Larry Legend

In 1987 and 1988 I did not like Larry Bird. Why? Bird and the Celtics prevented the Detroit Pistons from winning an NBA championship.

Bird made a steal with seconds remaining on an Isiah Thomas in bound pass in game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, an amazing play, even 25 plus years later. Bird not only swept in to make the steal, he stayed in bounds, and fed the ball to a cutting to the basket Dennis Johnson for the layup and victory. The Celtics would go on to win that series in seven games. You want to talk about devastating — that was it.

But that's what Bird would do to your team. He would find a way to beat your squad with his determination and stoicism. The Pistons could never win in the Boston Garden. Thankfully the Pistons finally did defeat Bird and the Celtics in 1988 to move on to play Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals.

After the Piston-Celtic rivalry was over, I began to appreciate Larry Bird. Maybe it was the 1991 Eastern Conference playoffs between the aging Celtics and the upstart Indiana Pacers. There was a young, trash talking player on that Pacer squad named Chuck Person. Bird was no shrieking violet when it came to talking trash, and you could see those two players going back and forth with each other on NBC.

In one of those playoff games at the Garden, Bird hurt his back doing what he typically did in his career - diving for a loose ball. He goes in the trainer's room. It appears he is done for the day. What happens next? Of course Bird returns to action in that same game and leads the Celtics to victory.

I always thought of Bird as a three point wizard. Maybe because he won multiple three point contents at the NBA All Star weekend.

Like Gretzky the part of Bird's game that I admired the most was his ability to make a great pass. Gretzky and Bird were very unselfish players.

Bird beat so many teams with a clutch shot at the end of the game as well. Brent Musburger who was with CBS Sports in the 1980s described Bird as a cold blooded shooter that demanded the basketball at the end of a game. And he delivered more times than not.

Bob Knight said on the ESPN SportsCentury profile of Bird, that he might have had the best hand eye coordination of anyone that's ever played the game. On that same profile, James Worthy admitted that he would much rather guard Michael Jordan than Larry Bird because with Bird you have to think the game.

Magic Johnson admitted that the only player he ever feared during his career was Larry Bird. Magic admitted that black guys would ask him all the time if Larry Bird was really that good. Magic confessed that Bird was so good it was scary. I think after seeing the damage he did to their teams, many a Piston, 76er, Laker, Hawk fan would agree.