Before Dennis Rodman became the defensive cornerstone that helped Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls secure their second three-peat, he was one of the biggest reasons why the 6'6" shooting guard couldn't reach the Finals during the 80s.
Rodman was one of the anchors of the Detroit Pistons Bad Boys identity; the two-time DPOY used his psychological warfare to make sure he instigated the Bulls players enough to make them come off their 'A-Game.' Recognizing the need to beat Dennis at his own game, the five-time MVP made sure to outsmart the Rodman if his Bulls were to beat the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals.
Rodman gave Jordan and the Bulls a tough task
By the 1987-88 season, the Chicago Bulls had established themselves as a powerful team in the East, ranking among the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings. They carried the momentum into the playoffs, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first-round series, with Mike averaging a staggering 45.2 points over the five games. However, when the Bulls met the Pistons in the second round, MJ's scoring average fell to just 27 points per game, which ultimately led the Pistons to eliminate Chicago in five games.
For Jordan, it wasn't his relatively low-scoring average that bothered him but the aggressive playing style and psychological games of one Pistons star that caught his attention - Dennis Rodman. Mike realized his contribution to the Pistons' triumph went far beyond his averaging 6.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Then, in the 1989 Eastern Conference Finals, Jordan once again noticed Rodman's psychological impact, which was even more significant than him leading the series in rebounds with a tally of 13.3.
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Mike knew he had to get inside Rodman's head
So, when the Bulls faced the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, MJ realized he needed to do more than just lead the series in scoring - he had to get inside Dennis's head and beat him at his own game.
Consequently, the 14-time All-Star not only averaged 29.8 points per game in the series but strategically unsettled Rodman with a new approach. In his interview with Playboy in 1992, Jordan revealed how he instigated The Worm.
"These guys talk trash all the damn time to everybody. Let's see if they can handle some trash-talking back to them. So I started talking it to 'em," Jordan said . "Rodman, I said, 'Rodman, best defensive player? Jump your a** over here if you think you're the best defensive player in the league.' And that irritated the hell out of him. Every time he'd go past me, boom, knee me in the corner, knee me in the back. He was trying to frustrate me. And I was trying to do exactly what he would do. I'm trying to knock the hell out of Rodman. I'm telling Scottie to bring him off the screen - boom, I knock him. Rodman got pissed off because we were doing the same s*it that he would do. I knew I was getting to him."
This strategy paid off, as evidenced by Rodman's reduced impact even on the stat sheet, averaging just 4.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Michael and the Bulls got their revenge in the end, as they were able to sweep the Pistons on their way to the Finals. Detroit knocked Chicago out of the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, and when you combine that with the fact that it was the first time the Bulls eliminated the Pistons in the postseason since 1974, that 4-0 win indeed felt extra good.
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