On May 22, 1988, Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins fought a hellish fight in Game 7 of the conference semi-final between Boston and Atlanta. The first had scored 34 points, including 20 in the last quarter to resist the 47 points of the second, including 16 units in the last act. Boston had won. Almost twenty years to the day, on May 18, 2008, was history going to repeat itself with Game 7 between Paul Pierce’s Celtics and LeBron James’ Cavaliers, still in the second round of the playoffs?
“I was very aware of this match”will tell Paul Pierce for ESPN. “You can’t forget it when you look at the giant screen. »
The Boston winger therefore faces that of Cleveland, the league’s leading scorer that season. After a tough, point-saving streak, the two All-Stars let loose in what Danny Ainge, the former Celtics GM who was on the court in 1988, would call a “epic battle”.
To the good memory of the late Red Auerbach
LeBron James finished with 45 points at 14/29 in shooting, 6 assists and 5 rebounds against “The Truth”‘s 41 points at 13/23, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. “Neither wanted to give up”notes Paul Pierce. “None wanted their team to lose. »
The Cavaliers will push the Celtics to the end, but with 7.9 seconds remaining, Paul Pierce scored two free throws that sealed the game and the series. The first was close to failing, but the ball floated in the air, after hitting the circle, before falling back and piercing the net.
“The ghost of Red Auerbach was watching over us”explains the Boston winger, in reference to the legend of the franchise, who died a few months before, in October 2006. “I then had a smile on my face. »
For LeBron James, it is the ghost of Dominique Wilkins who appears. The 2007 finalist will have tried everything against the “Big Three” of Boston.
“Like Wilkins, I went too short and the Celtics won. I think now, for Game 7 of a conference semi-final, fans will have the opportunity to forget about Bird and Wilkins a bit and be able to remember Paul and LeBron. It will mark history. »
