At the height of 'The Last Dance' in 2020, CBS Sports' Bill Reiter contacted Detroit Pistons captain Isiah Thomas and interviewed him about the Bulls' documentary, among other topics. When the discussion turned to Zeke's Hall of Fame career, Reiter asked Thomas to name his Top five NBA rivals. The legendary Piston choices weren't surprising, but the order was.
Thomas ranked legendary Lakers captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar first, followed by Boston Celtics great Larry Bird. Zeke then ranked good buddy Magic Johnson at No.3 while ranking Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan at the fourth spot. Thomas then completed his list by naming Julius Erving at No. 5.
"When you put Jordan and his basketball team in the '80s, they weren't a very successful team," explained Thomas. "They just weren't. When you talk about Jordan and his team dominating, they dominated the '90s. But when you put him with those Lakers teams and those Pistons teams and those Celtics teams, they all beat him. They just did."
Jordan never beat Bird or Thomas in the 80s
While Zeke's answer won't make MJ 's fans happy, he does have a point. Thomas was drafted second overall in the 1982 NBA Draft. He played 8 out of his 13 NBA seasons during the 1980s decade, and two out of his five years played during the 1990s were cut short by injuries.
The 1980s are best known for the Lakers vs. Celtics rivalry. Magic 's Showtime Lakers won five championships during that decade, while Bird's Celtics captured three. The other chips in the 1980s went to the Sixers (1983) and Thomas' Pistons (1989). Meanwhile, Jordan didn't win his first title until 1991.
"What separated Jordan from all of us was he was the first one to three-peat. But he didn't three-peat against Magic, Larry and Dr. J," added Zeke.
The Bulls struggled in the playoffs
His Airness played five seasons in the 80s. Although he took the Bulls to the playoffs every year, the first three ended in a first-round exit, including back-to-back sweeps suffered at the hands of Bird and the Celtics. MJ's best run was in '89 when they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals but lost 4-1 to Thomas' Pistons.
Jordan's Bulls began the '90s decade with a three-peat from 1991 to 1993, becoming the first team to win at least three straight titles since the Boston Celtics won 8 in a row during the '60s. They would add three more via a second three-peat from 1996 to 1998. But as Thomas mentioned, they never faced the great teams of the 80s.
MJ played against Magic in the 1991 Finals, but that Lakers team no longer had Kareem. Jordan's other championships were won against Portland, Phoenix, Utah (two times), and Seattle. No disrespect, but those teams weren't as good as the Celtics, Lakers, and Pistons in their primes.
Related: Phil Jackson once shared why he wasn't happy when Michael Jordan scored 69 points on the Cavs: "It's not my favorite thing to do”
Most Popular
Comments / 0