The play was never drawn up this way. The ball was supposed to go to Dominique Wilkins. He was intended to take the final shot.
It never happened. Atlanta Hawks fans still remember Cliff Levingston’s running left-handed hook that fell off the side of the rim.
“That would have changed the whole outcome of the NBA that year,’’ admits Levingston. “It would have also vaulted my career.’’
The play came on May 20, 1988, at the Omni with the Hawks leading the Eastern Conference semifinals three games to two. One more win against the Celtics and Atlanta would go to its first conference finals.
With four seconds remaining and the Hawks down by two, coach Mike Fratello designed a play for Wilkins. He was the first option and point guard Doc Rivers was the second. Combined, they had scored 67 of Atlanta’s 100 points. Guarded by Boston’s Dennis Johnson, Wilkins could not get open with Rivers desperately trying to get the ball to him.
Instead, he went to Levingston, who quickly drove the lane against 6-foot-10 Kevin McHale and 7-footer Robert Parrish and let go of a hook shot that rimmed out.
Said the right-handed Levingston, “Look, Dominique was supposed to get the ball. But he couldn’t get open and it came to me. I got the ball and the only thing I could do was go straight to the basket. I had McHale and Parrish coming at me. I wasn’t looking for a foul. I got it up and it rolled off … period.’’
With the series headed back to Boston, Celtics forward Larry Bird said, “They had their chance. They might as well forget it.”
Bird ended up being right. He scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and 34 in the game vs. 47 for Wilkins in a 118-116 win in Game 7.
“I am still asked about that shot a lot,’’ said Levingston. “There were so much ifs and what could have been in that series. It did lead to one of the greatest showdowns ever in Game 7 between Dominique and Bird. But I did my best to make the shot. The ball came to me, I went at it and it just didn’t fall.’’
