How Isiah Thomas became the greatest Detroit Piston ever
Former Pistons guard Isiah Thomas talked to fans during a halftime tribute Feb. 8, 2017 at the Palace.
KIRTHMON F. DOZIER, DFP
By Bill Dow | Special to the Detroit Free Press
The fans who attended the Detroit Pistons' final game at the Palace of Auburn Hills on Monday were thrilled to see some of the franchise's heroes gather at center court.
There was Jerry Stackhouse and Dennis Rodman, and Rick Mahorn, John Salley and James Edwards. Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton made an appearance, as did Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and several others.
And then there was Isiah Lord Thomas III, the player whose impact turned around the once floundering franchise and laid the foundation for the construction of one of the premier arenas in basketball, especially for its time. Thomas blossomed into the Pistons' fearless leader during his career, cementing a legacy befitting of his middle name.
During his 13-year career, he established himself as one of the greatest “small men” in NBA history. A dangerous shooter and spectacular playmaker, he still is the franchise’s all-time leader in points (18,822), assists (9,061), steals (1,861) and minutes played (35,516). The 12-time All-Star was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000 and was named to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time team.
“Simply put, Isiah Thomas was the difference maker and the key to the franchise’s success,” says Tom Wilson, the former Pistons president and CEO and right-hand man to the late club owner Bill Davidson. Wilson was the project manager of the Palace and first suggested the pioneering concourse-level suites. The arena opened in 1988.
“Internally," Wilson said, "we called the Palace 'The House that Isiah Built.' "
Detroit Pistons' guards Isiah Thomas, left, and Joe Dumars sit on the bench midway through the first quarter watching the Utah Jazz increase their lead Monday night, Jan. 17, 1994, at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich. The Jazz handed the Pistons their 13th straight loss by defeating them 109-94.
LENNOX MCLENDON/AP
Wilson, now the president of Olympia Entertainment, oversaw with Chris Ilitch the creation of Little Caesars Arena on Woodward Avenue, the new home for both the Pistons and Wings starting next season. It's the first time in 57 years the franchises will share a venue in Detroit.
The last came in 1957 when the Pistons moved to the city from Fort Wayne, Ind. They shared Olympia Stadium with the Red Wings until moving into the newly built Cobo Arena in 1961.
How significant were the Pistons at that time?
A scheduling conflict in March 1960, when the Ice Capades were at Olympia Stadium, forced the team to play a playoff game against the Minneapolis Lakers at the Grosse Pointe South High School gymnasium in front of 1,938 fans.
It was nationally televised.
A new direction
Pistons basketball history should be marked as "Before Isiah" and "After Isiah."
Detroit was the doormat of the NBA prior to the 1981 draft. They had a combined record of 37-127 in the previous two seasons, allowing them to snag the No. 2 pick that year.
Thomas, then a 6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore point guard, had helped Bobby Knight's Indiana Hoosiers win the NCAA championship before being chosen by the Pistons; the Dallas Mavericks used the first pick to draft Mark Aguirre, who later joined Thomas in Detroit as a member of the 1989 and 1990 NBA title teams.
Isiah Thomas.
LONA O'CONNOR/DETROIT FREE PRESS
“Will Robinson became my mentor, and when I was drafted by the Pistons he told me that Detroit was going to become my home, that the city and the people would love me and I would love them," said Thomas, who now lives in New York, overseeing his businesses at Isiah International Holdings and serving as an NBA TV studio analyst.
"And he was right,”
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From the Pistons' inaugural season in 1957 through the 1980-81 campaign — and despite having stars George Yardley, Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, and Bob Lanier — the Pistons had only three winning seasons. The average attendance those years ranged from a low of 3,346 (1963-64) to a high of 9,510. (1978-79).
But in the 13 seasons that followed, the Thomas-led Pistons only had four sub-.500 seasons, competed in three NBA finals, won two championships and sold out every game (21,454 fans) for four consecutive seasons (1989-90 through 1992-93). Even in Thomas' last season of 1993-1994, when the Detroit finished with a 20-62 record, the average attendance at the Palace was 19,151.
George Blaha, who just completed his 41st season as a Piston broadcaster, fondly recalls Thomas’ first game, which was against the Milwaukee Bucks in front of 9,182 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome in 1981.
“During the first quarter I said to Matt Dobek, who was my statistician before he became the PR director, ‘this kid looks like he’s going to play in an All-Star Game someday,' " Blaha said. "In the second quarter I said, ‘this kid is going to play in the All-Star Game this year. And then when he hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to finish the first half I said, ‘this kid is going to start the All-Star Game this year.’ ”
The Pistons beat the Bob Lanier-led Bucks, 118-113, and the rookie led all scorers with 31 points, 11 assists, and played the most minutes (41).
The next night on Halloween, the Pistons played in Thomas' hometown of Chicago, where he was raised by his mother as the youngest of nine children on the poor and infamous west side.
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Detroit Pistons greats happy to see team taking history south to city
Thomas, whose nickname became “Zeke” and who later would be called “The Smiling Assassin,” delivered another treat.
He led all scorers with 28 points as the Pistons upset the Bulls, 119-106. Blaha’s prediction was dead-on.
The baby-faced Thomas started the 1982 All-Star Game alongside Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Tiny Archibald, and Artis Gilmore. Thomas scored 12 points with four assists in 17 minutes of play as his Eastern Conference team beat the Western Conference, 120-118.
It was the first of 12 consecutive All-Star Game appearances.
Thomas' play helped the Pistons finish 39-43, 18 games better than the previous season. The team climbed to third in the Central Division.
Meanwhile, Thomas, along with fellow rookie and NBA All Star forward Kelly Tripucka, Kent Benson, John Long, Terry Tyler, Vinnie Johnson, and Bill Laimbeer, a mid-season acquisition posted an 18-game turnaround and climbed to third in the Central Division.
“Isiah established himself so quickly with his talent and charisma and he was the most consequential pick in Detroit Pistons history,” Wilson said. “He was glib, the fans loved his smile, and every night he showed you something different whether it was his speed dribble, his crossovers and his clutch shots. You couldn’t take your eyes off of him.”
'It was Isiah's team'
Thomas built a reputation as a fierce competitor, a natural leader who played through injuries.
Greg Kelser, the color commentator for Pistons games on Fox Sports Detroit, was a teammate for part of Thomas’ rookie season before being traded to Seattle for Vinnie Johnson.
“After a bad stretch, Isiah called a team meeting, something unheard for a rookie to do and said, ‘I didn’t come here to lose, I came out here to win, and if you don’t want to win, then don’t play,’ ” Kelser said. “He’s 20 and he’s calling out everybody. From that day forward, it was Isiah’s team.”
After Chuck Daly replaced Scotty Robertson as Pistons coach for the 1983-84, the Pistons reached the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.
Thomas showed his Hall of Fame potential in Game 5 of the opening-round series against the New York Knicks on April 27, 1984.
The game, which had to be played at Joe Louis Arena because of a tractor pull previously scheduled at the Silverdome, had been dominated by Knicks small forward Bernard King throughout. But Thomas took over in the final 94 seconds of regulation, scoring 16 consecutive points to force overtime.
“What Isiah did in a blink of an eye at the Joe was simply unbelievable,” Blaha said. “If my statistician, Joe Abramson, hadn’t been keeping track, I would have guessed that he scored 10 or 12 points. It was amazing.”
“You just kept slapping your forehead and thinking ‘he can’t possibly make another shot’, as you're spinning around looking to high five anybody in those moments,” Wilson said. “Six in a row, eight in a row, 10 in a row, each shot you couldn’t believe it. I still sometimes watch a video of that magical game and can’t believe he pulled that off.”
Thomas fouled out in overtime after scoring 33 points, and the Pistons lost the game, 127-123, and also the series as King finished with 44 points.
But the spurt was of legends. When asked how he had staged his one-man comeback, Thomas had difficulty explaining it.
“I was like in this spiritual zone,” Thomas said. “I remember going to the bench and into the huddle just before overtime and crying uncontrollably. The fans were so electric and inspiring. To this day, I have never felt so connected to a crowd.”
The Detroit Pistons named their All-Time team as part of the 50th season celebration April 8, 2008 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Former Piston Isiah Thomas talks to the fans during the celebration.
KIRTHMON F. DOZIER, DFP
The road to a championship
The Pistons would lose in the first round the next two seasons before coming within one game of reaching the NBA Finals in 1987. The one painful mistake in Thomas’ playing career came in Game 5 at the Boston Garden.
The Pistons led the Celtics, 107-106, with 5 seconds left and the ball, Thomas had difficulty finding a man open and desperately threw a careless pass toward Celtics basket that Larry Bird snared.
Bird immediately passed it to Dennis Johnson for an easy lay-up and a shocking 108-107 Boston victory. After the Celtics went on to win Game 7, 117-114, dashing the Pistons' hope of finally making the finals, Thomas became more determined than ever to win a crown.
Revenge on Boston came the following season, and the Pistons faced Magic Johnson's Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals.
Before a record NBA finals crowd of 41,732 who saw the team's last game at the Silverdome, the Pistons took a 3-2 series lead over the Lakers before heading back to L.A.
The Pistons nearly celebrated in Game 6 but fell, 103-102, in a contest highlighted by one of the NBA’s greatest performances.
Trailing, 56-48, early in the third quarter, Thomas scored the next 14 points in almost every way imaginable. It was a performance reminiscent of the '84 playoff game against the Knicks.
But with 4:21 left in the quarter, Thomas was writhing in pain and holding his right ankle after landing on Michael Cooper’s foot. Hobbling with a severely sprained ankle, Thomas returned 35 seconds later to score another nine points, setting an NBA finals record that still stands for points scored in quarter (25). Thomas single-handedly gave the Pistons a 81-79 lead.
“I was so pissed off that I was injured that I wanted to beat the Lakers even more,” Thomas told the Free Press a few years ago.
With under a minute to play, the Pistons held a one-point lead, 102-101, when Bill Laimbeer was called for a “phantom” foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The future Hall of Famer sank two free throws with 14 seconds left, proving to be the difference after Joe Dumars missed a game winning shot, nearly tapped in by Rodman, with 7 seconds remaining.
Isiah Thomas celebrates with his first NBA championship.
DETROIT FREE PRESS FILE PHOTO
Thomas hobbled off the court with awestruck praise, an empty feeling and injuries that included a severely sprained ankle, dislocated left pinky finger, a cut near his temple, two sore eyes from pokes and a bad back.
Thomas still has difficulty describing how he performed so well and in so much pain.
“In those moments you’re touched by something else," Thomas said at the Palace on Monday. "It was a spiritual, out-of-body experience.”
Blaha has a pretty good idea where Isiah’s perseverance and resiliency comes from.
“I’ve been to the place where he grew up, and for him to come out of that tougher-than-tough neighborhood you had to be something special,” Blaha said.
Thomas was listed as doubtful for Game 7 because his ankle injury was so severe. Piston trainer Mike Abdenour told the media: “if it had been the regular season, Isiah would be out three weeks.” Team physician Dr. Ben Paolucci said Thomas wasn’t medically fit to play, and when the All-Star guard insisted, Paolucci refused to give a painkiller for fear that it would cover up further damage that Thomas wouldn’t recognize.
Game 7 came down to the final minute. Despite Thomas playing 28 minutes and scoring 10 points, twice the Pistons overcame 15-point deficits before falling, 108-105, as the Lakers captured another championship.
Redemption came the following year as the Pistons, playing their first year in the Palace, swept the Lakers 4-0 to win their first NBA title. The team, by then in full "Bad Boys" mode, repeated as champions the next year, when they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1. Thomas, who averaged 27.6 points and 7 assists, was selected as the MVP of 1990 Finals.
“We never would have won those championships without the Piston fans’ inspiration and support throughout the years,” Thomas said. "They were not a 6th man to us, they were one with us. I never would have become the player I became without them encouraging me.”
Pistons legend Isiah Thomas is introduced during halftime of the Pistons' 105-101 loss to the Wizards in the final game at the Palace of Auburn Hills April 10, 2017.
KIRTHMON F. DOZIER DFP
Life after basketball
After Michael Jordan and the Bulls knocked off Detroit in 1991, the team regressed until 2004, when the Pistons won a championship with Billups, Hamilton, Prince, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace.
Thomas, with lingering physical issues and his skills that started to diminish, tore his Achilles tendon on the last home game of the 1993-94 season and announced his retirement three weeks later at age 33.
“I couldn’t accept playing at a lesser level and I don’t think the fans did either,” said Thomas, who acknowledges that it’s a difficult transition after a playing career ends.
“It’s hard giving up your first true love. Sometimes when I’m walking down the halls of my home and I see a door ledge, like a kid, I pretend I’m shooting a lay-up, or I make an imaginary jump shot, or dribble move."
Thomas, who served as president of the NBA Players Association in 1988-94, became part owner and executive vice president of the expansion Toronto Raptors after his career.
“That was a huge undertaking, and I’m very proud of the foundation that we built in Toronto,” said Thomas, who later served serve as Indiana Pacers coach, became president, general manager, and coach of the Knicks and briefly owned the Continental Basketball Association.
Thomas also continued his education. Six years after he started his basketball career, he kept his promise to his mother and earned a degree in criminal justice at Indiana. In 2013, he went back to school and received a master’s in education from the California-Berkeley.
“I remember it was Mother’s Day when I made the game winning-shot in a playoff game against the Hawks, and while I’m dancing around holding the ball my mother was walking across the stage at Indiana to accept my degree,” Thomas said. “I wanted her to do that because she was from generation that had been denied and education. For my family, I’m more proud of those degrees than I am of any championship I’ve won.”
Philanthropy has been a part of Thomas’ mission since leaving Chicago.
During his playing career, he paid college tuition for more than 75 students, organized “No Crime Day” in Detroit and later founded Mary’s Court, a foundation in honor of his mother that supports economically disadvantaged parents and children. He also helped start the “Peace Tournament” in Chicago by getting rival gang members to play on the basketball court.
"I think when you get to know people," Thomas said, "it’s hard to hurt them.”
Thomas is sad to see the Palace era end — he once had told his wife that he would want some of his ashes placed there — he looks forward to the Pistons' move to Detroit.
“I had been close to Mayor Coleman Young and had done a lot of work in the city, and he always said his dream was having the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons playing within the city."
You can bet that Thomas, whom Blaha says “is the person most responsible for pushing the Pistons to the forefront of the NBA,” will be at center court when the franchise starts a new chapter at Little Caesars Arena.
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