Agony

Pain, an unexplainable feeling, caused by many occurrences. From the death of a loved one, to an absolutely horrific injury, there are many different kinds of agony. However, basketball is the greatest remedy for this pain. It provides an escape from reality, which not many other things can offer. Basketball not only provides an escape, but it provides the chance to make your own legacy, the chance to take your mind off of your injury.

Isiah Thomas

1988 NBA Finals

Isiah Thomas was one of the fiercest competitors to ever play the illustrious game of basketball. He was the leader of the Bad Boy Pistons, and is still the face of the Pistons franchise as a whole to this day. He showed this in game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, when faced with adversity, he performed in the clutch, with a chance to capture his first title, and he did not circumvent the expectations or the fans.

The first couple games of the Finals went quite well for the Bad Boys, as they came into the Finals extensively presumptuous after dispatching the Celtics in just 6 games. The Lakers however proceeded to gain a 2–1 edge over the Pistons entering game 4. They would make headway of the next two games and snag a 3–2 series lead, and then the game happened. The series was getting very physically fatiguing for both parties. That’s when everything began to fall apart for the Pistons.

The Pistons were within striking distance and if they captured this game, they would annex the title for the city of Detroit. The Pistons were dragging along early in the third, impoverished of the lead, 56–48. There with an infinitesimal four minutes to go in the period, Isiah would go down hard on Michael Cooper’s foot.

“Isiah goes down hard, and is slow to get up!”

“Well, I think he came down on Cooper’s foot, and is now hobbling around.”

The injury was so severe, that Thomas would have to be carried off of the hardwood. In spite of the horrific ankle injury, and the immense pain he was in, Isiah would return just 35 seconds later, although his ankle was very inflamed and looked like a balloon. Thomas continued the Pistons’ continuous assault on the Lakers defense, splashing in 11 of the 13 shots he took, which combined for an unfathomable 25 points on 84.6% from the field, despite him having a wrenched ankle. The sprained ankle was not the only injury he sustained in the third, as he was also poked in the eye, temporarily blinding him in that eye. Even though Thomas had an absolutely unconscious performance, the Pistons would meet their eventual demise, losing 103–102, in heartbreaking fashion.

Thomas would play on his stiff ankle in game 7, but he would prove to be very lethargic, playing out of rhythm. His mere presence on the court was enough to inspire his team, and they held a 52–47 lead at halftime. His ankle froze up(not literally, it just tightened) at halftime, and he was unable to play in the second half due to the unbearable amount of pain he was in. The Lakers would soon take advantage of it, and win game 7 by a small margin of 3. Now, Isiah’s game 6 and 7 sacrifices were not completely worthless, as the Bad Boys would go onto claim two consecutive titles in 1989 and 1990, so in the end it was all worth it. The Pistons may have lost, but Isiah had one of the most heroic and respectable performances in the history of the NBA. That night he proved that he was not just a bad boy, but he was willing to put his heart out on the court and play through agony just for the brotherhood that was the Pistons.

Rajon Rondo

2011 Eastern Conference Semis

Rajon Rondo is one of the best playmakers in NBA history, and he is widely known for that, and his performance one fateful May night. The Celtics were on waning days of their washed up dynasty, and were facing a Miami Heat team that struck fear into the hearts of their opponents. They would lose the first two games of this series, and needed a huge performance out of their big 3 in the 3rd game, their first at home. However, this performance would come unexpectedly out of a rising star in Rondo.

Coincidentally, just like Thomas’ injury, it would happen in the 3rd quarter. With approximately 7:02 left in the period, and the Celtics up by a tiny margin, Rondo would dive after a loose ball, ending up with him and Dwyane Wade getting tangled up,(which some would later call a dirty play by Wade and cause much controversy). Wade would then dislocate Rondo’s elbow, leaving him on the floor writhing in pain. Rondo would then have to leave the court to go get checked out by doctors, and the injury looked very gruesome and a return improbable. Once word reached that his elbow had been dislocated, things were looking grim for the Celtics, as the usual timetable for a return would be a solid 3–6 weeks, which the Celtics simply did not have. Rondo was hit with an adrenaline rush, and astonishingly came back immediately, and the crowd was roaring. Coach Doc Rivers was weary of putting Rondo back into the game, as he did not see the injury live. As he would go on later to recall the incident, he would state;

“It helped me that I didn’t see it, because I probably wouldn’t put him back in the game”

Rondo would check in at the birth of the 4th quarter, and would essentially be forced to play one armed, due to the interminable amount of pain in his right arm. Rondo would play with an immeasurable amount of grit and toughness, and inspire the crowd and his teammates as he would rack up 6 points and 11 assists to finish off the Heat, winning a crucial game 3 to propel his team back into the series.

Despite the valiant performance by Rondo, and the guts he showed in that game, the Heat would go onto demolish the Celtics in the next two games, putting an end to their playoff run. Although they lost, Rondo’s mythological performance is still etched in history books.

Dirk Nowitzki

2011 NBA Finals

Note: Instead Of Jordan’s flu game I’ve decided to put in Dirk’s as I felt Jordan’s was too cliche and Dirk’s is very unrecognized.

Dirk Nowitzki was the star of the 2011 Mavericks team, and he showed that in the 2011 Finals. He would put up a very Jordan-esque performance in the 2011 Finals, and possibly be even more valuable to his team than Jordan was in 1997. Game 4 saw the Mavericks step on to the hardwood lagging behind Miami 2 games to 1, and Dallas was desperate and in dire need of a win. Dirk had a terrible case of influenza, and it was obvious when he took the court for warmups, as he looked completely out of energy and very lethargic, but the Mavericks needed some life, and who better to get it out of than their superstar player?

Dirk felt so sick, that he could not even complete the elementary task of speaking, and his fever reached a higher temperature than that of Jordan’s in the 1997 Finals. Dirk would come out ablaze, hitting his first three shots, and helping his team jump out to a decently sized lead. Something else I’d like to point out is; Dirk had an immense amount of physical stress in this game, as he already had a torn tendon to begin, which put so much more pressure on his body.

Miami seemed to be pulling away, as they owned a 9 point lead early in the 4th quarter, and were in the driver’s seat at that point. However, Dirk would check back into the game, and put on an exhilarating clutch performance, as the Mavericks came roaring back to reclaim the lead with downwards of 6 minutes left in the last period. The Mavericks would hold the lead until the Heat pulled to within 2, and Dwyane Wade went to the line with just 1 minuscule minute remaining.

“Wade at the line, he makes the first. He puts up the second… NO GOOD! Wade has missed!”

At that point Dirk knew it was his time to shine under the bright lights, as he would bury a driving layup with 14.4 seconds remaining in the game, to put the Mavs up by 3. The Mavericks would then lock down the Heat for the rest of the game, and eventually end up winning an importunate game 4, on an absolutely conspicuous performance by Dirk Nowitzki.

To throw salt into the wound for the Heat, and to make this victory even sweeter for Dirk, he would grab his first NBA title, winning Finals MVP, and repudiate LeBron’s attempt for his first ever ring. All in all, Dirk’s performance is one of the most iconic in American history, and because of this resilient performance by him, he has earned my utmost and ultimate respect.

Brandon Roy

2010 NBA Playoffs

Brandon Roy was one of the blossoming young players in the league, as he had made All-NBA 2nd team at the youthful age of 24. He was part of a real contender in a very good but injury plagued Trail Blazers squad with a young Lamarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. The squad won an honorable amount of games in 2010, setting the total at 54. Roy had to face a behemothic quantity of pain night in and night out, as the cartilage in his knees had been corrupted so much, that he had bruises from knee to knee rubbing.

It was the third to last game of the NBA season, and Roy would feel something rupture in his right knee, and this looked to be the last straw, as he had a string of knee injuries previous to this. The doctors would diagnose him with a torn meniscus, and things were looking grim for the Blazers. This can normally be a season ending injury, and possibly even career ending. He would get immediate surgery, in hopes of a return early into the 2011 season. Although advised against by doctors, Roy would hobble onto the court for game 4 of the 2010 first round, and give Portland their leader back.

Portland was in a very irremediable situation, but they were inspired by Roy’s sheer grittiness, to play just 10 days after an invasive surgery on his knee. Portland was absolutely galvanized, and would bring home a 9 point win, despite Roy giving a minimal contribution with just 10 points on his ruined knee. Sadly, Roy would not be able to play a lot more in the series, and the Blazers would lose in a measly 6 games.

In just the next year, with no cartilage left in his knees, Roy put up another one for the history books, as the Blazers would be down 2–1 against the Dallas Mavs going into game 4, and their leader in Brandon Roy was doing all he could with the bad knees he had. The Blazers has seemingly lost all hope, down by 23 in the third period, and nothing was working for their offense, as their offense was absolutely benumbed. He would prove to have the makings of a superstar, as he would lead his team back, dropping 18 in the fourth quarter, to tie the series 2–2.

Roy did have one of the most iconic performances in NBA history, but was it worth it? The seemingly unending saga with knee injury after knee injury had forced Roy to retire just one year later. His doctors said that the long term health risk was too much, as he had no meniscus left in either of his knees, and they were degenerating at too quickly of a rate to ever play the game of basketball safely again.

Isaiah Thomas

2017 First Round

More recently ingrained in our memories, the other Isaiah Thomas went through his fair share of agony, as just a day before the playoffs started, his sister got into a horrific accident, that left her dead. He was left with a burden, and considered quitting basketball at one point, as he was so devastated by his loss. The Celtics were unsure if he would play game 1, as his mental wound had not had time to heal.

A couple of hours prior to game time, he was seen in Avery Bradley’s arms, bawling, right after it was announced he would play. He would go and etch “Rip Lil Sis” and “I love you” on his shoes. The Celtics would hold a moment of silence, and the crowd began a fulminating cheer as Isaiah took the court, and it was clear they all had his back. The crowd’s rambunctious cheering inspired Thomas, as the Celtics would come out incandescent, as Thomas would hit a quick three in transition, and steal the ball and pass it out to Bradley for another triple. The Celtics would continue on the first quarter scalding, but would lose composure as the game went on. The Celtics would later go on and lose the game, as the Bulls were too much to handle in the end. In spite of the loss, Thomas would manage to score 33 points in just 38 minutes, which is an astonishing feat, but what makes the performance truly majestic was the fact that he did this for his sister.

Even though they lost game 1, the Celtics would proceed to win the series for Thomas’s sister. Now, Thomas could not continue his monumental run, as he suffered from a hip injury, and was out for the majority of the Conference Finals, where his team would succumb to the Cavaliers

The End

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