“I don’t really love the comparisons, just because he’s (Michael Jordan) done so many things for the game of basketball. Just to be in those conversations is surreal. If you ask me, though, I’m still very, very far away.” That’s what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said back in December 2025, when Steve Nash said he is “getting into the heir statistically of people like Michael Jordan.” Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder are in the Conference Finals, such comparisons are once again widespread, and the latest voice to weigh in is Isiah Thomas.

Speaking on The Dan Patrick Show, Detroit Pistons legend highlighted parallels between the defensive scheme that the Pistons once used against Jordan and the one the Spurs employed in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. In short, he addressed the famous Jordan Rules discovered by the ‘Bad Boy’ Pistons. Importantly, Thomas reflected on how differently each of the stars responded to the physically dominant defensive strategy. 

“We would force Jordan left, trap him going left. SGA is more of a passer than Jordan was at that particular time,” Isiah Thomas said. “Jordan was what we called a reluctant passer.”

As per the Jordan Rules, the Pistons would force Jordan to his left, which was considered the less explosive side, and double-team him. Adding to that, Thomas said, “He (Jordan) would actually take on the double team right as a challenge and try to score over the double team as opposed to kicking it out.”

Meanwhile, SGA took a different route.

In Western Conference Finals Game 1, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a tough time shooting the ball, as he recorded 7-23 from the field. As Isiah Thomas rightly called, the Spurs took out SGA’s elbow jumpers from the game. They doubled-teamed him on either side of the baseline, and with Victor Wembanyama protecting the rim, he had nowhere to go.

The reigning MVP could only dish out the ball to the open players in the outer ring. The stat sheet backs it up as well, as SGA ended the night with a game-high 12 assists. The price that the Spurs had to pay was allowing Alex Caruso to make 8 three-pointers.

How did MJ and SGA break the ‘Jordan Rules’?

The Pistons employed the ‘Jordan Rules’ and succeeded with it for three straight years, 1988-1990. The Bad Boys repeatedly defeated the Bulls in the postseason, and three straight finals in that stretch. They won two of them. 

In 1989, the Bulls hired Phil Jackson as their head coach, and the very next season, the Bad Boys won the title. As Isiah Thomas said, “When Phil Jackson came along, put him in the triangle and put those snipers around him, that’s when everything changed.” 

The legendary coach figured a way to tackle the ‘Jordan Rules.’ Instead of taking on the physical defenders of the Pistons, MJ trusted his teammates and dished out passes to the snipers. He conserved energy and dismantled the double teams tactically. It did reflect on MJ’s career stat sheet as well. In the 1988-89 season, MJ recorded his career best assists, averaging 8.0 apg.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander approached a similar tactic. However, it wasn’t enough in Game 1, as the Spurs stole the game in OT2. In Game 2, SGA finished with 30 points against a tough defense, shooting 12-24 FG while also dishing out 9 assists. It was the rotational players who made the difference, as they drilled 12 3-pointers off the bench. This ultimately fetched them the much-needed victory to tie the series.

With the series now shifting to San Antonio, SGA has to endure a tough defense in a loud arena. Can he break the defense under pressure?