The Conner Henry Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
Thursday, May 6th, 2004
You were with the Celtics a relatively short period of
time, but you were there to experience some of the most
memorable moments in team history. One of them occurred
in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the
Detroit Pistons, when Larry Bird stole the ball from
Isiah Thomas. Please take me back to that play, which
ranks second only to Havlicek’s famous steal in Celtics
history.
We had the lead when Larry drove baseline and missed a
shot. Rick Mahorn rebounded the ball and immediately
called timeout, and the Pistons came back with a play
for Isiah Thomas. He knocked down a 17-foot jumper with
17 seconds remaining, putting Detroit up by one. Larry
went hard to the basket, but his shot was blocked by
Dennis Rodman, and then Mahorn knocked the ball off of
Jerry Sichting’s leg and out of bounds. We all felt it
was over. We needed a miracle at that point, and that’s
exactly what happened. Larry stepped in and intercepted
Isiah’s inbounds pass, and then flipped it to DJ, who
was alert enough cut to the basket.
From the sideline all we could do was hope for a foul or a steal, but with so little time left the likelihood of either happening was slim to none. A foul, maybe, but a steal? At the time you don’t realize the true magnitude of something like that – you’re overcome with excitement, but you just don’t fully grasp the historical significance of that play. It’s only later that you realize what you’ve been a part of. When I see the play today, I can look at it and know that I was there. It’s a great feeling.
Robert Parish injured his right ankle in the semi-finals
against Milwaukee, hobbling him for the rest of the
playoffs. Because of Larry’s incredible steal, many
people forget that Parish practically played Game 5 on
one foot. What did Robert’s presence on the court mean
to the team in that game?
Everyone knew that Robert was hurting, but all the
credit goes to him for grinding it out through the
pain. That was typical Robert – he’s the type of person
who never complains, regardless of the situation, and he
refused to let an injury become a distraction in the
playoffs. He approached his role on the Celtics in the
same way – he knew that Larry and Kevin were going to
get the most attention offensively, and that he was
there to do all the little things needed to win. He
didn’t dominate the box score, but he rebounded, blocked
shots and ran the court as well as any big man ever.
Larry’s steal saved the series, but without “Chief”, the
Celtics wouldn’t have made it to the Finals that year.
Bill Laimbeer mugged Larry Bird early in that series,
and Parish later retaliated by clubbing Laimbeer to the
floor. Please take me back to both of those events.
Detroit’s bruising style of play had never really
existed at that level. The referees were letting them
define their style, which was very physical and based on
intimidation. The smothering defenses that you see
today have their roots in what the Pistons were doing
back then. Every possession was critical, and defending
the basket became even more important than actually
scoring on the offensive end. The Pistons would lay
guys out, which is what Laimbeer did to Birdie in that
series. Robert retaliated back in Boston, which was to
be expected. There was a tremendous amount of animosity
between the teams. The Celtics were the established
power in the East, and the Pistons were the
up-and-coming bad boys with a reputation for physical
play. That series was a tremendous battle – we were
able to hold them off that year, but the Pistons finally
broke through the following season and reached the NBA
Finals.
That 1987 playoff run was probably the most brutal for
any team in NBA history. The Celtics battled the
Milwaukee Bucks over seven games before moving on to the
young and hungry Detroit Pistons in the Eastern
Conference Finals. With only one day off between series
and so many injuries to key players, where was the
team’s collective psyche as it prepared to face the
Lakers in the Finals?
We had more than our share of nagging injuries. It’s
tough to speak for the other guys, but that Milwaukee
series was incredibly tough. If we had gotten through
it in five games, then who knows what might have
happened. The extra rest might have made a huge
difference in terms of healing and getting ready to do
battle in the next round. Kevin played on a broken
foot, Robert had ankle problems, and Larry’s back was
killing him – when he wasn’t playing he was getting
therapy to help keep him on the floor. The team was
exhausted by the time it reached the NBA Finals. The
Lakers were far more healthy, making it through the
Western Conference relatively unscathed. They were also
a much more rested squad. They jumped on us from the
outset and we were never able to recover.
The 1987 NBA Finals was the first to use the 2-3-2
format. After being beaten soundly in the first two
games, played at the Forum in Los Angeles, the Celtics
fought back to win Game 3 in Boston. The Celtics were
clinging to a one-point lead in Game 4 when Magic
Johnson hit his now-famous baby hook. That shot gave
the Lakers a commanding 3-1 series lead. Take me back
to that shot, and the ensuing shot by Bird that missed
at the buzzer.
The game came down to those two possessions. Magic got
the ball, turned, did that drive-whirl and let go with
the baby hook. Kevin and Robert played it perfectly,
both of them extending as far as they could to defend
the shot, but the ball went over both of them and into
the basket. It was a terrible blow to us, and we felt
it long after the game was over. Instead of squaring
the series at two games apiece, we had to win that third
game in the Boston Garden and then win two more in Los
Angeles. Given the physical condition of our team, it
was just too much to expect.
Larry’s shot from the corner almost rescued that game for us. He had a clean look at the basket, and he was set up perfectly. It was right on target, just the slightest bit too long, and that was the ball game. But even though he missed, you wouldn’t want anyone else taking that shot. Larry Bird was the greatest clutch shooter in the history of the game.
