MJ would leave games with marks all over his body, which, according to Perdue, he saw as a badge of honor.
In his prime, Michael Jordan was the most complete offensive player in the NBA. Apart from his inherent athleticism, Mike’s solid fundamentals allowed him to score over his defenders with ease.

While this delighted the Chicago Bulls and its fans, it left the opposing teams helpless when facing “His Airness.” So, when conventional basketball methods didn’t work, they opted for other means to contain No.23.

Raking the “Black Cat”

According to former Bulls big man Will Perdue, the Detroit Pistons were not the only team who played rough defense on Mike. Others, too, employed malicious tactics to contain the “Black Cat” on offense.

“Guys would file their fingernails a certain way so they’d come to points, like claws, and just rake him,” Perdue said, per Bleacher Report. “He’d look like he had jumped over a barbed wire fence and didn’t make it. There were marks all over his back, legs, arms. It was almost a badge of honor for him. ‘Look at what this guy tried to do to me,’ he said once.”

Other teams undoubtedly studied how the “Bad Boys” defended Mike. However, Jordan was so dominant that throwing different defensive schemes at him wasn’t enough. The alternative was to hurt him.

MJ vs. the Pacers

One of the teams that gave Jordan bumps and bruises was the Reggie Miller-led Indiana Pacers. Michael himself admitted that the Pacers were a very rough squad, leaving him with a new wound after every game.

“Indiana was probably the toughest, outside of Detroit. They were tough. Every time I’d go in that f***ing game and come out, I got a new scratch. It became personal with me,” Jordan admitted in The Last Dance.

While watching the Pistons helped the Pacers, the fact that they were coached by Larry Bird also gave Indiana the edge. The Boston Celtics legend himself played in a rough era, and he made sure his squad had that same mentality when going up against No.23.

Whatever the case, the 1990s were a special time in basketball history. It was a no-holds-barred era when the referees allowed guys to be physical.

Nowadays, it’s different. Breathing too closely on an offensive player will result in a foul. Rookies have to work up the ladder before they get calls. Meanwhile, superstars receive special treatment and subsequently pad their stats. Times have indeed changed.