“We Were Straight Getting Cheated”: 12x NBA All Star Slams Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers for Using Boxing Tactics on the Court

The Detroit Pistons were a formidable force in the late 80s. In the era of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics, the Pistons garnered a lot of attention through their borderline brutal defensive play style. They even gave the Lakers a tough fight in the 1988 Finals but eventually lost. In light of this loss, the former captain and 12x NBA All-Star of the Pistons, recently, slammed the tactics used by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Co. to win the 1988 Finals.

The 12x All-Star of the Pistons is none other than, Isiah Thomas. The Pistons legend recently spilled the beans and expressed how he and the Pistons felt during their loss in the 1988 Finals.

Isiah Thomas on their loss against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Co.

In a recent episode of ‘The Pivot Podcast,‘ Isiah Thomas admitted how he and his team felt after losing the game against the Lakers. Amidst the chat, Thomas recalled how their style of play was based on resisting the opponent. He further said that the Pistons were wrongly categorized as an immensely physical team. The 12-time NBA All-Star argued that such a play style was predominant at that time.

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Considering this, one of the co-hosts asked the two-time champion whether it was because of their reputation that Bill Laimbeer’s infamous ‘Phantom Foul‘ was given. A foul that eventually cost them the game against the Lakers in the 1988 Finals. In reply, the 12x All-Star said, “We felt in Detroit, we were straight getting cheated.”

Moreover, he added, “In boxing you had to knock the champ out. You can’t win on no decision. If it goes to 15 rounds, hey man you didn’t knock the champ out. That’s how was it back then.”

Furthermore, he stated, “That foul that they called on Laimbeer, we felt that we won that game. And if you go back and you look at that Series in 88, we won every single statistical category but lost the series.”

However,  Thomas and the Pistons faced the Lakers once again in 1989 and emerged triumphant against the LA side. Thereafter, the Pistons also went on to win the championship in 1990.

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Were the Detroit Pistons wrongly labeled as Bad Boys? Let us know in the comments below.