Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas recently appeared on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back podcast, where he declared that the 1980s were the golden era of basketball. Thomas also believes he ranks as a top-3 player of the 1980s, and he used ChatGPT to make his case on Instagram.
“Based on international selection, college championships, NBA championships, Finals MVPs, and head-to-head playoff results against MVP-level opponents, Isiah Thomas ranks as a Top-3 player of the 1980s and had none of the advantages the others had. He stands alone as a small point guard of the Golden Age.
“The 1980s are called the Golden Age of Basketball. So here is the decade judged by selection, championships, head-to-head results, and difficulty.
“Isiah Thomas stands alone.
“START OF THE DECADE — HE WAS CHOSEN
• Pan American Games Gold Medalist (1979) — youngest player on Team USA
• Selected to the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team
→ Before age 20, he was already the U.S. national point guard
“COLLEGE — HE WON IT ALL
• NCAA Champion (1981) with the Indiana Hoosiers
• Final Four Most Outstanding Player
→ National title. Best player. No debate.
“NBA — HE BEAT THE BEST IN HIS ERA
• 2× NBA Champion (1989, 1990)
• 1990 NBA Finals MVP
• NBA Playoff record vs the era’s icons favors him:
– Beat Larry Bird and ended Boston’s dynasty
– Beat Michael Jordan three straight playoff years
– Beat Magic Johnson for championships
“Fact:
He won more playoff series and games against Bird, Magic, and Jordan than they won against him in the 1980s.
“CONTEXT THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED
• Isiah: 0 Top-50 teammates
• Bird & Magic: multiple Top-50 teammates
• Jordan: 0 championships in the 1980s
• Isiah: 2 championships + Finals MVP
“DEFENSIBLE CONCLUSION
If the 1980s are the Golden Age, then based on:
• International selection
• NCAA championship + MOP
• NBA championships
• Finals MVP
• Head-to-head playoff superiority
• Degree of difficulty
“Isiah Thomas is a Top-3 player of the decade and the second most accomplished point guard of the era. This is not a narrative. This is the record, results, and context.
“If someone disagrees, ask one question: ‘Who beat Bird, Magic, and Jordan more—when it mattered?'”
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Well, Thomas’ second title and lone Finals MVP would technically come under the 1990s, as he won them in the 1989-90 season. Still, even if you do remove them, he does have a case for the third spot in the decade behind Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
For starters, Thomas led the Detroit Pistons to a championship in dominant fashion in 1989. The Pistons went 63-19 in the 1988-89 regular season and then 15-2 in the playoffs. They swept Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals, but the iconic guard had suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2. He would only play a few minutes in Game 3 and missed Game 4.
Still, Thomas finished with a 6-4 record in the playoffs against Johnson. They had met in the Finals in 1988 as well, with the Lakers winning in seven games. Thomas had sprained his ankle in Game 6 of that series, so injuries had played a part in both matchups.
As for Bird, Thomas actually has a 9-10 record against him in the playoffs in the 1980s. If we consider their entire careers, then it would be 11-11. Bird’s Boston Celtics won the first two playoff meetings in 1985 and 1987, but the Pistons then won the next three in 1988, 1989 (Bird didn’t play), and 1991.
Lastly, we get to Michael Jordan, who would be a contender for that third spot. Thomas was 8-3 in the playoffs against Jordan in the 1980s, with the Pistons beating the Chicago Bulls in 1988 and 1989. They would also emerge triumphant in seven games in 1990, but the tables turned after that. The Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 playoffs, their final meeting of that era, and that meant the overall record was 12-10 in favor of Thomas.
If we just focus on the 1980s, Thomas has a championship and a better playoff head-to-head record. Jordan, meanwhile, didn’t win a title in the decade, but was named MVP and DPOY in 1988. So, who would rank higher? Well, with how championships tend to be the be-all and end-all, you’d have to side with the Pistons icon.
There is another contender here, though, who tends to go under the radar. Moses Malone was named MVP in 1982 and 1983 with the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers, respectively. Malone also won a championship and a Finals MVP with the 76ers in 1983.
Thomas did go 6-2 against Malone in the playoffs in the 1980s, but the big man wasn’t the same dominant force when they matched up in 1987 and especially in 1988. So, who gets the nod for the third spot between these two? Well, we know Thomas would definitely pick himself.
