


BIRD'S HEADS-UP MOVE: GREATEST PLAY EVER?
Boston Celtics 98
Houston Rockets 95
May 15, 1981, Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, Larry Bird launched so many shots, he seemingly knew exactly where the ball would end up the moment it left his hand. That uncanny anticipation paid big dividends during Game 1 of the 1981 NBA Finals. The Houston Rockets Basketball Team were giving Bird's favored Boston Celtics all they could handle in the fourth quarter when Bird put up an 18-footer from the right side. He knew instantly the shot was off-target and raced to the hoop to chase the rebound.
On the run, Bird lept into the air and grabbed the carom in his right hand. As his momentum carried him over the baseline, he managed to switch the ball to his left hand, reach out and flip it into the hoop before landing out of bounds. "I've never seen anything like it," said Celtics general manager Red Auerbach, who witnessed countless great plays over the decades. "It was one 01 the greatest plays of all time." You can also check out the Houston Rockets Schedule, and Roster.