“We Will Not be Denied”: Isiah Thomas Recalls How His Mom Helped Him Fight Through Injury to Set Magical NBA Finals Record Against Lakers

Before Isiah Thomas retired from a spectacular NBA career, he came very close to a three-peat. He didn’t match his rival and friend-turned-foe, Michael Jordan, there but he served one of the most cinematic events in NBA history. Zeke recorded the best game of his career in 1988, unbelievably, on one working foot. He’d win his first title next year but he’d make history the year before that.

On NBA DNA, they delved into the Bad Boy Pistons era when Zeke was scarier than the smiling entrepreneur we see now. He was close to snatching the 1988 title from the Los Angeles Lakers when disaster struck in Game 6 of the Finals. He sprained his ankle so bad that no one thought he’d be going back on the court. That was when Mary Thomas helped him out of it.

In that crucial moment, IT recalled the sign that hung in the Boston Garden when the Pistons played against the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. It read, “We will not be denied.” That flashed on his mind when he was lying on the floor in pain. He remembered her mother, Mary, walking around and getting ready for work every day.

“I can remember in a snowstorm, I was complaining about holes in my shoes. The snow was coming through and my feet were freezing. I was complaining about my feet being cold. And you know, my mom was just like, ‘You know baby, it’s just going to be all right.'” 

That moment his injured leg felt like the time he was a little kid getting frostbite. But with his mom’s words ringing in his head, he was able to get back on court with a badly swollen ankle and score made history.

If you asked him before, Thomas couldn’t explain how he did the iconic one-legged game. Today he credits his mother for making him a hero in that game even though the Pistons eventually lost the title.

Isiah Thomas’ series of heartaches

Before the injury in the third quarter, Zeke had been on a tear, scoring 14 consecutive points for the Pistons. Even after limping back onto the court, he somehow managed to score 11 more points. With a total of 25 points in the third period, he set the NBA Finals record for the most points in one quarter. The Pistons fell 102-103 to the Lakers and it all came down to everyone’s two favorite words in sports: Game Seven.

In Game 7, Thomas scored 10 points in the first half alone and secured a lead for Detroit. But James Worthy overtook them in the third quarter and the Lakers closed the game 108-105 to clinch the franchise’s fifth title. This was the first Finals in four years to not feature the Celtics. This makes it even more remarkable that playing against Larry Bird in the Boston Garden served as an inspiration for Zeke, along with his mother.

Thomas called the mid-game injury another “heartache” over the difficult series against Boston. He was closer than ever in 1988 but in 1989 and 1990, he won back-to-back titles and established the Bad Boys era before the Bulls dynasty.