“Michael Jordan and I hated playing against Isiah Thomas”: Reggie Miller chronicles his disdain for matching up against the ‘Bad Boy Pistons’

Reggie Miller talks about hating playing against Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boy Pistons, just as Michael Jordan hated it as well. 

The 80s were filled to the brim with teams that relied on hard-nosed defense but none were more notorious than the Detroit Pistons led by Isiah Thomas at the point and anchored by guys like Mark Aguirre, Dennis Rodman, and Bill Laimbeer. The physicality they brought onto the floor on any given night was enough to give all-time great team a run for their money. 

Legends such as Michael Jordan would chronicle the absolute pain it was to match up against the Pistons in the late 80s and early 90s. Isiah Thomas and Jordan shared a special type of rivalry, a rivalry that continues to brew to this day. 

Everything from Thomas locking Michael Jordan out of the 1985 ASG to Jordan returning the favor by not letting Isiah suit up for the 1992 Dream Team in the Olympics.

Muddled within all of this was their 3 straight ECF matchups from 1989-91. ‘89 and ‘90 saw the Pistons beat the Bulls and win two straight titles.

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1991 however, the Chicago Bulls learned from their past mistakes of getting riled up at any and every defensive play the Pistons made. They kept their cool and swept the two-time defending champs. 

Reggie Miller claims playing against Isiah Thomas was a pain, just as Michael Jordan chronicled. 

In a recent interview, Reggis Miller decided to give Isiah Thomas props for how he reached the promiseland but also talked about how much he hated playing against him and those ‘Bad Boy Pistons’ of the 80s and 90s.

“I couldn’t stand him, it is that central division, couldn’t stand him like Michael Jordan. He would be smiling all in our face acting like he’s your friend and stuff, taking the biggest cheap shots ever and one of the toughest point guards.” 

The Reggie Miller Pacers and the Isiah Thomas Pistons would face off in a quick 5-game first round series in 1990, a series that saw the latter sweep Miller and his Pacers. 

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