“Isiah Thomas really scored 16 points in 94 seconds and still LOST?!”: When the Pistons’ legend went OFF against Bernard King and the Knicks in the 1984 Playoffs

Pistons legend Isiah Thomas once scored 16 points in the final 94 seconds of the game to force OT against the Knicks in 1984

Isiah Thomas was selected as the #2 pick in the 1981 draft by the Detroit Pistons. He had a solid rookie campaign and showed signs of brilliance from the get-go. Thomas only continued to get better and showed the world what he was capable of.

In the 1983-84 season, Thomas led the Pistons to the playoffs after a 7-year drought. There, the Pistons were matched up against Bernard King and his New York Knicks. After splitting the first four games, the series headed back to Detroit, for the decider Game 5.

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The Knicks were up 8 with a minute and 56 seconds left in the game. It was not looking good for the Pistons when the third-year player, Thomas stepped up and left his heart and soul on the floor. Isiah Thomas delivered a 35 point, 12 assist performance that night, as the Knicks eventually took the game in OT.

Isiah Thomas scored 16 points in 94 seconds to force OT against the Knicks

Down 8 points, a 22-year-old Isiah Thomas decided he needed to end his team’s 8-year playoff win drought. Thomas unleashed a storm on the Knicks, scoring 16 of his 35 points in the final 1:34 of the game.

However, Isiah’s efforts weren’t enough, as Bernard King scored 44 points and led the Knicks to a 127-123 win in OT.

After the game, Thomas spoke to the media,

“I’m not satisfied,” Thomas told the Philadelphia Daily News. “We got respect from a lot of people around the league. But as far as being satisfied — you can never be satisfied.”

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Thomas went on the lead the Pistons to the playoffs for eight straight years, which included 3 Finals trips, resulting in 2 championships. Thomas retired as a Hall-of-Famer and is considered one of the best point guards to ever play the game.