical play last night, that was child's play compare to what Jordan had to deal with on a game in game out basis...
Lebron James would have scored 0 point if he ever had to play a game like that. Fucking Hell...
I'm glad you didnt leave out Isiah's jump against Perdue. Thats always been my favorite Isiah moment!
The play they show in the last minute, was textbook by Jordan, he went straight up to rebound....You could argue there was a foul on Dumars on that play
Michael air Jordan simply amazing most iconic NBA player in history
@4:35 Isiah with en epic jump ball
4:29 I'm not a fan of Isiah or his antics, but holy crap he beat Will Perdue in a jump ball??
He jumped early and jumped on perdue's which made go higher. Typical cheat by thomas.
Look I'm not the biggest Isaiah Thomas fan if at all but he out jumped Perdue the jump was a couple of tenths of a second earlier almost unnoticeable and he didn't jump on Perdue watch it in slow mo again he got up higher than Perdue expected even he could dunk and look at how he came down
Apparently he was "old" here lol
@@almir908 it was his timing and his supreme athletesicm from previous years. Dr J dunks at 60
@@antonioguglielmetti2661He wasn't old in this clip 29 isn't old!
Estas eran auténticas batallas, es la diferencia con la NBA de hoy en día.
Agree with you 1000%
this was when basketball was at it's best. the teams was so talented defesively and offensively. after the 2003-2004 season basketball started to go down. guys really don't have to work on their skills and the craft anymore. all you got to be is quick now and you can average 20 points a game driving to the basket all night. that's because they took all of the defense out of basketball.
omg we need more teams like these bad boys. so fun to watch. very intense match. good upload!
Wow, never noticed that
well, that's why he's the best...
Best statement ever made on any video ever produced on CZcams.
Haha, I remembered your comment, but I was a fan of Isiah (the player) as well, so that one was a no-brainer for me. I loved his competitiveness.
Michael Jordan will always be the real #23
The difference with the 1991 Bulls, this version was mentally tougher to face Detroit head on, without showing any intimidation of their physical play, they were ready for, Detroit still tried cheap tactics, but this version of the Bulls didn't let it get to them, instead the Bulls not letting it get to them, it got to Detroit, who figured out that they could no longer get to the Bulls mentally. This 91 Bulls team wasn't the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Bulls, those Bulls teams weren't mentally tough enough to fight off Detroit's physical play, they let it get to them, it deflated them, this 91 team didn't let it deflate them, huge difference.
At the end of a game Jordan was the toughest player both on offense and defense in my opinion. You could easily make a case for 87-93 MJ being one the greatest defenders ever. 95-98 MJ was still amongst the very best, which is incredible because he carried the Bulls on offense as well at an old age.
i loved the NBA when people played with desire.. MJ and Pippen were on their way to dominating the NBA..
8:30 is why MJ is the GOAT. dude was one of the best defensive players of his generation while being THE BEST offensive player of his generation.
just incredible
What I meant was that they didn't screw up when Jordan sat on the bench to take a breather, quite the contrary. They played pretty well.
loved the 90,s nba
This is one the most satisfying things to watch!!! I could watch it over and over. The piss stains getting their asses handed to them by the Bulls! Pure gold😀😀😀😀😃😃
The bucket at the 3:57 minute was pure Jordan, double teamed, shot clock winding down and he just turns, fades and fires.
It got pretty quiet in that stadium as reality of being down 0-3 became a reality.
I think the hatred that existed between the players and the fans has subsided over the years somewhat into more of respect. It still amazes me to this day that years later the Bulls would aquire many of the Pistons in their later championship runs...Rodman, Salley, Edwards. Especially Rodman...I can't tell you much he was hated in Chicago in the early 90's. Then later to become a key player in the Bulls championships, just goes to show how funny life can be.
They moved the ball more, they got their shots off quicker, they were more aggressive, they upped the pace, Jordan and pippen defended more aggressive. Everyone says this was rigged but the previous year it went to either 6 or 7. The bulls figured them out.
Isiah Thomas with the maaaad hops...4:28....Impressive 7'1 Purdue
Air Thomas! Jordan had to get it from somewhere
LeBron is far away from jordan....& LeBron may had already disapeared in 2nd Q instead 4th Q pissing in his pants
Chicago foi freguês de Detroit durante três anos!
EXACTLY!!!
Magic, Bird, Kareem... none of them was a highflyer like Mike, thus none of them got the attention like him. Jordan beat the Pistons by himself a couple of times, which led to the Jordan rules. The lane was Jordan's bread and butter and Detroit tried to take that away from him, even with fouls that could've led to injuries. I don't think that's comparable to the defense treatment other players got from the Pistons.
DAMN!!! Now that's defense. MJ stopping a 2 on 1 by the Pistons. Actually a 3 on 1 since there was another trailer on that break. and that's with a bad knee.
We all know about his offensive prowess but his defensive work is very underrated. #Goat23
@9:11 respect that defense!
Perfect defense. sprinted back, predicted right, positioned himself right, didn't foul, got the rebound.
How SWEEP it is!
And let's remember that Magic won his first title as a rookie in 1980 with Kareem not only out of the game but with Magic starting in his place!
When I'm thinking of physical play of the 90s, Detroit and New York come immediately to mind. And that was after the invention of the flagrant foul rule and exactly the time period I referred to in one of my previous comments. The early 90s.
O my goodness....8:35 was sick....Jordan was so amazing.....Kobe should not even be compared to him....its a disgrace
This was basketball, this junk we have today were nobody plays defense
Crazy jump by Isaiah
Yeah, I figured there was a connection between Isiah and Aguirre--both of whom, ironically, grew up in Chicago. I was surprised to learn that Dantley was traded in the middle of the 1989 season--just short of winning his first NBA title. And he has more credentials than Aguirre. THAT, to me, is an even bigger irony.
Oh, well. Detroit fans should be grateful that they won two in spite of him. All the other men you mentioned were indeed important players during those years, plus the Microwave.
this was the bulls best championship team because they went 15-2
This is the only series between the Bulls and Pistons people want to talk about. Nobody wants to talk about the Pistons' victories over Chicago the previous three seasons. 1-3 against the Pistons in the playoffs. Pistons, 1988, 1989, 1990, Bulls, 1991.
No, we talk about those years A LOT! Those three Playoff loses to Detroit (88, 89, 90) were the very reason Mike and Scottie became GREAT players. The Pistons showed the Bulls how to win and how to become mentally tough! The Bulls would not have SIX titles if it were not for those loses to the Pistons.
I respect the Bad Boys and what they accomplished. I love Isiah and he should have been on the Dream Team instead of John Stockton. Isiah beat Magic, Bird and Jordan all in the same year in the Playoffs (1989) to win their first title! I respect that 💯💯 percent!! Mike said it himself that Isiah is the second greatest P.G of all time only behind Magic....
@@mickeyjohnson5247 Exactly. All of their struggles, losses and uphill battles is what made the first championship that much sweeter.
If the Pistons did stand a chance against the Bulls, this is one game they should have won. I personally think that if the Bulls were not this good, Detroit could have prevented a sweep.
Look at how many times he got fouled going up for the jumper and still completed the shot.
Exactly. Business rules because nobody is doing this for free. Expenses need to be paid for and the show must go on for several purposes.
After this game Detroit radio stations were playing Bowie's Panic in Detroit.
Crazy walk by MJ @ :43.
WOW! Ho Grant without the goggles. That's old school baby!
Michael Jordan is a good basketball player.
At that time, they were flat out scrubs. I mean this team struggled with Jordan on the bench. By 1994 they did okay but over an entire season, yes, they would've had like 42-45 wins and been out in the first round without Mike.
Dude, watch out for the Lakers next season. Pau Gasol is going to fit them like a glove, and they are going to get Bynam back and be at full strength, provided no injuries happen.
The Pistons knew their run to three straight world titles was over after this game...all 15 or more of the players.
Damn Jordan was good.
understatement of all time
End of the Bad Boys
WOW what a game - what defens on both sides
jordan did such a great job, he is the greatest of all time(STILL)
against dumars, rodman and thomas - always doubled
i thought just "WTF!" as thomas TAKESOFF
If Detroit really needed such tactics to win their championships, they weren't a great team to begin with which I do not believe for a second. Again, that particular rule did not take away the physical aspect of the game, at least not at that time. It just meant that when a guy drives into the lane, you better not aim for his neck ;)
The Jordan Rules was designed NOT to stop/contain MJ, but to force him to pass to his teammates and let them score. I do agree that Kobe would probably do fine in the 90s, but he would be similar to Clyde Drexler more than Jordan.
If you're saying that the Bulls without Jordan weren't as good as the Pistons without Isiah, I completely agree. That doesn't mean Chicago, outside of Jordan, was a bad team. Because of Jordan's skills, there was simply no need for better complementary players, Bulls won anyway. But they weren't exactly scrubs either and were more than capable of holding their own when Jordan was out of the game. Look no further than the Bulls-Pistons series for proof.
About the Pistons' chance for homecourt without the Isiah injury, that's up for speculation, we will never know. Pippen missed half the season in 97/98 and the Bulls still won 62 games, but you won't see me arguing that they would've won 70+ if it wasn't for his injury. It just doesn't work that way.
They went 38&9 when Scottie returned
@sparticool dude, the Lakers, did take Game 1 of the Final series on Sam Perkins' gamewinning 3-pointer. The Bulls would take the next four to win the series in 5. Still a dominant team though, considering they only lost twice during that whole playoff run.
BULLS DEMOLISHES THE PISTONS!!! BULLS WON 6 CHAMPIONSHIP AND PISTONS JUST 2!!! THE BULLS ARE THE GREATEST!!!👍👍
The block on Aguire
Chicago Bulls had the Pistons on the ropes
IF Phil wants to lead the lakers to the championship, he must teach them to play suffocating D like the bulls of 91.
@orinocoPL
the pass after falling down to recover his dribble is crazy
Will Perdue getting dunked on, not surprising.
These were the times when the Pistons were no longer playing basketball.
Love MJ, but he walked on that first score (moved pivot foot) 0:44
nowadays, it will be considered as a gather step
There is Jordan and then there is everyone else.
And who can forget the 2002 Western Conference Finals? The people of Sacramento certainly won't!
In that case, you must be really thankful for folks like hoopsencylopedia and starks23. Most of their MJ games were shown on local networks and/or TNT (and sometimes CBS). They display many facets of MJ's game, including his stealing, his blocking, his jump shots...oh yeah, and the occasional dunk.
these teams would completely shut out the teams nowadays!!!
It was definitively the best game of the series, my first edit was 15 minutes long. Stupid CZcams limitations.
Only MJ couls single handedly stop a 1 on 3 fast break.
To get back on the freethrow thing, I just knew the instant you hear Marv talking about it, you would use it as an argument to prove the refs' favoritism of Chicago, haha.
When you play aggressive and take it to the hoop, you'll get the calls, it's that simple. Detroit didn't do it, that was the main difference in these first two games in the Stadium. Therefore, a lot more freethrows for Jordan & Co. The sportcasters even talk about it during the games.
I don't know about that. Players weren't hanging in the paint back then to take charges. They were hanging out in the paint to clobber you if you decide to go inside the paint. If LeBron played back then, the Jordan Rules would probably be implemented on him. And personally, I don't think he has the mental toughness to be able to handle it.
I can understand associating those things with the NBA of the 1990's, but why also with NBC? The network couldn't help but broadcast those games in the 1990s, and sometimes the intros weren't shown on TV. If they were, those effects which you mentioned weren't always used. Take the 1997/98 Finals games in Utah for example.