Detroit Pistons Legend Reacts to ECF Overtime Thriller
Since retiring as a player, Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas has stayed around the game in almost every capacity. The now TV analyst recently shared his thoughts on the wild ending to kick off the Eastern Conference finals.
On Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers kicked off their series to see who will represent the East in the NBA finals. Game 1 ended up being sent to overtime thanks to some late-game heroics from Jaylen Brown.
With less than 10 seconds to go in the game, Brown nailed a three over Pascal Siakam to force overtime. In the extra period, the Celtics would go on to win by a final score of 133-128 to take a 1-0 series lead.
Thomas kept his reaction to the shot brief, claiming that it was the logo at halfcourt that helped Boston once again.
The Leprechaun strikes again @celtics @FCHWPO
— Isiah Thomas (@IsiahThomas) May 22, 2024
The Celtics are an all too familiar foe for Thomas and the Pistons. They did battle in the postseason on numerous occasions during the late 1980s.
During his playing career, Thomas faced off against the Celtics in the playoffs in 1985, 1987, 1988,1989, and 1991. The most notable matchup was in 1988, when the "Bad Boys" knocked off Larry Bird and company to take on the LA Lakers in the NBA Finals. While they weren't able to secure a title on that occasion, it was still a huge achievement for the team at that time.
After coming up short in '88, Thomas and the Pistons went on to cement themselves in the history. They'd embrace the villain role around the NBA as their in-your-face style carried them to back-to-back titles in '89 and '90.
KEVIN MCCORMICK