Isiah Thomas had a decorated career with the Detroit Pistons as he played a crucial role in putting the franchise on the NBA championship map. He led the ‘Bad Boys’ fiercely and won two back-to-back championships for the Pistons in 1989 and 1990. After his retirement from the NBA in 1994, Thomas remained close to the league and kicked off his coaching career with the Indiana Pacers in 2000. However, there aren’t many famous milestones that the 12-time All-Star could achieve as a coach. Talking about his coaching stint with the Pacers, Isiah Thomas recently made a huge revelation, while simultaneously making a bold claim about the NBA’s biggest fight ‘Malice at the Palace’ that left two people hospitalized.
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During a recent interview, Thomas was asked about his experience as a basketball coach. The 1990 Finals MVP shared some insight into his coaching journey and made a huge revelation about how his stint with the Pacers came to an end.
Isiah Thomas reveals a shocking moment while coaching the Pacers
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During a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, Isiah Thomas joined co-hosts Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor & Ryan Clark. During the conversation, Crowder asked Thomas if he considered himself to be a good coach, given the problems he faced during his multiple coaching responsibilities with the Pacers, New York Knicks, and FIU. In response, Thomas asked Crowder to talk to the players like Ron Artest, Jermaine O’Neal, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Tinsley, who he had coached in the past.
Moreover, Thomas revealed what led to his departure from the Indiana Pacers in 2003. The Pistons legend disclosed that he had mentored the young guys who showed the potential to win. However, Thomas suggested that he was laid off during a time when the team was about to reach its full potential.
Isiah Thomas stated, “Now that we ready to win, you know, they tapped me on the shoulder. Actually, Larry Bird tapped me on the shoulder and said, you know, you’ve done a good job here. I like what you have done and as a matter of fact, I like it so much, I’m going to give it to my friend.”
Thomas revealed that the then-president of basketball operations of the Pacers, Larry Bird, took him off as the coach of the team and gave the job to Rick Carlisle. Moreover, the Pistons legend believed that Carlisle achieved the 61-21 record in 2003-04 with a Pacers team that he had built in the previous years. Surprisingly, Isiah Thomas also ended up making a huge claim about the NBA’s biggest fight that transpired between the Pacers and the Pistons in November 2004.
Thomas makes a bold statement about the Malice at the Palace
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The Malice at the Palace kicked off with a physical altercation between Pacers forward Ron Artest(now known as Metta Sandiford-Artest) and Pistons center Ben Wallace. The fight escalated out of control with the Detroit fans getting involved in a physical fight with the players. The game was called off and the league suspended nine players, including Artest and Wallace, who missed 146 games. The 2004 fight at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan is considered to be one of the darkest days in league history.
Recently, Isiah Thomas claimed that the situation could have been averted if he was the Pacers’ coach in 2004. Thomas said, “And I’ve said before, there wouldn’t have been no malice at the palace if I was coaching that team. Because I don’t think the Detroit Pistons fans would have acted that way with me. And by the way, if I was up 15 up Detroit, I wouldn’t have had my starters out on the floor at that time.”
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Thomas felt that his presence would have prevented the unfortunate fight between the NBA fans and players. Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.
