Before they even got started Saturday night there was plenty of bad blood between the Utah Jazz and the Detroit Pistons following that game in Detroit a month ago. Now there's even more bad blood - literally - between the two clubs following an first-quarter incident that put each team's leading scorer on the sidelines - one for the rest of the game and the other for most of the game.
After the Jazz had eked out a 102-100 victory, the main topic in the Piston locker room afterward was "The Foul," which sent Isiah Thomas to the hospital and Karl Malone on an early trip home for the night.It happened with 7:32 left in the opening quarter when Thomas drove the lane for a layup only to be greeted by Malone. The Mailman fouled him hard and the crowd which had lustily booed Thomas before the game, cheered loudly.
The cheering abruptly stopped when Thomas came up with a faceful of blood and then lay back on the court.
Several folks from the Piston bench ran out on the floor to Thomas's aid, including trainer Mike Abdenor, who quickly started applying gauze pad after gauze pad in an attempt to stop the bleeding. There was much more blood than your average hockey fight and more than enough for a TKO in a prize fight.
Piston Coach Chuck Daly was apoplectic and one Piston player, reserve guard, Darrell Walker, sneaked around and tried to hit Malone, who was looking kind of dazed about the whole thing. He didn't connect and quickly headed up the tunnel, probably knowing he was about to be ejected.
During the 10-minute delay, Laimbeer asked one of the officials, "Was that intentional or premeditated?"
Afterwards, Laimbeer had his own opinion. "That was basically a premeditated situation. Why? Because he lit them up for 44 last time and (Malone) didn't want to embarrass Stockton again."
Detroit Coach Chuck Daly was still upset about it afterwards "It was a vicious foul, a very early foul . . . after 44 points at home. That's one way to take (Thomas) out."
"It was obviously a flagrant foul," Dennis Rodman said. "There's no room for that. There should be a suspension."
Karl Malone, who was visibly shaken while Thomas lay bleeding, claimed afterward that it was purely accidental, "Even Joe Dumars said it wasn't intentional," said Malone.
But Dumars disagreed, saying, "I asked him if it was intentional and he said no. I didn't see it."
Thomas, who came back from LDS Hosptial after getting 40 stitches and being checked neurologically, played the final six minutes. "I was a little scared. It felt like I got shot," he said of the foul.
The official response from the officials came from Ed Middleton. "Isiah took the ball to the hoop. Karl went after him. In our estimation the foul . . . was a flagrant foul . . . the contact was unnecessary and excessive."
Another official, Jake O'Donnell was overheard telling Hot Rod Hundley during a timeout that Malone had made no attempt to block the shot with his hand.
"The referees even said there should be a major suspension," said Laimbeer.