Story by
Isiah Thomas calls out NBA for ‘manipulating’ playoff format to help Lakers back in day
- Story by
- Isiah Thomas calls out NBA for ‘manipulating’ playoff format to help Lakers back in day
Isiah Thomas calls out NBA for 'manipulating' playoff format to help Lakers back in day appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently in the early stages of what could be a very impactful offseason for the future direction of the franchise. Lakers fans would be forgiven for reminiscing on the old days of the 1980s, when they won five NBA championships under the leadership of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Advertisement
One shocking upset occurred in 1986, when the Lakers were defeated by the Houston Rockets in the 1986 Western Conference Finals, and recently, former Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas broke down how he thinks the league overreacted to that result.
"Remember they swept the Lakers. And that's when they changed the playoff format because they didn't want the Lakers going out early. So, right? They changed the playoff format. You know, you've been around Dan, you know what happened. You know all how the rules changed and got manipulated and everything else," said Thomas, per the Dan Patrick Show, via Hoopshype.
Thomas was incorrect that the Lakers got swept, as they did salvage a game in that series, and it's also unclear exactly what change he is referring to in regards to the playoff format. The NBA did change the first round from five to seven games around this time, which could theoretically make upsets less likely, but it's still unclear how this would have affected the Lakers series in particular.
Of course, the Lakers have had multiple series tilt in their favor seemingly from the league's desire to help out its marquee franchise, including most infamously the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings , among others.
Advertisement
Still, Thomas has been known to hold a vendetta or two in his time, so this could be another instance of that.
Related: Lakers rumors: Insider views UConn center as LA's best option in latest mock draft
Related: ESPN reunites Luka Doncic with ex-Mavericks teammate in game-changing trade
