10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Cleveland Cavaliers

14 Min Read

9. One Final Appearance for Big Nate

Nate Thurmond vs. Boston Celtics

After being such a huge part of the Cavaliers’ 1975-76 season, Nate Thurmond’s career appeared to be at an end when he suffered a torn cartilage in his left knee during the February 8, 1977 game against the Houston Rockets. Most headlines stated that his season was over.

However, Thurmond played in one final game, giving the Cavs a spark to temporarily stave off elimination in the second game of the best-of-three playoff round. Thurmond came in late in the third quarter and played just 67 seconds, grabbing a rebound and blocking a shot.

Cleveland’s season would end two days later and Thurmond would retire during that offseason. However, the team retired his number that December, a pretty fair honor for someone who played less than two seasons with the team.

Next: Wilkens Instead of Wetzel


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Brad Sullivan is a lead writer for Cavaliers Nation. He has spent much of life in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and has remained a Cavalier fan from their 1970 beginnings through the return of LeBron James. While that fandom was sorely tested during the Reign of Error known simply by one word, Stepien, that overall historical perspective will be part of his writing for Cavaliers Nation in the months ahead.