Rookie Dennis Rodman Hits All Seven Shots in Playoff Game vs. Celtics (1987)

May 26, 1987 - Hailing from little known Southeastern State University, Dennis Rodman was selected 27th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1986 NBA Draft (a second round pick at the time). Less than a year later, Rodman was going head to head with Boston Celtics superstar Larry Bird in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 5, Rodman scored 14 points in 21 minutes off the bench, nearly leading the Pistons to their first win in the Boston Garden in five years. Alas, a last-second Larry Bird steal yanked certain victory from Detroit's grasp (   • Видео  ).

The clip above includes all seven Dennis Rodman field goal attempts from the night (he made them all). In addition, a couple of other clips have been sprinkled about to give a taste of where his rebounding, defense, and overall energy stood at this point in his career.

The Celtics went on to eliminate the Pistons in seven games, leaving a bitter taste in Rodman's mouth, in particular. Following the Game 7 loss, Rodman was reluctant to give Boston, nor NBA MVP Larry Bird, any semblance of credit.

"He's white--that's the only reason he gets it," Rodman said, regarding Bird's MVP trophy. "I think he's very overrated."

Rodman continued, as he offered his synopsis of the upcoming NBA Finals matchup between the Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

"I'll never root for Boston, as long as I live. That series won't go long."

LA Times story on Pistons' series loss: http://articles.latimes.com/1987-05-3...

Box Score: https://www.basketball-reference.com/...