Isiah Thomas Explains Why Michael Jordan Wasn’t His Competition: “I Was Dominant Over Him”

Isiah Thomas didn’t consider Michael Jordan as his competition, and he had his reasons.

The Detroit Pistons guard, speaking in a previous interview with Shannon Sharpe on Club Shay Shay explained how the Bulls legend was not his competition. 

“Head to head, I was just dominating. When our teams met, you know you go back and look at until ’91, when I basically had my wrist surgery, my record against him and his team, you know it really wasn’t competition there. And most people think like we’re, you know I am five years older than him, but we’re only a year apart.”

“He just wasn’t my competition. My focus was Bird, Magic, Dr. J, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Those were the guys.”

Before we delve deeper, here’s a quick look at the head-to-head between both these iconic players.

Isiah Thomas vs. Michael Jordan Head To Head Comparison

In the regular season, MJ averaged 31.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists against Thomas, who, in return, notched up 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists.

From 1984 to 1993, the Pistons beat the Bulls 24-19 in their regular season encounters and were clearly the favorites until 1991. ‘The Bad Boys’ had the advantage over the Bulls winning more games, and in 43 of them, Thomas averaged 20.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 9.0 assists, while Jordan averaged 31.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.

The playoffs between both these items were legendary during the late 80s and the early 90s as they faced off against each other four times. Detroit had the better of Jordan and Chicago for three times in a row. They had a 4-1 win in 1988, and 4-2 in 1989. This was followed by a 4-3 win in 1990.

The Bulls and Jordan had their revenge in 1991 when they beat the Pistons 4-0. In the playoffs, In the head-to-head matchups, Thomas averaged 18.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 8.3 assists. Jordan averaged 30.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists. The series was remarkable and here are some highlights for you all to enjoy.

1988 NBA Playoffs: Pistons vs. Bulls 4-1

1989 NBA Playoffs: Pistons vs. Bulls 4-2

1990 NBA Playoffs: Pistons vs. Bulls 4-3

1991 NBA Playoffs: Pistons vs. Bulls 4-0

And while Isiah did say that Michael Jordan was not his competition, the numbers suggest that the latter was better than him. The Pistons’ success came primarily due to stopping Jordan from using the four-pronged infamous “Jordan Rules”. But if not, there was no doubt that His Airness would have had the better of the team.

Isiah Thomas Believes He And Michael Jordan Would Have Won 8-9 Championships If They Had Played Together

In what comes as an honest admission, the decorated guard said he and MJ would have won more championships had they played together.

“Probably eight. Eight or nine, definitely,” Isiah Thomas said when asked about how many championships they would win if they played together. “We would have won a lot and we’d probably still be playing now. Tryna be somebody. No, we’d have won a lot. During that period, we would have a lot. He won six, I won two, so yeah, eight. Eight or nine.”

While they do fit well on paper, there are chances that they would have been a bust had it been in reality. Their beef would have surely trickled over despite their complementing skill sets.

We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.

Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.