Larry Bird Said He Saw This Steal Coming. The Film Tells a Different Story

Larry Bird didn't just talk trash, he backed it up. In 1988 at Chicago Stadium, Bird picked off a Bulls pass late in the fourth to seal the win, then said after the game that Chicago had run the same play over and over and he knew it was coming. I was in the building that night, so I went back to the film to see if it was really true.
What I found: Bird was already creeping into the passing lane one possession earlier, but the set the Bulls kept running in the fourth wasn't the one he stole. We break down the Bulls' actions, the Celtics' flopping sets like The Loop that made Bird so dangerous off the ball, and how the spacing and predictability of 80s offense let high-IQ defenders like Bird (and later Michael Jordan against the Jazz) make game-deciding plays. Watch CLNS's video on this Jordan vs Bird duel: youtu.be/vq-uvYVKxWU
0:00 Bird's legendary trash talk
0:31 The 1988 Celtics vs Bulls game
1:20 How different the game was in 1988
1:44 The Loop and Bird's off-ball mastery
2:27 Breaking down the steal
2:59 The possession before: Bird starts creeping
3:49 The set the Bulls actually kept running
4:24 What Bird got wrong
4:43 Jordan's famous steal vs the Jazz
5:02 Bird's defensive IQ and legacy
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BBallBreakdown is devoted to deep-dive analysis of NBA basketball gameplay. If you're a coach or a player, check out the MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP - filled with an ever growing library of on court demos designed to help you improve your play and your coaching! Giving fans a taste of a pro coach's film session, host Coach Nick breaks down fundamentals, play calling, offense, defense, shooting form, officiating, and everything else basketball. In addition, see exclusive interviews with NBA players and coaches, from active super stars to retired legends.