Isiah Thomas often takes to different social media platforms to remind fans of his greatness. This time, he did so by sharing a clip from 35 years ago on X (formerly “Twitter”). Thomas retweeted a post that had video highlights of the Detroit Pistons’ Game 4 win against the Chicago Bulls from 1989.
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Back in 1989, the Detroit Pistons went up against the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals. After trailing 1-2 through the first three contests of the series, the “Bad Boy” Pistons clinched Game 4 at the Chicago Stadium with an 86-80 victory.
Retweeting the same post, The Baby-Faced Assassin also wrote, “Let it be known”.
Let it be known @Charlottean28 https://t.co/llCLdHbIqF
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 29, 2024
IT suited up for almost 43 minutes in the contest and played a huge role in leading the Pistons to a 6-point win. Apart from recording 27 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 steals, Thomas’ incredible defense contained the Michael Jordan-Craig Hodges duo to merely 39 points on 39.2% FG (per Basketball Reference).
Thomas averaged 20+ points, 7+ assists, and 5 rebounds per game (per StatMuse) as the Pistons went on to win the series 4-2. Ultimately, Chuck Daly’s boys swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 Finals to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.
In the subsequent year, the Pistons would defeat the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive time. Apart from Isiah Thomas lifting the championship trophy for a second straight occasion, he also indulged in a full-fledged beef with Michael Jordan that goes on to date.
Isiah Thomas called out Michael Jordan for complaining to David Stern
The Detroit Pistons were one of the most physical teams in the league. In the latest 1980s, the Chicago Bulls would face them three times in the postseason and lost all thrice. In those series, the Pistons would increase their physicality and almost assault Michael Jordan.
MJ complained to David Stern because of all the beatings that he sustained from the Pistons, according to Isiah Thomas. Back in 2023, Thomas revealed how the NBA’s commissioner obliged a “crying” MJ and changed the rules in the latter’s favor.
“The Bulls, Jordan, every time you hit him, he was crying… Going to David Stern’s office having a meeting about getting hit, getting fouled, you gotta change the rules.
I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. I watched Dr. J [Erving] get beat up, I watched Magic [Johnson] get beat up [and] I watched Bird get beat up. I done get beat up. Everybody get beat up. Now we gotta change the rules ‘cause he getting hit?’ Y’all want him to win; y’all changed all the rules so he can win. Wait a minute now; these are the facts,” IT said on Cedric Maxwell’s podcast.
The 1989 Playoffs were the last time that the “Bad Boys” Pistons would defeat the Bulls in the postseason. For the next eight years, the Bulls would go on to dominate the league as they won the title a staggering six times.
The end of the “Bad Boys” Pistons era was soon followed by Isiah Thomas’ retirement in 1994. However, the retirement from basketball didn’t put an end to his beef with MJ. Till today, the two legendary guards have expressed hatred for each other. As well documented in Netflix’s docu-series “The Last Dance”, the two even used profanity when talking about each other.
From what their actions suggest, it doesn’t appear that this quarrel is going to be settled anytime in the future. With the two still commenting and publicly mocking each other, the bad blood between them is only going to get more intense.
