"Never once did he try to trash-talk me, and never once did I try to trash-talk him" - Joe Dumars talked about his healthy rivalry with Michael Jordan

Despite the animosity that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan held towards the "Bad Boys" of the Detroit Pistons, there was one player who earned his utmost respect: Joe Dumars. Recognized as a smart and crafty defender, Dumars consistently brought his A-game when faced with the challenge of guarding Jordan, even refraining from engaging in trash talk with the Bulls' star.

"He and I matched up against each other for 14 straight years. In those 14 years, never once did he try to trash-talk me, and never once did I try to trash-talk him," Dumars shared.

Hard-nosed competition

The bitter rivalry between the Bulls and the Pistons in the late 80s is revered for many reasons. First, it brought to the fore the "Jordan Rules," — a set of rough tactics implemented by the Detroit Pistons to slow down His Airness. Secondly, it was the hard-nosed competition between two teams that had no reservations about getting physical and even engaging in a nasty brawl every so often.

Despite the intense battles, Dumars, who’s now the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, said he and Jordan never crossed the line despite playing against each other in some of the most defining rivalries of the era.

"It was toe-to-toe, nose-to-nose, for 14 straight years, and we never said a negative word to each other on the court. I respected him," said Dumars. "Those years we beat them there, he'd walk over every single time, shake my hand, and go, 'Good luck in the Finals, man.'"

Praised Dumar’s defense

Jordan had to go through a lot to score whenever the Bulls faced off against the Pistons. However, the first line of defense was Dumars, and Jordan said the match-up was no walk in the park. In fact, Dumars' brand of defense spurred His Airness to innovate his offensive skills.

"He thought well, and he was very smart about his defense. I think he approaches the game as trying to dissect his opponents and try to find weaknesses or try to force them to do things they didn't feel comfortable doing. He introduced certain tricks to make me expand on my talents as an offensive player, and that is why I consider him one of the best," Jordan said.