The animosity between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan is no secret. The rivalry between the Pistons and Bulls in the late 1980s and early 1990s caused quite a stir in the NBA., ended up elevating His Airness and destroyed the reputation of one of the best point guards in history. The Bad Boys eliminated the Bulls three straight seasons, two with Doug Collins on the bench and one with Phil Jackson. And it was in those duels that Jordan experimented, first in the semifinals and then in the Eastern Conference finals (twice)., the torture of defeat prior to a ring that seemed like it would never come. The defeats were of all kinds (4-1, 4-2 and 4-3) and suffering from the last one caused great pain in a player who, thanks to these results, later became a legend.
The escort never agreed with those Jordan Rules so dirty to which he was subjected or to the constant blows that had the refereeing permissiveness of the time. The tough, almost shameless play of the Chuck Daly coaching team caused a stir, but it also made the Pistons a storied team. One that was capable of winning up to two rings that served as a bridge to the dominance of Larry Bird’s Celtics and Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 80s… and Jordan’s own Bulls in the 90s. Those historic teams had to face some Pistons who won in 1989 and 1990. Two rings that are part of the history of the best League in the world.
However, it wasn’t those losses that caused an unbridgeable chasm between Isiah and Jordan. The Bulls finally prevailed in 1991, with a sweep (4-0) that certified the end of the dominance of the Pistons. But in the fourth game, Thomas ordered his teammates to head to the locker room tunnel without greeting his rivals, something that deeply upset Jordan, who never forgave him. this gesture, linked to Isiah’s behavior when Magic Johnson announced that he had HIV and his insinuations about the sexual orientation of the Lakers base, caused an almost total animosity to the Pistons player, out of the Barcelona Dream Team in 1992 at the express wish of the vast majority of its members and despite the fact that the coach of the North American team was Chuck Dalywith which he won two titles with the Pistons.
Isiah and LeBron, opinion or revenge?
More than 30 years after what happened, the feeling of repulsion is still latent in both players, and although Isiah has resolved his differences with Magic on television, according to the NBA and with tears and hugs through, the taunts with Jordan continue to happen. The documentary of the escort that entertained quarantines and went around the world, The Last Dance, showed that the rivalry is still latent and had several words from Thomas, who spoke of the clashes between the two and remembered old times with longing, but also with sadness at having seen himself outside the Deam Team. With Jordan things were different, with a certain indifference on the part of the player to his behavior for years with teammates and rivalsalthough also with reproaches towards Thomas himself, who did not get rid of the usual verbiage and sharp words of the former escort.
Now, Thomas has been the one in charge of despise a Jordan. The legendary Pistons guard has immersed himself in the simmering GOAT debate, on everyone’s lips as LeBron James collects hits and proves durability beyond question. Thomas has already said more than once that the forward can be considered the best in history, something that more basketball personalities have said and that is commented on more and more frequently. Shaquille O’Neal already spoke on his day of the subject and, much more recently, Quin Snyder, coach of the Jazz, moved along the same lines. Thomas, of course, has influenced the issue and has been in charge of demonstrating his opinion after the All Star in Cleveland, in which LeBron has been the protagonist for his acid statements against the Lakeers and for scoring the winning shot for his team.
“When I pass Kareem on the scoring list, you have to acknowledge he’s the greatest of all time.“. Those have been the words of Thomas in First Take, a program in which he has been in charge of giving his opinion on a very hackneyed topic and in a few words that the former point guard has already repeated on more than one occasion. Again, one more episode of a player who elevates LeBron James and, above all, one more episode of the eternal fight between Isiah and Jordan. A ridiculous fight, based on reproach and without more interest than mere curiosity. But what makes you think: Isiah opts for LeBron out of conviction or out of revenge? You judge.
