9. One Final Appearance for Big Nate
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.
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