“Isiah Thomas, You Need to Get up”: Bill Russell Motivated Bad Boys’ Leader to Stage Comeback After Larry Bird’s Steal in 1987

Isiah Thomas and his Detroit Pistons could’ve reached the NBA Finals in 1987 – a year earlier than their eventual Finals debut the following year. However, Larry Bird stole his thunder, intercepting Isiah’s inbounds pass in their faceoff and setting up a series-deciding moment.

Larry Bird’s steal against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1987 is widely considered one of the most iconic plays in NBA history.

With just seconds remaining, Bird anticipated an inbound pass and intercepted the ball, leading to a game-winning basket and a crucial victory for the Boston Celtics.

The play helped the Celtics advance to the NBA Finals, where they eventually lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. It also cemented Bird’s reputation as one of the game’s all-time greats.

Isiah Thomas describes how Bill Russell helped him get over his disappointment

Isiah, who’d had a stellar season up until that point, was understandably crestfallen after his error turned out to be the defining point of their series against Boston. He stewed in those feelings for a while, until Bill Russell spoke some sense to him.

Thomas related what advice Russell had for him in a recent interview with Cedric Maxwell:

“I didn’t go to practice the next day. I’m sitting at home and sulking when my wife comes up to me. She says ‘There’s someone on the phone, I think you should take it.'”

“So I take the phone call, and I hear this voice ‘Hey, this is Bill Russell. Young man, everybody falls off the horse. You need to get up, get back up on the horse.”

Isiah Thomas and Bill Russell didn’t always see eye-to-eye

Despite their shared love for the game of basketball, the relationship between Russell and Thomas has been somewhat strained. This is largely due to comments made by Thomas in his book, “Bad Boys,” which Russell perceived as disparaging toward him and his legacy.

In response, Russell refused to attend Thomas’ induction ceremony into the Hall of Fame in 2000, a decision that has been widely criticized.

Despite this conflict, both Russell and Thomas have expressed admiration for each other’s basketball skills and accomplishments. They have also both been vocal advocates for social justice issues, and have worked to promote equality and fairness both on and off the court.

While their personal relationship may be complicated, there is no denying the impact that both Russell and Thomas have had on the sport of basketball, and on the world at large.