Gerald Henderson helped steal a championship for the Boston Celtics

THE Boston Celtics have a long lineage of all-time plays – but Gerald Henderson is claiming to have the best of them all.

Henderson, a three-time NBA champion, controversially credited himself with the best play in Celtics franchise history.

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Gerald Henderson (right) credits himself with having the best play in franchise history despite Larry Bird’s (left) greatnessCredit: Getty

Henderson played on the Celtics for five seasonsCredit: Getty

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He was in the NBA for 13 yearsCredit: Getty
On the 26th anniversary of Larry Bird’s steal of Isiah Thomas’ rushed pass in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals – which many presume is the best play in franchise history – John Karalis of Reds Army wrote a small blog post to pay his respects toward the historic moment.

The steal saved Boston from going down 3-2 in their series with the Detroit Pistons, with Karalis calling it “the best play in Celtics history.”

However, Henderson disagreed, offering his response in a video rebuttal.

“Not too long ago, you called Larry Bird’s steal against the Pistons in ’87 the best play in Celtics history. Well, as you know, that’s not true,” Henderson began.

“It was one of them. It was a fantastic play by The Legend, but you forget about my steal in Game 2 of the ’84 Finals.

“The Lakers were so stunned that Magic (Johnson) – Tragic Magic at the time – he ran out the final play, dribble, dribble, dribble.”

Giving more context to Henderson’s historic play, the Celtics trailed 113-111 against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals with less than 20 seconds remaining.

Making matters worse, Los Angeles had the ball, with Magic Johnson looking to inbound.

Plus, the Celtics already dropped the first game of the series, meaning if they fell in game two, they’d be in a 0-2 hole.

But an ill-advised cross-court pass from Magic allowed Henderson to intercept the ball, racing down the hardwood to send the game to overtime.

By the final buzzer, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in overtime, equaling the series and allowing them to come back and ultimately win the 1984 NBA Finals.

Without Henderson’s steal, the Celtics likely have one less championship in their trophy cabinet.

As great as both Bird and Henderson’s steals are though, John Havlicek’s might be the best.

Havlicek’s tip to Sam Jones in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 1965 ended the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers squad that season.

With seconds left, Chamberlain and the 76ers had a chance to take the lead and move on to the finals.

Instead, Havlicek jumped the inbound pass, sealing the game for the Celtics.

Radio broadcaster Johnny Most can be heard reacting on the airwaves in what’s one of the most famous calls to date.

“Havlicek stole the ball,” he famously quoted.

“It’s all over!”

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Henderson was a point guard in the NBACredit: Getty

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He played for seven teams in the associationCredit: Getty