When frustrated Michael Jordan hollered at teammates during 1990 playoffs: “We’re playing like a bunch of p**sies!”
Michael Jordan retired from professional basketball with six championship rings. Almost every NBA fan knows that Jordan has never lost in the NBA Finals and that he has a perfect record at this stage.
However, long before Jordan became the champion, he struggled to get past the first round. The Detroit Pistons were one of his biggest foes and the Chicago Bulls just couldn't get past them.
MJ wanted to beat the Pistons so badly that he even yelled at his teammates. Here is an excerpt from "The Jordan Rules," a book by Sam Smith:
"At halftime of Game 2, with the Bulls trailing 53-38, Jordan walked into the quiet locker room, kicked over a chair, and yelled, ‘We’re playing like a bunch of p***ies!'”
Having been down 0-1 in the series, the Bulls needed to win Game 2 and tie the series. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't get the job done as the Pistons ended up defending their home court.
Michael Jordan was frustrated with his teammates in Game 2 of 1990 Eastern Conference Finals
Jordan and his Bulls had a great opportunity to advance to the NBA Finals in 1990. The only team standing between them and the final stage was the Detroit Pistons, the team that had beaten the Bulls the last two years.
Michael Jordan opened the series with a 34-point performance. He also added seven rebounds, five assists and three steals, but it wasn't enough to get away with a victory.
In Game 1, the Bulls had a lead at halftime, which was not the case in the second game of the series. After 24 minutes of Game 2, the Bulls were down by 15 points, which is when Jordan was frustrated with his teammates.
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Chicago put on a great show in the third quarter, outscoring the Pistons 31-21. Unfortunately, the team came up short in the fourth quarter, losing the game 102-93 and going down 0-2 in the series.
Jordan didn't think his teammates took basketball seriously
The Chicago Bulls guard scored 20 points in Game 2, but he shot only 5-for-16 from the floor. Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant added 17 points each.
Two days after the loss, Jordan grew angry and frustrated with his teammates and didn't think that they took basketball seriously.
"They’ve got talent, but they don’t take it seriously,” Jordan said about Grant and Pippen, who joked in the practice.
Jordan scored 47 and 42 points in Game 3 and 4 respectively, tying the series, which eventually went to Game 7. However, the Chicago Bulls ran out of gas and lost the final game of the series 93-74.
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The legendary guard scored 31 points on 48.1% shooting, while the rest of his team combined for 43 points on 23.8% shooting.