NBA PLAYOFF TIME CAPSULE: Detroit vs. New York, "The Duel" back in '84
As the Pistons and Knicks battle in the 2025 NBA playoffs we look back at Bernard King and Isiah Thomas leading their teams in this 1st round thriller
1984 1st Round: Knicks vs. Pistons – Bernard King’s Classic Duel with Isiah Thomas
In 1984 I turned 6 years old and it is the first year my brain really started to absorb the sports I was watching on television (while my mind was already corrupted through the cinematic lens thanks to seeing Jaws multiple times on video disc, thanks dad!) Whether it was the Tigers vs Padres in the World Series or the Celtics vs Lakers in the NBA finals, this is when the memories began to stick. From how big the Magic and Bird battle felt for the NBA title in the Boston Garden and at the Forum, to how recognizable Tiger Stadium felt on television there are certain things like Tony Gwynn’s 1984 batting average (.351) you can’t forget.
With that being said, I do not remember watching the classic first round battle in the 1984 NBA playoffs as it happened between the Knicks and Pistons, featuring Bernard King and Isiah Thomas, who were both doing serious work. I first learned of this epic series thanks to NBA entertainment’s “AWESOME ENDINGS”, which dropped on VHS five years later in 1989. Between the NBA championship season films, NBA Superstars, the Bird and Magic videos, and Awesome Endings, I had a high volume viewing rotation and it served as a large influence on my desire to soak up as much NBA history as possible.
Awesome Endings takes to you back to 1984, setting up the stakes for this best of five classic, which culminated in a game 5 overtime thriller at the infamous Joe Louis arena in Detroit. Between the music/voiceover combo, soundbites from Hubie Brown and Chuck Daly and the incredible performances by King and Thomas my words can’t possibly do it justice, just roll the tape:
“Let me explain to you how hot it was, I had to take off my coat…” - Hubie Brown (the tension mounts!) More on this classic series:
This was a thrilling showcase of individual brilliance and playoff desperation. This was the first year of the 8 team playoff format in each conference, as this best-of-five format, made every game feel like a battle for survival. The spotlight centered on two electrifying stars: Bernard King and Isiah Thomas.
King had one of the most iconic series in NBA history, averaging an astonishing 42.6 points per game despite dislocated fingers and flu-like symptoms. His midrange mastery and physical finishing defined the Knicks’ attack. But Isiah Thomas wasn’t going quietly. In Game 5, he scored 16 points in the final 94 seconds to force overtime—one of the most surreal stretches in playoff history. 16 points in 94 seconds!
But King was just too much. In that Game 5 overtime thriller, he poured in 44 points to carry New York past Detroit, 127–123. It was one of the best individual series performances ever seen and cemented King’s reputation as one of the game’s purest scorers.
Though the Knicks would eventually fall in the second round to Boston, this series is remembered as a defining moment in 1980s playoff lore. For Detroit, it was a painful loss, but one that prepared the young Pistons for the championship runs that would follow later in the decade.