Joe Dumars on when he knew the Bulls were getting over the Pistons hump

The Detroit Piston s literally owned the Chicago Bulls from 1987 until 1990. During those three years, Michael Jordan's season disappointingly ended at the hands of the team known as the Bad Boys. But instead of folding after three straight postseason exits at the hands of the same foe, the Bulls finally defeated the Pistons in 1991.

Looking back, Pistons Hall of Famer and 1989 NBA Finals MVP Joe Dumars talked about the exact moment when they realized that the Bulls would finally overtake them.

"When we got to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1990, we won, but we knew they were coming back. We knew they'd be back the next year, and that they weren't going away," admitted Durmars during an interview with the Right Time podcast .

The Bulls got better every year.

Dumars said that they saw a lot of themselves in that Bulls squad during that time. Before they became the team to beat, the Pistons had to overcome the Boston Celtics, who won three championships during the 1980s decade. Joe said they had to grow up and get tougher, not only physically but also mentally, to finally overcome the Celtics.

Facing the Bulls in the second round in '88 and the Conference Finals in '89 and '90, Dumars saw their rivals getting better every year. Although the Pistons still prevailed in '90, they knew it was only a matter of time before the guards were changed.

" By the time 1991 came around, most guys had grown up and the Bulls had gotten stronger and tougher and mentally, they didn't fold when things didn't go their way. You're looking at it and going, 'They're growing up. These aren't kids anymore.'" added Dumars.

The Pistons were beat up and tired

That season, the Bulls won a then-franchise record 61 regular-season games and were the best team in the East. The then-champion Pistons, with Isiah saddled with injuries, finished as the third seed at 50-32. Despite not having the home-court advantage for the first time against Chicago, Dumars felt they could still pull it off.

"No matter what, you think that you can win, " continued Joe D. " We also knew that we were beat up and tired. But in our minds, we thought 'You know what, we're beat up and tired but we can get this done. We can grind through this and get this done. So you never stop thinking that you can't do it ."

Even after falling behind 0-3, Dumars said he still believed they would win four in a row and make the Finals for the fourth straight season. But it wasn't meant to be. The Bulls had grown up, and their time had arrived which they proved by winning their first three-peat in their franchise history.

Related: Joe Dumars shares why Michael Jordan never trash-talked him during their matchups: ”We never said a negative word to each other on the court”