Since 1988
Bulls vs. Pistons
Jordan's Bad Boy baptism
The Bulls-Pistons rivalry of the late 1980s and early 1990s was basketball at its most physical and psychologically intense. The Detroit Pistons' Bad Boys — Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman, and Joe Dumars — devised the Jordan Rules, a defensive strategy specifically designed to brutalize Michael Jordan and prevent him from single-handedly beating them. For three consecutive years, the Pistons physically and mentally dominated the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.