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 BOSTON (AP) - Larry Bird led the Celtics to three NBA titles in the 1980s, and Boston worshipped him. Bird had a favorite of his own, though, and it wasn't either of the future Hall of Famers who joined him in the league's greatest frontcourt.
"Larry Bird was totally in awe of Dennis," former Celtics coach K.C. Jones said Thursday after Dennis Johnson died at the age of 52. "Dennis was just an awesome player. He played hard and he took the big shots."
Despite sharing the ball with Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, it was Johnson who hit the winning shot against the Lakers in Game 4 of the 1985 NBA finals. And it was Johnson finishing off one of the most memorable plays in league history: Bird's steal against Detroit in the 1987 Eastern Conference finals.
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