“Even after seeing how he scored all of these points, I never doubted that we will get out of winners” – bird about why he never considered a true rival

Playing in the punishing glove, which was the Eastern Conference in the 1980s, rarely offered a clear shot at a championship for Dominique Wilkins. A goal scorer with a high octane with a wild first step and a vertical jump that could shake the laws of gravity, he wore the Atlanta Hawks through this hard competition.

But even at its climax, the top slipped out of reach. The closest to the NBA final in the semi -finals of the Eastern Conference from 1988 in the semi -finals of Larry Bird.

Bird against Wilkins

In the decisive game 7, Nique fell by 47 points and fag defender from the middle class and over the edge. “Larry Legend” replied with 34 own, including 20 in the fourth quarter – a shooting clinic with impossible perspectives and experienced patience. Boston displaced Atlanta 118–116 in a performance that the bird would later call calculated conquest.

Advertising

“Dominique and I got some big hits -duels”, ” Said bird. “Wilkins was at the top of his game, but even after scoring him all these points, I never doubted that we would get winners because our boys knew how to make the passport to hit them.”

This is the key to how Vogel Wilkins viewed as an offensive explosion, not as a systemic threat. The Atlanta Highflyer, a ballerina in the air, brought fireworks. The native of Indiana brought game management. Boston's success was not built on individual statistics sheets, but about collective execution.

In this series of 1988, the nine-time all-star achieved an average brass 31.2 points per game, while “Larry Legend” achieved 24.4 with 9.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists. The Hawks was based on a man exploding while the Celtics operated like clockwork.

The respect was there, but he stopped rivalry. For the legendary cetlic, rivalries meant mutual threats, repeated heartache and title in the title.

Advertising

Magic Johnson fits this bill. The Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers also did it. For all of his highlights, Wilkins never managed to tip the balance of power in the east.

Relatives: “A game for Sissies” – Wilt Chamberlain admitted that he only started playing basketball because he came from Philadelphia

Boston dominance

The Hawks in 1988 were the image of the potential – young legs, new energy and a trust that bordered on defiantly. The C's, on the other hand, were marked as outdated by many, perhaps even as a relic of a final period. Bird, who had previously fought chronic back problems, had already started to feel the borders of the time.

Advertising

But in this old guard, the Hawks had not quite developed-confidence, chemistry and an ice-cold awareness of big moments.

“When the game was on the line, Kevin Mchashale and Robert Parish made himself and I never worried who would make the shot”, ” Said bird. “We have just made sure that it was the best possible that we could take. We defeated Atlanta in seven games because we played together.”

Boston had thrown late in game 7, but carried out every possession with the experienced calm. In contrast, Atlanta stuck. The Celtics closed the fourth quarter with a 33-point outbreak, whereby each bucket fits a dagger and a master's stroke each. After this game, the Hawks would not get so close to the final. They crashed in the first round next season.

Birds Celtics still adhered to their identity, even when time frays the edges. From 1988 to 1989 “The Hick From French Lick” only played six games due to an operation. The dynasty had remembered in the early 1990s. However, what remained intact was the three -time mental dominance of the MVP compared to certain opponents. Despite all his acrobatics, Wilkins never became the kind of player who was able to get Boston out of his rhythm.

Advertising

Years later, the two men would share the same salary statement.

In 1994, Nique signed the Celtics in Free Agency – an unexpected turn for two names that were once blocked in the opposite trenches. Until then, Bird had moved into Boston's front office. The dynamics had shifted and the missions.

Wilkins, at this time 34, scored only 17.8 points per game on average. This season Boston ended in the first round of the playoffs.

Relatives: “It wasn't and it doesn't have to be” – Larry Bird begins that Celtics teammates are not close