NBA
OTD in 1987: Larry Bird’s Famous Game-Winning Steal & Assist in ECF Game 5
May 26, 1987: Down one in a pivotal Game 5, Larry Bird stole the ball off an inbound pass and assisted on the game-winning shot
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The Magic Johnson–Larry Bird rivalry captivated fans in the 1980s and carried the NBA to new heights. To say that rivalry was the ’80s’ most vicious, however, might give it too much credit. That honor belongs to Celtics-Pistons, a beef resulting in grudges sustained decades after its conclusion. These teams met on five occasions between 1985 and 1991, the latter matchups seeing Detroit effectively end the Celtics dynasty of that era. Their battles offered several great moments, most famous of which came in Game 5 of a competitive seven-game series with five seconds to go and Boston down one.
LARRY BIRD STOLE THE INBOUND PASS, DISHED TO JOHNSON FOR THE GAME-WINNER
The 1986 champion Celtics began their repeat attempt with a sweep over Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls, followed by a taxing seven-game series against Milwaukee. Detroit had a smoother journey to the Eastern Conference Finals, sweeping the Washington Bullets and avenging themselves over an Atlanta Hawks team that eliminated them the year before. Their first taste of adversity came after falling to an 0-2 deficit against the Celtics.
The Bad Boys shot back in dominant fashion with blowout victories in Games 3 and 4 at home. In the critical Game 5’s final moments, Isiah Thomas hit a jumper with less than 20 seconds in the fourth that gave Detroit a one-point lead. The Celtics needed a miracle. All eyes were on Larry Bird as he drove for the game-winning layup, but the shot was rejected and then touched Danny Ainge as it flew out of bounds, giving Detroit possession with five seconds to go and the lead intact.
The game seemingly out of reach, Isiah Thomas rushed a pass to Bill Laimbeer that was miraculously intercepted by a cutting Bird. Dennis Johnson saw the play materializing and ran down the lane. Bird got him the ball for the game-winner, one second left on the clock. After another failed inbounding by Detroit, it was over. Boston stole the game, secured the 3-2 lead, and ultimately eliminated the Pistons in seven before falling to the Magic-led Lakers in the NBA Finals.
May 26, 1987: Boston #Celtics F Larry Bird stole an inbounds pass from Detroit Pistons PG Isiah Thomas and connected with PG Dennis Johnson in the final seconds for an improbable 108-107 victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) May 26, 2021
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