Bird's Crucial Steal.

Bird's Crucial Steal. With his team behind by one point, Boston Celtics basketball player Larry Bird stole the ball from the Detroit Pistons with just seconds left in the game, giving the Celtics a chance to pull ahead in the race to win the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs. . Bird Steals the Ball In the final seconds of game five of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs, Larry Bird gave one of his more remarkable clutch performances. In a tight series, Bird's Boston Celtics were tied at two games with the Detroit Pistons. With five seconds left in the fourth quarter of game five, the Pistons had a onepoint lead and the ball. If the Pistons held on for the victory, they would return to their home court for game 6, needing only one win to capture the series and move on to the NBA Finals. Boston needed a miracle. At 6 ft 9 in (206 cm), Bird was not the most graceful or explosive athlete in the NBA. He rarely dunked, and he lacked the flamboyance of Detroit's Isiah Thomas or Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers. He had quick hands, a nose for the ball, an uncanny court sense, and one of the most deadly outside shots of his era. Arguably the greatest passing forward in the history of the game, he consistently finished in the top ten in the NBA in scoring, rebounding, steals, three-point fieldgoal percentage, and free-throw percentage. He was a supreme competitor and confident to the point of arrogance. In the 1986-1987 season, Bird became the first player ever to shoot at least .500 (he shot .525) from the floor and at least .900 (he shot .910) from the free-throw line. He finished fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 28.1 points per game, while averaging 9.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. The Celtics entered the playoffs that year as one of the favorites for the title. The Eastern Conference Finals between Boston and Detroit was a physical, bitter struggle. In game three Bird and Detroit center Bill Laimbeer exchanged blows. In the first half of game five Laimbeer was felled by a barrage of punches from Boston's Robert Parish. As the fourth quarter of game five wound down, it became clear that whoever made the last shot would win the game and lead the series 3-2. With Boston's Jerry Sichting blanketing him, the Pistons' star Thomas sank a jump shot to give Detroit a 107-106 lead. Boston brought the ball upcourt with 17 seconds remaining. Bird drove the baseline, but Detroit's Dennis Rodman blocked his layup attempt. In the ensuing scramble the ball went out of bounds to Detroit. With five seconds left the Pistons had a one-point lead and the ball. As the Boston bench agonized and Detroit coach Chuck Daly signaled furiously for a time-out, Thomas set up to inbound the ball. Bird picked himself up off the floor and rushed to cover Detroit guard Joe Dumars at the foul line. Anticipating Thomas's soft toss to Laimbeer at the baseline, Bird stepped in front of the Detroit center and intercepted the pass. As he fell out of bounds he spun toward the basket and spotted teammate Dennis Johnson cutting toward the basket. He zipped a pinpoint pass to the Boston guard, who laid the ball off the backboard, past the outstretched arms of Dumars. The Garden erupted as Detroit failed to get off a shot in the remaining second. Boston won 108-107. The Celtics captured the series in game seven, though the battered Celtics lost to the Lakers in the finals, 4-2. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.