Michael Jordan doesn’t have much love for Isiah Thomas or the Detroit Pistons.
In episodes three and four of The Last Dance, it took the time to talk about the hardship of overcoming the Bad Boy Pistons. In 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991 the two teams squared off in the playoffs. The last three times were for a chance to go to the NBA Finals.
The Pistons were physical with the Bulls and in many instances looking to intimidate them by any means necessary. Nothing was off-limits in the era of the Bad Boys. Bulls players even accused them of trying to intentionally hurt both Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.
When the Bulls had finally overcome the Pistons in 1991, the Pistons had a less than savory response.
With the game well in-hand as well as the sweep. Bill Lambier, Thomas, and others walk off the court not shaking the hands of the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls.
Jordan’s Response
Michael Jordan took particular offense to it and any sort of explanation wasn’t enough to validate their “lack of sportsmanship.”
“I know it’s all bullshit,” Jordan said. “Whatever [Isiah] says now, you know it wasn’t his true actions then. [He’s had] time enough to think about it, or the reaction of the public that’s changed his perspective. … You can show me anything you want. There’s no way you can convince me he wasn’t an asshole.”
Jordan on a possible explanation
His reasoning was backed up with plenty of years prior. Going back to game 7 of the year prior where the Bulls were dismantled by the Pistons.
“All you have to do is go back to us losing in Game 7 [the previous year],” Jordan continued. “I shook everybody’s hand. Two years in a row, we shook their hands when they beat us. There’s a certain respect to the game, that we paid to them. That’s sportsmanship. No matter how much it hurts, and believe me it f—–g hurt. But we didn’t have to shake their hands. We knew we whipped their ass already. We got past them. And to me, that was better in some ways than winning the championship.”
Isiah’s Response
Thomas saw it differently and even had his regrets from that moment in basketball history, saying that “wasn’t how the torch was passed.”
“That was the only time that I think I’d ever been swept in a series. I was normally the one doing the sweeping,” Thomas said. “Their time had arrived, and ours was over. As we’re coming out of the game, Laimbeer said: ‘We’re not shaking their hands.’ … Knowing what we now now, in the aftermath of what took place, I think all of us would’ve stopped and said congratulations like they do now. But in that period of time, that’s just not how it was passed. When you lost you left the floor. That was it.”
Isiah’s explanation
Needless to say, there was no love lost between these two teams.
