Isiah Thomas gave his honest reaction at how the rivalry between his Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls was portrayed in Episodes 3 and 4 of “The Last Dance.”
Zeke made it a point to highlight how the Bulls overcame the Pistons, starting with Michael Jordan's decision to weight train for the first time in his career, adding 15 pounds of muscle to a body that already had only 6% body fat.
Jordan went up from a 6-foot-6, 200-pound frame to 215 pounds, a sturdier version able to not only absorb more contact but dish it out as well as he dealt with The Jordan Rules.
Thomas argued that the Bulls shouldn't be getting credit for hitting the weights, which is something players should do as a mere part of being pros:
“The Chicago Bulls, they're rewarded for lifting weights, getting stronger, becoming mentally tougher,” said Thomas. “That's what you're supposed to do to win a championship. You were not gonna beat the Detroit Pistons if you weren't physically fit, if you weren't in the best shape of your life and if you weren't mentally tough … You shouldn't be rewarded for lifting weights. I mean, you have high school kids lifting weights.”
"You shouldn't be rewarded for lifting weights."
—Isiah Thomas on the Chicago Bulls path to a championship pic.twitter.com/5Bb18ja1Cr
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 27, 2020
Thomas is clearly still a bit bitter about just how much praise the Bulls received in comparison to the Pistons, who are still perceived as a bunch of goons trying to muck the game up with punishing physical play.
Detroit also had to overcome strong teams like the New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, and Portland Trail Blazers en route to their glory days in 1989 and 1990. Sadly for Thomas, the Bad Boys didn't have quite the astronomical impact on NBA culture as the Bulls did, hence the magnifying nature of this 10-part documentary series.
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