The last thing the Detroit Pistons wanted to do was to turn the ball over to the Celtics in the waning seconds of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. Hanging on to a slim one-point lead, the Pistons had Isiah Thomas on the sideline to inbound pass the ball. Under duress, Thomas made a weak pass towards Bill Laimbeer, when suddenly Bird burst into the picture, swiping the ball. Bird also had the presence of mind to give the ball to Johnson for an easy, though contested, lay-up, giving the Celtics the lead and the win.