This Day in NBA Playoffs History: Isiah Thomas and Bernard King Engage in Explosive Duel

April 27 marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary First Round duel between Isiah Thomas and Bernard King.

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Complex Original

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After his horrendous stay with the Knicks, it's easy to forget just how good Isiah Thomas was. Let this be a reminder.

Today marks 20th anniversary of the famous Game 5 First Round duel between Thomas and Bernard King. The elimination game pushed the two '80s stars to put on one of their best performances. It wasn't just great for the two playoff second-round hopefuls, but also for the fans, who got to see a thrilling offensive performance.

King was clutch and scored 12 of his 44 points in the final quarter. Mind you, he was playing with the flu and two dislocated middle fingers. Thomas was just as game too, scoring 14 points in the last 1:34 to force an overtime.

This is one of the times the Knicks would end up on the right side of 80s-90s playoff history, however. In an overtime where King and Thomas scored four points each, the Knicks held it together for just a little bit longer to pull through 127-123. New York put up a good fight in the second round, but it eventually lost in seven to the eventual champions: Larry Bird's Celtics.

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