Danny Ainge & Jerry Sichting Talk Bird's Steal to End Game 5 of the 1987 ECF | Classic Celtics
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- Опубликовано: 25 апр 2020
- Danny Ainge and Jerry Sichting discuss the physicality of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against the "bad boy" Detroit Pistons and walk us through one of Larry Bird's greatest plays of his career, stealing the ball with 17 seconds left in Game 5.
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#GreatestSteal #LarryBird #Celtics #Pistons 
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DJ was just calm and cool all the time, he was always ready for the unexpected!
In my mind this was the best defensive play of all time in basketball , the way it happened , when it happened and the result , a big big win !
It was great. There were also some other steals that were great too. Henderson stealing the ball in the 84 finals. Also ML Carr had a great steal too in the 84 finals. It was the brand of basketball in the 80s. NO TANKING.. lol
I have a lot of appreciation for Sichting and Ainge. Sichting was a helluva shooter and ball handler, as was Ainge, and both played hard all the time. They were both key pieces for the Celtics. 💪
Bird's steal happens so fast and his relay to DJ is so phenomenal. I keep watching it over and over. It is best example of live teamwork I have ever seen. 👍👍👍👍
Watched that game in 87 and it was every bit as exciting as it sounds. Bird and the Celtics were phenomenal.
Jerry was underrated and a big key in addition to Bill Walton in 1986.In 1987 the Celtics were so beat up.It took the Bird steal to make the finals again
DJ had his eye on Bird when Bird stole the pass and thank God he did. They were the 2 best ever. I hung my head because the game was over and OMG, who would of believed that could happen. I was screaming like someone was dying.
Jerry Sichting, he was fantastic how fun to have been a part of that team, that year ,a play that is one of the most famous moments in NBA History, and I watched that moment incredible.....
I met Jerry numerous times. He is one of the nicest guys to ever live. Thank u Jerry...My pic with u is my fav.
I love how Jerry Sichting turns around, sees the steal, and just jumps up and down like a fan. However, he explains in the interview that his instinct was to cut to the hoop, but he would have just brought his defender into the paint and clogged things up, so staying wide was a smart move.
Somewhere, there is a wide-angle, full-court shot of this play. The amazing thing is, DJ stops playing defense at half court, and starts to cut to the hoop, BEFORE Larry makes the steal. He and Bird were so in sync, that DJ saw the play as it was about to happen, and and switched to offense. Without his cut to the hoop, Larry would have just fallen out of bounds.
Very well said... but Larry being Larry he probably would have seen that nobody was cutting, turned while he was falling out of bounds that extra 90 degrees, then dropped an even crazier bomb that was the bastard child of the 1985 double team in the corner game winner v Portland crossed with the 1986 "over the BACKBOARD!" in Hartford vs the Rockets haha
I JUST LOVE THE CELTS WHEN THEY GOT DJ TO ENERGIZED THE WHOLE TEAM IN 1984(?)
Bird said he had the option to shoot also ,Birds steal was the best defensive play I've ever seen especially the circumstance !
Yes, yes, yes. I've always thought the same. Johnson cuts for the basket before the steal. Amazing.
Agreed. Few players would have had the presence of mind to cut to the basket after that steal. If DJ hadn't made himself available, Bird would have likely had to force up an awkward, off-balance shot from practically behind the backboard.
Jerry is one of the nicest guys to ever live. As a kid l, I was a big fan of Jerry's. I asked for his autograph and he invited me on the floor. Thank you Jerry for taking care of a kid who looked up to you. Hope you are doing well. We need more athletes like u. God bless u.
I vividly remember watching that game live despite being only 13 years old. Easily the most exciting play I can remember.
After I watch that game I started playing basketball. That's still the most exciting sports moment that ever watched. I wasn't aware of Larry Bird or any of those people. And I got the catch that last moment of that era. The next season I taped every highlight reel of Boston Celtics every game I can get on a VHS tape that I still have. I wish I could go back in time and watch NBA basketball from 1979 to 1989. And be rich enough to go to any of the games that I could go to.
I was in high school and had to go to bed early because I had an exam the next day. I could hear my brothers going crazy from the other side of the house!
Nothing like it. Greatest play in history
Like Ainge said, Bird never gave up and he played that way every single game. Go back to 1979 championship game vs Michigan St. where Ind. State was out of it in the waning seconds, but Bird is preaching to his team mates to keep fighting to the end.
Damn, I HATED the Celtics back then (NYC born and bred) but man, do I miss those days. They were a great team.
The Mystery is trying to quantify Larry legend... that's why he Is such a unique Legend. Who is Larry like will always be one of the most intriguing subjects in professional Basketball. Finally, the Great Magic Johnson and Legend in his own right, said it the best: "There will Never ever, ever be Another Larry Bird!"
This is a great post. Really interesting to hear about the play from perspective of Sichting and Ainge. I agree with Danny Ainge - best play of Bird’s career.
It really is his play in a nutshell. Right down to it being an assist as well.
Yeah Sichting so underrated. As a fan of Celtics always liked him tough tough dude!
And good shooter. He and Wedman were great off the bench.
Jordan said it best: "The Celtics played you tough. The Pistons played you dirty."
I remember Johnny Most - "There's a steal by Bird! Underneath to DJ - what a play by Bird! OMG this place is going crazy!"
Havalicek and Bird 2 Most calls
Danny Ainge… The greatest athlete ever to come out of the state of Oregon!
I believe Bird said that Ainge was the greatest athlete he ever played with.
Criminally underrated player. Made a lot of plays in Phoenix too.
LARRY LEGEND IS THE GOAT
Everyone knew Detroit had won that game _except_ Larry Bird!
The Celts had all those great teams with players like Sichting ,Ainge and everyone else after they drafted Bird. Red did a great job. He wanted to win. I miss watching those great NBA games. The NBA sucks now, haha.
No the Celtics sucks now
@@snas2132 No it is the NBA including the Celtics. No fundamentals. The bad boys or the Celts of old would have destroyed these three point one dimensional jokes. Truth hurts.
Larry Bird is the man
Best clutch play ever. EVER!
you can tell the interviewer is genuinely interested in what his guests have to say.
It’s Brian Scalabrine. He played for the Celtics and is now a TV analyst. He has the 2008 championship flag on his wall because he was on the team. Being a pro himself probably gives him more of a knowledgeable interest than an average sports journalist.
The call was amazing! “Annnd theres a steal by bird!”
Better than havlicek stole the ball ?
"Oh my goodness. OH MY GOODNESS!"
Anticipation is the key.
These Scal interviews are equal to the caliber of music found in "Daryl's House".
This steal is the equivalent of taking off from the top of the key and dunking. Bird beat you with his mind.
Can't believe I'm just finding this channel. Good shit!
I'm sure there must be a interview somewhere with DJ about this play but I've never seen it. It would be cool to hear his thoughts when he saw Bird steal the pass and him moving down to get the pass and layup.
I’ve never seen an interview specifically with DJ himself either, but Bob Costas discusses the play with Larry and DJ during Bird’s retirement ceremony. DJ jokingly plays it off like he knew to cut to the basket.
In a clip in his career retrospective DJ talks about this. He says basically “I was watching Bird, and then boom.. I went”
@@michaelerisman757
And thank God he did!
What I love most about basketball at its best. He gets in a rhythm. And it's fun to watch that back and forth rhythm of intensity and will. What makes this place so great. Is that it's in a heated moment there's no stalling it's just on like a fight. And there's nothing more exciting than these kind of moments in basketball. My favorite Celtic moment that I got the witness after I was into it all. Was the playoffs the next year with the Hawks and that fourth quarter 7th game. Dominique and bird we're just going back and forth. What I would go back in time for his music and basketball. I would love to go back and be rich enough just to get a basketball and music concerts all the time. That would have been fun to me.
The ONLY way to watch a C's game was to turn the TV on mute and have Johnny Most on the radio. The way he'd call a game was fantastic. He'd say something like "we're 2 minutes into the second period if you're just joining us, and if you're just joining us, where ya been?"
That was the best time to be a C's fan.
What's up Jerry. It's been a minute since we last crossed paths.This is John Dietzer. I hope you and yours are well. Thanks for the memories Bro! You were always an inspiration to me. I remember MSA like it was yesterday, Mackey too!! I have tried to follow your career and check up on all the positions you have filled over the years. Take care man & Be safe...(I still have the shoes)
Larry Legend
I was a Bill Walton fan. My HS varsity coach had been Walton's freshman coach, and he'd tell stories about how he thought then that Bill was going to make a fine forward! Walton was not much of a factor anymore at this point in his career, but it was great to see him appreciating this play.
In my book that is the greatest single play in NBA history. Totally unique, impossible to expect, and perfect choreography. Who makes that play other than Bird? A game winning shot is common, everyday thing. It’s a 50/50 chance. This play was out of nowhere. No play like it, especially given the lady second nature and the importance of the game.
I agree I love the defense part of the game
I jumped out of my pants when I saw that play.
0:50 Sichting is right. It's both amazing and unfortunate how the 1986-87 Celtics had dropped off from their previous year's team, which was easily one of the Top Three NBA teams of all time.
Sichting , was underrated. John Paxon and Steve Kerr were in the same mold (and get more credit). However Jerry had a better all around game, solid passer, could drive, shoot and far better defender than those two .
Amazing!
Watching that game as an eleven year old it was almost magical. I’ve seen hundreds of games over the decades, but as an adult the excitement isn’t quite as mythical. Plus the game itself was so different in the 80s. The 3 pointer had only been introduced in 79 and it wasn’t part of play making. The game was in the paint. The rules for fouling were different. Now you’ve got 7 footers taking jumpers and the floor is more spread out. It’s not better or worse I guess. Just different.
It's definitely worse. Let's be real. The way the game is played now, the way it is refereed, has taken so much of the strategy and drama out of the competition. I knew even before that steal happened that I was watching greatness. I knew I was watching basketball at its highest possible peak. The entertainment level of the games in that series was off-the-charts. You sat down and watched every game beginning to end and dared not miss even a single minute because you knew you were about to witness something historic. That's how intense it was. How many series can you name since then that can even come close to being as memorable? Maybe a handful, if that?
Jerry was COLD-BLOODED! Any anouncer yelling the name "Sichting", brought their A-Games.
The bucket was with 1 second left not 17 seconds left. Nonetheless great steal by Birfd and layup by Johnson
Two of the greatest plays in sports history have been players from Boston...This play by Bird and Malcolm Butler’s interception of Russell Wilson in the Super Bowl.
THANKS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Isiah always got all the blame for the pass, but Laimbeer stood flat footed, which he always did, and didn't meet the pass. Thats something we were always taught from elementary school on.
Isiah DESERVES the blame. He should never have taken the ball out at that end of the court. His coaches were yelling for him to call a timeout so that Detroit
could take the ball out at half court. THAT is something he should have learned in high school.
@@samuelhain2712 Couldn't have happened to two more deserving guys!
deere3321 Also Rodman was down the other end of the court celebrating.
In Thomas's mind they'd already one and HE had made the game winning shot.
Pistons got lazy.
It was unfortunate Boston wasn't able to be LA in the finals.
Mahorn hit the ball on Sichting so it was off Sichting out of bounds.
Rodman had blocked Bird, causing the ball to head to Mahorn and Sichting.
Larry Bird just doesn't give up...Everyone else in the building can think a game's over, he keeps playing...There was another game Clyde Decker was on the other team, Clyde's team was up seven or eight points with maybe 30some seconds remaining...Larry just took what was there, Boston came back and won.
I hate to correct Jerry but when he said Larry and Dennis kind of started that pass from the top to Larry under the basket when his defender wasn't looking at the ball - that's something all Celtics fans have been mistaken about for many years. Magic Johnson and Jamaal Wilks used to do that in LA before Larry and Dennis ever played together. I'm loathe to give Magic credit for anything, so maybe it's possible DJ used to do that in Seattle before he came to Boston and Magic and Wilkes stole it from him. Haha
Johnny Most!
Paul Westphal made an almost identical steal a decade earlier against the Celtics in same area of court in Game 5 of 1976 Finals. Occurred in the Triple OT game. Many probably unaware of it.
Why Celtics traded him was a blunder
Sir Charles likes to say that he was a better defensive player than Bird. Bird averaged more blocks and steals per game than he did. Barkley never had a series changing defensive play such as this. Sir Lawrence of Lockdown, my liege
Think of it this way. Many HOF players had clutch shots. Some had clutch passes.
Bird had two clutch STEALS in big playoff moments. That’s pure ice in your veins cool
I'm wracking my brain for #2 :) Which one ?
@@bryanburnap4537 84 ECF against Philly. Stripped the ball and dribbled out the time
@@thepunditspundit1776 yes yes yes your right !!! Dr J in the corner. Awesome dude
{The Steal} 'In my opinion, is his single greatest play because it epitomized EVERYTHING about his { the GOAT named Larry} career " - Danny Ainge
DJ !!!
That's why it's always funny when people say Bird couldn't play defense. He made probably the single greatest defensive play in NBA playoff history, yet sure, he can't play defense, LOL.
Den[n]is System Network Denis Leary is your best at dietary science and best when Denis is on long money. I'd payroll. Den[n]is System Network. Also, Howerton & Lehane may be your best fiction writers, so consider that. Den[n]is System Network
Bird & D.J. bailed Sichting out because the ball was going out of bounds off the Pistons after the blocked shot but he came and made a play for the ball when he didn't have too and the ball didn't probably go off his leg as he alluded too it did go off his leg, it would have been Celtics ball out of bounds but the smarts of Bird & D.J. saved the day for Boston lore.....
If you watch the play Laimbeer is backing up?? he should have been coming down to the corner for the pass!! Great steal but much underrated play by DJ. Laimbeer deserves some credit in this play
Both Thomas and Laimbeer failed. And Bird saw it developing and took advantage of it. Brilliant actually. And DJs response to Bird's move, realizing it meant Bird had seen an opportunity. They played to the buzzer 😁
LARRY SYSTEM NETWORK RE: RYAN & LARRY'S DRIVE PAPERBACK: There are no centers, only guards and forwards. I saw Arsenal run a Bill Fitch play in their last match. There are only forwards & guards and they are interchangeable. Larry System Network
Scal looks good....lol
Bird played basketball like Gretzky played hockey...skate to where the puck is going to be...
WHITEMAMBA #thegoat
I wish they would outlaw the use of the word mindset.
Why do you have that mindset?
🤭 Couldn't resist.
Great play by Bird and cut by Johnson. Horrible decision by Thomas, floated a pass and Lambeer didn’t come to the ball, appeared to be fading back. Just terrible.
Lol Danny got red hair now!?
VinnieB12909 looks like scal xD
Red headed guy not Danny Ainge he comes on later red headed guy is interview man
Red headed guy not Danny Ainge
@@hydrabeast4834
At least someone else has some sense here lol
lol
Sichting has no right to call Detroit Dirty not after Kevin McHale clothesline Kurt Rambis in the NBA FINALS!!!!! Plus his fight against Ralph Sampson in the finals as well.
As someone, (Buckner maybe 🤔) said the difference was most players weren't trying to end an opponents career. Detroit didn't have that reservation. In interviews Bird has stated he has no use for Laimbeer for that very reason.
People who say the Pistons were dirty dont accept the rules were what the rules were. They werent choir boys and I can understand feeling that way though
Fouling, rugged defense and a no layup rule like a lot of the best teams had are one thing; it's the frequent cheap shots when the refs weren't looking and the blatant non basketball plays that great players like Bird and Jordan resented. And yeah, it was effective, but let's not pretend it wasn't to make up for being less skilled overall. Isaiah and Dumars were worthy Hall of Famers, two of the best guards of their era and Rodman the best rebounder/defensive player of his, but overall the Pistons were not the most talented team in the NBA and they overcame it IN PART with dirty play. Hats off to the Pistons for this accomplishment, but sorry they were still the dirtiest team of the time, and when you are as successful as they were, you need to own that.
@@jimgrathwohl3104 The Piston frontcourt went 7-1/ 7-0/ 6-11/6-10/6-9. Still the biggest. You dont quite understand that while the Pistons did only have 2 Hall of Famers, the bench they brought in was dominating. Salley,Rodman, Vinnie Johnson, James Edwards....were a better bench than anything back then....including the laughable Centics 86 bench of Sichting and Walton whose main claim to fame on Boston was waving a towel on the bench.
You obviously cant get past the hard play which was dirty at times, I can own that. But to not understand the speed and defense and rebounding the big men off the bench brought to Detroit and how Johnson scored off the bench you werent paying attention. The least of why Detroit won was the dirty play. The rebounding defense and athleticism of Rodman and Salley you just arent getting.
I'm betting you are of an age that you didnt see those teams play in their day.
The Celtics beat Detroit in that game Bird stole the ball but Detroits leading scorer, Adrian Dantley, was knocked out of the last 2 games of that series. Boston lucked out on that. Know who Adrian Dantley was? I'm not so sure.
Say what you will about that Piston team but the rules back then allowed whatever they did. The Cetics were better but the Pistons were tougher. People who point to how the Pistons were dirty are just scrambling for a reason that their team lost to them.
@@williamgullett5911 The Piston bench were role players like most other bench players in the NBA. They just filled their roles and came together as a team, no small thing. They were definitely the best bench of their time, at least until 1991 . . . but their frontline, both starters and bench, wasn't as good as the Celtics and the NBA at this time was still a big man's league.
As far as the "laughable" 86 Celtic bench, I think Walton won the 6th Man award that year, so a bit more than towel waving on a team that dominated that year and is still widely considered one of the best ever. Their role players, Sichting, Wedman, Kite and whoever else, while not as athletic or talented as the Pistons role guys, filled their roles sufficiently that year as well. The Celts bench was arguably weaker in 87 (Fred Roberts, shudder) and it was enough to help them beat Detroit. BTW, I'm a 52 year old Knick fan, not a Boston fan, who saw all these guys play, including Adrian Dantley, who played all 7 games and was not knocked out until Game 7. As far as him being the difference in the 87 series, recall that McHale played the whole postseason on a broken foot and both Parish and Ainge were banged up, so let's not play the injury card. Oh, and their 88 titIe came at the expense of a Lakers team with an injured Magic and Byron Scott.
A final thought. If they were really that good, (and I think they were close) why did they have to pay so dirty? Some of what they did was in fact legal, but again, it was the unnecessary cheap shots, the non basketball rough plays out of sight of the refs that took opposing players out of their games and/or intimidated them. If you want to own this stuff like you say, you have to consider the fact that they thought they needed the edge this gave them and maybe didn't think they could win as much without it. Not taking anything away, they did what they had to do. I respect them because they won with defense and less offense than any team ever and changed the way the game was played. See my Knick teams of the early 90s under Pat Riley. Same philosophy, minus the championships.
@@jimgrathwohl3104 the only two players considered "dirty" on that team were Mahorn and Laimbeer. And really Laimbeer got such a reputation it was mainly him. That dirty team thing is waaaay overblown. A couple guys, one mainly. Thomas could get chippy too but the rest no. Im not going to say the rules allowed it or that they were choir boys...they got nasty at times but Laimbeer created 80% of that image.
Walton is the Terrell Davis of the NBA....forever living off of two or three excellent seasons. Waltons stats that season were pedestrian. He won it because of the story of Walton coming back, and going into the game replacing Parrish...with Bird, McHale, and the rest of those starters on the floor. Waltons name and teammates made that award happen.Walton winning that was just about the same as Elvis Presley being given his black belt in karate after one month of training. Walton benefitted from being at UCLA in a horrible basketball conference against poor competition surrounded by the best talent in the country with John Wooden and then won at Portland at a time with the NBA being way down...the Lakers run was over, the Knicks time had come and gone, the Celtics would start their decline after beating Phoenix in 76 and the lg was so down they showed the playoffs on tape delay late at night. The Blazers hit the middle between those Lakers and Knicks teams and the Bird Johnson era beginning. We always hear "if Walton hadnt gotten hurt....". Well...he did. Walton then comes back in a cherry picked spot with a huge name....great teammates in a situation with a storied team. And top 50? Yes...but Waltons top 50 was absolutely influenced by his college career and subsequent "what if he wasnt injured" thing. Walton played what? 3 full seasons? That guy was the luckiest unlucky guy ever. Walton was just like Kite and Wedman and Sichting...benefitting from being on the court with those starters and looking better than they were due to the greatness of that starting 5 at a time when it was the Celtics, Lakers and nobody else. Certainly nobody else in the East unless people think the Cavaliers and Hawks were actually competition for the Celtics.
Walton had a nice season in 86 but his name and comeback was a major contributor to that award. In 1986 Walton had the perfect storm.
Thank you for your response
@Devi Lisa Yeah, I don't know anyone from those teams so I can't ask them. Never heard anyone say the Celtics were dirty, so if you have a clip or a link, I'd be glad to look at it.
No Walton, no Wedman, while McHale (NBA 1st team and 1st defensive team that year!) played the whole playoffs on a broken foot. Bird averaged 44 minutes a game for the whole playoffs, Parish on bad ankles all series. Yeah, Pistons were very good and on the rise, but this 1987 Celtics team was better than they had a chance to show either in ECF or Finals. take away most of the bench, make one of your two best players play on a broken foot and the other average 44 minutes a game ...and we'll see how good you are.
El Roz And no Len Bias
Devi Lisa You realize Detroit lost, right?
Devi Lisa Having finished behind them in 1981, 1984, and 1986, as well as 13 other times before then.
@Devi Lisa Chill. The video and all the comments were about 1987. You are the one who introduced other years. I just thought that since you chose to do that I would follow suit.
@Devi Lisa Go back to google and verify the Celtics record and roster the year before Bird arrived, not 1980.
Bird steps on the end line, the ref looks at it and being amongst the Leprechauns, let's it go.
JJ Want some cheese with that whine?
🤣🤣🤣 Listen to the interview with Isaiah Thomas and he explains how Bird was up on his toes and NOT on the line...can you create REAL tears??!!!
Loser
No go watch it isiah even said he had his feet up above the line si his feet would not touch watch it your wrong
@@Alphasports576 Totally correct. I have a feeling Bird knew exactly where he was and how close to the baseline and stood on the balls of his feet to make sure he wasn't out of bounds.
first
People seem to forget that the Celtics needed that and Detroits leading scorer Adrian Dantley to get hurt colliding with Vinnie Johnson to beat Detroit. And....Parrish threw a punch and wasnt ejected in that series. Oh...and Johnny Most was nothing
There's a whole story around that punch. You'll notice no one jumped in to defend Laimbeer.
Be sure not to leave any little gripe out.
@@agneslong2323 Bobbly Orr was very overrated
@@agneslong2323 Papi is garbage,
"A battle of wills"? Well, why didn't they just get traded to each other's team or maybe the 76ers or maybe the Lakers every year? Why have a will when there's a contact with $$$ all over it. Isn't that what basketball is all about.
Yer joking right? 🙃
boston got lucky twice in that series. Bird's steal and then two Pistons collide on the court costing them game 7
Boo hoo
Anyone that thinks Bird's steal was luck is not being honest with themselves.
@@plefevre The steal itself wasnt luck at all. The luck part was Bird having the chance to steal the ball. Detroit not calling timeout was stupid.
Bullshit ... Detroit was FAR more a physical match-up than any other team. WTF is this baloney?