What a night for New York! The Knicks pushed the series to 3-1, leaving the Pistons clinging to playoff hope by a thread. Cade Cunningham had a shot, literally, to change everything. With just seconds left, he stared down a wide-open 15-footer. If it had dropped, Detroit would’ve walked out tied 2-2, and Madison Square Garden would’ve felt a whole lot different next game. But no. The shot rimmed out, and just like that, the Knicks snatched another win and a commanding grip on the series. But Lou Williams believes this could be a huge learning moment for Cade. It’s a chance to adapt, grow, and tap into that “beast mode” just like Michael Jordan once did.

Cunningham was selected first overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. His first two years didn’t exactly set the league on fire. But this season, he’s been nothing short of impressive. Averaging 25.8 points, 9.0 assists, and 8.8 rebounds in his first playoff series, Cunningham has made history. He’s now joined Oscar Robertson as the only point guards to start their playoff careers with 4 straight 20/10 games. But the recent game turned into a hard blow for him

 As we said earlier, if he had made that jump shot, the ball wouldn’t have ended up in Hardaway’s hands, and we wouldn’t be talking about a missed “blatant” foul now.” Anyway, while the Pistons’ season might be winding down, this isn’t the end for Cade. In fact, it could be a huge learning moment for him, just like it was for Michael Jordan when he faced the Pistons’ brutal defense in the ’80s.

In a recent episode of the Run It Back podcast, Lou Williams offered some real advice for Cade Cunningham. “With just such a young player, you’ll go back and you will look at your first experience.” Lue said. “You’ll make adjustments, look what it did for Michael Jordan when he went against the Detroit Pistons back in the day.” And honestly, he’s got a point. Jordan took those early beatdowns personally, and it reshaped the entire course of his career.

To give you some context, let’s rewind to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the Detroit Pistons, dubbed the “Bad Boys,” were the bane of Michael Jordan’s existence. The Pistons were a bruising, physical squad that implemented the infamous “Jordan Rules”—a defensive strategy to wear Jordan down through relentless double-teaming. But once enough was enough, Jordan recognized the need to adapt. He added 15 pounds of muscle in one summer to tackle the Pistons’ physical play, saying, “I was getting brutally beaten up… I wanted to start fighting back.“

Then in 1991, a bulked-up Jordan led the Bulls to a 4-0 sweep of the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, a statement win that propelled Chicago to its first NBA title. And hence, Williams believes that Cunningham could take a page or two out of MJ’s book. Lue even pointed out the exact areas Cade might need to sharpen. “He(Jordan) knew he had to get stronger, had to get bigger, had to get tougher, and be prepared for the physicality what the playoffs bring and from then on it birthed a beast,” Williams explained.

It’s a classic NBA storyline. Take your lumps, hit the gym, and come back a whole different animal the next season. But Lue didn’t stop there either. “It birthed somebody that was the most aggressive player that we had ever seen in the history of playoffs.” he continued. “This can be the same case for Cade Cunningham.” And you know what? The way Cade’s been showing up in these playoffs, it wouldn’t be crazy to bet on that happening.

Decades later, Michael Jordan still carries a grudge for those “Bad Boys” from Detroit

More than 30 years after the Pistons blocked his rise by knocking the Bulls out of three straight postseasons, Jordan admitted that the grudge hasn’t faded. “Oh, I hated them,” Jordan said in The Last Dance, Episode 3. “And that hate carries even to this day.”

And honestly, you can’t blame him. From 1988 to 1990, the Bulls fell to the Pistons three years in a row. Chicago lost in five games in 1988, then six in 1989 after leading the series 2-1. In 1990, they stretched it to seven games, but it was the same brutal ending. During those battles, Detroit made life miserable for Chicago’s star guard. Every time Michael Jordan drove to the basket, he paid for it with hard fouls, body checks, and constant physical punishment.

“We knew Michael Jordan is the greatest player, and we tried to use it as a rallying cry to come together,” Isiah Thomas admitted. Detroit wasn’t just trying to win, they wanted to wear MJ down mentally and physically.

In 1991, though, the Bulls finally flipped the script. They didn’t just beat Detroit, they humiliated them. Jordan and Co. swept the Pistons 4-0 and ended their championship reign with zero sympathy. The Pistons famously walked off the court without shaking hands. It was sweet revenge Jordan never forgot, and a moment that defined a new era in NBA history.