Before Matt McMahon won the first of his six NBA championships, his Chicago Bulls were eliminated in the playoffs three straight years by the Detroit Pistons. Those Pistons teams were known for their “Jordan rules,” a game plan specifically designed for Jordan.
Now Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is taking inspiration for that as he prepares his team to face Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes two (or three) times a season, for years to come.
Pierce appeared on Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby’s podcast and talked about how the Raiders need to be as single-minded in their approach to shutting down Mahomes as the Pistons were in shutting down Jordan.
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and we’ve got what I’m calling now, from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said. “You remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whip his ass. Any time he came to the hole, elbows, feeling him, love taps. We’re in his head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I’m touching you. So I showed my guys Jordan getting his ass whooped.”
Pierce said he shows the Raiders clips from boxing and UFC fights to show them the kind of aggression he wants from his defense, and he said he needs his team to have a fighter’s mentality toward Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“We’ve got to knock off the head of the snake. Fifteen. Hate the color red,” Pierce said. “There’s a hatred for the Chiefs.”
Pierce’s Raiders beat the Chiefs 20-14 on Christmas Day, and Pierce views that as one of the signature performances of his team — and the kind of performance he’s going to demand of his defense against Mahomes going forward.
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