The late '80s and early '90s marked a transitional phase in the end of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson's era and the beginning of Michael Jordan's era. But before Jordan became the torchbearer of the '90s era in the NBA, Isiah Thomas and the 'Bad Boy' Pistons made their mark on NBA history.
Isiah Thomas is one of the few NBA players who can claim they beat Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird in the Playoffs. A few other players may claim they have done so, but what makes Thomas more special is that he led his team to beat them after they became the regular season MVPs, and then he went on to win two (back-to-back) championships.
This makes him the only player in NBA history to beat 3 MVPs in consecutive Playoffs, win back-to-back championships, and also win a Finals MVP. Thomas went on Instagram and reminded his fans of what he accomplished during his career.
His caption read as follows:
"Isiah Thomas is the ONLY player in @nbahistory to defeat three league MVPs in consecutive NBA Playoff runs — and then win back-to-back championships.
Let’s break it down:
ð¥ 1988:✅ Defeated Michael Jordan (1988 League MVP)
✅ Defeated Larry Bird (1987 League MVP)
✅ Took Magic Johnson’s Lakers to 7 games in the Finals on a sprained ankle and scored 25 points in one quarter — an NBA Finals record still today
ð¥ 1989:✅ SWEPT Magic Johnson (1989 League MVP) and the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
ð NBA Champion
ð¥ 1990:✅ Beat Michael Jordan again in the Eastern Conference Finals.
ð NBA Champion
ð Finals MVP
ð ISIAH’S NBA FINALS DOMINANCE (1988–1990)
✅ 3 Straight Finals Appearances
✅ 2 NBA Titles
✅ 1 Finals MVP
Finals Averages (1988–1990):
• ð§ 22.6 PPG
• ð¯ 7.5 APG
• ð¥ 49.6% FG
• ð£ 55.8% 3PT (24-of-43)
• ð¥ 57.9% 3PT in 1990 Finals alone (11-of-19) — the highest in Finals history
• 𧮠Combined FG% (2PT + 3PT weighted): 51.3%ð
No Top 50 teammates while the MVPs had one or more
#NBAHistory Let it Be Known"
Isiah Thomas Calls Out 'Controversial' Tag Over Michael Jordan Record
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Isiah Thomas recently called out the NBA media and fans for deeming him 'controversial' since he's unapologetic about his playoff record against Michael Jordan.
"I don't run away from it. Fortunately for me, I'm probably one of the only people that can walk around this Earth and say, in playoff competition, I beat Jordan more than he beat me. I would put Magic [Johnson] and [Larry] Bird in that same conversation ... For some reason, that makes me controversial."
"I'm ok with winning if winning comes with that controversy," Thomas said. "I'm not going to lose to him just so some people can be satisfied. I don't mind talking about my history and my basketball accomplishments. When I talk about them, I'm sorry, I did win. If you prefer me to ignore that I won, I don't know how that works."
The Bulls and Pistons faced each other consecutively over four years in the NBA Playoffs from 1988 to 1991. Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas faced off in 22 games in the Playoffs. Jordan had a 10-12 record versus Thomas in his career.
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