April 27, 1984. Joe Louis Arena. Detroit, Michigan.

The fifth and deciding game of the NBA playoffs first round matchup between the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons.

With the Knicks comfortably ahead 106-98, and 1:57 left in regulation, Pistons star guard Isiah Thomas proceeds to score an amazing 16 points in just 94 seconds to send the game into overtime.

"God placed his hand on Isiah," Knicks guard Rory Sparrow says, "and said, 'You shall play basketball, and you shall play it great.'"

This spectacular performance would come to be known as one of the greatest playoff performances ever, but it would not be enough to keep the Pistons from suffering defeat. Knicks star forward Bernard King continued his dominating, record-setting play in the series finishing with 44 points, and 12 rebounds while leading the Knicks to the thrilling, overtime victory. Bernard King, before the knee injury.

After the final buzzer sounded, and the entire Knicks bench having poured onto the court in celebration...an exhausted and emotionally-drained Thomas who finished with 35 points and 12 assists, laid face-down on the hardwood floor. Heartbroken. Having given all there was to be given by a basketball player that night, Thomas could not disguise the emptiness felt behind such a heartbreaking loss. He simply laid there. Alone. Defeated. A stinging indictment of a man dealing with failure...

It would come to be a defining moment in the career of Isiah Thomas.

The Player

At only 6' 1", 185 pounds with a baby-face smile, Thomas was a tough player and fierce competitor. Great shooter with superb ball-handling skills. A smooth playmaker who possessed superior court savvy. For a player so small in stature, he bore a willingness to constantly attack the basket.

In 1981, as a sophomore and All-American at the University of Indiana, he led the Bobby Knight-coached Hoosiers to the NCAA title in 1981. Thomas left college early and was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. In his rookie season, Thomas averaged 17 points and 7.8 assists.

He led the Pistons to three consecutive NBA Finals with the Pistons winning back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. In Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, Thomas set a Finals record by scoring 25 points in a quarter, while playing on a severely injured ankle. Thomas, also referred to as Zeke, was a proven winner who played in an era where not only some of the greatest players to ever play the game played, but some of the greatest teams as well. In those days, a great player stood little chance against defeating a great team. He played in an era where they set hard picks, and gave even harder fouls. Before baggy pants. Back then, there was no such thing as a flagrant foul. Prices were paid. You took your punishment. Mental and physical intimidation was a part of the game. Simply put, Thomas played in an era where they played basketball. Players weren't given anything. Fame and fortune were earned, not bestowed upon players. If a player wanted the glory, it would have to be earned because there were no free passes.

"At crucial times, he reaches another level of performace," said coach Chuck Daly.

Thomas earned his right to be known as a great player, and thus was named one of the 50 Greatest NBA players. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000.

But for all his accolades, it seems Thomas could not win for losing. No matter how great his accomplishments, Thomas always seemed to remain in the shadows of his peers -- Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. Always ****y, Thomas seldomly held his disdain for how the NBA didn't exactly embrace him with the same open arms it accepted his fellow NBA greats.

"I'm the only guy walking the face of the Earth that can say I beat them more than they beat me," said Thomas.

Thomas sported a basketball résumé rival to each of the legendary trio but never quite garnered the respect given to "them"...although Thomas, himself, played a role in his failure to truly earn that respect.

There were moments which remain synomonous with Isiah Thomas: The embarrassing inbounds-steal made by Boston Celtics superstar Bird with 0.5 seconds left in the game which led to the winning basket in the fifth game of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the already-celebrating Pistons at the Boston Garden. The pass was thrown by Thomas intended for Pistons teammate Bill Laimbeer. Instead of giving Bird credit for the tremendous play, Thomas ruffled a few collars when he seemed to agree with radical comments made by distraught teammate Dennis Rodman after the Pistons eventually lost the series in seven games concerning Bird being "very overrated." Thomas added, "If Bird was black, he'd be just another good guy."

There was the infamous Olympic snub which was rumored to be due largely in part because of a rift with Jordan. He was once rumored to have frozen arguably the greatest player ever out of an NBA All-Star Game. Thomas was also villified for walking off the court after being swept by the Chicago Bulls in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals. Instead of congratulating and showing respect to Jordan and the Bulls, Thomas refused to refused to shake hands with the team that defeated the two-time defending champion Pistons. No one ever seems to dwell on the fact Joe Dumars walked alongside him. After failing to be selected to the U.S. Olympic "Dream Team" in favor of Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton, Thomas embarrassed Stockton for 44 points in their following matchup after his snub then made comments afterwards that he belonged on the Olympic team. Few had forgotten his comments during the two teams' next meeting as Thomas became the victim of a vicious Karl Malone elbow above his left eye. Thomas had to be literally carried from the court. The "unintentional" blow cause a lacerated artery across his brow that ended up requiring 40 stitches and plastic surgery.

An emotional and extremely passionate player, Thomas was never afraid to speak his mind. He played with the heart of a lion. He never avoided physical contact. Once even breaking his left hand after a punch to the head of Bill Cartwright in retaliation of an elbow throw by the Bulls center. Never scared, it's hardly any wonder that his favorite football team is the Oakland Raiders, whose motto remains simply, "Just win baby."

The Bad Boy

As a member of the Pistons during their championship years, Thomas, along with fellow teammates Rodman, Laimbeer, Dumars, Vinnie Johnson, John Salley, Rick Mahorn, Mark Aguirre, and James Edwards came to be known as the "Bad Boys" due to their overly physical, almost-dirty style of basketball. The Bad Boys, widely considered as one of the greatest teams ever, came to be hated by everyone in the NBA as a result of their flagrant, thuggerish play.

But that's exactly how they wanted it.

They proudly lived up to the image, even practicing in black jerseys -- complete with skull and crossbones -- given to them personally by Raiders owner Al Davis. They literally beat up opposing teams with their aggressive defense. They punked their opponents. The Pistons were a cutthroat yet extremely talented group of basketball players coached by Hall of Famer Chuck Daly. Not only was Thomas a member of the Bad Boys Dynasty, he was their captain. Their Leader. The team personified his fierceness. The team's "by all means necessary" attitude kept a choke hold on Jordan, dethroned the Celtics, and forced their will upon the Lakers while ultimately cementing their place in NBA history.

They thrived on being somewhat of a street gang, and it didn't matter if you got out of the gang, or were traded to another team as Rick Mahorn once found out. While Mahorn continued playing the role of a bully as a member of the then-Washington Bullets, Thomas slapped Mahorn in the face. I have always been taught that one thing a man doesn't let another man do is slap him in the face. Let alone slap a man such as Mahorn -- eight inches taller and 100 pounds heavier -- but Isiah did just that, perhaps having learned a thing or two about being tough while growing up on the rough and poverished Chicago's West Side streets.

"I've lived with daily pressure all my life," says Thomas, "Growing up the way I grew up, it was life or death pressure every time you walked outside your door.

Born April 30, 1961 in Chicago, Illinois, Isiah Lord Thomas III grew up the youngest of nine children. While just a toddler, his father left the family leaving his mother, Mary Thomas having to do whatever it took to raise her children properly and not lose them to the cold-hearted streets which claim the lives of so many youth. Mary Thomas tried to instill discipline, leadership and the value of an education into her children. Gangs were always a threat in their rough-and-tough neighborhood which was plagued by drugs, crime and violence. Once gang leaders even showing up at her doorstep to recruit members of her family.

"I pointed my shotgun at them and told them there was only one gang in my house and that was the Thomas gang, and if they didn't get off my so-and-so porch, I would blow them across the expressway." shouted a terrified Mary Thomas.

While some of Isiah's brothers unfortunately fell victim to the street life, he eventually rode the path to where his good education and basketball talents took him. Thomas fulfilled a promise made to his mother and earned his degree in 1987. He is the founder of the Isiah Thomas Fondation which promotes educational opportunities for Detroit youth, and is involved in many other programs designed to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged youth. He remains a dedicated, charity worker.

Rick Majerus, then a Marquette assistant coach who tried to recruit Thomas, remembered, "You talk about abject poverty, human failing, suffering -- they had all that in Isiah's neighborhood. You'd go in there and here was this young guy who's got this big smile. He was unbelievably optimistic for someone who had gone through all the misfortune that has occurred in his family. He was very focused."

Thomas may sport a charming smile, but do not let the dimples fool you; rarely has Thomas rarely had any problem cutting someone's throat. Not even the throat of a teammate. Just ask Adrian Dantley. After Dantley became the Pistons' leading scorer during his years in Detroit. Thomas felt Dantley was messing up the team's chemistry and complainingly went to management which engineered the trade for Aguirre, a long-time friend. "Everybody knows what went on there," Dantley says.

For the record, Isiah Thomas did not learn his antics from former teammate, Dennis Rodman -- a player who would come to be known as the NBA's "ultimate bad boy," it was Rodman who learned from Thomas.

"I call him the baby-faced assassin," an opposing coach once remarked, "because he smiles at you, then cuts you down."

The General Manager

On December 22, 2003, New York Knicks CEO James Dolan hired Isiah Thomas as General Manager of the New York Knicks, and fans everywhere exhaled. The long-awaited firing of the man Thomas replaced -- Scott Layden brought about a long-overdue sigh of relief which was a result of the reins being handed over to someone who knew a thing or two about the game of basketball. Once hired, fans were convinced Thomas would re-energize the franchise and restore the once-proud franchise back to its elite status in the NBA. "Our goal is to win a championship. That's the only goal," said the articulate Thomas at the press conference announcing his hiring.

Thomas's first order of business was bringing the ultra-talented yet troublesome superstar point guard Stephon Marbury to New York. Since his signature move, Thomas has without question built a roster equipped with more talent than the one inherited but for some reason, it hasn't translated into more wins. As GM, the Thomas-built New York Knicks haven't seemed to beat anyone. Coaches have been hired. Coaches have been fired. Players have come and gone. But the prior feelings of hopelessness do not remain, so give him some credit in the fact that a future is now in place in New York. The Knicks clearly have a younger, roster than before, and certainly are making better draft picks which is something fans have been screaming for since the beginning of time, it seems. All things considered, Thomas the GM has delivered a roster filled with improvements. However, the critics never fail to note how the teams Thomas have built in New York have yet to experience a winning season. Sure, there was a playoff appearance against the crosstown-rivals New Jersey Nets, but backing into the playoffs with a losing record and ultimately being blown off the court in four games hardly conveys as success.

The sense of hope reached an all-time high when Thomas hired famed head coach Larry Brown to direct the team into the promised land. In Brown, the Knicks now had their first "real coach" since Jeff Van Gundy. Brown was heralded as a coach who got the most results out of the least amount of talent. His success was still growing after marching the Detroit Pistons into the 2004 NBA Finals and upsetting the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers. Brown was just the man to lead New York. He would teach the Knicks how to play the game of basketball the way it was meant to be played. Last season was highly anticipated, but after a disgusting 23-59 showing, Brown was fired. The bubble burst. The third head coach fired by the Knicks organization in the past three years. The man who hired him is now the same man who replaces him as head coach of the New York Knicks. After last season's disaster, Dolan decided he'd finally seen enough of this ongoing nightmare, and issued an ultimatum to Isiah Thomas...

"I'm saying this right with Isiah here. This is his team," Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan stated. "He made this bed. There's nobody better than him to make this thing go forward.

"But he has to do that and he has one year, one season to do that. At this time next year Isiah will be with us if we can all sit here and say that this team has made significant progress towards its goal of eventually becoming an NBA championship team. If we can't say that, then Isiah will not be here."

This upcoming season remains of major importance to not only the Knicks, but for Isiah Thomas. Not only will it decide whether his tenure with the New York Knicks continues, but it will also determine his ability to ever land another job in the NBA as a head coach or general manager.

Isiah Thomas was hired to save the Knicks but it is ironic how the Knicks are now the ones who are being called upon to save Isiah.

The Head Coach

"I’m extremely excited to be coaching again, and be back on the bench," says Thomas, "I love coaching, I enjoy it. I love working with people and probably the most significant impact you can have on a person's life is by coaching him through adversity."

Fans are banking on the passion Isiah Thomas displays for coaching to speak volumes for the Knicks this season.

Forget the career coaching record of 131-115 obtained in his three seasons as head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Forget the fact that after Larry Bird was named GM of the Pacers, he replaced Thomas with Rick Carlisle for reasons rumored to be other than basketball-related. The non-existent relationship between Thomas and Bird was no secret, but at this point, none of that matters. As far as coaching goes, all that matters is what Thomas does this season as head coach of the Knicks. It may ultimately be how his coaching résumé is remembered.

Perhaps, in an effort to prove something to his detractors, Thomas continues to point out his success at teaching the likes of Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, and Jamaal Tinsley. Save the chitter-chatter, Isiah. In the ever-changing world of professional sports, Thomas of all people knows that it's still all about what have you done for me lately.

Maybe Thomas should have been shown the door behind Brown. It definitely would have made sense. If a man proven to have turned losing teams into winners wasn't given more time to right the Knicks ship, then surely Thomas, a man who has never proved such, shouldn't have been given more time either. Apart from everyone believing it may possibly have been a burning desire of Thomas to coach all along, it does make sense that Thomas should at least be given the oppurtunity, or be forced to coach the very group of contentious players he's responsible for bringing together. Actually, it's a perfect scenario. Since Thomas brought these players to New York, the feeling is one of, "Okay, let's see what you can do, Isiah." And why not? Surely he had some vision when he inked each player, right? If there's anyone left on planet Earth capable of coaching this group of players the right way, it has to be Thomas. Right?

The critics emphasize the passion Thomas has for coaching can be no greater than that of Larry Brown. I, personally, wonder how, and if, Thomas will settle on a rotation -- something Brown failed to do. Or will he conceivably throw a monkey wrench into his own plans in the manner which he doomed Brown with constant ill-conceived roster moves. If the players did not respect the Hall-of-Fame credentials of Larry Brown enough to play hard for him, it's not a reach to possibly believe these players will not respond to the coaching of Thomas either. Clearly, we are seeing Isiah trimming the roster of players that serve absolutely no purpose, and players that seemingly shouldn't have been in a Knicks uniform in the first place are being bought out, but as fans, we must ponder the possibility that this season could become the sequel to last season's monumental disaster. Brace yourself, because it could very well happen. Larry Brown gave up on the team last season, and the team returned the favor. It's imperative Thomas doesn't allow players to zone him out and inevitably suffer the same fate as Brown.

Regardless, the ultimatum has been given. The clock is ticking. Time is now of an important essence. If nothing, a blind eye situation can now be exposed. No more having the players undermine the coach, the coach undermining the GM, and the GM hanging the coach out to dry. The GM and the coach are the same person. In other words, something has to give.

"Fire Isiah!"

We have all heard the chants loud and clear, especially during the 2006 NBA Draft. No one should be the least surprised that fans have publicly called for the firing of Isiah Thomas. This is New York, remember? Where the fans are very, very passionate about their sports teams. Similar to the absolute fatal behavior of a great white shark, New York fans have also been known to eat their prey alive. In New York, sports fans and media alike expect, and nearly demand, overnight success of their teams. In their eyes, anything less is uncivilized. It doesn't matter if overnight success is possible or not. That is beside the point.

As Knicks fans, we are arguably some of the most knowledgeable basketball fans known but we may sometimes be guilty of being some of the most biased fans as well. At times, we tend to overrate our players. We tend to find blame in Larry Brown for not being able to teach such a dysfunctional, overrated group of so-called professional basketball players to "play the right way." In some instances, we adamantly refuse to believe that a square peg simply cannot fit into a triangular hole. Again, this is New York -- where athletes and coaches alike are required to have thick skin. Since Thomas is responsible for the gathering of such a group of underacheivers, he has been subjected to such chants calling for change. And rightfully so.

Thomas has always been known to have an eye for basketball talent. Give him credit for drafting Tracy McGrady, Damon Stoudamire, Trevor Ariza, Renaldo Blackman, David Lee, and whomever else you feel the need to give him credit for, but also recognize that anyone with an eye for a special player would never sign Jerome James, especially to such a lucrative contract. Yes, Thomas has made some exceptional decisions, but he remains far from perfect. Even the great Jerry West missed here and there.

Basically, the fans are tired of the losing atmosphere that has formed over these past few seasons. Losing ultimately gives birth to changes needing to take place, which does give some credence to the chants. In my eyes, ever since Jeff Van Gundy abandoned ship, the Knicks haven't been the same. They have failed to play with the same intensity that embodied the true nature of New York Knicks basketball. The current brand of basketball doesn't coincide with the gritty, hard-nosed nature once embodied, and embraced by former Knick teams. There are those who will claim the game has changed. Really? How so? Defense still wins championships, right? Maybe what they meant to say is...the players have changed. Players simply refuse to play defense anymore. Not surprisingly, Thomas has attempted to add defensive-minded players to the roster this offseason.

The critics point to the Knicks continued mismanagement of the salary cap. They point to zero winning seasons.

There is a slight possibility Thomas has absolutely no idea how to correctly run a professional franchise, and has gotten in way over his head with the Knicks, but he does know the game. Having been a part of winning, he understands how winning basketball is played and as puzzling as the entire organization may appear, we must never fail to realize that winning basketball is still played the same way. Players must develop a respect for the game itself. Defense must become a priority. Teamwork must be instilled, displayed and required amongst the team.

In New York, success is forever measured in terms of whether or not their teams appear in the playoffs, and win championships. While it seems everything has changed within the New York Knicks organization, that much hasn't changed. In New York, winning remains the main defintion.

Until the Knicks once again become a winning franchise, Thomas will continue to be apphrended by the chants.

The Man

It has been said the true measure of any man is his character in the face of adversity. The face of defeat. Losing. The man he becomes when he feels defeated.

Isiah Thomas, the man, has constantly accepted and conquered a multitude of challenges time and time again throughout his career, and life.

Somewhere between opening night tipoff and the final game of this season, it's possible Thomas may once again feel as dejected as he felt while laying motionless on the court at Joe Louis Arena 22 years ago. In the world of sports, it has often been said that winning isn't everything, but try telling the dejected man with his face planted onto the floor that night that it isn't everything. Winning is everything.

That night, Isiah Thomas painfully learned how one can give his absolute all, and it still is not be enough to avoid the agonizing feeling of defeat. But that night Thomas also learned how it's not so much the fall -- everyone falls, but more importantly, that one arises, and most importantly, what one does once he comes back to his feet.

At some point, Isiah Thomas the player, had to arise from the court. But Isiah Thomas the man, didn't. He could have chosen to never pick himself up from the floor. But he did. He lifted himself up and proceeded to have one of the most remarkable NBA careers comparable to the very best to ever play the game.

I must confess that, personally, I never really liked Isiah Thomas as a player, but I've always admired Isiah Thomas as a man. I have always respected the man who reached inside of himself that night and found the much-needed will, and the determination it took to continue to succeed. The man who constantly responds to every challenge placed before him.

You know, the losing Isiah...the man who simply refuses to accept defeat.


http://www.nykfanpage.com/editorials/viewarticle.php?articleid=201

Posted by Bippity10:

Almost sounds like Bip wrote that article

Posted by Bippity10:

Posted by nyk4ever:

Posted by Bippity10:

Almost sounds like Bip wrote that article

Are you back to talking about yourself in 3rd person again?

Yeah it didn't go over so well the first two times Bip tried it. Bip thought he'd give it another go now to see what the crowd thinks.

Posted by babyKnicks:

it does?