A Look Back At When Dennis Johnson Broke The Detroit Pistons' Heart In 1987
The Detroit Pistons thought they had finally solved the Boston Celtics puzzle.
They were on the verge of taking a 3-2 lead in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals. Then Celtics greats Larry Bird and Dennis Johnson completely turned the series.
Trailing by one, Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass. Bird then quickly found a driving Johnson, who scored the winning layup. Even though the Pistons won Game 6 in Detroit, the Celtics closed the series in Game 7 in Boston.
The Game 5 play spawned one of the most memorable calls in league history from legendary Celtics play-by-play announcer Jonnny Most, "There's a steal by Bird, underneath to DJ, he lays in it."
It was easily the most memorable moment of Johnson's Hall of Fame career. It is more discussed than when he helped lead the Seattle SuperSonics to the 1979 NBA title. His Finals MVP performance, included a 32-point effort in Game 4 against the Washington Bullets.
Johnson, who died in 2007, would have turned 68 today. He finished his career with three championships, six All-Defensive selections and five All-Star appearances. He is among the several famed Celtics to have their jersey retired.
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