The NBA in the 80s and 90s were the golden age of basketball.

Larry bird and Dominique Wilkins gave one of the greatest duels in Playoff history. The NBA had so much star power back in the 80s.

"You are watching what greatness is all about."

Larry Bird gets all the accolades he deserves, but what a player Dominique was - an absolute monster on offence, a force of nature.

Everyone knows Bird was great but Wilkins doesn't get the respect he deserves as being one of the greatest in NBA history. Too bad he never had a chance to play with better teams.

"You are watching what greatness is all about" Gives me chills everytime

I love how Bird can take a shot and start immediately running the other way, because he knows that the shot is going in.

Look at Bird, he can barely run or jump at this point in his career and he's dueling with one of the greatest athletes in NBA history, and winning.

4:47 fan gets hit with the full court shot attempt

Dominique was a freak!! Raw athleticism!!

Dominique might have been the most underappreciated player of this generation. Dude was an absolute monster.

I feel bad for anyone under 30, the 80's were the best basketball ever played. Today is is hardly watchable and completely predictable. Run, pass, shoot, Flop, cry to the Ref.. That's the NBA 2015 in a nutshell..

Considering how terrible the NBA is today this is a pleasure to watch.

I just watched what greatness was all about !!!

One of the greatest games I have ever seen!! My dad recorded this game and it's unbelievable watching this game on VHS. It brings back great memories from the 80's and it was an honor to have seen 90's basketball and watch some of the greatest players ever play. I remember going to a Bulls vs Bucks game as a kid and just being in awe of the moves MJ would be making. Basketball today is just not the same....anyone 28+ would agree with me.

I watched this shootout unfold, that 4th quarter was phenomenal! My favorite performance of both Bird and Wilkens!

In my opinion, Larry Bird is the GOAT

I still have this game on VHS...I watched the game live and have re-watched it many times since. Classic Bird, Nique at his best. I loved Jordan, Magic, Barkley, Malone and the rest of the cast but this was one of the greatest duels in NBA playoff history!

Like many games involving Bird, I remember watching this one in 1988. It was such a great experience. The 80s were pretty special in the NBA in general.

Still my favorite NBA game I've ever seen. It was just one shot after the next in the fourth quarter, Wilkins, Bird.

To buy Celtics tickets in the '80's, you stood in line for a day or two and they sold tickets for the entire season. One year I got in line at about 5 am. The line was about 2 blocks long and growing. We got into small groups and got to know each other. By late afternoon I noticed a new face in the group behind us. A few minutes later this guy was in our group. A few minutes later I noticed he was in the group in front of us. He was scamming his way to the front of the line or so he thought. I tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was behind me. He was pissed, but too bad. A few minutes later, he tried it again. Once more, I tapped him on the shoulder and told him to get behind me. Well, 5 pm came and I was in the front of the line. I was the last person they let in to buy tickets. He had to come back the next day. I can still hear him cursing me. lol

Bird had the greatest floor game in history. He was a basketball genius, yah he wasn't the best man to man defender, but he made NBA all defense 2nd team 2 or 3 times. From about 84 till 88 he played at the highest level possible. He would dominate in todays game, it would be an eye opening experience for the guys now to play with him.

One of the greatest games I've ever seen. Never seen such magnificent performances meet head on. OMG ... .WHY DID ATLANTA TRADE WILKINS !!!!! Bird vs Wilkins = greatest playoff duel ever.

I don't know if Bird is the greatest of all time, but I have watched a ton of basketball over the last few decades, and he's the only player who makes me repeatedly LAUGH in disbelief. Jordan might be better, Shaw was more dominant, Lebron is a more well-rounded 3/4. But watch Bird tear people up from '84 to '92 and he's the only player that will make you giggle. It was almost unfair.

6:12 Those women are literally at every major Celtics playoff game in the mid to late 80's

best era in the nba.... R.I.P Reggie Lewis and Dennis Johnson. My favorite team of all time is the 86 Celtics but this team was damn good. Think Pistons beat em in the next round.

Greatest game I ever saw live. Pure drama and real... no movie script.

8:40 the old Garden was so loud. Nothing like it anywhere today.

I was at this game and remember it to this day

Boston boy here...from Russell to Bird to Pierce. I just cried remembering how good this was. The Golden Age of basketball. Thanks.

Wilkins should've been on the 1992 dream team

Bird guarantees Victory & goes 9 for 10 in the 4th Qtr. UNREAL game! Wilkins played great, but in the end Larry Legend wins the game! I saw Bird play EVERY game for 3 seasons, 84, 85, 86. Two of his 3 Championships! The 86 team was one of the best ever assembled. If Len Bias had not died they may have won in 87 against the Lakers. But it was not to be. The best era of NBA basketball ever. Many great players and great games like this one!! Bird was the BEST ever at his position, as was MJ, Magic

I began watching Bird & Magic in the 79 NCAA Championship. Then Bird won rookie of the yr in 80 but Magic won the Championship. The Celts won in 81. Bird & Magic finally competed in 84 finals. Celtics won. Then the Lakers in 85, Celtics in 86 (their best team & one of the best 2 or 3 EVER). Then the Lakers won in 87. They had got Len Bias in the draft, but he died. Then McHale got hurt in the championship. If they had gotten Bias, they probably win in 87. The 80s were the best for the NBA!!

the double clutch pump that wilkins almost pulled off is vicious.

Yo. Larry Bird was the truth. Str8 assassin.

I'm jealous. I would have loved to have seen more of the Celts games live than I did. I wasn't really old enough to know what's going on til the 87 finals.

9:13 Bird is tired there. He usually has a much easier time getting good position. Doesn't matter there though, he's Bird.

Larry Legend, the real GOAT

Larry Legend. Enough said.

What a game. I grew up watching 80's basketball and what a difference with today's, the pace was way higher, more exiting back then. Today's players have better physiques but back in those days the technique was way way better.

What a sports classic!

wao el gran larry bird que súper estrella de jugador una leyenda que jamas sera olvidada

Yes that is true. The NBA would round up the ,797 he had from the Free Throw line that 2nd year. Whats really ironic, BOTH of those years his Field Goal % was .604. He was a true low post genius!! Via satellite I watched every game for 3 seasons & saw Kevin hit 56 to set the Celtics single game record. Then less than 2 weeks later on 3/12/85, as a resident in New Orleans I was in the arena when Bird torched the Hawks for 60! McHale was the first to congratulate Bird. They were great to watch!

Dominique Wilkins is like a guard so fast and quick

This was one of the greatest game 7s in playoff history it came down to the wire, this is what the playoofs are all about do or die, win or go home.

so are we just not gonna talk about the guy that takes a full court throw to the face at 4:50? ok

Dominique will always be my boy, but hat's off to Bird. Dat white boy can ball!!!!

I think that turnover at 4:10 really woke Bird up and he started playing with so much more focus. He played pissed after that. You could tell he was mad the way he sprinted down after that and then ultimately got hot.

Still the greatest duel in the history of sports and I watched it live (on TV)!

I was a huge 'Nique fan back in the day and always wished he got at least one title to validate his HOF career. But alas he never had the supporting cast to get past Bird & the Celtics but I give him credit for never bailing out on his team/City. Today he's known more for his dunk contest duels w/MJ on all-star weekend, and those were great entertainment, but his legacy should really be that of both an amazing talent AND a fierce competitor.

Watch NBA TV's 50th birthday tribute to Larry, top 50 moments of his career. It's discussed in there.. game was from 2/14/86.

Still the best pure era of basketball in history. The college game was great. The pro game was at the best of its epoch...with TEAM BALL still holding precedent over individuals (Yeah, I am looking at you Jordan...ZERO TITLES during this era). You had to be an all time TEAM to win in the 80's...'82 Lakers, '83 Sixers, '86 Celtics, '87 Lakers, '89 Pistons...those are ALL TIME great teams. Dominique was amazing, but the Celtics had a better team. And too much Larry Bird. #Respect

These are the NBA's greats at it's best. Gotta love Dominique no matter the situation he will still dunk the shit out of the ball..

Happened 25 years ago to this day. May 22, 1988

What's even more amazing is the fact Bird's health at this point was horrible and he still went out and kicked the ass of one of the greatest athletes to play the game. . . Imagine what Dominique could have or would have done with a bad back (that needed surgery), bad heels (that needed surgery), and wasn't that great of an athlete to begin with? I doubt he would've even been in the league with those injuries.

I love this duel. Two absolute superstars in their prime. Bird is my favourite player ever. Dominique is so underrated...

Cool, two of the greats going head to head in the playoffs. That was a good series and a great game.

Hi Mr Larry Bird you are most popular see people her Philippines. From rito asuncion

Imagine if Len Bias hadn't died. . .you would have had Bird, McHale, Parrish, Johnson, and up and coming Reggie Lewis with Bias. That youth was sorely needed and would have made a huge difference. They would have been an easy contender.

For all the people that say there was no defense during this time....LMAO. These guys are hitting some ridiculous shots

the most loved athlete in the history of boston sports was bird. bobby orr, ted Williams, tom brady no one comes close to bird

The NBA was so enjoyable back then. Low post game, defense and passionate fans with great rivalries. The modern NBA imo isn't as enjoyable to watch. The players and talent of today are off the charts but tge game isn't the same.

The NBA will never get this good again. As the man says " You are watching what greatness is all about "

I wish basketball was still played this fast

Celts fan here - Wilkins was the human scoring machine. He was so exciting to watch. I watched this game live...it was awesome.

Real fans in the front rows, no piped in music during the game, and a free flowing game on the court. Can't get better than that.

I grew up going to Celtic games alone as a kid, in the old Garden. I've seen them all...from the Jones boy's to Rondo. Bird is the best Celtic ever. Perhaps best player of all time, with a strong challenge from Oscar Rodertson. I mean averaging a triple double for a whole season seems unfathomable, but the Big O did it. Man he was smooth. When I would watch Larry play, I actually was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that I recognized his greatness...sad that I knew that it was meteoric, ands someday would end. I can still feel the vibe of game day though...the way he orchestrated his and his mates performance. The ultimate Maestro of the Hardwood...icewater in his veins, and something to prove each and every night. He was driven. Thank you LB...go Pacers!!!!

Whoever said Jordan took the Bulls to the ECF in his rookie year is buggin. I watched Jordan his entire career. He was a rookie when I was 9. Most of y'all probably missed a lot of his career so you can't really talk about him. And to clarify to you young guys, the competition in the 80s was way tougher than in the 90s. Mike had to wait his turn before he started winning titles.

Lotta people don't remember when they watch Bird from 1987 on, how much pain his back and feet were in! A lotta these big games, he spent the night in the hospital in traction so he could be in less pain the next day! Stories like that make people realize just how tough he was! And if they needed him, he'd play 46 to 48:00!! Bird told Bill Simmons he thought seriously about hangin it up from 1987 on!! He just couldn't take the pain after awile! So can anyone even imagine a Bird with no pain!! Scary thought!

His teammates called Kevin "The Black Hole" because once the ball went into him it didnt come back out. The only player EVER in NBA history to shoot 60%+ from the field and 80+% from the line. In my era McHale was one of the best power forwards in the NBA along with K. Malone. Now Malone did have the gift of being on the receiving end of most of Stocktons 15806 assists! I agree with the comment above, the NBA was indeed a MUCH better league then than now. Am glad I saw part of NBAs best era!

Some of those shots they hit in the 4th, ridiculous.

The fact Dominique won three games in this series and almost went on to face the bad boys is incredible..nice run this year for him...he was truly in his prime at this time.

I've seen this game a few times. It was great. I watch less and less ball as the years go by. Anybody who doesn't recognize Larry as one of the greatest ever is blinded by something. He was phenomenal. All around great player. Nique was amazing too. One of my all time fav's, I live in LV. We use to get an Atlanta station so I watched lots and lots of Hawks games back in the day. Jordan and Nique had some good match over the years

Thank you for uploading this :-)

Bird was the greatest shooter of all time

I've seen thousands of games and this is easily the best 1 v 1 dual ever. Pierce and James brought flashes of this; but it still wasn't the same.

Nique was easily one of the 10 best offensive players to play ever. If you want to dock him for his average at best defense, fine, so whats that knock him down to when voting for the 50 greatest of all time?.....20th, 33rd, 40th.....how about 48th best of all time?...surely with over 26,000 points the man made the list as the 50th best of all time?? Nope, not on the list!! One of the top injustices in the 3 major sports.

you are watching what greatness is all about

NBA players now are hella ripped. It's amazing watching these Celtics and they look as if they never touched a weight in their lives. Amazing what they got out of their talent.

Dominique took his show to Greece and led Panathanaikos to their first European Championship in their history. He is a legend in Greece.

Larry Bird Wow!

im glad whoever edited this video left that little snippet of reggie lewis in there. RIP

4:50...ouch!

At 8:40 comes off a screen and shows you his range with a defender right there..... I can only wish to have been there or seen this man play . Larry Bird ! Amazing ..... I love basketball and just watching this is really great . Larry Legend

One of the Basketball Heaven games.

Parish has NEVER gotten the respect he is DUE! That guy worked like a SUPERHERO game after game!

Incredible Dominic

BIRD, the real GOAT! He's the perfect player! What a basketball player should be.

Fantastic upload Man, the intensity

Even the most athletic and best defenders can't seem to find a way to stop him or to defend against him regardless of the team he's playing. Certainly not the most "athletic of all time" but definitely the GREATEST OF ALL TIME.

I saw this fourth quarter, what a game!!

I remember this game well. The Hawks only real shot at breaking through in the Wilkins era. Dominique was dominant. Bird matched him point for point in the 4th quarter when the series was on the line. An incredible duel. Its hard to know what it was like in real time just from watching highlights. Best basketball game I've ever witnessed.

such a beautiful fucking game.

Now that's what you call a game of basketball! Larry Bird, McHale, Wilkins...awesome!

wow!!! brings back memories

The sequence from around :33 to 1:15 is awesome. back and forth they go until parish slams it home off a nice feed from johnson.

It's a shame Dominique played on so many average to bad teams. He tried to will his team to a championship against one of the all time great teams and came up a little short, no shame in that. What competitors the NBA had back then. Zack Randolf reminds me of Bird only in the way neither of them are high jumpers but can still punish you offensively with great timing and moves.

Yep, I'm glad too. He was becoming one of the best 2 guards in the league, then passed away. .About that time, I started thinking the Celts were cursed.

Todays nba talent pool is greater, back in those days there were only a few teams on each side of the fence who would give jordan or bird or magic trouble, nowdays every team has a big 3 with incredible players. Flame on old people but truth is, past is past.

Dominique locked up his Hall of Fame spot on this day. He went toe to toe with Bird in his house and almost led his team to the upset of a lifetime. To this day, this is the best Game 7 I've ever seen in the NBA. Two teams just warring and three of NBA's 50 greatest putting all their skills on display.