Famous Finshes: Where Will Amazing Happen This Year? - Larry Bird Steals The Ball vs Pistons - NBA Playoffs Commercial

Check out this nicely done commercial of Larry Bird's famous steal vs the Detroit Pistons and just for the hell of it you know I had to add the actual video with the play by play below. Hell, I might as well just make this the latest installment of Famous Finishes while I'm at it.



As the Celtics line up defensively, the reliable Thomas looks to pass to one of his teammates. His options are limited. Guard Joe Dumars is a little too far away, on the other side of the lane. So Thomas holds the ball, looking. Pistons coach Chuck Daly immediately senses a problem and calls timeout. But none of his players hear him. He begins screaming, "Time!" Still, no one hears.

None of the Pistons, not even heady, intelligent players like Thomas, Dumars and center Bill Lambeer illustrate the presence of mind to call a timeout; if they did, they will be able to inbound the ball from halfcourt, rather than near the Celtics' basket, a move that would at least reduce the odds of anything disastrous happening.

Meanwhile, Thomas sees Rodman circling near midcourt, but he hesitates and decides not to throw the ball to the poor-shooting Rodman. The five-second clock is down to two. Bird, meanwhile, is covering Adrian Dantley just inside the free-throw line and eyeing Thomas in one eye, Laimbeer in the other.

Bird knows Thomas is going to pass the ball to the sure-handed Laimbeer. So Bird fakes as if he is going to cover Rodman, waits a beat, and just when Thomas commits himself to pass the ball in toward Laimbeer, Bird makes his move, leaping out and bursting in front of Laimbeer.

"I started counting down the seconds in my head," Bird would later explain. At the precise moment that Bird breaks toward Laimbeer, Thomas lobs a weak, lazy, pass.

"I should have thrown the ball harder or Bill should have come in for it," Thomas would later admit.

Then comes a flash -- a green and white blur. "At first, I was going to foul Laimbeer," Bird would say later. "I thought that if I fouled him right away, there would still be four seconds left and even if he made the shots, we'd still have a chance to tie the game with a three."

But to the astonishment of the basketball world, Bird swipes the ball. "He just came from nowhere," Dumars would say. "All of a sudden he was in the picture. I tried to block it, but couldn't."

Celtics guard Jerry Sichting would later say, ''Larry suckered Isiah into making the pass. He was guarding Dantley on the other side of the lane, then started leaning toward Lambeer and Isiah didn't see him."

At the precise moment that Bird makes his move, Celtics point guard Dennis Johnson, stationed near the top of the key, anticipates a Bird steal and cuts down the lane, toward the basket. As Bird steals the pass, he maintains enough balance on one foot, enabling him to stay inbounds. He then fires a flawless bullet pass to DJ streaking toward the hoop.

"To make the steal was great enough," Celtics forward Kevin McHale said later. "But to then have the presence of mind to make a perfect pass to D.J. ... Amazing."

"Isiah's pass just hung up there," Bird would say. "It seemed to take forever to get to Laimbeer. [After stealing the pass], I was thinking about shooting, but the ball was going the other way and so was my momentum." If he shot the ball, he knew it would be an awkward, off-balance, low-percentage pray that would have little chance of hitting the cylinder.

Johnson, meanwhile, catches Bird's sizzling pass and lays the ball in smoothly off the glass as the Garden goes absolutely batty. After DJ scores, the Celtics smother Bird and jubilantly race off the court, knowing they just completed one of the most stunning and improbable last-ditch comebacks in sports history, leaving the Pistons to ponder their fate and astonishing defeat.

"When Bird stole it, I was just frozen there. I couldn't move," Rodman said afterwards. "This is the only building in the world that this could happen. The only one."

Detroit does win Game 6, but the Celtics take Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. (ESPN)

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Famous Finishes: Super Bowl XLIII - Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23 (Video: Final Drive)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, than this one needs no introduction. An instant classic that is worthy of joining Famous Finishes already:

The winning play in Super Bowl XLIII was right out of a schoolyard. Scamble right, scramble left, find someone open. Their Steel Curtain shredded, Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes improvised the 6-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a record-setting sixth Super Bowl victory, 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.

"Great players step up in big-time games to make plays," said Holmes, the game's MVP. He said he told Roethlisberger that he "wanted to be the guy to make the plays for this team." And he was. Holmes grabbed the ball with both arms stretched fully above his head in the back right corner of the end zone, his toes barely dragging inbounds. He fell, sat up and cradled the ball like the prize it was.

This thriller certainly matched last year's Super Bowl, which ended with New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress' TD catch -- with 35 seconds left, too. But this one was even wilder. With the last tension-packed seconds ticking away, a kneeling Roethlisberger held Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's hand as Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner led one last, but futile, drive. "These guys just don't blink," Tomlin said. "They deliver. It's never going to be pretty or perfect, if you will, but they have a great deal of resolve."

The Steelers (15-4), who won their second Super Bowl title in the last four seasons, led 20-7 in the fourth quarter, only to see Warner and the Cardinals stage a remarkable rally to go in front 23-20 with 2:37 remaining. Warner hit Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald in stride for a 64-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 left. Already owning a slew of playoff receiving marks this year, Fitzgerald sped down the middle of the field, watching himself outrun the Steelers' defense on the huge video screen.

But Fitzgerald could only watch from the sideline as Roethlisberger engineered a 78-yard drive to win the Super Bowl in what resembled Heinz Field South. With waves of twirling Terrible Towels turning Raymond James Stadium into a black-and-gold tableau -- Steelers fans supporting their beloved team, the economy be damned -- Pittsburgh's offense rescued the title.

"I knew it was a touchdown 100 percent," Holmes said, even though the play had to withstand a video review. "My feet never left the ground. All I did was stand up on my toes and extended my hands." And hauled in the pass that punctuated another Pittsburgh championship, adding to those won in the 1974, '75, '78, '79 and 2005 seasons.

The stunning swings overshadowed Steelers linebacker James Harrison's Super Bowl-record 100-yard interception return for a touchdown to end the first half. That looked like the game's signature play until the final quarter, when both teams shook off apparent knockout punches to throw haymakers of their own. Roethlisberger and Holmes struck the last blow, and when Warner fumbled the ball away in the final seconds, the Cardinals' dream of winning their first NFL championship since 1947 was gone. "I said it's now or never. I told the guys all the film study you put in doesn't matter unless you do it now," Roethlisberger said. "I'm really proud of the way they responded." (NFL.com)

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Famous Finishes: Alonzo Mourning Hits Game Winning Jumper To Beat Celtics - 1993 Playoffs - Game 4

You could just imagine the hysteria in The Hive. After four years of averaging 24 wins a season, the Charlotte Hornets had finally made the playoffs in their fifth season. But now the Charlotte Hornets were facing a daunting prospect in Game 4 of their first round Eastern Conference series with the Boston Celtics. Down one with three seconds left, the Hornets were facing a Game 5 back in the Boston Garden, where the tradition-rich Celtics rarely lost. The Hornets needed a hero. Enter the Hornets' Alonzo Mourning. The rookie center found himself alone at the left side of the top of the key. One dribble and the ball was gone. Mere moments later, the Hornets were celebrating and on their way to the second round. (NBA.com)

The latest installment of Famous Finishes highlights one of the best moments in the career of the recently retired Alonzo Mourning. That day was pretty much the beginning of the end for the Celtics, until they finally returned to glory last season. Zo put the nail in the coffin for the Celtics of the 80's. Only McHale and Parrish were playing at that time, but McHale would never suit up for the Celtics again and Parrish would play only one more season with the Celtics before moving on to, ironically, the Charlotte Hornets.

Not only did Zo hit the game winning and series clinching jumper, but he also was an absolute beast that day scoring 33 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and blocking 6 shots. He shot an outstanding 9 of 13 from the floor and 15 of 18 from the line. It was only fitting that he won the game and secured the Hornets their first ever victory of a playoff series.

Boxscore: Charlotte Hornets 104 Boston Celtics 103

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Famous Finishes - 1981 NFC Championship Game - The Catch

In this edition of Famous Finishes, we have one of the most memorable plays in NFL History: The Catch.

The Catch occurred in the 1981 NFC Championship Game after Joe Montana led the 49ers down the field against the Dallas Cowboys and on 3rd and three rolled out and when all seemed hopeless Montana found Dwight Clark gliding through the air in the endzone for the victory.

Here is the video of the 49ers final drive and a rundown of The Catch:

The six most important yards in 49er history were gained in a way that was awfully close to poetic. Even a cynic would have to admit that much.

Joe Montana rolled right, holding the ball, tapping it once or twice. You've seen it, over and over and over. Dallas Cowboys linemen in pursuit, the fans in the orange Candlestick background standing with their mouths open and their hearts firing like a Briggs and Stratton.
It was called Sprint Right Option, and it was third and three from the six-yard line, with less than 90 seconds to play in the 1981 NFC championship game. The 49ers trailed the Cowboys by six points, and Montana was rolling out so deliberately that the sideline became a concern.

To the untrained eye, it appeared Montana was wandering right, hoping more than devising, maybe even looking for a way out. But by that time, with Montana and the 49ers proceeding deep into their first -- and most improbable -- Super Bowl run, everybody had learned to admire and not question.

He threw it, finally, off his back foot and slightly across his body. His flamingo legs scissored a little from the torque, and it looked for all the world like a throwaway, with everybody walking back to the huddle to confront fourth down.

But Dwight Clark caught it. He reached above the unfortunate immortality of Everson Walls and caught the ball in the back of the end zone. Those faces in the stands thawed into a delirium of incredulity and joy. Back then, the idea of a Super Bowl was new and unexpected.

Clark seemed to spike the ball before he landed. He said his mind raced with ``disbelief and excitement. The thought that we were going to the Super Bowl was incredible. I was so excited I didn't realize we had to kick the extra point to win the game. I just figured, we scored and it's over.

``At the time, I didn't have any idea what it would come to mean. Nobody did. I didn't realize how bitter the San Francisco fans were toward the Cowboys. I didn't pay attention to what had happened in the early '70s.''

There was some history lurking in the background of The Catch, as well. In the 1980 regular season, the Cowboys beat the 49ers 59-14, scoring until they simply could not score again. Then, in the '81 regular season, the 49ers beat the Cowboys 45-14, prompting the Dallas players to say the real Cowboy team didn't show up.

``They were looking forward to seeing us again,'' Clark said. ``Then it was the same result.''

Clark was not the primary receiver on what became the signature play of the Montana legend. In fact, the 49ers had scored a touchdown in the first quarter on the very same play -- Sprint Right Option -- when Montana hit Freddie Solomon, the first option. But this time Solomon slipped coming off the line of scrimmage and Montana's assignment -- as per the intricate dealings of Bill Walsh -- called for him to continue to roll out, and continue to hold the ball until Clark could slide into position.

``The play was designed so that by the time he throws it, the ball either goes out of bounds or is caught,'' said Clark, the 49ers' director of player of personnel. ``When people say he was trying to throw the ball away, I just say, `No, it was a spectacular throw, made under duress.' It was thrown exactly where it needed to be thrown.

``When Joe threw the ball, Walls had to think it was going out of bounds. When I slid back there, Walls was right beside me, in the only spot he could have been.''

Walls ended up being helpless, both then and on the cover of Sports Illustrated. In much the same way as The Catch is seen as the catapulting force for the 49ers' dominance in the '80s, Walls' helplessness is seen as the symbolic anchor drop of the Cowboys' fall.

Mostly forgotten is the drive that preceded The Catch. It started at the 49er 11-yard line and began with just under five minutes to play.

``During the TV timeout before we started, I didn't know if we'd have time for it,'' Clark said. ``I guess I thought we could do it, but man, I looked down that field and it was a long way away.''

Before the 49ers played Dallas this year, the 49er coaches showed the team the tape of that drive. Clark had never sat down and watched it, but he decided to watch it this time.

``It was amazing, my palms were sweaty watching it, and I knew the outcome,'' he said.

The drive ended with Clark and Montana covering the six most important six yards ever traveled by the 49ers. You could make the case that those six yards made everything that followed possible.

``I think that whole season was the end of the bad old days,'' Clark says. ``And judging from the way it's still re-lived, that one play is seen as the culmination.''


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Famous Finishes - Kirk Gibson's Home Run - 1988 World Series - Game 1

This version of Famous Finishes features Game 1 of the 1988 World Series between the Oakland A's and Los Angeles Dodgers, which is one of the most famous games in baseball history because of the heroics of Kirk Gibson:

1988 World Series (Game 1) - Los Angeles Dodgers 5 - Oakland A's 4 (Boxscore)

With two out and his team trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda had Dave Anderson -- who batted .249 with two homers during the season -- waiting in the on-deck circle to pinch-hit for pitcher Alejandro Pena. But at the last moment, Lasorda pulled Anderson in favor of Kirk Gibson. World Series history was about to be made.

Earlier in the day, few people outside of Los Angeles would tell you the Dodgers had much of a chance. Led by Bash Brothers Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire, the Oakland A's swaggered into the '88 World Series, owners of 104 regular season wins and a four-game ALCS sweep of the Red Sox. The Dodgers, on the other hand, were a bunch of overachievers, riding Orel Hershiser and his 59-inning scoreless streak all the way to a division title and an upset of the powerhouse Mets in the NLCS. Most were predicting a quick and painless victory for the A's.

And with Hershiser having made four appearances in the NLCS, including going the distance in Game 7, he was unavailable to start the Series for LA. Instead, Lasorda sent rookie Tim Belcher to the mound to face Oakland ace Dave Stewart, who was coming off his second straight 20-win season.

The Dodgers got two quick runs when Mickey Hatcher took Stewart deep in the bottom of the first. But the A's flexed their muscle in the top of the second as Canseco blasted a grand slam off a shaky Belcher.

Belcher was replaced in the third inning, but despite several opportunities the A's couldn't add any runs against the Dodgers bullpen. LA managed another run off in the seventh, but things looked bleak when Stewart turned the ball over to Dennis Eckersley in the ninth. In his second year as a closer, Eckersley had really taken to the role, posting 45 saves. But after recording two outs, Eckersley was uncharacteristically wild and issued a free pass to pinch-hitter Mike Davis.

That's when Lasorda sent Gibson to bat down by a run with one on and two out. Gibson, the National League's MVP that season, was on the bench with hamstring and knee problems. But the crowd at Dodger Stadium roared as Gibson limped to the plate. After working a 3-2 count, Gibson sent one of the most memorable home runs in baseball history into the right-field stands for a Game 1 victory.

Gibson's limp-off home run was the first time a team had been trailing in a World Series game and homered to win in the bottom of the ninth. It was also Gibson's only at-bat of the entire Series. But it was enough, as the Dodgers rode the moment all the way to a World Series championship. (MLB.com

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Famous Finishes - LA Lakers vs Boston Celtics, Game 4: 1987 NBA Finals

Here's the second installment from my Famous Finishes series. With the Lakers & Celtics hooking up in the NBA Finals again this year, I thought that Magic Johnson's game winning hook shot in Game 4 of the 1987 NBA Finals would be a perfect selection for Famous Finishes. The video is of the last 2+ minutes of that famous game. The Lakers would go on to win the 1987 NBA Finals, 4 games to 2, thanks in large part to Magic's game winning hook shot in Game 4.

Here's a rundown of this Famous Finish:

Game 4, NBA Finals, Boston Garden, June 9, 1987. The Lakers and Celtics are wrapped up in one of their epic encounters. Boston Garden is a madhouse, a deafening roar rolling down from the rafters as Larry Bird drills a heart-stopping three-point shot from the left corner with 12 seconds left, giving the Celtics a 106-104 edge, and moving the series closer to a 2-2 deadlock.

The seconds tick away as the Lakers, who have rallied from eight points down in the last 3½ minutes, move the ball inside to Abdul-Jabbar, who's fouled. He makes his first free throw, cutting the deficit to 106-105, but misses the second. Boston forward Kevin McHale seizes the rebound as the crowd goes berserk, sensing that the game is over. But somehow, McHale fumbles the ball out of bounds, enabling Los Angeles to retain possession with seven seconds left.

The Garden crowd is stunned. McHale later claims he was pushed by the Lakers' Mychal Thompson, prompting him to lose control of the ball. No matter. The Lakers' Michael Cooper looks to inbound the ball, the Celtics up by a point.

Johnson sets a pick for James Worthy and quickly pops out of the corner. Cooper passes in to Johnson, who turns and expects to see the eyeballs of Celtics guard Dennis Johnson. Instead, Magic is face to face with the long-armed, 6-foot-11 McHale, who was caught in a switch when Magic set the pick.

The clock is down to three seconds as Magic dribbles toward the middle of the lane, about 12 feet from the basket. The moment is his. He is not looking for Abdul-Jabber or Worthy or Cooper. "I wanted the ball in my hands," he would say later. "Guys like me and Larry Bird want the ball in our hands for the last shot. That's what we thrive on."

Johnson is about to take a jumper, then, as the eyes of the world glare in at him, he goes to the middle. Then, to the amazement of everyone in the Garden, including his own teammates, Johnson steals a page from Abdul-Jabbar's book and takes a graceful, sweeping, arching sky hook, a shot he would later refer to, laughingly, as "my junior, junior sky hook," the little brother of Abdul-Jabbar's famous sky hook, that unblockable shot that defined his career.

The ball passes over McHale's outstretched fingernails, by the distance of strand of hair, and floats toward the basket. With two seconds on the clock, the ball swishes through the net. There is total disbelief in the arena. "I started to take the jumper and when a big guy comes out at you, like Kevin did, I knew my best chance was to drive on him," Magic would say later. "I needed one step to get the shot off, and that's what I got."

Magic had gone to Kareem during the season to ask for pointers on shooting a hook shot. He always wanted to learn something new to keep his opponents off-balance. To keep them guessing. He asked Abdul-Jabbar about the mechanics of the shot. He didn't understand how to turn his body correctly on the shot. But he practiced it continuously, often by himself.

Magic's hook gives L.A. a 107-106 lead with two ticks left on the clock. Boston calls timeout to set up a final shot. Dennis Johnson inbounds the ball to Bird, who beats Worthy on the dribble and launches a three-point shot from the left corner. It bounces long off the opposite rim, and a hush descends upon New England. Final score: Lakers 107, Celtics 106. Los Angeles leads the series, 3-1.

"You expect to lose on a skyhook," Bird would say later, managing a slight grin. "You just don't expect it to be Magic."

Famous Finishes - NY Giants vs New England Patriots - Superbowl XLII (Video)

Here is the latest feature here at Hip 2 Da Game, Famous Finishes, which will show video of some of the memorable finishes in all of sports.

The first installment of Famous Finishes is one of the most recent finishes, the New York Giants victory in Super Bowl XLII over the undefeated New England Patriots, featuring the amazing helmet catch by New York Giants WR David Tyree.