The play happened in the seventh and final game of the 1965 Eastern Conference finals. between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. at the old Boston Garden.
On April 15, 1965,
I was a freshman in college. I attended the game with my best friend Johnny Harris.
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In the closing seconds, an inbound pass from Bill Russell struck one of the basket’s guide wires. The refs went into a conference — there was a delay — until they decided that the ball should be awarded to the 76ers.
Johnny and I were sitting in the balcony, at the end of the court opposite Havlicek’s play.
Hal Greer threw an inbounds pass for the 76ers. Havlicek stood with his back to Greer; he was guarding Chet Walker. He spun and tipped the pass to Sam Jones.
I recall watching Jones gleefully dribbling out the clock
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At a point around 0:22 in the audio, you can hear the announcer saying (the audio is garbled). “Bill Russell hugs him. He squeezes John Havlicek,” as Havlicek is being carried off the court.
— posted by Roger W. Smith
April 2026
