Detroit Pistons: Top 5 individual playoff performances in team history
Detroit Pistons: Top 5 individual playoff performances
#3: Joe Dumars vs L.A. Lakers, Game 3 of the 1989 NBA Finals
The first time the Detroit Pistons won the NBA championship, Joe Dumars was Finals MVP. While the NBA’s current Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations surely gets his due, sometimes, one can’t help but to imagine Isiah Thomas swept up all the individual accolades in the 1980s. That was, of course, far from the truth.
In the third game of the 1989 NBA Finals, Dumars had what was probably his signature performance before a hostile Los Angeles crowd. His 31 points and 5 assists were actually overshadowed by a single defensive play that came late in the fourth quarter. Dumars blocked a David Rivers 3-point attempt while also preserving possession by saving the ball from going out of bounds.
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#2: Isiah Thomas vs N.Y. Knicks, Game 5 of the 1984 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
I find it pretty fun to watch the arch of a Hall-of-Fame career, as quite often, early playoff success is a part of the journey. Maybe not team success, but as was the case with Isiah Thomas in his first trip to the postseason, individual success. Thomas went off in a decisive Game 5 against the New York Knicks, which was the maximum length of a first round series at that time.
With the series on the line and Detroit down by 8, Thomas turned in one of the greatest performances in NBA history, let alone Pistons history. He ripped off 16 points in just 1:34, forcing a game that seemed out of hand into overtime. Unfortunately, Bernard King would author a classic of his own and the Knicks would get the victory.
Nevertheless, what Thomas did in the final 1:34 of the fourth quarter is an achievement still celebrated in the annals of league history. He finished with 35 points and 12 assists before fouling out in the final minute of overtime.