Dossier · 1980s
Isiah Thomas
The smallest man in any room, running the meanest team of the era.
1981-1994 · Pistons
- Titles
- 2 (1989, 1990)
- Finals MVP
- 1990
- Career line
- 19.2 points, 9.3 assists
- Best assist season
- 13.9 per game, 1984-85
- All-Star selections
- 12
- 1988 Finals Game 6
- 25 points in the third quarter
The numbers
Thomas averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 assists for his career at 6 foot 1. In 1984-85 he averaged 13.9 assists, which was the league's best that season.
He won titles in 1989 and 1990 and was the 1990 Finals MVP. He made 12 straight All-Star teams.
On June 19, 1988, in Game 6 of the Finals against the Lakers, he scored 25 points in the third quarter. He severely sprained his right ankle in the middle of it and kept playing.
Detroit lost that game by 1 point and lost Game 7 by 3. It is the best individual quarter in Finals history and it is attached to a defeat.
The context
The Bad Boys were an engineering decision. Detroit could not out-talent Boston or Los Angeles, so Chuck Daly built a defense that made every possession expensive and let Thomas play with the lead.
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