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FOX SPORTS STORE Reebok Minnesota Timberwolves #21 Kevin Garnett Black Replica Jersey $44.95 Houston Rockets Future Star Kids Watch $19.95 View the FOX Sports Store > Isiah can't dodge race controversy Mark Kriegel FOXSports.com, Updated 1 hour ago STORY TOOLS: print send blog RSS LIKE THIS STORY? Isiah Thomas' video-taped deposition, played the other day in a federal courtroom, contained a curiously phrased denial. When asked if a white male Knicks executive had referred to a black female Knicks executive as a "bitch," Thomas became vehement, certain that it could not have happened under his watch. Forget team policy, he said: "It would have violated my code of conduct...A white man calling a black woman a bitch ... That is a problem for me." But a black man calling a black woman a bitch — just one of the offensive terms Thomas himself is alleged to have used in addressing the plaintiff — is somewhat less offensive in his estimation. "Not as much," said Thomas. "I'm sorry to say. I do make a distinction." As it regards race and language, these distinctions are perilous ones, as dangerous for sportswriters as they are for ballplayers. But of all people, Isiah Thomas should've known better. It was 20 years ago when a firestorm broke out on the eve of the NBA Finals. The Celtics had just beaten Detroit to win the Eastern Conference — a series best remembered for Larry Bird's steal of Thomas' inbounds pass with just seconds left in Game 5. It had been an edgy, emotional seven-game series, and when it was over, Dennis Rodman said Bird was too slow to beat him in a 48-minute game of one-on-one. Also... The New York Post's Andrea Peyser takes you for a look inside the twisted logic of a sicko. Peyser: Twisted sicko logic Peyser: End this ugly game Friend: Isiah called her 'ho' Marbury admits intern tryst Isiah used vulgar names Someone reminded Rodman — a rookie whose true genius was not yet apparent to the masses — that Bird was a three-time MVP. "He's white," said Rodman. "That's the only reason he gets it." Another member of the Fourth Estate then relayed Rodman's sentiments to Thomas, who took what the Los Angeles Times described as "a long pause," before responding: "I think Larry is a very, very good basketball player. An exceptional talent. "But I have to agree with Rodman. If he were black, he'd be just another good guy." The words made for a huge national story, and the man who uttered them was cast as a villain, worse yet, a racist villain. Still, as Harvey Araton and Filip Bondy pointed out in their book, The Selling of the Green, Thomas' remark turned out to be watershed. It actually got people talking, in a meaningful way, about race and sports. Isiah Thomas apologized for his comments about Larry Bird. This time, he's resolute. (Louis Lanzano / Associated Press) "As absurd as the notion was," they wrote, "Thomas's statement was perhaps the most important comment by a black player in any sport in the eighties. With one conditional phrase about Bird — which Thomas insisted later was sarcasm — the Piston star had laid bare the underlying bitterness of black athletes in this country." Thomas spent the next few days being vilified, and by his own account, it scared the hell out of him. So he flew out to Los Angeles for a press conference before Game Two of the Finals. He expressed regret. He apologized. And he tried — none too convincingly — to argue that he was only "joking," but that his sarcasm had been lost in print. Then, with great aplomb, he addressed the subtler and more difficult issue: "The controversy is that I said Larry Bird, if he was black, would be just another good guy. But I think you would all agree that the stereotypes do exist. "Larry definitely had to work hard to get where he is at, but so many times it's been said about black athletes that their talent is 'God-given' or that it's 'natural ability.' I had to work just as hard to get where I am. It's not God-given or instinctive. Basketball is a game where you do things over and over again. When someone makes a great play it's not a matter of instinct, but how quickly you can recall." As angry as he was at the Celtics, Thomas was perhaps more upset with the standard-issue labels. White guys were cast as "heady" and "hard workers." Black guys were "great athletes." You don't have to be a black quarterback to know that the stereotypes still exist. But they have been diminished, thanks in part to the kinds of discussions Thomas initiated that day in Los Angeles. Of course, it didn't hurt that Larry Bird had his back, appearing at the press conference to say he took no offense. "If the statement doesn't bother me," said Bird, "it shouldn't bother anybody." advertisement STORY TOOLS: print send blog RSS LIKE THIS STORY? Now, two decades later, Thomas has abandoned his call for caution and understanding in matters of race and language. He has testified that it's less bad for a black guy to call a black woman a bitch than it is for a white guy. So Thomas has a problem here. He's not a player, embittered and frustrated moments after losing a brutal seven-game series. He's the head coach and President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks, which should give you some idea why the Knicks and Madison Square Garden are where they are. Maybe he should try another press conference. Then again, maybe not. Isiah Thomas hasn't done much to earn anyone's trust in the 20 years since he showed up at the Celtics' hotel in Los Angeles. Besides, Larry Bird won't be there to have his back. FOXSports.com >> Feedback | Press | Jobs | Tickets | Join Our Opinion Panel | Subscribe Other Fox Sites >> FOX.com | FOX News | News Corp. © 2007 Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use Portions Copyright © 2007 STATS LLC. All rights reserved. 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