The Detroit Pistons Bad Boys stonewalled the Chicago Bulls for three straight postseasons. General manager Jerry Krause was left with sleepless nights, trying to figure out what he should do to finally oust the Isiah Thomas-led squad and hopefully win the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy.

Their third straight loss in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals was the one that hurt the most. As the clock winded down in Game 7 with the Bulls down by 17 points, Krause was at the lowest peak of his career. But at the same time, he vowed not to fall to the dreaded Pistons again.

“[After we lost,] I went a little goofy that night in Detroit,” Krause said. “I started screaming and yelling in the locker room. I screamed a lot. I said, ‘This will never happen again. We will not allow this to happen again. You guys should have won tonight. We can’t do this.’ There are some people who said a door got messed up. We’ll leave it at that. I wasn’t proud of myself.”

In the offseason, Krause made minor roster changes. This was the right move since the Bulls were just one win away from beating the “Bad Boys.” Trading away key pieces or firing Phil Jackson would’ve disarmed the Bulls. Chicago needed some minor tactical tweaks, not major personnel changes.

Glory road

As expected, the Wind City team met the Pistons again in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. This time around, Michael Jordan and crew were ready. They didn’t just boot out Detroit. They dominated them in four games. Their great victory sent Jerry into a frenzy on the plane back to Chicago.

“[After] the fourth game in Detroit, I was dancing in the aisles on the plane,” Krause said. “We were having a helluva ride back to Chicago. Players are all laughing like hell because I’m dancing in the aisles. We beat those sons of b******.”

Bulls head coach Phil Jackson remembers that moment, which he believes was Jerry’s finest time with the team. Even though Krause’s relationship fell apart years later, the “Zen Master” still acknowledges the general manager’s critical contributions to the team.

“There’s a video that the players made of [Krause] dancing,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if it’s available for the public, [but] it was a high moment in his life, and he recognizes that to this day. He knows I give him credit—even if our relationship was broken apart by the end. I have great respect for Jerry and the job he did.”

Unfortunately, the media painted Krause as the Bulls’ villain. Many claim that they would’ve won more than six NBA Championships if he had not broken up the team. But like Phil, star forward Scottie Pippen knows Jerry’s massive role in the Bulls’ success.

“We can’t knock him. We gotta give him credit,” Pippen said. “He deserves credit because he was the general manager of those teams. I’ve had a lot of great people in my life, and that’s why my success happened. I played with Phil Jackson, the greatest coach in the game. Michael Jordan is the greatest player in the game. Jerry Krause, obviously the greatest general manager in the game.”