YouTube Gold: Havlicek Stole The Ball!
In 1965, the Boston Celtics were in deep trouble. That’s when John Havlicek stepped up.
The Boston Celtics dynasty was really kind of a miracle. They hired Red Auerbach, in spite of his abrasive nature. This was epitomized by his response to being pressured to take Bob Cousy in the 1950 NBA draft: “Am I supposed to win or take care of the local yokels?”
Cousy ended up in Boston after a dispersal draft when the Chicago Stags passed from this world.
Bill Russell was added in as the final piece of Auerbach’s master plan: most of the pieces had already been assembled and Russell was basically tailor-made for that team. Aside from Cousy, they had Bill Sharman. KC Jones came with Russell from San Francisco and at first impressed no one. Sam Jones came from North Carolina Central University on the recommendation of Bones McKinney who told Auerbach that there was a player in Durham with an amazing bank shot. And Frank Ramsey pioneered the concept of the sixth man, but it was refined and perfected by John Havlicek.
A product of Ohio State, where he won a national championship with Jerry Lucas and Bob Knight, among others, in 1962.
He fit right in with the Celtics, partly because he was a superb athlete and basketball player and partly because he had more stamina than anyone who ever played in the NBA.
The guy was just relentless. He never tired.
That came in handy in 1965, when the Celtics faced the Philadelphia Warriors in the Eastern Conference Finals. Up 110–109 with mere seconds to go, Russell committed a rare blunder in clutch time: the backboard was supported by guy wires (it was 1965, remember), Russell hit it and the ball went back to Philly.
Havlicek was guarding his man but watching the inbounds. He sloughed off and knocked the ball loose, resulting in the most famous call in NBA History: “Havlicek stole the ball!”
Sam Jones picked it up and took off to the other end. It is still one of the defining plays of NBA History, perhaps matched only by Larry Bird’s steal vs. the Detroit Pistons in 1987.