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Dec 14, 2011; College Park, MD, USA; FIU Panthers head coach Isiah Thomas during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Imago
Dec 14, 2011; College Park, MD, USA; FIU Panthers head coach Isiah Thomas during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Comcast Center. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
When Isiah Thomas talks basketball, you listen!
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This two-time NBA champion (1989, 1990), Finals MVP (1990), and 12-time All-Star didn’t just dominate the hardwood; he redefined what it meant to compete. A Hall of Famer and member of the league’s iconic 50th and 75th Anniversary teams, Thomas knows the game inside out. So, when he calls the modern NBA a “copycat league,” it hits differently.
According to him, today’s teams are obsessed with mimicking the Boston Celtics’ play style—and it’s ruining the sport’s creativity.
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Isiah Thomas made waves during a candid discussion on SiriusXM NBA Radio with Rob Perez and Antonio Daniels. The Pistons legend called out the uniformity he sees across the league, saying teams have lost their individuality. “The term that’s used today is, well, it’s a copycat league,” Thomas shared. “When you were playing, and I was playing, it wasn’t a copycat league. Everybody had different styles.”
But he didn’t stop there. ‘Zeke’ pinpointed exactly what’s gone wrong: analytics and coaching. “Coaching today and analytics… everybody shares information. Everybody speaks the same language. Everybody has the same size players, the same body type of players, the same play calls,” Thomas explained.
Then came the mic drop: “Boston played this way, so OK, all the other 29 teams have got to play this way. Well, you don’t have Tatum and Brown. So you can’t play like Boston. You have to find a way to play different that beats them.”
Boy, does it sting! But the man makes a valid point.
“You can’t play like Boston plays. You have to find a way to play different that beats them.”@Hoophall HOFer Isiah Thomas tells @WorldWideWob & @adaniels33 that teams trying to copy the Celtics style of play will not find success. pic.twitter.com/XVymkmBply
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) December 16, 2024
And here’s why he’s so fired up: Boston’s success last season was historic. They clinched their 18th title, edging past the Lakers, with a dominant Game 5 win over Dallas. Jayson Tatum was unstoppable that night, with 31 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds.
This season, they’ve kept the momentum going, sitting second in the Eastern Conference. Their latest win, a 112-98 blowout against the Wizards, saw Tatum drop 28 points and 12 boards. While their formula is tempting to replicate, Thomas warns it will stifle the league’s creativity. And coming from the Bad Boy Pistons’ maestro, whose rivalries shaped the NBA, you’d be wise to heed his words.
Isiah Thomas, an all-time Boston nemesis
Celtics fans remember Isiah Thomas as the floor general who gave their team endless headaches during the 80s. Drafted in 1981, the Pistons’ leader helped his squad rise to relevance, just as Larry Bird did for the Celtics after joining in 1978. With Chuck Daly at the helm, Thomas shaped the Pistons into a legitimate threat—a rivalry that basketball fans still talk about.
Interestingly, the rivalry heated up after the Pistons moved to the Eastern Conference in 1978, making Celtics vs. Pistons a regular postseason showdown. While the Celtics bagged three titles during the decade, the Pistons weren’t far behind. Slowly but surely, Thomas and his “Bad Boys” built a dynasty of their own, embodying grit and defense in a high-flying era.
The Celtics, though, were no strangers to playoff drama. During Thomas’ prime, Boston initially came out on top, winning postseason battles in 1968 and 1985. Not to mention, their infamous seven-game Eastern Conference Finals in 1987. However, Thomas and the Pistons flipped the script, dominating the Cs in their next three meetings from 1988 to 1991.
USA Today via Reuters
Jun 13, 1989; Los Angeles, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas (11) addresses the media in a post game press conference after defeating Los Angeles Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals at The Forum. Mandatory Credit: MPS-USA TODAY Sports
The pendulum swung back to Boston after Thomas retired, with the Celtics clinching playoff series wins in 2002 and 2008. Yet, Thomas’ numbers against Boston were anything but pedestrian. He averaged 20.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 26 playoff games against the Celtics.
Across his career, he might have a 23-36 record against them, but those battles laid the groundwork for one of the most interesting rivalries in NBA history.
Written by
Edited by
Geisha Pulimoottil Don