Check out the full play and highlight of Larry Bird’s amazing steal of an inbounds pass from the Detroit Pistons’ Isiah Thomas that led to a layup by Dennis Johnson and a Game 5 win for the Boston Celtics in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. Trailing by one in the closing seconds, the Celtics legend cut into the passing lane to steal the inbounds pass from Isiah Thomas to Bill Laimbeer, somehow gather his balance, and then feed it to Dennis Johnson under the basket for the game-winning layup. Boston went on to win the series in seven games and advance to their fourth straight NBA Finals.
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47 Comments
Derrick whites play comes 2nd to this . . Unbelievable
Birds steal and Derrick Whites put back. Which one do Celtics fans love more ?
I thought of this play when Derrick White got the rebound & baskett off of Marcus Smart's 3 point attempt with .1 second on the clock.. Both plays are magical along with John Havlicek stole the ball moment.. The magic is alive & well for the Celtics..
here because of derrick white
This is right up there with Havlicek Stole the Ball.
What really impresses me the most was that before he knew there was a foul called, DJ immediately went to defend the inbounds pass. Dennis Johnson was a very underrated player
That DJ finish, from the wrong angle with a defender on him…but with a PERFECT pass after the incredible steal. I watched it live, and I watched almost every final series live in the 80s and 90s….just awesome. Today's NBA is making some real memories as well.
Larry bird is one of the top 5 players ever to play..along with Jordan..wilt..kareem..lebron
I know the pun is cheesy but he really did fly in like a bird
Lol at the Pistons always celebrating prematurely…same thing happened to them in the 88 finals game 7 versus Lakers, Lambeer makes it a 1 point game with a 3pt and then they forget to defend with less than 10 seconds left amd gave up an easy layup.
Larry Bird, after making an incredible play, ran back on defense as fast as he could.
Isiah sucks. 😂
How perfect was it that Thomas was the guy making the inbound pass? Hahahahahah He probably still has nightmares.
Great play, for sure…fyi, Celtics lost the series… just sayin'
RIP Tommy. The real ones know
This is not a play by Bird. This is a play by DJ AND Bird. The hug after the play says it all. They know they just pulled off a Mt Rushmore of a play
What a great example of keeping your head in the game no matter what. Bird gets stuffed in a massive moment and ends up on the floor. All looks lost but he doesn't pout. Makes one of the most iconic plays in basketball history. Awesome.
Like Kirk Gibson hitting that home run this is one of the greatest plays in sports!
I watch this play again and still shake my head and marvel at it after all these years later.
I think this was before Isiah then said bird was only as good as any other good black player.
What few notice is when Bird drove to the basket he was hit by three different defenders and knocked to the ground… NO FOUL CALLED, and rightfully so at the end of a crucial playoff game. But in the current NBA, it absolutely would've been called… maybe even a flagrant. If you take current NBA foul calls and defense, put it inside two graham crackers with some chocolate and you've got s'more. Marshmallow soft… just like Generation Z.
For a slow white guy who played 47 minutes he moved pretty quick in the final seconds.
Half of both teams were in the Pistons offensive half of the court as everyone expected the ball to be in-bounded down-court, not from that point.
Bird was one assist away from a triple double for the game. 36 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists. 12 rebounds? not bad for a guy that couldn't jump.
Mistake Thomas. Capitalized Bird. Finished Johnson.
Defensive Poise, precision passing, and unselfish teamwork, things that no longer exist in the NBA. Interesting irony in that one of Bird’s greatest all time plays, he blew a game winning shot.
That is the one play I can remember about the NBA from years abl because is was so unexpected.
Omg 😆
YOU NEVER HEAR THOMAS TALKING ABOUT THIS PLAY FROM BIRD….ONLY CRITICISM OF JORDAN….SHEEZ
0:05 I can read lips. Bird say's "I'm gonna steal the inbounds pass, then I'm gonna pass it to DJ and he'll lay it up and in".
I sure wish I knew what Johnson said to Bird as they embraced after one of the greatest plays in history.
I love the moment D.J. realizes Bird has stolen the ball and he hauls ass to catch the pass from Bird. Unbelievable the connection those two had with their games…
Isiah…😮
One of those "I remember where I was when that happened" moments.
I was there that day – the game was lost – nearly. This just happened- it was not just Bird and DJ. The entire Celtics team was such that each could read the others’ minds. An amazing team that would have achieved even more with Len Bias who was Michael Jordan’s equal, and younger, in the NCAA.
Bird's last playoff series victory over the Detroit Pistons. Pistons end Celtics reign the next year.
Bird made his break before Thomas let go. Bird had to be reading him all the way. After a forced shot, Bird makes the best BB play ever.
Thomas still sour on this play, and the fact that MJ's Bulls ended the Pistons era
never be lazy on the inbound pass more of a bad play than a great one
Why Isaiah is such a hater. He was great but every superstar of his Era ate him alive
Celtics had some of the ugliest dudes alive. 😁
There are a few players capable of making such plays in the clutch.
Bird was one of them, Jordan was another.
Those two cats ate a lot of mice which were not paying attention, and they did this beautifully.
I will hate this with a burning passion for as long as my shit lives.
Bird's awareness of everything going on at once is beyond human comprehension. It's like he saw it all before it happened. If I had to pick a #1 team of all time, Bird and DJ would be on that team.
Die hard Lakers fan here. Magic. BUT, Larry Legend is the man. All who played know it, Laker fans know it, ya think Boston knows it? Unbelievably the things this man consistently did. And this play we just watched I’ve seen 450 times. Just keeps getting better. 👍
I watched this live and Bird flew out of nowhere,seemed like it,and D.J. cutting in…I jumped up and down out of my mind. To me….one of the greatest moments on NBA history.
Isiah, the pretender, snatches defeat out of the jaws of victory
"Don't let winning make you soft. Don't let losing make you quit. Don't let your teammates down in any situation."
— Larry Bird
D.J. most underrated player in N.B.A. history rest in peace D.J. Seattle will always love you
Saw this when it happened & was one of the most iconic moments in nba history. This is when real basketball was played with no political agenda.
That was savage!