May 5, 1991 - Playing through a right wrist injury, Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas appeared in just 39 regular season games before succumbing to surgery. Following a procedure to fuse three bones he'd injured the season prior, Thomas missed over two months of action with up two additional months of rehabilitation waiting for him once he had his cast removed in late March.
While reports suggested Thomas was likely out for the season, he opted to endure his rehabilitation on the fly, returning to the Pistons lineup at least a month ahead of schedule. With limited function in his shooting wrist drastically reducing his shooting range and passing strength, Thomas played the final nine games of the regular season before diving into his team's first round series with the Atlanta Hawks.
Spending the bulk of his team's matchup with the Atlanta Hawks as a pass-first-pass-second point guard, Thomas turned it on in the do-or-die Game 5, scoring 26 points (9-of-15 shooting) and delivering 11 assists in a 113-81 series-clinching win.
Advancing to play the Boston Celtics in the second round, Thomas' injury woes compounded when he sprained his foot in Game 1. After appearing briefly or missing games 2 through 5, Thomas again rose to the challenge in an elimination opportunity, closing out the Celtics by scoring eight of his team's final 10 points in overtime of Game 6, clinching his team's fifth consecutive conference finals appearance.
The Pistons' run ultimately came to an unceremonious end, proving too battered, too old, and too tired to counter a hungry Chicago Bulls team blazing their way toward their first NBA championship.
Note: These highlights are partially incomplete as Game 5 was joined in progress on NBC.
Pistons Hawks Game 5 Box Score: [ Ссылка ]
Thomas' series-clinching overtime heroics vs. Boston: [ Ссылка ]
Story on Thomas' injury and its effect on the Pistons: [ Ссылка ]
Story on Thomas' likely season-ending prognosis: [ Ссылка ]
Game 5 (in full) can be found here, courtesy of jaboo82681: [ Ссылка ]
