TSI Salutes: The Unabridged Isiah Thomas/John Stockton Story
Springfield, Mass. is the only place where this reconciliation could happen. Watching Isiah Thomas present John Stockton at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony was proof to me that Springfield was basketball heaven, a place where things just come full circle. Some of you may not share my frame of reference, growing up as an avid fan of Detroit Piston basketball in the late 80′s and early 90′s. The Bad Boy teams were part of a new physical style of basketball that was already being played on the blacktops in every urban neighborhood.
So, you can imagine my disappointment in September 1991 when the 1992 U.S. Basketball Team--The Dream Team--was announced and Isiah, 2-time NBA Champion and perennial All-Star, was not on the final roster. He was unfortunately beaten out by Stockton. Stockton was, in his own right, a great player but the consensus in the basketball world was that Isiah was snubbed. Reading this post, you may think, Isiah obviously took the high-road because here he was introducing Stockton at the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. Well that isn’t exactly how the story went.
November 15, 1991 … Isiah is roughly two months removed from learning his fate of being snubbed from Dream Team I. The Pistons are playing a home game that night against what would turn to be his nemesis and Dream Team I replacement, Stockton and the Utah Jazz. What ensued was a very personal and determined exploitation of the weaknesses in Stockton’s game. Stockton’s inability to stay in front of Isiah lead him to falling victim to a 44-point performance from Isiah (editor’s note: Darrell Walker had 15 pts, 9 ast, and 7 reb; Melvin Underwood note: Lance Blanks borrowed my Al B. Sure leather trench coat and never returned it). That was topped with an eight-point loss to the Pistons. Stockton tried to steer clear of the controversy, but Isiah’s pride was hurt and he wanted the public to know that this was a grave mistake. Mission accomplished.
It would be all well and good if it stopped there. But it didn’t. On December 14, 1991, Isiah and the Pistons traveled to Salt Lake to play the Jazz. This game started very similar to the way the first game ended. Isiah was attacking the rim and really taking the ball to Stockton. He recorded 6 points and 2 assists in the first eight minutes of the game. Whispers at the scorers table and media row were citing the previous meeting and Isiah’s displeasure with being left off of the Dream Team. That’s when this happened:
Jazz forward Karl Malone took matters into his own hands and decided to send a message that Isiah was not going to embarrass his teammate again. The result was 40 stitches over Isiah’s left eye. The next year, Isiah dropped another 40 on John Stockton’s face in their first meeting, but talk of the snubbing and the growing beef between Isiah and Stockton dissipated over time.
Today, it seems that the Hall of Fame helps pro basketball players put things aside for the love of the game. It was very classy for Isiah and Stockton to put their shaky past behind them and honor each other as great basketball players. And honestly, Kenny Badd could have played point guard for Dream Team I and the result would have still been the same: gold medals going away. At the end of the day, no one can take anything away from either of these guys. They were truly great and pillars of the game. And it is refreshing to see their relationship come full circle in a manner that shows the humility and class of both individuals. I guess Springfield truly is basketball heaven.
