Tenacious D: Another Steal for the Ages

For local basketball fans, few moments are as memorable as Larry Bird's steal and assist to Dennis Johnson that propelled the Celtics to a shocking 108-107 come-from-behind win against the Pistons in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals.

Last Saturday, before a rowdy crowd at Lavietes Pavilion, sophomore Pat Harvey and the Crimson gave local basketball fans another memorable ending reminiscent of Bird and the Celtics of yesteryear.

It was a classic game.

Harvard's improbable, 79-78 win over Dartmouth in the final seconds of regulation capped a phenomenal display of energetic and acrobatic athleticism that left many spectators and coaches alike on the edge of their seats throughout the second half.

Sophomore forward Sam Winter threw down a thundering dunk four minutes into the second half that whittled the Big Green lead to three. Three minutes later, sophomore guard Brady Merchant elevated to deliver an authoritative block which denied Big Green guard Flinder Boyd an easy breakaway lay-up.

Both of these impressive individual efforts generated a frenzied response from the Crimson fans and set the tone for the drama that was about to unfold in the ensuing minutes.

Down the stretch, the Crimson and the Big Green were evenly matched. At one point, both teams combined to hit six straight three-pointers and traded the lead four times in the game's final minutes.

Despite the energy in the building, Harvard's fans were silenced when Big Green forward Ian MacGinnis made two free throws to extend Dartmouth's lead to four with only 29 seconds left. Needing two possessions, the Crimson's hopes for a win were slim.

And then, something inexplicable happened.

In that span of 29 seconds, the heroics of sophomore Elliott Prasse-Freeman, captain Dan Clemente and Harvey turned a disappointing Ivy League loss into a game that no one will soon forget. It's hard to put into words, but it was an ending worthy of legend.

With 29 seconds left, Prasse-Freeman dribbled the ball upcourt and tried to set up a quick scoring play. Unable to find Clemente, Prasse-Freeman had to pass to Winter on the perimeter. Winter then fired off a three-point attempt that caromed of the back of the iron.

The ball, which fortunately had enough momentum to carry it over the Big Green frontcourt players, was gathered in by Prasee-Freeman on the left wing. With the clock running below 10 seconds, Prasse-Freeman had the presence of mind to look for Clemente and threw a cross-court pass to the senior marksman.

Clemente caught the lob, which was nearly intercepted by a Dartmouth defender, and calmly drained a three-pointer to pull the Crimson within one with 6.3 seconds left. Fittingly, Clemente ended the game with 170 three-pointers for his career, making him the all-time leader from beyond the arc. Harvard then took a timeout, setting up what would become the game's deciding play.

Like Boston in the 1987 Eastern Finals, the Crimson was down by one with little time on the clock and with its opponents in possession of the ball. Like Detroit's Isaiah Thomas, Dartmouth's point guard Boyd handled the inbounds pass. And like Larry Bird, Pat Harvey came up with a steal for the ages.

Although Harvey was not able to dish the ball off to a teammate like Bird in '87, Boyd fouled him with 3.7 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately for Dartmouth, free throws are Harvey's bread-and-butter.

Heading into Saturday's game, Harvey was second in the nation with a 96.3 percent free-throw average, having hit 26 of 27 from the line. Despite Dartmouth's best efforts to freeze the sophomore guard, Harvey hit both free throws in the clutch to seal Harvard's one-point win.

After disrupting the ensuing inbounds pass, the Crimson bench and the Lavietes crowd erupted as the Harvard players danced in a huddle under the basket. The Dartmouth players and coaching staff rushed off the court without the customary handshakes, as everyone else was too startled by the rapid turn of events to take notice.

Similar to the significance of Bird steal to the Celtics, "Pat's Pick" came at an important time for the Crimson.

Saturday night was the Ivy opener for both teams and Harvard's Ivy success depends upon consistently winning games against teams like Dartmouth and playing well against the perennial powerhouses of Penn and Princeton.

In addition to the stellar show by Harvey and Clemente, Drew Gellert turned in a masterful performance. The junior guard finished with 17 points, ten rebounds, six steals and four assists. Prasse-Freeman also made a strong contribution of eight assists and three steals on the night.

Regardless of the additional story lines to Saturday's game, Harvey's steal of Boyd's inbounds pass will be remembered as the defining moment in a game filled with tumultuous twists and turns for both teams. It may not have been the most dramatic or significant moment in Harvard basketball history, but "Pat's Pick" certainly ranks among the best endings in recent memory.

Bird's steal in 1987 beat the Pistons and helped the Celtics advance into the NBA Finals. If Harvard continues to play as resiliently as it did on Saturday, then perhaps Harvey's steal to seal its first Ivy League win will be similarly important.

In other words, if Saturday's magic continues for the Crimson, then it's possible that post-game celebrations won't be the only "dancing" Harvard will do this year.