Isaiah Thomas: 'Seemed' NBA Legends 'Quit Before' Tipoff vs. Michael Jordan

Rob Goldberg @TheRobGoldbergFeatured ColumnistMay 11, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 03: Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Washington Wizards looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Capital One Arena on February 03, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

NBA guard Isaiah Thomas took a shot at the generation before him for their mentalities facing Michael Jordan:

Isaiah Thomas @isaiahthomas
Only thing I don’t like is how scared everybody was playing against em. Mentally they already lost because they not even thinking they can win. Barkley won MVP and said I’m fine with losing to MJ. If somebody said that these days they would get killed by media and everybody else

Isaiah Thomas @isaiahthomas
I understand how dope MJ is and how he’s the best but mentally damn he killed them and physically it wasn’t a chance. All I’m saying is it seemed they quit before the ball went up

The 31-year-old, who spent part of this season with the Washington Wizards (not Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas), has provided consistent analysis about "The Last Dance" on social media, this time specifically calling out Charles Barkley.

Barkley won the 1993 MVP award and took the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals before losing to Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games. Though he did show respect to Jordan afterwards, he said during the documentary that he had a lot of confidence going into the series.

"Game 2 I played as well as I could play, and Michael just outplayed me. That was probably the first time in my life that I felt like there was a better basketball player in the world than me, to be honest with you," Barkley said, per Kriel Ibarrola of Clutch Points.

Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller also notably didn't back down to the Bulls ahead of the 1998 Eastern Conference Finals.

"They were considered the best at that time. Be we felt—I feel to this day—we were the better team," Miller said, per Scott Horner of the Indy Star.

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The Bulls were still able to win six NBA titles in eight years.