Isiah Thomas

By Paulie Knep
Love of Sports Correspondent

Every all-time great player has a transcendent, career defining performance from which his legend is born.

For Magic Johnson, it was the 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists he had as a rookie in Game 6 of the 1980 NBA Finals while filling in at center for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

For Michael Jordan, it was the playoff record 63 points he scored against the soon-to-be NBA champion Boston Celtics in the ‘86 playoffs.

Most recently, LeBron James scored Cleveland’s final 25 points in an overtime victory over the Pistons in Game 5 of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.

Isiah Thomas’ career-defining performance occurred during Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals.

After finally defeating their arch nemesis Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, Thomas’ Pistons faced the defending champion Lakers for the title.

The “Bad Boys” were a hungry team with an excellent coach and a balanced scoring attack. Their physical play and defensive prowess proved to be a tough match for the “Showtime” Lakers. After five games, the Pistons led 3-2 as the series shifted back to Los Angeles.

The Lakers seemed to be in control of Game 6 early in the second half, with a 56-48 lead, when Thomas went off. He bombarded the Lakers with an onslaught of jump shots and acrobatic finishes around the rim to score the game’s next 14 points.

Then, with a little more than four minutes remaining in the third quarter, Thomas landed awkwardly on Michael Cooper’s foot and severely sprained his ankle. The fiery point guard had to be helped off the floor by his teammates.

Shockingly, Thomas returned to the game 35 seconds later and picked up right where he left off. Though he was in obvious agony as he hopped around the court, he continued draining jumpers, shooting off of the wrong foot.

He finished the quarter with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting, setting an NBA Finals record for most points in a quarter. Most importantly, the Pistons had taken an 81-79 lead.

Isiah finished the game with 43 points, eight assists and six steals, but it wasn’t enough, as Abdul-Jabbar sealed the 103-102 win for the Lakers with two late free throws. However, the game will always be remembered for Thomas’ heroics.

“We got a miraculous performance from Isiah, as hurt as he was,” Pistons coach Chuck Daly said after the game.

Thomas’ longtime friend, Magic Johnson added, “I think he was just unconscious. I think he said, ‘OK, I’m going to take this game over.’” Thomas didn’t come away from that series with a ring, but he proved he was a champion.

The Lakers won Game 7, due in large part to 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists from Finals MVP James Worthy and repeated as NBA champions.

The following season, the Pistons were a team on a mission, who swept a banged up Lakers team in a Finals rematch to win the championship. In 1989-90, they repeated as champions, defeating the Portland Trailblazers in six games as Thomas was named Finals MVP.

Thomas had many memorable moments as a basketball player. He won an NCAA championship, two NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP award, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.

However, it was that courageous performance against the Lakers in Game 6 of the 1988 Finals that made him a legend.

And that’s why we’re sending him some Old School Love today.