Isiah Thomas is considered to be one of the greatest players in NBA History. He won two titles with the Detroit Pistons, but he was more known for stopping Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls several times in the playoffs. Thomas was Jordan’s biggest rival, and he failed to beat him for several years.
But then Scottie Pippen came, and all that changed. Jordan eventually got over the hump and won 6 titles. But still, no one gave Jordan a bigger challenge than the Detroit Pistons and Isiah Thomas. Imagine the great Michael Jordan, losing year after year to a 6?1? point guard who was in the late stages of his prime. That guy needed to be special, and Thomas was indeed special. Not with dominating physical gifts like others, but with a very crisp and sharp mind.
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 13: Isiah Thomas attends SiriusXM’s “Town Hall” With Clyde Drexler, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and Stephen A. Smith at SiriusXM Studio on February 13, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
Isiah Thomas says could never jump as high as Michael Jordan
Thomas was recently on Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner’s podcast Point Forward. He talked about the dream team, Michael Jordan, and other topics. Thomas also talked about how he had to learn how to win. He says, ” I got to spend time with Magic and Kevin McHale… So I got to study the Lakers and Celtics… I got to see how their organizations work. Then how they went about preparing to win. Once I learned that… Okay, I know what we got to do and I know how to win.”
Thomas added he had to study to win. He also said that he could not beat others physically, and he had to make his mind sharp. According to him, he had to make everyone better.
“I can’t beat Magic being 6’9, I can never be 6’9,” said Thomas. “I?m never gonna jump as high as Jordan and I’m never gonna shoot like Larry Bird. I ain’t got a skyhook like Kareem. How can I beat those 4 guys not one time but consistently,” he added.
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He says he had to make it an intellectual game rather than a physical one. He realized that it was when he became ‘That Dude’. And Thomas went to the Finals three times, and he won two titles, back to back. He did overcome all the greats of his era, including the great Michael Jordan in his prime.
