Larry Bird was a master of the "dagger three."
It wasn't just that Bird would make the field goal from beyond the arc, it was when he made it.
If the Celtics were leading by nine with a few minutes left in the quarter or a tight game was turned on its ear by an 8-0 Celtic run, Bird was looking to apply the dagger.
There is a big difference between leaving a team with a nine-point deficit as opposed to a 12-point hill to climb.
An 8-0 flurry that gives your team a lead is the cake; the three-point field goal that extends the lead even further is the icing.
Dagger threes kill hope in the other team.
Dagger threes get the other team's coach screaming for a timeout.
Dagger threes demoralize your opponent, while pouring fuel on the fire of momentum that your team is riding.
No player shot and made more dagger threes than Larry Bird.
He invented the shot that was later adopted by Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan.
In today's game, I see fewer dagger threes and more heat check threes.
Kobe is one of only a few players who I think senses the oppo ...
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Article written by Jose Salviati
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