Top 10 NBA Finals performances of All-Time

7. Isiah Thomas scores 43 points on a Bum Ankle

Isiah Thomas scores an NBA Finals record for most points scored in a quarter

This is officially the game where Isiah Thomas became a legend. On the verge of elimination in Game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals, the Detroit Pistons trailed the Los Angeles Lakers 56-48 early in the third quarter.

Thomas was in a zone and had scored the last 14 points for the Pistons. With just over four minutes remaining, Thomas fell on Michael Cooper’s foot and injured his ankle. He had to be assisted off the floor only to return to the court 35 seconds later to continue playing on a sprained right ankle.

What Isiah produced after that was nothing short of magic. He made shot after shot while hobbling his way up and down the court. At the end of the quarter, he had converted 11 of his 13 shot attempts and scored 25 points to set an NBA Finals record for most points scored in a quarter.

His effort gave the Pistons an 81-79 lead heading into the 4th quarter. Isiah finished the night with 43 points, 8 assists, 6 steals while playing with a poked eye, a jammed left pinkie, a scratched face, and a badly swollen right ankle.

Even though the Pistons lost the game and the series, as Joe Dumars missed a shot from six feet out with 8 seconds remaining, this effort from Isiah Thomas is one of the most inspirational performances in the history of this league. Even the then-Lakers' head coach Pat Riley marvelled at Isiah's performance after the game saying, "What Isiah Thomas did in the second half was just incredible".