Jordan’s remarks to the media the day before Game 4 of the 1991 Eastern Conference finals were deemed by the Pistons to be disparaging of their two NBA titles. They were, after all, two-time defending champions, and at Jordan’s expense both times. His quotes, regardless of their veracity or intent, may have precipitated the defining moment of closure to the Pistons-Bulls feud and the entire “Bad Boys” era.

There were signs of trouble for Detroit midway through the 1990-91 season. A strong start was followed by an injury to Isiah Thomas that sent the Pistons into a tailspin. Their 50-32 record was their lowest win total in six seasons. They went 3-5 down the stretch, including a season-ending loss in Chicago. The Pistons were pushed to the limit against an average Atlanta Hawks team in the first round and went six games against a declining Boston Celtics squad, one they had swept aside two years earlier.

Meanwhile the Bulls supplanted Detroit atop the Central Division with a franchise-best 61-21 record. They swept New York in three games and dispatched Philadelphia in five to arrange their fourth playoff series against the Pistons in as many years. For the first time, however, the Bulls were the favorite - and they played like it, taking the first two games in Chicago.

Thomas, not completely recovered from his wrist injury, managed 29 points and six assists in Game 3 at The Palace. The Bulls still won, 113-107, in the closest game of the series, leading to Jordan’s pre-Game 4 comments. Thomas, as competitive and proud a player as the NBA has ever seen, did everything he could to avoid a sweep. His 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals were all team highs in Game 4. When stacked against his heroic playoff performances, they were also woefully mediocre statistics. Chicago won by 21 points to clinch the Eastern Conference crown.

As the seconds on the game clock - and the Pistons’ two-year championship reign - counted down, Thomas and many of his teammates walked past the jubilant Bulls bench. Not a word was said, and there needn’t be any. The Pistons did not offer their congratulations. The Bulls did not want it.

For the first time since their initial playoff encounter, Jordan failed to score 40 points in a series against Detroit. It wasn’t the “Jordan Rules” stopping him. He simply didn’t have to. Teammates like Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and John Paxson had matured into the kind of complimentary players Jordan knew how to win with. The Bulls won their first NBA title against the Los Angeles Lakers and, in 1992, a second crown against Portland. Coincidentally, it was the same opponents that Detroit had defeated in their own back-to-back quest.

In 1991-92, the defending champion Bulls swept the Pistons in the regular season, 4-0. Only an 87-85 decision in January was competitive. In 1992-93, the Pistons defeated Chicago, 101-99, at The Palace on Mar. 14, 1993. It was the last time Thomas would taste victory against Jordan, who would go on to complete the first of two championship three-peats.

In the minds of many Pistons fans, the Celtics and Lakers were longtime tormentors of Detroit. Yet neither inflicted the kind of punishment on Detroit like the Pistons had on the Bulls - three consecutive meetings, three playoff exits. One final, four-game passing of the torch.

The Pistons’ rivalry with the Bulls still resembled their earlier playoff battles with the Celtics and Lakers in some respects. The Celtics-Pistons feud was not a back-and-forth affair over the years, simply Detroit’s steady progression toward answering Boston’s challenge: “If you’re better than us, prove it.” When the Bulls responded to that same challenge from Detroit (much like the Pistons had against the Lakers), they didn’t just knock - they smashed the door down.

The rivalry pitted two Hall of Fame coaches, Chuck Daly and Phil Jackson, against each other en route to each winning multiple NBA championships. On the court it featured two pairs of current or future Hall of Famers, Thomas and Dumars against Jordan and Scottie Pippen. All four players were in their prime.

It was the best of the best, at its best. That’s how great rivalries were meant to be remembered.