 Julius Erving flies in for his famous move in the 1980 Finals. NBAE Photos |
Havlicek Stole the ball! In his words, Havlicek recounts how he made the pivotal Game 7 steal against the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1965 Eastern Division Finals. "The pass was sort of a lob and if I had my back turned I never would have been able to see it. But by taking that little extra peek, I knew that I could get my hand on the ball and control it to Sam Jones. I did. And the rest is history."
Julius Erving's gravity-defying baseline move in Game 4 of the 1980 NBA Finals. At the time, it was a "singularly wondrous rare event." Today Magic Johnson says, "It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in basketball, the all-time greatest."
Michael Jordan's soaring, midair, change-of-direction layup against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 2 of the 1991 NBA Finals. It's still regarded as a rare combination of sheer flight and incomprehensible creativity.
The New York Liberty's Teresa Weatherspoon's miraculous buzzer beater, a 50-footer in Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Championship. "When it left my hand it just looked like it was going in." This shot was one of the most dramatic clutch baskets in the history of professional basketball.
Allan Houston's game-winner sinks the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the 1999 Eastern Conference First Round. "It's one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced -- indescribable," said P.J. Brown of the Heat's devastating loss and first-round exit. "Our dreams have been dashed."
Team of the Ages: The Los Angeles Lakers posted an unprecedented 15-1 record in the 2001 playoffs, the best in NBA history.
QUOTES FROM AT THE BUZZER!
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| Garnett |
“After watching Michael jump over Craig Ehlo, make that shot and win that game, my life changed. Basketball became my world. It meant everything to me. … Michael’s shot gave me hope. I think it gave a lot of kids hope. The hope was that they could someday win a game with a last-second shot, too.”
Garnett on narrator Bill Walton’s playing days and broadcasting style:
“Old Bill was one of the greatest centers ever, but have you seen those wild pictures? He had that frizzy, long red hair with headbands and stuff. Now look at him. All straight, proper and clean cut. But I will tell you, Bill’s commentary can sometimes be as wicked as his outlet passes used to be.”
Norm Nixon on Magic Johnson’s enthusiastic reaction and embrace of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after the center hit the game-winning shot in Magic’s first NBA regular-season game (pages 14-15).
“All of us just kind of looked at him, like ‘Yo, man, chill. We got 81 more games to go.’”
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| McHale |
“All good things must come to an end. I really wanted to play one more game at the Boston Garden, but it wasn’t meant to be. I wanted to go out like a warrior.”
Phoenix Suns season-ticket holder Alice Cooper on thoughts of tripping John Paxson before he nailed the game-winning shot at Phoenix to secure Chicago’s three-peat in 1993 (page 49).
“John Paxson was literally about two feet away from me when he took his three-point shot with a couple of seconds remaining in Game 6. When he got the ball, the thought went through my head, ‘Do I trip him?’ I decided not to because I thought he couldn’t make it.’”
 Jordan torched the Celtics for 63 points in the 1986 playoffs. NBAE Photos |
“On that day, I had a better game and beat him, which, of course, he wasn’t too happy about. Michael always was one of the great trash-talkers on the court, and he was the same way on the golf course. He just couldn’t back it up quite as well. Our defensive specialist at the time was Dennis Johnson, who was a great player. But when we dropped Michael off at the hotel, he was still ticked about losing in golf, and he told me: “Tell your man D.J. I got something for him tomorrow.” The next day, Michael scored 63, which is still the record for the playoffs. … I should not have beaten him in golf.”
Bill Walton on Portland teammate Maurice Lucas’ peace offering to Philadelphia’s Darryl Dawkins prior to Game 3 of the 1977 NBA Finals after a Game 2 confrontation (page 89):
“When Maurice’s name was called during pregame introductions, he jogged to the Philly bench to make peace. He shook Darryl’s hand and defused an extremely volatile situation. Dawkins was shocked by this demonstration of sportsmanship and turned into a big sissy for the remainder of the series.”
Gervin vs. Thompson: The closest scoring race in NBA history (pages 104-107).
David Thompson (27.15 ppg): “After I scored the 73 points, we flew back to Denver. I started listening to the Spurs game. Wilt Chamberlain had set the record for points in one quarter with 31 and it last for many years. But my record of 32 points lasted for a few hours, because George scored 33 in the second quarter. By halftime George had scored 53 points. I just turned it off, knowing he would win.”
George Gervin (27.22 ppg): “When I got my 59th point, Doug [Moe] took me out. But I went up to him a few minutes later and said, ‘Just in case someone made a mistake, maybe I better go back in.’ So I went back in and got four more points for my 63.”
Wilt Chamberlain not only scored 100 points against New York on March 2, 1962 but he even hitched a ride back to the Big Apple with several of the Knicks after the game (page 127):
“I fell asleep immediately. But I kept waking up and I could hear them talking about the game and saying, ‘Can you believe what that SOB did to us? Every time I woke up, they were still talking about what this SOB had done. So when they dropped me off at my door, I said, ‘This SOB wants to thank you guys for the ride.’”
Michael Jordan on the Evolution of the Dunk (pages 136-137):
“If you look at the slam dunk contest at the ABA All-Star Game in 1976, Dr. J was the first to take off from the foul line. I did it the first time in 1985 on All-Star Saturday in Indianapolis. And Vince Carter did it in 2000 in Oakland.
“But each time, there was a difference and it represented progress.
“When Dr. J took off, he ran up the court, jumped from the foul line, and dunked.
“When I did it, I dribbled up the court, took off from the foul line, and dunked. That is harder to do because you’ve got to get your rhythm together, make sure you pick up the dribble at the right time, still keep an eye on the foul line, and take off. No one really noticed it at the time, that I dribbled, but that was my way of improving on what Dr. J did. That’s taking it to the next level.
“And then at All-Star Weekend in 2000, Vince Carter took off, ran up the court, jumped from the foul line, and dunked with two hands. That’s even harder to do. That was his way of improving on what I had done. That is the evolution of how change happens.
“Improving the game is all about increasing the norm. That’s what we did in the slam dunk contest. Dr. J ran, I dribbled and Vince Carter used two hands. That is the evolution of the dunk.”
Before Chocolate Thunder, there was the Rifleman (page 143)
The Rifleman and former Boston Celtic Chuck Connors on shooting down a backboard during the first game of the 1946-47 season:
“During the warmups, I took a harmless 15- to 20-foot set shot, and CRASH, the glass backboard shattered. … [Coach John “Honey”] Russell never forgave me for breaking the backboard. He thought I’d ruined his season before it started.”
Boston color analyst Glenn Ordway on his partner and legendary Celtics announcer and chainsmoker Johnny Most whose pants caught on fire during a broadcast (page 153):
“This is a first (laughter) … Johnny has (more laughter) … lit (even more laughter) … his pants are on fire!!!! (uncontrollable laughter)”
Walt Frazier, who scored 36 points and dished 19 assists in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals, on Willis Reed’s heroic appearance (page 185):
“I saw the whole Lakers team standing around and staring at this man. And Willis set the tempo. He made the first two shots and that was it. We said, “The captain is ready. Half of Willis Reed is better than anybody else we could put out there.’ So he provided the inspiration, and in a way, I provided the devastation.”
FAST FACTS FROM AT THE BUZZER!
The longest shot in basketball history: Jerry Harkness of the ABA's Indiana Pacers hits a 92-foot shot versus the Dallas Chaparrals at Memorial Auditorium in Dallas on November 13, 1967.
Two Three-Pointers in One Second? In the final seconds of the third quarter of a regular-season game between Houston and the L.A. Clippers, the Rockets’ Buck Johnson lofted a desperation shot from 55 feet that hit the backboard and went through the basket. With one second left on the clock, Greg Kite of the Clippers spotted teammate Danny Manning near half-court, who launched a swish from 43 feet away.
Halftime Entertainment: Former Celtic Tony Lavelli refused to sign a contract with the Celtics unless he was allowed to play his accordion at games. The Celtics relented and Lavelli was guaranteed a minimum of 25 halftime performances at a rate of $125 per performance.
Iverson vs. Carter: It was the first time in the 55-year history of the NBA playoffs that two players on competing teams scored 50 or more points in consecutive games. Iverson scored 54 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus Toronto while Carter responded with 50 in Game 3
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