Isiah Thomas was a fierce competitor during his time in the NBA. In fact, until Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving came around, Thomas stood alone as the greatest point guard ever, especially for his stature. Recently, he extended the same honor to Kyrie and Curry, claiming them to be the two greatest point guards in a seemingly position-less era. But wait, there is a catch to it!
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In this era of POSITIONALES basketball Kyrie Irving and Steph Curry classified as Point Guards have been the Best and the most influential at this position in this era. Let it be known
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 31, 2024
When NBA X (formerly Twitter) started putting IT’s name in the same sentence as Steph’s, the Pistons legend was quick to fire back, as the Hall of Famer pointed out how he was better than #30 of the Warriors.
His comments came just days after he went off on an X user for putting Curry’s name alongside his. The user identified the point-guard duo as the only players under 6’3″, who were undeniably the best players on a championship-winning team. Replying to the post, Thomas claimed,
“Let it be known ONLY ONE led his team to back2back championships as the team leading scorer and the team leader in assists, @NBAHistory.”
Let it be known ONLY ONE led his team to back2back championships as the team leading scorer and the team leader in assist @NBAHistory https://t.co/GrbayNwVEF
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 21, 2024
Through his reply, Thomas seems to have started a war on X, as NBA fans quickly started going back and forth, arguing about which of the two guards is better. An X user also replied to Thomas’s post, “You ain’t better than Steph. Keep it pushin.”
You ain’t better than Steph. Keep it pushin
— LoonMuse (@KevonLooneyMuse) May 21, 2024
The reply seems to have caught the attention of the two-time NBA Champion, as he fired back at the X user by saying,
“I never said I was, that’s your interpretation and opinion. I stated a hardcore fact of being the only small PG to win back2back while leading in scoring and assist @NBAHistory we both won and won differently in our era. You can push that!”
I never said I was, that’s your interpretation and opinion. I stated a hardcore fact of being the only small PG to win back2back while leading in scoring and assist @NBAHistory we both won, and won differently in our era. You can push that! https://t.co/aCzkOqWVt9
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 21, 2024
Isiah Thomas doesn’t seem to be in the wrong with his comments, at least not completely. He was undoubtedly the best player on the Pistons roster when they won their titles in 1989 and 1990. The Pistons guard also averaged the most assists in both series but never led the team in scoring, as that honor belonged to Thomas’s teammate, Joe Dumars.
In the end, Thomas and Curry won using different playstyles and tactics. While Curry was known for his shooting and ball-distributing abilities, Thomas played a more cerebral game, often using tactics to gain a mental advantage over his opponents.
Comparisons aside, both have done a great job representing the small man in a league of giants and for that alone, Curry and Thomas deserve recognition and praise.
