"He went to the league office"- 2-time champion Isiah Thomas says Michael Jordan was the only player to cry about the Bad Boy Pistons
Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan had an iconic rivalry in the late 80s and early 90s. Thomas’ “Bad Boy” Pistons eliminated Jordan’s Bulls from the playoffs three straight years, from 1988 to 1990. The Bulls then got their revenge by sweeping the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals.
The two sides have had animosity toward each other ever since, with Jordan making it known how much he hates the Pistons. Jordan has often complained about the Bad Boy Pistons’ physical defense against him, however, according to Thomas, Jordan’s complaints are not justified.
During a recent appearance on the “All The Smoke” podcast, Thomas explained that the Bad Boy Pistons were physical with every team, not just Chicago. However, he said that Jordan is the only player still complaining about their defense. Thomas added that the Bulls physically defended him as well, but that they refused to tell both sides of the story:
“They was laying wood man. They was laying hard wood. But Jordan, he’s the only one still crying today,” Thomas said.
“‘They hit me hard, they fouled hard, they was dirty, look what they did.’ They show you a few video clips and tell the world this was how they played. They’ll never show you the game.
“There was a guy during that time that hit harder and more times than Isiah Thomas driving down the lane. I got the scars for it. But I ain’t ever cried. I just got up and went to the foul line.
“But he (Jordan) went to the league office, they wrote newspaper articles about it, you’re sitting here talking about the Jordan rules. Hey man, we had Kareem rules, we had Magic rules. … So don’t make it sound like it was something really special for him.”
Isiah Thomas' discussion about Michael Jordan and the Bad Boy Pistons starts at the 12:00 mark below:
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Isiah Thomas on the Bad Boy Pistons' defensive strategy against Michael Jordan
Later on in his interview, Isiah Thomas explained the Bad Boy Pistons' defensive strategy against Michael Jordan.
“We had a defensive philosophy for everybody we played against,” Thomas said.
“His was ‘Okay, send him to the foul line and make him make free throws.’ He was 85 (percent) from the line. We had a better chance of him missing a free throw — which he didn’t miss that many — but that dunk, that’s a for sure two.
“So again, don’t make it something that it really wasn’t.”
It was simple: to stop him from getting easy baskets.
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