Rick Marhorn played four seasons with the Detroit Pistons and was one of the notable members of the infamous Bad Boys in the ’80s.
Like most of his fellow Bad Boys, Mahorn also takes great pride in being part of the best Pistons team in franchise history.
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However, 14 years later, another squad joined the club when the 2004 Pistons upset the Los Angeles Lakers to win the championship. Even though the ’04 Pistons made history, Mahorn doesn’t think they would stand a chance against the Bad Boys in a seven-game series.
“We win 4-2,” Ricky confidently told MLive in 2015. “We’d give them one because they’d have the home-court advantage. (Laughs). [The] Other one, [in case] somebody might have got hurt.”
McNasty would’ve loved to talk trashÂ
It wasn’t the only time Mahorn was asked about the subject. In 2018, “McNasty” also came up with the same answer, emphasizing that the Bad Boys would just let the ’04 Pistons win probably one game just to make the series a little more exciting.
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Ricky also mentioned that it would have been a fun showdown as he would have enjoyed talking trash to the ’04 Pistons stars.
“Now, see, that’s what I love. I love talking mess to Rasheed (Wallace), Ben (Wallace), Chauncey (Billups) and Rip (Hamilton). We would have whooped their ass,” Mahorn said in a separate discussion. “I don’t want to hear it. We would have whooped their ass.”
Mahorn said the ’04 Pistons were bad boys, too
Much like the Bad Boys back then, the ’04 Pistons were also known not only for playing high-level team basketball but also for their fierce attitude. In fact, the ’04 Pistons got involved in one of the most infamous brawls in NBA history, dubbed “Malice at the Palace.”
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Mahorn was well aware of the mark that the ’04 Pistons left not only on the team’s die-hard fans but also on the league itself. For Ricky, the ’04 Pistons have proven that they had that Bad Boy DNA in them.
“They all would have made it,” Ricky answered when asked which of the ’04 Pistons would have made the best Bad Boy. “They were good throwback players. That’s what I loved about them. They were all throwback players. The starting five, definitely. Any of them could have fit in.”
Zeke’s thoughts on the ’04 Pistons
According to Pistons legend Isiah Thomas, beyond the intimidating presence, confrontational approach and extremely physical style of play, the Bad Boy Pistons also upheld a solid foundation. Zeke once stressed that the Pistons’ culture was defined by passion, brotherhood and competitiveness.
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For Thomas, the ’04 Pistons also exemplified the essence of the Bad Boy culture, which made them worthy of respect and honor as well.
“When you look at Chauncey (Billups), Rip (Hamilton) and Sheed (Wallace), none of them had been as successful with other organizations or as appreciated in other organizations and cities until they got to Detroit,” Zeke told The Detroit News in 2020.
“You can make the argument that Chauncey’s career was on the downside before he got to Detroit. Sheed was heading down before he came to Detroit from Portland and Atlanta. Those types of players are what we’re about in terms of making a team,” he said.
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In total, the Bad Boys and the ’04 Pistons have brought three championships to Detroit. Some may argue about which team was better, but the fact remains that both teams embraced the same mentality and principles that led them to success.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.