It was a heated rivalry known for “The Jordan Rules,” the nickname given to the defensive strategy the Pistons used to slow Jordan down. “I’ve said this before, and I’ve been on record saying that we have a great deal of respect and admiration for Michael Jordan in terms of the way he played and what he’s done for our game,” Thomas said. “The competition that we had on the floor was just that. It was (just) competition on the floor … We tried to win. And really, that was it. It was no hidden agendas or anything like that. It was my team against your team, and let’s see who wins.”