The lion’s share of credit for the NBA’s meteoric rise in the 1980s goes to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Their legendary rivalry transformed the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers into a ratings powerhouse, resulting in three unforgettable Finals matchups and a combined eight championships during that glittering decade.
However, it is an absolute crime to overlook the footprint left behind by the Detroit Pistons and Isiah Thomas.
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Drafted second overall in 1981, Thomas laid down the blueprint for a Hall of Fame career from the moment he stepped onto the hardwood. Yet during a 1988 sit-down with his legendary head coach, Chuck Daly, the 6-foot-1 floor general dropped an incredible truth bomb about his chronic lack of motivation when facing guys who just weren’t in his stratosphere.
“Every night, the guy I’m playing against, and I don’t mean this to sound bad against the people I play, but the guys I’m playing against, I’m better than them,” Thomas stressed. “And I know I’m better than he is, and he knows I’m better than he is. So it’s a matter of having to get myself up to play against Sam Vincent, to play against Enos Watley, or to play against Michael Adams, where, on the other hand, they have no problem getting up to play against me. And that’s difficult for me sometimes, and I’ve had some problems in doing that.”
Thomas beat Magic, Bird, Jordan
Look, anyone who has ever laced up a pair of sneakers at any level of competitive basketball understands this exact psychological warfare. When you’re the underdog, you naturally summon every ounce of your energy to pull off a giant-killing.
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On the flip side, it is just as natural to coast on cruise control when you know the guy across from you has absolutely zero answers for your talent. That is precisely the mental trap the Chicago native had to fight.
We are talking about a guy who, by his sophomore season, was casually dropping 22.9 points a night, and by his fourth year, was averaging 13.9 assists alongside 2.3 steals per game.
But beyond the raw, video-game statistics that clearly screamed he belonged in the same breath as Bird and Johnson, anyone who watched Thomas in his prime knew they were witnessing pure wizardry. His handle was an absolute nightmare that left defenders lost in translation night after night, while his basketball IQ was simply light years ahead of the pack.
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Yet, what truly unlocked Thomas’ apex — pushing him to find a gear most players didn’t even know existed — was the chance to go to war against the NBA’s holy trinity of Michael Jordan, Bird and Johnson. While the basketball hierarchy universally ranked those three ahead of him, Thomas possessed a burning, deep-seated belief that he belonged in those conversations.
Related: “They all really suck” – Why Larry Bird never wanted LeBron James’ teammates on his roster
Thomas was on par with his iconic rivals
Ultimately, he went out and proved it on the hardwood. In one of the most ruthless gauntlets in league history, Thomas and his Bad Boys conquered all of them, systematically taking down Bird’s Celtics in Round 1 and Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference finals, before sweeping Magic’s Lakers in the NBA Finals.
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As time fades, a new generation of fans tends to suffer from historical amnesia regarding just how terrifyingly dominant Thomas was at his peak. But the resume stands the test of time. Against his greatest, most iconic rivals, the two-time NBA champion locked in for 102 heavyweight battles, averaging a spectacular 21.8 points and 9.7 assists per game while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor.
That right there proves he didn’t just belong in the same breath as the icons of the 80s — he routinely went out and took their crowns.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.