Memories of the Miracle of Richfield.

Byline: Chris Tomasson

Dick Snyder these days is a mild-mannered insurance agent in Phoenix. Most of his clients don't even know he once played in the NBA, let alone hit the most significant shot in one franchise's history.

If Snyder weren't so modest, he would tell them that 25 years ago on Sunday he took an inbound pass on the left side, whizzed past future Hall of Famer Wes Unseld and banked in a right-handed five-footer high off the glass with four seconds remaining. The shot gave the Cavaliers an 87-85 win over the Washington Bullets in the seventh and deciding game of an Eastern Conference semifinal playoff series.

It was the pinnacle of the 1975-76 season, which became known as the "Miracle of Richfield." After the final buzzer sounded, many of the 21,564 fans at the Coliseum, then an NBA playoff record, stormed the court. They tore down one basket as if it were a football goalpost.

"When I go back to Ohio, it's amazing how much that shot is remembered," said Snyder, a North Canton native who was a guard for 13 NBA seasons. "On one hand, though, it's a shame the Cavaliers haven't had a lot of good years since then, so there hasn't been a lot to eclipse that."

Memories of the Miracle of Richfield do not extend much past Northeast Ohio. The late Bobby Phills, a Louisiana native, once asked when he was playing with the Cavs, "Why did they call it a Miracle year? Didn't that team win only one playoff series?"

Those who did not live the Miracle year might never fully understand it. But for long-suffering Cavs fans, it remains the highlight of the franchise's 31 seasons.