Michael Jordan needs a lot to get him off his game. However, it was accomplished by the Detroit Pistons in their 1988 Eastern Conference semifinal game.
At the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, the Chicago Bulls won Game 2 105-95 to tie the series. The Bulls’ home defeat to the Pistons motivated them to exact revenge. They played a very physical Game 3 to accomplish that, which affected Jordan’s play.
Bill Laimbeer and Michael Jordan’s altercation
After setting an illegal pick in the first quarter, Bill Laimbeer was called for an offensive foul. Jordan delivered a barrage of punches to the Pistons’ big man after getting the raw deal on that play. None of those made contact, and MJ received a technical foul call.
Jordan clarified that he retaliated with punches because he believed Laimbeer was attempting to knee him. Still, the 6-foot-6 guard was having trouble in that match. Jordan could not score his first basket until the 2:31 mark in the second quarter.
Ultimately, the Pistons defeated the Lakers 101-79 in Game 3, taking a 2-1 series lead. Jordan finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Bulls. Charles Oakley scored 11 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Scottie Pippen contributed 15 points.
What did Jordan say?
Jordan said this about the incident with Laimbeer, “It threw me out of sync, mentally. I really couldn’t get myself mentally back into the game and I think it took everyone out of sync.”
After that game, the Bulls were never able to bounce back. After winning the series in five games, the Pistons faced the Boston Celtics in the EC Finals. After shocking the C’s, Detroit advanced to the NBA Finals where they faced the Los Angeles Lakers; however, they were defeated in seven games in the championship series.