Reggie Miller on who he hated facing on the bad boy Pistons — “He had a crazy look in his eye all the time”
Rick Mahorn and Reggie Miller
© Raj Mehta and Kyle Terada - USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Bad Boy Pistons era will always be known for its physical and rigorous style of play. The Bad Boys era is arguably the most defining moment in Pistons franchise history. They won two championships led by the core of Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Dennis Rodman, and John Salley. This was the team that intimated most of the league, including the likes of Reggie Miller and even Michael Jordan.
Miller opens up
According to Miller, the Bad Boy pistons may have been intimidating, but there was one player he feared the most, and it was no other than their starting center Rick Mahorn.
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McNasty, who averaged 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds in his four-year stay in Detroit, was a terrifying physical big who commanded the paint. There’s a reason why he’s dubbed as the “Baddest Bad Boy of them all.”
“Probably Mahorn. I wasn’t really worried about Laimbeer. You know that clip of Robert Parish beating down Bill Laimbeer in the Garden? We had center Steve Stipanovic from Mizzuri. I was never worried about Bill Laimbeer because we had Stipo. But it was Mahorn man, Mahorn had a crazy look in his eye all the time. And what’s funny is because Joe Dumars, the gentle bad boy, would always tell me if you beat me off the dribble, be careful because Mahorn is going take you out,” Miller said on the Dan Patrick show.
The baddest bad boy
The reason Mahorn is known as the “baddest bad boy” was because of his ability to play physically and yet still be an effective player. His production wasn’t always visible on the box scores, but his leadership played a huge role in cultivating the identity of the Detroit Bad Boys. He only won one championship in Detroit, but without Mahorn, the “Bad Boy” Pistons era probably wouldn’t have existed.
It wasn’t a surprise that Miller said Mahorn had a crazy look in his eye all the time as this was the reason why the one-time champion was feared by many in the first place. Remember, Miller and Jordan got to experience what it was like playing against the Bad Boy Pistons.
So for Miller to say that Mahorn was the scariest member of that team really says something about the big man. Who Miller hated the most remains a different story for another day.
