John Havlicek

Cross-checked NBA and Celtics legends profiles, league historical calendars, Finals retrospectives, official archive box scores, major-media classic-game rankings, and recurring fan discussion. The list prioritizes the steal that became Havlicek's defining image, championship authorship across two Celtics eras, and performances with durable league-wide significance. NBA's legends profile incorrectly assigns 40 points to the 1968 East finals Game 7; the official archive shows 21 in that game and 40 in the Finals Game 6 clincher selected here.

1. #1. Havlicek scored 26 points with 11 rebounds, then anticipated Hal Greer's inbounds pass and made the series-saving steal that sealed the 1965 East finals Game 7 and inspired Johnny Most's immortal call. NBA: Havlicek stole the ball · Celtics: The 1965 East finals steal
2. #2. Playing hurt at age 36, Havlicek delivered 22 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and an apparent double-overtime winner in the triple-overtime 1976 Finals Game 5 widely remembered as the greatest Finals game ever played. NBA: Garfield Heard forces triple overtime in 1976 · ESPN: The NBA's greatest games
3. #3. Havlicek played 47 minutes and amassed 40 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists to win the 1968 Finals in Los Angeles, completing the first 3–1 series comeback in NBA playoff history. NBA: Celtics championship history · StatMuse: Havlicek's 1968 Finals clincher
4. #4. Havlicek scored a playoff-career-high 54 points on 24-of-36 shooting against Atlanta, tying the NBA postseason record for made field goals while adding nine rebounds and six assists. NBA: Boston's highest-scoring playoff games · NBA: This date in April
5. #5. Havlicek scored a Finals-career-high 36 points over 58 minutes, repeatedly rescuing Boston at the end of regulation and both overtimes before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook forced a seventh game in 1974. NBA: Kareem's skyhook wins the 1974 Finals thriller · Basketball Reference: 1974 Finals Game 6

Reviewed through 2026-07-17