


Take it from a man who had a front-row seat: Larry Bird's fourth-quarter showdown with Dominique Wilkins in Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals ranks among the greatest NBA spectacles of all time."It was like watching two great gunfighters, waiting for one of them to blink," said Kevin McHale, Bird's Boston Celtics history teammate. "It was boom! Boom! Larry Bird of Boston Celtics tickets would make one and Dominique would make one. Larry would make one and Dominique would make one. It was unbelievable."
The score was tied at 86 with just over 10 minutes to play when Bird hit a jumper. Wilkins answered, and the two took over. Their torrid scoring pace saw Bird net 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter of a 118-116 Boston victory. Wilkins finished with 47 points and a new favorite memory."I couldn't miss. He couldn't miss," 'Nique said. "That's the greatest Boston Celtics history game I've ever played in or seen played."