Larry never quit on a play. It didn’t matter wether it was the last of an incredibly pivotal playoff game (see 1987 ECF game 5!) or during a regular season game in Portland. If he saw any opportunity to rip his opponent from the ball, he took it. But the most impressive thing here is probably how quick he sees his teammate cutting to the basket. That play runs in almost every Larry Bird highlight video there is, and ther’s good reason for that : it embodies the way Larry played the game. The Celtics went on to win that game and Larry finished it with 22 points, 9 boards and 13 assists, setting up McHale’s extremely efficient performance (37 points, 14 of 19 from the floor, 9 of 9 from the free throw line).

How intelligent and connected were those two guys? That amazing play shows just how smart Dennis Johnson and Larry Bird were, and how many hours they must have spent figuring out each others games… Doing that in the most crucial game of an incredibly close Eastern Conference Finals series, and fooling elite defensive players like Dennis Rodman (who was only a rookie but already played an important role on the Pistons) and Bill Laimbeer, I mean, you gotta have extreme confidence in your ability. As soon as Larry saw DJ starting his move, he just turned his back to the ball and KNEW exactly where it would fall. This play his the perfect proof that those Celtics teams just outthought their opponents. With just a little more luck and Len Bias, they would have repeated. And maybe more…