“Havlicek Stole The Ball” Rings Through The Airwaves – TBT #4

It’s 1965. Game 7 of the Eastern Division Finals is underway between The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. 

The Boston Celtics are leading by only one point (110-109), and the 76ers regain possession after Bill Russell fails to make an inbound pass. Only 5 seconds are left until the final whistle. 

Philadelphia 76ers legend Hall Greer has the ball in his hands as he prepares to make an inbound pass. Greer sets his eyes on Wilt to pass him the ball, but the defensive maestro Bill Russell is in front of Wilt, and Greer changes his mind. While Greer looks to which player he’ll pass the ball, Boston’s K.C. Jones jumps up and down and waves his arms in front of Greer, hoping five seconds will go by. 

Then, to see better, Greer jumps and shifts his focus to his teammate Chet Walker, who’s seemingly open to scoring the game-winning point, but Havlicek covers him. However, since Havlicek is a couple of feet off from Chet Walker, Greer has a chance to make the clutch pass.

After counting to four in his head, Havlicek looks over his shoulder, anticipating Greer’s pass, and moves into the passing lane. Havlicek jumps and tips Greer’s lob pass away from Walker and toward his teammate, Sam Jones. After receiving the ball, Jones dribbles it until the game ends. 

The legendary radio announcer Johnny Most was ecstatic as the game was coming to an end. So, when Havlicek tipped the ball to Jones, Most’s iconic line echoed through the airwaves: “Havlicek stole the ball!”

The Boston Celtics became NBA champions that year, beating the LA Lakers 4-1 in the Finals series. 

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Featured image taken from YouTube.