Ironically, it was Vitale who would pave the way for Duerod to enter the NBA.  Vitale, who had accepted the head coaching job with the Detroit Pistons, wasted little time selecting the sweet-shooting guard in the third round of the 1979 NBA Draft.  It seemed like the perfect fit, as Duerod's professional career got of to a promising start; the rookie averaged 9.3 points-per-game on 47-percent shooting, and he looked comfortable playing against some of the best guards in the league.  Vitale, however, lasted only 12 games into the season before being replaced by Richie Adubato, and Duerod then found himself available in the 1980 expansion draft.  The Dallas Mavericks quickly snapped him up.

The marriage between Duerod and the Mavericks seemed ill-fated from the very beginning.  While head coach Dick Motta clearly gave his new guard a chance to prove himself, there was very little communication between players and coaching staff.  A revolving door mentality took hold, as twenty-one players donned a Maverick uniform for at least one game that season.  Duerod lasted just eighteen games before getting the boot.

Duerod didn't stay out of work for long.  Fitch lobbied for the team to sign the sharpshooter, which is exactly what happened after Duerod cleared waivers.  He worked hard, didn't complain, and played the role of twelfth man to perfection.  And after signing a second consecutive ten-day contract, the Celtics rewarded him with a season-long offer.  He quickly became a welcome sight at the end of games, taking to the court with the outcome no longer in the balance, the Boston Garden crowd serenading him with chants of  "DO-O-O-O".  Legendary announcer Johnny Most loved to talk about him on the air.  Cedric Maxwell good-naturedly nicknamed him 'The Human Cigar', a reference to Red Auerbach's penchant for lighting up when the game was well in hand.  And everyone on the team, from Bird to Gerald Henderson to M.L. Carr, had only positive things to say about the team's mid-season acquisition.

While Duerod's NBA career was short-lived – he would play in just 143 games over four seasons, with the Pistons, Mavericks, Celtics and Warriors – he was able to win a championship following Boston's memorable 4-2 series win over Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets.  Still, he is best remembered for that magical night in the Boston Garden, when a garbage-time player simply couldn't miss, when Larry Legend became a fan of the fan favorite, and when everyone in the building found themselves caught up in doing the "DO-O-O-O".

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