© MPS-USA TODAY Sports
Isiah Thomas breaks down the Jordan Rules: "He didn't have great handles, couldn't go left"
Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan was such an otherworldly-skilled player that conventional defenses never fazed him. So, when the Detroit Pistons faced the Bulls in the late 1980s, they adopted a set of defensive rules to stop Jordan. These "Jordan Rules" called for intense physical defense on Jordan, double and triple teaming him at times and forcing him into uncomfortable positions that forced him to give up the ball.
The strategy was successful, as the Pistons were able to beat the Bulls and became champions in 1989 and 1990. Detroit Pistons' great Isiah Thomas broke down this strategy and provided a rare deep look into the details of the "Jordan Rules."
A disciplined team
Thomas said his Pistons squad was a disciplined team that had rules for every single NBA legend. Whether it was the Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson or the Boston Celtics Larry Bird, Thomas shared that these specific defensive principles helped them become as successful as they were. For an offensive machine like Jordan, those rules were even more important.
"Jordan was a reluctant passer. He didn't like to pass. He was the first volume shooter," said Thomas during his appearance on All The Smoke podcast. "He didn't have great handles, couldn't go left, and if he went left more than two, three times, he had to pick it up, so the rules are very simple."
Thomas continued that they wanted to constantly push Jordan to his left, where they would send a help defender that could force the Bulls star to either give the ball up or force a difficult shot.
"We want that ball going in the air, and if that ball goes in the air, we're quick enough to rotate and get back and match up," added Thomas.
Numbers game
As much as the "Jordan Rules" were a physically-taxing approach to limiting MJ, they were also a numbers game. Thomas and the Pistons knew Jordan would try his hardest to beat Detroit's brand of defense—at times all by himself—and that played right into their hands.
"Our job was to limit the possessions," said Thomas, which meant that instead of Jordan taking 30 shots, he'd get 20-plus. That approach also trickled down to other Bulls players, including Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant.
After losing to the Pistons in three straight postseasons, the Bulls finally broke through the "Jordan Rules" in 1991, sweeping Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals.
