Horace Grant reveals Michael Jordan approached practices like they were games vs. Pistons or Knicks

According to Grant, no one could match MJ's intensity during the Bulls practices

Michael Jordan is 11-0 in championship games, including the NBA Finals, the Olympics, FIBA, and the NCAA Tournament Final. Jordan holds the record as the only player in history to never once score under 20 points in an NBA Finals game.

The Chicago Bulls legend played 35 NBA Finals games. He is also the only player in league history to win NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, NBA All-Star Game MVP, NBA Defensive Player of The Year, and NBA Rookie of the Year awards. 

The way he practiced had a lot to do with his success.

Grant on MJ's intensity in practice

MJ's in-game intensity was unmatched. But according to his former teammate Horace Grant, that was just a replication of what MJ was like in practices.

“Man let me tell you, man we thought this guy was just the devil,” Grant said per the ‘Scoop B Radio’ podcast.

“In terms of the way he practiced, we thought that we were the Detroit Pistons or the New York Knicks," Grant said. "This guy practiced so hard and if you weren’t on his team in practice you were his enemy. And that’s how driven this man was and that’s why you can say that he was the best player that ever played this game,” the 4x NBA champion added.

Bulls vs. Pistons and Knicks

Jordan knew what he was doing when he approached practices like he was playing the Knicks or the Pistons.

Led by Isiah Thomas, Bad Boy Pistons are still one of the most physical teams in NBA history. The Knicks, led by Patrick Ewing, John Starks, Mason, and Oakley, were arguably the close second.

Their epic battles weren't always pretty, as all three teams played a physical brand of basketball and left it all on the court, making every game must-see television.

MJ entered the NBA in 1984 but didn't make the Finals until seven years later -- they lost to the Pistons in four straight playoff runs. They finally broke through during the 1991 NBA Playoffs and went on to win their first NBA title with a 4-1 series victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks and the Chicago Bulls faced each other in the playoffs six times in the 1990s. The Bulls won five of the six series. The only time the Knicks eliminated the Bulls was in 1994, when Jordan was out of the NBA.