2. Hawks-Celtics, 1957: I would like to meet someone who (a) saw this game and (b) doesn’t have Alzheimer’s Disease because from a purely competitive standpoint, this is undoubtedly the best Game 7 in Finals history, going two overtimes and finishing with the smallest margin of victory. The only reason it doesn’t occupy the top spot is because I didn’t see it.
The game featured probably the two best players in the game at that time in Hawks forward Bob Pettit and Celtics guard Bob Cousy. The teams had made a huge trade less than a year earlier, with St. Louis drafting Bill Russell and trading him to Boston for current All-Star Ed Macauley and future All-Star Cliff Hagan. St. Louis acquired the foundation of a very strong team that reached the Finals four times in five years. Boston acquired the foundation of the NBA’s greatest dynasty.
There were 28 lead changes, 28 ties and no shortage of heroes and goats. Boston’s All-Star backcourt of Cousy and Bill Sharman laid an egg, combining to shoot 5-of-40 from the field. They were picked up by Russell, who had 19 points and 32 rebounds, and fellow rookie Tom Heinsohn, who had 37 points and 23 boards. For St. Louis, Pettit scored 39 points, Hagan – also a rookie – added 24 and Slater Martin 23, but Macauley managed just nine and was one of six players to foul out, among them Hagan and Heinsohn.
Boston trailed by four points with under two minutes to play but narrowed the gap to one with foul shots before Russell blocked a shot by Jack Coleman and scored at the other end to give the Celtics the lead. They got a stop and Cousy went to the line to seal it but split the pair. Pettit’s two clutch free throws forced overtime.
Coleman’s jumper forced a second overtime, where the Celtics inched ahead, 125-123, on two free throws by Jim Loscutoff in the waning seconds. Then came one of the most creative and difficult inbounds plays in NBA history.
Player-coach Alex Hannum checked himself into the game for the first time in the series as the inbounder. There was no timeout buy-up back then; the Hawks had to go the length of the court. Hannum’s plan was to throw a 90-foot pass off the backboard and have it carom to Pettit, and it was executed perfectly. But Pettit missed the shot as the buzzer sounded, allowing the Celtics, coach Red Auerbach and Russell to escape with the first of a long line of championships.
This video doesn’t have the pass but does have the shots missed by St. Louis, including a bunny tip attempt.
The next time you are at a full court of any size, go to the baseline and try to throw the ball off the opposite backboard. Unless you were once a quarterback, I guarantee that your first couple of tosses fall well short and it takes seven or eight attempts before you actually hit the backboard.
Bird is a better shooter and scorer (if Bird shot as much as lebron he’d have more points) and he’s a better passer but again he doesn’t have the ball in his had as much so he has less assist. Bird is a better teammate because he doesn’t have to be involved with everything he plays off the ball better. You ever notice how lebron lead teams live and die with him? Because he is involved with every play. He doesn’t let his teammates take over. Also those stats are stuffed. Lebron plays bell to bell and even if it’s a blowout he will continue to build up stats. As soon as he realizes he can’t win he goes to hero ball which fills up his score sheet. So bird is a better rebounder, passer, shooter and scorer. So explain how is lebron better? Because I’d take bird over bron any day.
James Worthy with a triple double in the NBA Finals game 7. I remember that so vividly.
I appreciate you taking to time to contribute That’s very helpful.
Now that’s subtle! Great to hear from you.
That’s a sensible answer to a challenging question
Thanks for taking the time to post. It’s lifted the level of debate
I appreciate you taking to time to contribute That’s very helpful.
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Is that really all there is to it because that’d be flabbergasting.
This is an article that makes you think “never thought of that!”
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that the severity of his ijruny is being fabricated in an attempt to scare off would-be bidders. Sources tell me Davis hopes to end up with the Knicks, and if he does, he could be available to go w And all of that explains why the Knicks were so hopeful that Jamal Crawford would accept their $2.5
1984 Game 7:Boston 111, Los Angeles 102: This seven game slugfest, the first of 3 featuring Bird vs. Magic culminated in a Boston Victory that set a competitive standard for the rest of the Decade, and may have saved the NBA. Bird drew first blood by winning MVP honors, but Magic and Kareem would pay him back the favor 12 months later. 7 Hall of Fame Players and Two Coaches both in the Hall.