THE WESTERN Bulldogs are hoping to replicate what the 'Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons teams did in the late 1980s and end another team's era.

Defender Jason Johannisen said coach Luke Beveridge had taken some learnings away from The Last Dance documentary series, but don't expect any Dennis Rodman-type escapades.

"There will be a couple of things I'll encourage them not to do, maybe not smoke as many Cubans as Michael (Jordan) and if we make the finals make sure they don't cut out a World Wrestling Federation career," Beveridge said on Friday.

He instead finds inspiration in ending another team's dynasty and becoming one of the competition's flagship sides.

Before the Chicago Bulls pulled off their first three-peat, they lost to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA playoffs on multiple occasions.

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"The evolution of the Bulls where they went through a period of where they were trying to beat Detroit," Beveridge said.

"Detroit went through that as well – the 'Bad Boys' had that era where the Celtics had their measure and there's probably three or four teams in our competition who are the strongest and more powerful teams at the moment and we're not in that category.

"There's some margins we need to make up and there's a bit of a gap, but we want to be the Detroit Pistons who overcame the Celtics after being dominated for a little while.

"On our journey to get there we understand there's going to be points soon where we feel like we're pretty close."

One of those points might come in round three against Greater Western Sydney, a side the Bulldogs have some strong recent history with.

The Giants gave the Bulldogs some trouble with physicality in last year's elimination final, something that doesn't sit well with Beveridge.

While the Dogs may not edge as far as the Pistons did on the unsociable side of competitiveness, an additional hardness is something the Dogs coach is keen to see.

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"We're aware that how you're categorised, how you're labelled and how you're perceived is based on your most recent performance," Beveridge said.

"We can have a desire and an objective to play a certain way, but it's just talk until you see it.

"That will be our challenge, to put it into action and to change perception and develop and gain a reputation that we're proud of."