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This Day In Sports 4-15: “Havlicek Stole The Ball!” (1965)

The great Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1960s boasted some of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game…and had a little luck along the way. In 1965 Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers had a chance to get by Boston being down by 1 in a crucial game 7 with five seconds left. Interestingly, had the 76ers pulled it out, this would have been known as the one game where Bill Russell didn’t come through in the clutch. Russell accidentally hit a wire that held up the backboards with an inbounds pass that resulted in a turnover. This allowed the Sixers their one last chance.

There is an interesting story about this play chronicled in Bill Simmons’ Big Book of Basketball. Simmons writes that John Havilcek knew the ball wasn’t going to Chamberlain here, as Chamberlain was deathly afraid of being fouled and being put on the line in this clutch moment. Hall of Famer Hal Greer instead looked toward Chet Walker, and the rest is history. Johnny Most’s iconic call of “Havlicek Stole The Ball!” was perfect for yet another clutch play by the 60s Celtics dynasty.