RE: Bird vs Russell

[krai@gis.net]

At 9:45 -0400 7/31/98, Sampath, Venkatesh wrote:
>...
>While I don't qualify as an NBA veteran, I remember one game from the
>90s, when Bird was on his last legs as a Celtic. It was a regular season
>game against the Portland Trail Blazers (I think the year those guys
>made it to the finals). The clock was winding down (it was the last
>possession of the game), Celts down by 3, but inbounding. Bird gets the
>ball, dribbling to the top left-hand corner of the court, just outside
>the 3-point line, clock looking like it's going to expire any second
>now, the defender (Drexler? Cliff Robinson?) not giving an inch, oh God,
>we are not going to make it, when Bird just ups and lets the ball go
>.....
>
>Swish! nothing but net - it's a 3-pointer!!! Game tied, we're into OT!
>Man, was his foot close to the line - referees discussing it while

His foot wasn't _close_ to the line, he'd already _landed_inside_ the line
when he shot the ball. Anyone but Johnny Most should've been able to see
that not only it wasn't a 3-pointer, it was a walk. That the refs gave it
to him was a disgrace, IMO. I feel really uncomfortable complaining about
"Jordan rules" ('though I still do it) when I recall that moment.
I remember Drexler being gracious about it after the "defeat", as he
clearly knew, as did anyone with a drop of objectivity, that the refs had
taken pity on Bird. I thought it was an insult to Larry, just as it
_should_ have been an insult to Jordan to count his last shot in the '98
Finals after he cleared out Russell.

K. Kveraga