When talking about NBA greats, both Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan’s names will always be in the chatter. Isiah Thomas is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and led his Detroit Pistons to two NBA championships in both 1989 and 1990. Michael Jordan led his Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles with a couple of three-peats both from 1991 to 1993 and 1996 to 1998. Nobody would ever deny the greatness of these two basketball players, but there has always been a scuffle between these two players, and it seems that many fans have taken sides.
A quick summary of Isiah Thomas
During the 1980s, Isiah Thomas was the leader of the Detroit Pistons. Coming in to the league in the 1981-1982 season, Thomas immediately became a pivotal part of the team. During his first couple of seasons, the Pistons would not make the playoffs and be a near .500 team. But, beginning in the 1983-1984 season, Thomas and his Pistons would continually make the playoffs relatively easy. The Pistons would eventually reach the milestone of NBA champions for the first time in the 1988-1989 season.
A quick summary of Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan came into the NBA with the Chicago Bulls in the 1984-1985 season. Michael Jordan’s offensive abilities were quickly proven to the NBA. In his rookie season, Jordan averaged 28.2 PPG. During his next 10 full seasons of playing, Jordan would lead the league in scoring on a regular basis and usually averaged more than 30 PPG. He had a career season high of 37.1 PPG in 1986-1987.
Unfortunately, for Chicago Bulls fans, the mighty scoring of Jordan didn’t do much for the team winning. It wasn’t until Michael Jordan’s fourth season that the team had a winning record of 50-32. From there on, the Bulls would improve and eventually become world champions for the first time in the 1990-1991 season.
Did Isiah Thomas dominate Michael Jordan?
Even though Michael Jordan fans don’t like to admit it, head to head, Isiah Thomas did dominate Michael Jordan. In games where Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan played against each other, Thomas has a 36-29 record. Yes, these historical records state the facts. There is no denying it. Throughout their careers, Isiah Thomas got the best of Michael Jordan.
That 36-29 win record by Isiah Thomas is great. But, if you erase the last couple of years off of Isiah’s career, which is after his broken wrist injury, he was 34-21. There’s no denying the fact that the Isiah Thomas lead Detroit Pistons dominated Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls for many years. Think about this, by the end of the 1989-1990 season, Thomas had a 32-16 career record against Jordan. If that’s not dominating, then I don’t know what is.
Why do people get mad when Isiah Thomas states the facts?
First, I have to let it be known that I am not an Isiah Thomas or Michael Jordan fan. I mean, they were both great players that I enjoyed watching growing up, but I was neither a Pistons or Bulls fan. With that said, there is no bias based opinions on my part here.
Facts are facts, and it seems like when Isiah Thomas ever makes a statement about how his Pistons dominated the Bulls for most of his career, people start getting bent out of shape. When Thomas talks about how he was chasing Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and not paying much attention to Michael Jordan, people seem to get mad.
It’s as if they want him to praise Jordan and talk about how great he was. But, how can he do that when he would beat Jordan on a normal basis. I’m sure that Thomas knows how great Jordan’s one-on-one offensive abilities are. He’s not blind. But, he would continually lead his Pistons to victory over the Bulls. Facts are facts! Even though most NBA players cannot make a claim for themselves, Isiah Thomas can honestly say that he was victorious in his career against Michael Jordan. We all have to understand that for Isiah Thomas, Jordan was not a roadblock to a championship. The roadblocks were Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and that’s why he focused on them.
Does this mean that Isiah Thomas would beat Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game?
Of course he wouldn’t! Michael Jordan is one of the greatest offensive players in NBA history, and there may only be a handful of players in NBA history that could give Jordan a competitive one-on-one game. Isiah Thomas would never make such an idiotic claim. Did Isiah Thomas know how to beat Michael Jordan’s team in a game? He certainly did, and usually succeeded in doing so.
How Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan squared off against each other
Here is a year by year record of how Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan squared off against each other during their careers. For the first couple of seasons, as far as wins and losses were concerned, they were about even. Then, Thomas started dominating Jordan in head to head games. During the final few years of Isiah’s career, Jordan did gain some ground, but he still ended up with a terrible losing record against Isiah Thomas. Please note that NBA playoff games were also included in the overall head-to-head win-loss record.
1984-1985 NBA season
During the 1984-1985 NBA season, the Pistons and Bulls would face off six times. The teams would split the season series going 3-3 against each other. On November 7, 1984, their very first meeting against each other, Isiah Thomas had 35 points and 10 assist in a losing battle. Jordan would have 49 points and 15 rebounds in their February 12, 1985 meeting in which the Bulls also won.
The Pistons would finish the season with a 46-36 record (4th in the Eastern Conference.) They would sweep the New Jersey Nets in the first round, but they would fall to the mighty Boston Celtics in the second round although they did take the series to six games.
The bulls would finish the season with a 38-44 record (7th in the Eastern Conference.) They would get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks.\
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 3-3
1985-1986 NBA season
Even though the Pistons and Bulls would face off six times during the regular season, Isiah and Michael would only play each other one time. This was due to an injury plagued season in which Michael Jordan only played 18 games. They both participated in the October 26, 1985 game in which the Bulls won 121-118. In that game, Jordan had 33 points and 7 rebounds while Thomas had 36 points and 9 assist.
The Pistons entered the playoffs with a 46-36 record like the previous season, but this time that record was good enough for the fifth seed. They would meet Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and lose 3-1.
With a 30-52 record, the Bulls would barely make the playoffs as the 8th seed. They would battle the number one seeded Boston Celtics in the first round. Even with a 49 point game 1 performance and a 63 point game 2 performance from Michael Jordan, the Bulls would still get swept by the Boston Celtics 3 games to 0.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 3-4
1986-1987 NBA season
With Jordan’s health improved, he and Isiah would face off in all six meetings this year. They would go 3-3 against each other. On March 4, 1987, Jordan would have a 61 point performance in an overtime Bulls victory.
The Pistons would finish the season 52-30. This was good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Detroit would sweep the Washington bullets in the first round. They would then get revenge on the Atlanta Hawks in the second round beating them 4-1. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons would face the defending champion Boston Celtics taking the series to seven games but losing game seven 114-117.
Even with Michael Jordan averaging 37.1 points per game for the season, the Bulls would finish the season 40-42. This was good for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. This would put them up against the number one seeded Boston Celtics. Larry Bird and the Celtics would easily sweep Michael Jordan and his Bulls 3-0.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 6-7
1987-1988 NBA season
Entering this season, Michael Jordan would have a 7-6 win-loss record against Isiah Thomas. With the Pistons moving toward becoming a champion caliber team, things were going to change a bit. From the six meetings of this season, Isiah Thomas and the Pistons would win four of six regular season meetings against the Bulls.
The Pistons finished the season 54-28 which was good for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls ended the season 50-32 and were seeded third in the Eastern Conference. In the opening round of the playoffs, the Pistons would survive the Washington Bullets and win the series 3 games to 2. The Bulls would play the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round and beat them 3 games to 2. It would be the first time in Michael Jordan’s career that he would lead his team out of the first round of the playoffs.
This would set up a Detroit Pistons – Chicago Bulls second round playoff series. The Bulls were no match for the Pistons, who were hungry after making it so close to making the NBA Finals the previous season. Detroit would eliminate Chicago in five games.
By the time this season was over, Isiah Thomas would personally have a 14-10 against Michael Jordan. He would never look back as his wining percentage against Jordan continued to improve.
The Pistons would face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. This was the fifth year in a row that the Celtics were in the conference finals. Heading in to game 6, the Pistons were up 3-2 in the series. With game 6 in Detroit, the Pistons wanted to end the series instead of having to play a deciding game 7 at the Boston Garden. The Pistons would become Eastern Conference champions with a game 6 victory over the Celtics 95-90.
Detroit may have gotten through Boston, but they would have an even bigger challenge in the NBA Finals having to face the decade long Boston Celtics rival, the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers came in to the series looking to become the first team to repeat as champs in nearly 20 years. The series went to a game 7 which was played in Los Angeles at the Great Western Forum. Detroit made a terrific late game comeback to make it a nail-biting game, but the Pistons fell to the Lakers 105-108 and Los Angeles repeated as NBA champions.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 14-10
1988-1989 NBA season
Isiah Thomas would win all six meeting against Michael Jordan during the 1988-1989 regular season. This would give Thomas a dominant 20-10 record against Jordan head to head.
The Pistons would finish the season as the first seed in the playoffs with a 63-19 record. The Bulls would end the season as the sixth seed with a 47-35 record. In the first round, the Pistons swept the 8th seeded Boston Celtics who did not have the services of Larry Bird for most of the season. The Bulls would beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to advance.
In the second round of the NBA Playoffs, the Pistons would sweep the Milwaukee Bucks 4-0 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bulls would battle the New York Knicks and eventually beat them 4 games to 2. Michael Jordan and the Bulls would make the Eastern Conference for the first time.
The stage for a Pistons-Bulls Eastern Conference Finals was set. The Bulls would hang with the Pistons for the first four games of the series, and it would all be tied up 2 games to 2. The Pistons would then eventually close out the Bulls by winning games 5 and 6 to win the series 4-2. Up to this point, the Pistons had still yet to win a championship, and they were not going to let anybody get in their way.
As far as the Isiah Thomas versus Michael Jordan head to head record goes. At the end of this playoff series, Isiah Thomas had a 24-12 record against Michael Jordan. Nobody can lie about historical facts, and at this point Michael Jordan only had a 33.3 winning percentage against Isiah Thomas.
The Pistons would meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals once again. They would get their revenge by sweeping the Lakers 4-0. The Detroit Pistons had become the NBA champions!
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 24-12
1989-1990 NBA season
Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan would meet face to face five times during the 1989-1990 NBA regular season. Isiah Thomas and the Pistons would win four out of the five. This now put Isiah Thomas record against Michael Jordan at 28-13.
The Pistons would once again finish on top of the Eastern Conference with a 59-23 record. The Bulls would finish third in the Eastern Conference with a 55-27 record.
Detroit would sweep the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoff. They would also eliminate the New York Knicks in five games in the second round. Once again, the Pistons would participate in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Bulls would eliminate the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs 3 games to 1. In the second round, Chicago would eliminate the Philadelphia 76ers in five games.
Just like the previous season, the Eastern Conference Finals would feature the world champion Pistons and the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls would stretch this series to seven games, and it all came down to a game 7 at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan on June 3, 1990. The Pistons would win the game 93-74 and make their way to the NBA Finals to defend their NBA championship.
Isiah Thomas would increase his head to head winning percentage against Michael Jordan to 32-16.
In the NBA Finals, the Pistons would battle Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trailblazers. Detroit would win the series in five games. The Pistons would become back-to-back NBA champions.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 32-16
1990-1991 NBA season
During the regular season, Isiah and Michael would meet in four games and split them. Isiah Thomas record at this point against Michael Jordan would be 34-18.
This season would see the Pistons go 50-32 which was good for the third seed in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls would had their best season thus far going 61-21 and becoming the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Pistons would beat the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs and then the Boston Celtics in the second round. The Bulls wold eliminate the New York Knicks in the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. This would once again lead up to a Pistons-Bulls Eastern Conference Finals.
Michael Jordan and the Bulls dominated the series against the Pistons. They ended up sweeping Detroit 4-0. This series received a lot of publicity as the Pistons walked off the basketball court without congratulating the Bulls. Isiah Thomas has always been said to be the leader of this unsportsmanlike conduct. Michael Jordan gained ground on his face-to-face competition record against Isiah Thomas making it 34-22. This was all of course still in favor of Isiah Thomas.
The Bulls would face Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Bulls were a young and nervous team, and the Lakers were an experienced team that had made a normality out of making the NBA Finals. The young and energetic Bulls were able to take down the aging and injured Lakers 4 games to 1. This would be Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls first NBA championship.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 34-22
1991-1992 NBA season
Thomas and Jordan would meet five times during the season. Jordan would be victorious in four of the games. This would improve Jordan’s record against Isiah. At the end of this season, Thomas would have a 35-26 head to head against Jordan.
Detroit would finish the season 48-34 which was good for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. They would get eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Despite Isiah Thomas making a rally toward the end of the deciding game five, it wasn’t enough.
The Bulls would win 67 games during the regular season placing themselves as the number one seed. Chicago would go through the Heat, Knicks and Cavaliers and meet the Portland Trailblazers in the NBA Finals. Jordan and the Bulls would wrap up the series in six games and win their second NBA championship.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 35-26
1992-1993 NBA season
Thomas and Jordan would meet four times during the regular season. This would be the last of their meetings as Isiah Thomas would be nearing the end of his career. Michael Jordan would win 3 of the 4 games. The final record of Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan head-to-head ended up being 36-29 in Isiah’s favor.
Isiah Thomas career record versus Michael Jordan at end of season 36-29
Is Michael Jordan or Isiah Thomas salty?
I sometimes here some Jordan defenders talk about how Isiah Thomas is salty because the Jordan led Chicago Bulls ended the Pistons championship run. This is far from the truth. Why would Thomas be salty? Everyone’s reign at the top always ends. When the Bulls beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time, we all saw a torch being passed. Still, nobody could ever call Isiah Thomas salty when he speaks the truth about how his team would normally be dominant over Michael Jordan’s team. Again, facts are facts. There cannot be any excuses!
If anyone is salty, I would say that Michael Jordan is the salty one. He has publicly let it be know how much he dislikes Isiah Thomas, and when you think about it, why wouldn’t he? Talk about an obstacle. Jordan had a hell of a time trying to beat and get by the Detroit Pistons. He was surely frustrated, and this could of possibly brought out some anger and hatred toward Isiah Thomas and the Pistons.
Some will say that Jordan thought that Thomas and the Pistons were dirty player. If Jordan drove in to the basket, they would hit him hard and make him pay. Yes, that’s the way basketball was, and he would think twice about trying it again. It must be understood that the game was tougher back then. This is how the game was played. How much punishment do you think Isiah Thomas took when he drove in to the basket? Being a small guy in the NBA, surely Isiah took some major punishment.
In closing – Isiah Thomas speaks the truth about Michael Jordan
If anyone wants to hear the truth, they will have to take off their blindfold. Yes, we are fed that Michael Jordan is the greatest and that he was just perfect with everything he did. For some people, whenever anything is said to go against Jordan’s perfectness, they’ll start debating about it. It’s because they have been brainwashed by mass media.
As far as Isiah Thomas making statements about how his Pistons dominated the Bulls, one just needs to look at the records. This is one thing Thomas has in his favor that nobody could take from him or deny. Without the Pistons dominance on paper, it most likely wouldn’t be believed. But since all games between Thomas and Jordan are in the history books, people need to stop denying that Isiah Thomas did indeed dominate Michael Jordan throughout their careers. They need to face the truth! Maybe one day Michael Jordan will publicly admit that Isiah Thomas’ team regularly dominated his team (Doubtful.) If he did, maybe some of his fans would be more willing to accept the truth.
