Remembering the Raiders’ impressive win against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Christmas will help Raiders fans get through the long offseason. But if the Raiders want to become legit contenders, they’ll have to figure out how to beat the Chiefs on a regular basis.
That’s a tall task. Kansas City is led by the best quarterback in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, who is squarely in his prime.
Before Christmas, coach Antonio Pierce used a tactic to motivate his team that he says he’ll keep using. He plans to emulate the Detroit Pistons’ method for dealing with the great Michael Jordan in the NBA, also known as the “Jordan Rules.”
Essentially, the Raiders want to be as physically rough with Mahomes as possible. That’s how the “Bad Boy” Pistons dealt with Jordan.
“We’ve got the Jordan Rules and we’ve got what I’m calling now as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes Rules,” Pierce said on Maxx Crosby’s The Rush Podcast. “You remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s before he became Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whip his [behind]. Any time he came to the hole: elbows, feeling him, love taps. We’re in his head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually.
“So I showed my guys Jordan getting his [tail] whooped, consistently.”
Pierce said he also showed his team clips of boxing and mixed martial arts fights to motivate his team to play the Chiefs on Christmas.
This isn’t the first connection between the Raiders and the Bad Boy Pistons, who won two NBA titles. Those Pistons, led by guard Isiah Thomas and center Bill Laimbeer, wore Raiders gear. They wanted to emulate the Raiders, who were then known as the bad boys of the NFL.
Davis talked about the time the LA #Raiders played host to Laimbeer's Bad Boy #Pistons during the 1988 NBA Finals, when @IsiahThomas was hurt. Yeah, Zeke got some @Raiders gear. And no, the #Lakers were not happy. pic.twitter.com/tSC4NBqB2y
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) February 17, 2021
Of course, Jordan eventually got past the Pistons and won six NBA titles with the Bulls. But the Pistons made him work for it, defeating Jordan in the Eastern Conference Finals in each of their championship seasons.
“The Jordan Rules” 👀 #Pistons
🎥 – @Basically_Even pic.twitter.com/0VHM9KkjAV
— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) April 18, 2023
The Raiders’ situation is a bit of a reversal. Mahomes has already won three NFL championships and appears poised to win more. The Raiders have to slow his stride as best they can.
It should help that the NFL is a physical sport, especially compared to the NBA. Even with rules to protect NFL quarterbacks, it’s still every team’s goal to hit the opposing QB as often as possible. Pierce’s “Patrick Mahomes Rules” should only help as the Raiders look to knock the Chiefs off their pedestal.
