Thomas: 'Bad Boy' Pistons were 'most impactful team on the NBA'

Isiah Thomas doesn't consider the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons to be a dynasty, but he believes the team holds an important place in NBA history.

During an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Thomas explained that while his Pistons didn't reach dynasty status like other teams in their era, they still left a big impact on the league.

"Are we a dynasty? We didn't get the third (title)," Thomas said. "... Chicago you can say, okay what they did those three years and then came back and did, so that's when dynasty talk starts. Lakers, Celtics, you have to give them dynasty talk because of their historical relevance. What Magic (Johnson) and (Larry) Bird walked into - they walked into ready-made dynasties. They were already dynasties, right? Celtics were already a dynasty, Lakers was already a dynasty.

"Now what I would say, who's been the most impactful team on the NBA - it's the Detroit Pistons," he continued. "When you look at our style of play, pick-and-roll basketball, stretch five in (Bill) Laimbeer, small guards, you know, shooting from the perimeter. We didn't have a post-up player. The way we influenced the game, little guys like myself, we weren't supposed to win championships."

Thomas' Pistons won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990 after defeating the Michael Jordan-led Bulls in both Eastern Conference finals series. The two teams met again in the 1991 Eastern Conference finals, with the Bulls sweeping the Pistons en route to capturing the first of three straight titles.