Rick Mahorn thinks 'Bad Boy Pistons' could win the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics: "We all can adapt and play whatever style anybody gives us"

In his recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, former league stalwart Rick Mahorn confidently delivered his conviction that his Detroit Pistons ‘Bad Boys' could conquer the 2024 Paris Games and win the gold medal.

“I’m not gonna say no but I think the way we played … The fact that we played a physical style and the fact that we did have a style where we can run up and down the court, those are the things that you have to look at and have a team that can start off a game. Being very physical and set the tone, and then we have finishers. With our guard, forward and center play, we all can adapt and play whatever style anybody gaves us. I think and I know, we would've won,” he argued .

One of the NBA's best

The Bad Boys are touted as one of the NBA’s best teams, winning back-to-back championships in three straight Finals appearances in the late ‘80s. Spearheaded by Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman, they were once the terrors of the league with their brute and aggressive style of play.

Although the general notion around the Bad Boys is filled with notoriety and claims of being ‘dirty’ and ruthless, they are considerably a remarkable team on both ends of the floor, which is an overlooked aspect of their legacy. Besides boasting a formidable defensive identity with their numerous enforcers, the Pistons from that era were offensive standouts with the amount of firepower they had from the superb floor general play of Zeke, the star production of Dumars, and the off-the-bench microwave scoring of Vinnie Johnson.

Could the Bad Boys win it all in Paris?

Sending the Bad Boys in Paris via a time machine for a potential run in this year's Olympics is quite intriguing to fantasize about. They might have the tools to contend with their system and two-way dynamics, but they'll certainly have to adjust to the modern game and the amount of stronger competition of the international teams. Not to mention, the FIBA brand of the game is much different from the NBA, and it would be intriguing to see how they'll adapt to a much different set of rules and the evolution of basketball. Even in terms of the limit of foul counts for the players, Mahorn and the Pistons would have to be mindful of playing physically against their opponents, or they would end up empty from top to bottom of their roster.

The game has changed rapidly over the past three decades. While the Bad Boys have dominated and savored their era, it's still difficult to imagine if they could do it as well today in the Paris Olympics.

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