Jay Thompson - You're seriously gonna use a free throw percentage to discredit his career or accomplishments? I watched as he took that team from absolutely nothing to winning back-to-back championships in the toughest era ever in NBA. In the playoffs he was huge. You want to discredit his numbers with his free throw percentage? Doesn't matter what you think. He averaged 20 points and 10 assists a game for his entire career. That's simply amazing. Go back and look at his stats vs John Stockton or any other point guard of his generation. His stats were very good, but that's just part of what made Isiah great.. Stats didn't matter to Isiah, it was all about winning championships. If you don't believe that he's the best little man ever that's fine. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. But I've never seen anybody better at that position. He could take over a game at will or he could distribute the ball, whatever was needed. Stockton, Nash, Kidd, Paul, and Payton did not take over games when needed most, especially in the playoffs. Who else you got? Stephan Curry? Just a shooter. Isiah is much quicker and would kill Curry off the dribble, without needing screens. Go watch more film on all these players. Look at all their stats side-by-side in all areas. Then tell me who was better than Isiah at six foot or under. Good luck
Jeff Valiton There’s no reasoning with a suspected Jordan fanboy. In an era when basketball fans lament the lack of physicality and toughness in today’s game, it’s pathetic that a PG who embodied that his entire career gets criticized for it because he didn’t shake Michael Jordan’s hand in 1991.
Loved watching him play too, especially against the Bulls. Jordan is best ever in my book. But even jordan said Isiah was the toughest player to defend, out of everyone he ever guarded. Truth.
@@jeffvaliton4530 Here was the difference between the mental approach of Isiah and Jordan. Isiah from a young age was the star and leader of his suburban high school team, was able as a high school grad to make the Pan AM team, able to be a Olympian as a freshman, was able to step in at both Indiana and later Detroit and be THE MAN from Day 1. Isiah was a natural leader. MJ, he struggled to make his high school team, walked into a championship caliber team at North Carolina and knew he WASN'T The Man entering there . MJ for all his success his final 2 college years, was NOT a guy who could lead others . That same mentality he struggled with his first 6 years in the NBA. You could see the same differences in their talent evaluation in the NBA . Isiah saw leaders in guys others doubted like Stoudamire, McGrady, Doug Christie, Nate Robinson , Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley while MJ took the words of experts and walked into Kwame Brown, Cody Zeller, that other one year Indiana bust and Frank Kaminsky
no disrespect but i did do and will SOMEWHAT like star isiah thomas and i did do and/or PROBABLY will really LOVE legend hakeem olajuwon ALMOST as much as 3 EVEN MORE elite players being kareem abdul-jabbar wilt chamberlain and bill russell
no disrespect but please tell me if you know there's a documentary called the greatest player ever starring wilt chamberlain and in 80 the nba declared the greatest player ever as bill russell
Championship team. MVP. They just laid it all out on the line and beat Portland in Portland which was difficult at that time. This was basketball in the NBA before they made it into a video game. Real basketball.
Michael Cooks: agreed. He was electricity on the floor, and he sacrificed numbers to win. He was the Bad Boys. In his first 5-6 years, even Jordan could not guard him well, and Jordan even admitted as much.
Isiah was COOKING that series. I remember I was 13 watching this game and the move and layup he mad at 0:56 sent my father and me into a frenzy. Vinnie Johnson and Isiah were so in fire at the end of the game, Isiah would’ve made that game winning shot had he not passed it to Vinnie who had a bigger and slower Kersey guarding him on the perimeter.
What I will always remember about this Friday game was the fact it was my last day in the military, was in a hotel room in Beaufort, SC going crazy watching this game.
Dr. J said Isiah is the greatest little man to ever play the game. This is why he's a certified HOFer and considered the greatest player in Pistons franchise history, and why his number hangs in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena.
@@mikjord maybe, maybe not. Without question Kyrie is a better ball handler and shooter than Zeke (and Zeke was a great ball handler). Zeke was easily a better passer. Once kyries career is done, we’ll be able to look back and know.
@@mobetta2092 Exactly! Most don't see that. Thomas was on his way back after the wrist injury and then in game 1 vs. Boston Dee Brown stepped on his foot and it messed up Thomas' ankle while he missed games 2 and 4 while coming off the bench the rest of the series. I still believe Detroit would have won had that ankle injury not happened in '91...and look at how hard Detroit played vs. Boston but two days later Thomas starts and takes only 9 shots and even in game 2 vs. Chicago taking 9 shots? Makes no sense unless he did that on purpose not being aggressive. Plus, Thomas should have or could have come off the bench as it did in games 4-6 vs. Boston? Why didn't Thomas come off the bench vs. Chicago? Why didn't Chuck Daly start Tree Rollins and put Rodman/Edwards on the bench for Aguirre/Rollins to get more production off the bench? Why didn't Salley or Edwards get major minutes in game 2? Makes no sense... See, Detroit handed Chicago '91 and that was sickening.
@@plainsimple244 I remember watching the Pistons and their body language as a team seemed depleted knowing their captain came back still dealing with a bad wrist and the ankle made things worse. Those championship Pistons team followed wherever Isiah led them, meaning if Isiah would’ve been content with being a perennial all star with early playoff appearances, that’s what they’d have been. However Zeke took the initiative as a young player after his season was over to take advantage of Red, KC, and Larry with the Celts and Dr. Buss and Magic with the Lakers allowing him to learn what it took to win (I’m sure they had no idea the Pistons would soon overthrow them). He came back to Detroit and instilled a willingness in Laimbeer to fight back (in the past Laimbeer wouldn’t fight back). Zeke told Mahorn to lose weight. Encouraged Rodman who was a scorer in college to prioritize rebounding and defending over trying to scoring because others on the team could score but couldn’t rebound and defend as good as he could and that was needed (same with Salley). When his childhood friend and fellow NBA Star Mark Aguirre arrived in exchange for Adrian Dantley whose style disrupted the offensive flow, Isiah informed Mark that his ball dominant style of play that took the Mavs to the WCF wasn’t needed, instead he needed to become a role player. Zeke encouraged all of his bigs, Edwards included, to be intimidating like Rick Mahorn naturally was, and to foul hard and be ready to fight as a gang because the talent in the NBA was so great, it wouldn’t hurt they to intimidate and distract teams from their game plans whenever they could. Im taking nothing from Coach Daly or others but Isiah was the unquestionable catalyst for those Pistons Team’s identities and successes.
@@dominiquejones3805 Yeah and when he was winning titles, that was Isiah Thomas holding back... too bad he had that wrist injury that ruined the latter end of his career.
Lol. Not Shaking hands is Big deal? No. The bulls said pistons were not worthy champions before and during the eastern conf finals when bulls swept. With all the bad blood between the 2 teams focused on jordan and Isiah, I don't blame pistons for not shaking hands. It may have resulted in Isiah not making the dream team. But most of the dream team disliked Isiah and the pistons already.
@@Fakename70 You intended mockery of Isiah. I understood that.Think what you will. Don't care. Every pistons fan I have talked to over past 30 years respected Isiah deeply, even though he was never lifted to same heights by the NBA marketing machine as Michael, Larry and Magic. If you ask the 3 of them, they will tell you how good Isiah was.
in the 88 playoffs the elite years were over for kareem abdul-jabbar and please tell me if you know there's a documentary called the greatest player ever starring wilt chamberlain and in 80 the nba declared the greatest player ever as bill russell
Look at how much more physical the game was back then compared to todays NBA games. The lack of defense that is played makes the league almost unwatchable for me. 80s 90s and early 00s basketball is where its at.
Nobody cares about if If i made all my shots i would be goat Isiah Thomas great player but not the goat And hes not 6'5 Hypotheticals dont mean anything Only people who say if are losers
I remember The Blazers stealing game 2 in The Palace and thinking they'd win the series. Then, Detroit won 3 straight and won the series 4-1. Thomas is still the 2nd greatest PG to Magic. What sets them apart from Curry is their leadership; plus they're way better passers.
When dumar's can sit long periods because you have the 2 hottest players on the floor, Isiah and Vinnie, a testament to how good their guard play was, maybe the best 3 guard tandem in history,imo.
@BRUCE0591 zeek is the goat!! he is!! Goat piston! Goat pure point guard(only others in the debate is Stockton and cp3.. Magic isn't pure) goat little man.. And goat Chicago born basketball player!
@vidaa82 if you’re trying to put a point guard into a box and believe he has to be one thing only, you have a point. Impact on the game is how a player should be judged. His impact on the game is many times over what Stockton (Mr pick n roll 5000 times and be a mediocre scorer) was. He revolutionized the game, he’s got 2 MVP’s and 3 rings. I don’t see that from the players you say are better than Curry. Those players didn’t flip defenses on their heads, forcing them to extend way further from the basket than they ever were meant to, those players didn’t make big bodies with slow feet worthless like Curry did. Curry has almost eliminated the big man. The league had to change everything they did just to keep pace with one guy.
@vidaa82 Curry is the only PG in history to constantly, every game get trapped 28 ft from the basket when the ball is in his hands. He finds the outlet man, who then has free reign to pass to an open cutter or shooter, so Curry is the master of the hockey assist which is all a player can do when trapped that high. Curry has great court vision, great handles, sucks the defense like a vacuum creating opportunities everywhere. Problem is his team offensively is soooo bad right now, he can get players open shots all night long and the opposition is happy to let them take them. If teams played Curry straight up from 30 ft away like they did all the players you mentioned, he’d easily be a 10 assist per game guy if that is your measuring stick. If you watch his games instead of highlights, it’s unreal how many opportunities are created for his teammates. Also, the problem with 5000 pick n rolls is it never won a title. Curry did, he won 3. He’s the more effective point guard
@vidaa82 “Curry does not control the game the way those other players do”? Do you hear what coaches say about having to sell out their entire defense to account for Curry? He draws way more attention than your players and that isn’t even close. He’s also got more rings, more mvps and had a much larger impact on the game. Stockton had 14 years of his career where MJ wasn’t in the finals, so it’s a pretty lame excuse. Any GM, and I mean any GM out there would take Curry before your guys if starting a team because of his effectiveness, which is off the charts. You try to write off Curry only as “yeah he’s a great shooter”, when he’s a one of a kind game changer with huge impact
@vidaa82 Dude Curry literally changed how the game is played. I don’t have anything against Stockton, but he wasn’t some generational talent like Curry. Also, you should watch a video on Steph Curry’s off ball gravity- defenses just don’t have a way to deal with it.
Unlike weak-minded dudes from soft North Carolina,a guy from Southside Chicago(Isaiah Thomas)or Central west Detroit)Anthony Tucker) knows how to easily deal with adversity!!
Best little man ever. Unbelievable.
Best airball ever too
@@dingoleh He was a 76% career foul shooter.
@Jay Thompson That's not far below average, it's about average. Rondo being around 60% is far below average.
Jay Thompson - You're seriously gonna use a free throw percentage to discredit his career or accomplishments? I watched as he took that team from absolutely nothing to winning back-to-back championships in the toughest era ever in NBA. In the playoffs he was huge. You want to discredit his numbers with his free throw percentage? Doesn't matter what you think. He averaged 20 points and 10 assists a game for his entire career. That's simply amazing. Go back and look at his stats vs John Stockton or any other point guard of his generation. His stats were very good, but that's just part of what made Isiah great.. Stats didn't matter to Isiah, it was all about winning championships. If you don't believe that he's the best little man ever that's fine. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. But I've never seen anybody better at that position. He could take over a game at will or he could distribute the ball, whatever was needed. Stockton, Nash, Kidd, Paul, and Payton did not take over games when needed most, especially in the playoffs. Who else you got? Stephan Curry? Just a shooter. Isiah is much quicker and would kill Curry off the dribble, without needing screens. Go watch more film on all these players. Look at all their stats side-by-side in all areas. Then tell me who was better than Isiah at six foot or under. Good luck
Jeff Valiton
There’s no reasoning with a suspected Jordan fanboy. In an era when basketball fans lament the lack of physicality and toughness in today’s game, it’s pathetic that a PG who embodied that his entire career gets criticized for it because he didn’t shake Michael Jordan’s hand in 1991.
People don't give IT his respect. I know he kicked y'alls favorite player ass but give the man his props.
My favorite player of all time.
Loved watching him play too, especially against the Bulls. Jordan is best ever in my book. But even jordan said Isiah was the toughest player to defend, out of everyone he ever guarded. Truth.
@@jeffvaliton4530 Here was the difference between the mental approach of Isiah and Jordan.
Isiah from a young age was the star and leader of his suburban high school team, was able as a high school grad to make the Pan AM team, able to be a Olympian as a freshman, was able to step in at both Indiana and later Detroit and be THE MAN from Day 1.
Isiah was a natural leader.
MJ, he struggled to make his high school team, walked into a championship caliber team at North Carolina and knew he WASN'T The Man entering there .
MJ for all his success his final 2 college years, was NOT a guy who could lead others .
That same mentality he struggled with his first 6 years in the NBA.
You could see the same differences in their talent evaluation in the NBA .
Isiah saw leaders in guys others doubted like Stoudamire, McGrady, Doug Christie, Nate Robinson , Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley while MJ took the words of experts and walked into Kwame Brown, Cody Zeller, that other one year Indiana bust and Frank Kaminsky
no disrespect but i did do and will SOMEWHAT like star isiah thomas and i did do and/or PROBABLY will really LOVE legend hakeem olajuwon ALMOST as much as 3 EVEN MORE elite players being kareem abdul-jabbar wilt chamberlain and bill russell
no disrespect but please tell me if you know there's a documentary called the greatest player ever starring wilt chamberlain and in 80 the nba declared the greatest player ever as bill russell
One of the best playmakers I've seen
Championship team. MVP. They just laid it all out on the line and beat Portland in Portland which was difficult at that time. This was basketball in the NBA before they made it into a video game. Real basketball.
Isiah has warrior 💓 unbelievable what Isiah did at his size Pistons Legend 🔵🔴 2💍💍 Zeke
Michael Cooks: agreed. He was electricity on the floor, and he sacrificed numbers to win. He was the Bad Boys. In his first 5-6 years, even Jordan could not guard him well, and Jordan even admitted as much.
Isiah was COOKING that series. I remember I was 13 watching this game and the move and layup he mad at 0:56 sent my father and me into a frenzy.
Vinnie Johnson and Isiah were so in fire at the end of the game, Isiah would’ve made that game winning shot had he not passed it to Vinnie who had a bigger and slower Kersey guarding him on the perimeter.
That layup he looked like Lynn Swann on a fly pattern from Terry Bradshaw and the layup he just toyed with a 6-7 taller defender
The king of Detroit 💪
100 there need to be a statue of Zeke
What I will always remember about this Friday game was the fact it was my last day in the military, was in a hotel room in Beaufort, SC going crazy watching this game.
BEST POINT GUARD OF ALL TIME
Two legends that don't get their just due....Isiah and Drexler...
Both were completely amazing players
Zeke was a legend.
“Is”
Ian gon lie when I first seen him play I didn’t expect this lil man nice af
When did you first see him? After watching The Last Dance?
Dr. J said Isiah is the greatest little man to ever play the game. This is why he's a certified HOFer and considered the greatest player in Pistons franchise history, and why his number hangs in the rafters at Little Caesars Arena.
He was Kyrie and Chris Paul before Kyrie and Chris Paul. Just a killer.
Isiah was better than both.
@@mikjord I agree
@@mikjord maybe, maybe not. Without question Kyrie is a better ball handler and shooter than Zeke (and Zeke was a great ball handler). Zeke was easily a better passer. Once kyries career is done, we’ll be able to look back and know.
@@Johnny-xj5qu Sorry but carrying and palming constantly the ball does not make Kyrie a better ball handler than Isiah.
@@mikjord you’re absolutely right, being a better ball handler is what makes Kyrie a better ball handler than Zeke.
Bad Man
Isiah Thomas Goat Killer
Fair enough, but goat got his revenge the next season and never got killed again
@@hlf_coder6272 1995 Orlando Magic
Damn, I wish Isiah didn't injure his wrist in 1991... he was prime to continue to be greater than this as a player and champion... damn!
That’s what many forgot about. Zeke also twisted his ankle against Boston before playing Chicago.
@@mobetta2092 Exactly! Most don't see that. Thomas was on his way back after the wrist injury and then in game 1 vs. Boston Dee Brown stepped on his foot and it messed up Thomas' ankle while he missed games 2 and 4 while coming off the bench the rest of the series. I still believe Detroit would have won had that ankle injury not happened in '91...and look at how hard Detroit played vs. Boston but two days later Thomas starts and takes only 9 shots and even in game 2 vs. Chicago taking 9 shots? Makes no sense unless he did that on purpose not being aggressive. Plus, Thomas should have or could have come off the bench as it did in games 4-6 vs. Boston? Why didn't Thomas come off the bench vs. Chicago? Why didn't Chuck Daly start Tree Rollins and put Rodman/Edwards on the bench for Aguirre/Rollins to get more production off the bench? Why didn't Salley or Edwards get major minutes in game 2? Makes no sense... See, Detroit handed Chicago '91 and that was sickening.
@@plainsimple244 I remember watching the Pistons and their body language as a team seemed depleted knowing their captain came back still dealing with a bad wrist and the ankle made things worse.
Those championship Pistons team followed wherever Isiah led them, meaning if Isiah would’ve been content with being a perennial all star with early playoff appearances, that’s what they’d have been.
However Zeke took the initiative as a young player after his season was over to take advantage of Red, KC, and Larry with the Celts and Dr. Buss and Magic with the Lakers allowing him to learn what it took to win (I’m sure they had no idea the Pistons would soon overthrow them).
He came back to Detroit and instilled a willingness in Laimbeer to fight back (in the past Laimbeer wouldn’t fight back). Zeke told Mahorn to lose weight. Encouraged Rodman who was a scorer in college to prioritize rebounding and defending over trying to scoring because others on the team could score but couldn’t rebound and defend as good as he could and that was needed (same with Salley). When his childhood friend and fellow NBA Star Mark Aguirre arrived in exchange for Adrian Dantley whose style disrupted the offensive flow, Isiah informed Mark that his ball dominant style of play that took the Mavs to the WCF wasn’t needed, instead he needed to become a role player.
Zeke encouraged all of his bigs, Edwards included, to be intimidating like Rick Mahorn naturally was, and to foul hard and be ready to fight as a gang because the talent in the NBA was so great, it wouldn’t hurt they to intimidate and distract teams from their game plans whenever they could.
Im taking nothing from Coach Daly or others but Isiah was the unquestionable catalyst for those Pistons Team’s identities and successes.
Zeke was a animal on offense
@@dominiquejones3805 Yeah and when he was winning titles, that was Isiah Thomas holding back... too bad he had that wrist injury that ruined the latter end of his career.
Ooohhhh Iiiiissiahhh
Regarding "Cooper" - "...he's getting his hands on a lot of balls..."
Dude moved like he was on skates.
@2:24
Isiah from Dumars
Looking at this IT the best pg of all time. People not going to admit it
Absolutely not
@@Ontiming2023 to me yes
Oh my God! They didn’t shake hands😒
Lol. Not Shaking hands is Big deal? No. The bulls said pistons were not worthy champions before and during the eastern conf finals when bulls swept. With all the bad blood between the 2 teams focused on jordan and Isiah, I don't blame pistons for not shaking hands. It may have resulted in Isiah not making the dream team. But most of the dream team disliked Isiah and the pistons already.
I’m guessing you’re unfamiliar with mockery and sarcasm then.
@@Fakename70 You intended mockery of Isiah. I understood that.Think what you will. Don't care. Every pistons fan I have talked to over past 30 years respected Isiah deeply, even though he was never lifted to same heights by the NBA marketing machine as Michael, Larry and Magic. If you ask the 3 of them, they will tell you how good Isiah was.
Especially since pistons beat all 3 teams in their first championship season.
In playoffs
Pistons were unlucky not to win three in a row ....Thomas was on fire in 88 finals then turned his ankle .
in the 88 playoffs the elite years were over for kareem abdul-jabbar and please tell me if you know there's a documentary called the greatest player ever starring wilt chamberlain and in 80 the nba declared the greatest player ever as bill russell
5:46 I love this play. Win the tip - the Microwave! Then a lateral attack to the paint before the defense can even match up!
Zeke what you did to Portland was just nasty and down right mean ..man you put the scewrs to them ..the smiling assassin..you gone always be my guy ..
Look at how much more physical the game was back then compared to todays NBA games. The lack of defense that is played makes the league almost unwatchable for me. 80s 90s and early 00s basketball is where its at.
Zeke beat, Magic, Bird,and Mike all in their prime
All those guys beat him too! Great players and eventually great teams battling each other.
Zeke was a bad man.
If Zeke was 6’5 he wouldve been the GOAT
Nobody cares about if
If i made all my shots i would be goat
Isiah Thomas great player but not the goat
And hes not 6'5
Hypotheticals dont mean anything
Only people who say if are losers
@@lonzojonas4795
And you said "if" more than anybody.
Man was so special. Injuries ruined It and eventually traded to the Cavs
Isiah played his entire career in Detroit.
Isiah Thomas was the Diana Ross of basketball.
What does that mean?
@@williamwalsh1533 He was cute
I remember The Blazers stealing game 2 in The Palace and thinking they'd win the series. Then, Detroit won 3 straight and won the series 4-1. Thomas is still the 2nd greatest PG to Magic. What sets them apart from Curry is their leadership; plus they're way better passers.
John Stockton better than Isiah? Don't think so
When dumar's can sit long periods because you have the 2 hottest players on the floor, Isiah and Vinnie, a testament to how good their guard play was, maybe the best 3 guard tandem in history,imo.
Micheal jordans dad
They Talking Bout. Please nan Like Him
Casually throws up an air ball from the line on the way to a unanimous finals MVP.
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
@BRUCE0591 zeek is the goat!! he is!! Goat piston! Goat pure point guard(only others in the debate is Stockton and cp3.. Magic isn't pure) goat little man.. And goat Chicago born basketball player!
When looking at the best PG’s in NBA history, I’ve got Magic easily #1, Curry easily #2. Oscar #3, and Zeke 4. Thomas was a stud.
@vidaa82 if you’re trying to put a point guard into a box and believe he has to be one thing only, you have a point. Impact on the game is how a player should be judged. His impact on the game is many times over what Stockton (Mr pick n roll 5000 times and be a mediocre scorer) was. He revolutionized the game, he’s got 2 MVP’s and 3 rings. I don’t see that from the players you say are better than Curry. Those players didn’t flip defenses on their heads, forcing them to extend way further from the basket than they ever were meant to, those players didn’t make big bodies with slow feet worthless like Curry did. Curry has almost eliminated the big man. The league had to change everything they did just to keep pace with one guy.
@vidaa82 Curry is the only PG in history to constantly, every game get trapped 28 ft from the basket when the ball is in his hands. He finds the outlet man, who then has free reign to pass to an open cutter or shooter, so Curry is the master of the hockey assist which is all a player can do when trapped that high. Curry has great court vision, great handles, sucks the defense like a vacuum creating opportunities everywhere. Problem is his team offensively is soooo bad right now, he can get players open shots all night long and the opposition is happy to let them take them. If teams played Curry straight up from 30 ft away like they did all the players you mentioned, he’d easily be a 10 assist per game guy if that is your measuring stick. If you watch his games instead of highlights, it’s unreal how many opportunities are created for his teammates. Also, the problem with 5000 pick n rolls is it never won a title. Curry did, he won 3. He’s the more effective point guard
@vidaa82 “Curry does not control the game the way those other players do”? Do you hear what coaches say about having to sell out their entire defense to account for Curry? He draws way more attention than your players and that isn’t even close. He’s also got more rings, more mvps and had a much larger impact on the game. Stockton had 14 years of his career where MJ wasn’t in the finals, so it’s a pretty lame excuse. Any GM, and I mean any GM out there would take Curry before your guys if starting a team because of his effectiveness, which is off the charts. You try to write off Curry only as “yeah he’s a great shooter”, when he’s a one of a kind game changer with huge impact
@vidaa82
Dude Curry literally changed how the game is played. I don’t have anything against Stockton, but he wasn’t some generational talent like Curry. Also, you should watch a video on Steph Curry’s off ball gravity- defenses just don’t have a way to deal with it.
Only thing Curry is better then zeke at is 3 point shooting that’s it ………#DetroitvsEverybody
Damn the Blazers got cooked by Detroit AND Chicago.
Unlike weak-minded dudes from soft North Carolina,a guy from Southside Chicago(Isaiah Thomas)or Central west Detroit)Anthony Tucker) knows how to easily deal with adversity!!
29 and 1 brick free throw😂
no disrespect but clyde drexler wasn't as elite as star isiah thomas