Sports Poets Society

https://eu.freep.com/story/sports/nba/pistons/2020/06/03/remembering-detroit-pistons-beating-boston-celtics-1988-nba-playoffs/3135208001/ EVAN PETZOLD | Detroit Free Press Thirty-two years ago, the Detroit Pistons cured a franchise-long heartache. On June 3, 1988, the Pistons uncrowned the Boston Celtics, 95-90, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals to win the series, 4-2. Celtics star Larry Bird was held to 16 points on 4 of 17 shooting. For the first time in team history, the Pistons weren't just flirting with the NBA Finals –– they made it all the way. Vinnie Johnson scored a team-high 24 points off the bench, making 9 of 18 shots, with four rebounds and four assists. Adrian Dantley scored 22, Isiah Thomas dished out nine assists, Bill Laimbeer had nine rebounds and John Salley recorded five blocks. A total team effort, without double-digit scoring from either Thomas or Joe Dumars, propelled the "Bad Boys" to their first NBA Finals, a matchup against the Los A...

https://pistonpowered.com/2018/06/17/revisiting-isiah-thomas-25-point-third-quarter-detroit-pistons/ It’s been 30 years since Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals. The outcome may have resulted in a 103-102 victory for the Los Angeles Lakers. But it was Detroit Pistons’ guard Isiah Thomas who put on a third quarter to remember. Exactly thirty years ago this Tuesday, Isiah Thomas etched his name into NBA Finals’ lore. The Detroit Pistons’ captain finished with 43 points, eight assists, six steals and three rebounds in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals. But it was his 25-point third quarter, and how it unfolded, that ultimately stole the show. Now it’s time to revisit that legendary performance. June 19, 1988 The Pistons entered The Forum that night with a 3-2 series lead. Coming off a 104-94 win three days prior at the Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit had pushed the Los Angeles Lakers to the brink of elimination. It was a tale of two quarters in the opening half. The Pistons closed the first period w...