Isiah Blasts Magic Over Criticisms in Forthcoming Book

[Jeffx]

Guess they won't be going out to dinner anymore. If Isiah's telling the truth, Magic comes off as two-faced.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/w ... c/?cnn=yes

[Fcuk Orlando]

Isaiah Thomas is a dick, case closed.

[shadowgrin]

Thomas said he helped make it possible for Magic to return in 1992 to the All-Star Game.

"They weren't going to let Magic play in the All-Star Game; all the players were coming out [against him],'' Thomas said. "You know how that all got turned around? I had a meeting with all of the players -- because I was president of the players' association -- and I told them not only was he going to play, but we were going to shake his hand and give him a hug. And I was the first to shake his hand and hug him and give him a kiss, to let people know that's not how the virus is spread.

"And you can go back and check at the players' association. Call Charlie Grantham [the former union executive director and COO] and ask him how Magic got to play in the All-Star Game. Ask him who called the meeting.''

Isiah Thomas was always a good player.

Let's be real. I'm not going to say the things Magic said in private about Larry, but I do know the public stance he's taken [in becoming Bird's friend]," Thomas said. "I know that's not how he felt about Larry Bird. Magic hated Larry, and he tried to make other people hate Larry. Magic was no friend of Larry Bird's during that time. And his Laker teammates will tell you that. And I'm sure they've got to be disgusted with the way he's carried on with this whole me-and-Larry bull.''

Oh snap. Can of worms, ftw.

Thomas threw away Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals when Bird intercepted his inbounds pass and converted the steal to Dennis Johnson for the game-winning layup. When told that Magic now recalls engaging in an hours-long soul-searching conversation with him after that horrible loss, Thomas sounded skeptical. After a long pause, he said, "Sure. That could have been possible.

"The guy who reached out to me after that play was a Celtic and it was Bill Russell,'' added Thomas, who took the call from Russell the day after the game. "I was down dead on my knees after that play. He just called me up and said, 'Hey, we all make the mistakes, you've got to keep playing.' And he said it the way only he could say it. You know who else reached out to me? M.L. Carr [a former Boston teammate of Bird's]. For as hard as we played against the Celtics, I think we had a very personal relationship with them. They admired that we were trying to be like them. And we all said, to this day, they were the team that taught us, and everything the Pistons were, we took from their playbook.''

Classy.




Even if what Isiah said are true, people are still going to find it hard to believe him especially with what the way he acted in that sexual harassment case.

[Jeffx]

You know how I feel about Zeke, but I think he's telling the truth, especially the Bird stuff.

[shadowgrin]

Zeke could just take the high road (if there is still one) by not spilling out anymore details about the Bird stuff. No need to ruin Bird and Magic's friendship just because his own friendship with Magic is non-existent now. Zeke should let Magic and Bird deal with that after what's been said.

[Andrew]

Even if what Isiah said are true, people are still going to find it hard to believe him especially with what the way he acted in that sexual harassment case.

Agreed, though I still think a lot of people will be willing to buy Isiah's side of the story as it runs contrary to Magic's all-smiles, affable public image. I think most of us have just enough cynicism to believe the "ugly truth" when it comes to public figures like Magic Johnson, the idea that anyone who seems to be that nice has to be hiding a dark and unlikeable persona. And let's face it, that's not an unreasonable suggestion whether you're talking about someone famous or Joe Everyman.

I'm not sure who I believe. I think it's likely that they both remember certain events differently, have forgotten other details or been told things by other people that has ultimately come in the way of their friendship and led them to believe things that perhaps aren't exactly true.