Many NBA players have been compared to Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan. One player who truly lived up to the comparison was Kobe Bryant. However, John Salley, a four-time NBA champion, has drawn comparisons between MJ and Jimmy Butler.
In an interview on VladTV, the former Pistons and Bulls forward joked that Butler is so similar to Jordan that he might be his son. While Salley was most definitely facetious about Butler being His Airness’ son, their comparison of styles is apt.
“LeBron’s son is going to be a great player in the NBA. Shaq’s son, Scottie Pippen’s son, Michael Jordan’s son Jerry Butler is playing. I’m just joking, I said Jerry, I meant Jimmy. Jimmy Butler is the beast, I’d hate to play against Jimmy Butler,” John Salley said.
Not only do MJ and Jimmy Butler have similar playing styles, but their outlook and disposition towards the sport are also indistinguishable. Butler is widely known to demand much from his teammates. MJ is notoriously known for provoking teammates and doing whatever it takes to have his team ready for the games.
John Salley is in a unique position to make this observation about MJ. He played against Jordan during the “Bad Boys” era when these two teams would constantly battle in the postseason. Salley also played with Jordan during the 1995-96 season. They won 72 games during the regular season and capped it off with a championship.
Michael Jordan’s struggles against Detroit Pistons
The Michael Jordan of the ’80s was a bludgeoning scoring machine. He recorded some of the most absurd stat lines the game has ever seen. Not only that, but he was also an incredible defensive player. More often than not, he picked up the most challenging defensive assignment on a nightly basis.
In 1988-89, Michael Jordan posted a career-high 12.6 Box +/-.That season, he averaged 32.5 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 2.9 STL and 0.8 BLK, with a .614 TS% (league-average TS% that season was .537).basketball-reference.com/players/j/jord… https://t.co/mkQ7o3lFUm
However, come the postseason, Jordan and the Bulls did not have much luck. The Detroit Pistons were a thorn in MJ’s side as the “Bad Boys” stood between MJ and the NBA Finals. Only after the appointment of Doug Collins as head coach in 1986 did the Bulls and Jordan start finding some postseason success.
In the 1988 NBA Playoffs, MJ and the Bulls met the Pistons in the postseason’s second round. Detroit won in five games despite Jordan averaging 27.4 points per game. They met again a year later in the Eastern Conference Finals. Michael Jordan averaged 29.6 points per game, but they faltered in six games.
The Chicago Bulls got closer in 1990 as they pushed the reigning champions to seven games. They were the favorites to win Game 7. However, a migraine to Scottie Pippen meant that MJ and the Bulls were without their second-best player.
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The Pistons resorted to physical tactics called the “Jordan Rules.” They forced Jordan to his left and towards the help defense. They committed hard fouls on His Airness when necessary. However, the Pistons’ time had come to an end during the 1991 postseason. Michael Jordan and the Bulls swept them in the East Finals en route to winning their first championship.
