10 Great Larry Bird Moments

Posted on Dec 7, 2011 in Top-10's | 2 comments

When pondering some of the greatest basketball players and moments, Larry Bird certainly comes to mind. The 14-year veteran of the Boston Celtics thrilled fans and fellow players from 1978 to 1992. Afterwards, Bird went on to serve as head coach in his home state of Indiana for the Indiana Pacers NBA team from 1997 to 2000.  In 2003 he became the President of Basketball Operations for the Pacers and currently still holds that same position.

Over the course of his playing career, Bird created countless memorable moments in the sport of basketball. As a media-shy college player, he began building his career as well as a lifetime rivalry against a few other players, namely Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

Once drafted into the NBA in 1978, Bird quickly built upon his exciting start in the NCAA, ultimately helping to establish one of the most formidable frontcourts in the NBA. Although Bird fans, both young and old, may have their own favorite moments, there are several that come up repeatedly. Highlighted here are some of Larry Bird’s greatest basketball moments, starting while he still played college basketball.

1. March 1979, NCAA Title Game

The term “March Madness” was born out of the excitement sparked when Bird and Indiana State went head-to-head with Michigan State and media favorite, Magic Johnson. Having played only three televised games prior to the Monday night match-up, Bird’s budding reputation enticed one-quarter of the nation to tune in to see if the “Great White Hope” was as good as the hype.

Bird and Johnson played head-to-head in the game that started their career-long rivalry. Although the Michigan State Spartans went on to win, 75-64, the mystery and notoriety surrounding Bird led to one of the highest rated televised games in basketball history.

2. 1981 Eastern Conference Finals

Midway through the Eastern Conference series, the Boston Celtics were losing by two games. After managing to win three games in a row against the rival Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics found themselves losing to the 76ers in Game 7 of the series.

As the clock wound down to the last minute, Boston and Philadelphia were tied with a score of 89-89. With less than 60 seconds on the clock, Bird secured the Celtic’s amazing series comeback with a fast-break, left-handed, pull-up bank shot. Arguably one of the most sensational shots of Bird’s career, the difficult shot made under intense pressure put Boston up, 91-89, and led the team to the finals for the first time in five years.

3. March 1983, Boston vs. Indiana

An end-of-March game against the Indiana Pacers saw Bird set two separate records. He scored 53 points against the Pacers, beating out a previous record of 51 points, set by Sam Jones during an October 1965 game against the Detroit Pistons.

Bird also set a Celtic record that would remain unbroken for 12 years. With a total of 24 points scored in the third quarter of the game against the Pacers, he set a team record for most points scored in one quarter. Bird’s franchise record remained untouched until December 22, 1995 when Todd Day matched it while playing againstMinnesota.

4. February 1985, Boston vs. Utah

In addition to nine steals in his first three quarters of play against the Utah Jazz, Bird also accomplished a triple double by scoring 30 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and providing no less than 10 assists.

At the end of the third quarter, the Celtics led by 24 points, with a score of 90-66. Bird viewed the rest of the game from the bench as his team went on to win, 110-94. During post-game interviews reporters asked Bird if he’d wanted to stay in the game to achieve a quadruple double during the fourth quarter.

“What for?”, Bird responded. “I already did enough damage to them.”

5. 1985, Boston vs. Washington

In a game the Bullets should have won, Bird brought his team back not once, not twice, but three times to win the game, 140-139. Trailing by three points in the last six seconds of regulation play, Bird shot a three-pointer that wasn’t counted due to the calling of a timeout by Celtics coach, K.C. Jones. He quickly shot another three-pointer to tie the game and put it into overtime.

The Celtics were trailing by two toward the end of the first overtime when Bird was fouled, then tied the game by converting both free throws. With two seconds left of the second overtime, the Celtics were down one point when Bird’s running shot beat the buzzer to win the game.

6. 1987 Eastern Conference Finals

It was the fourth quarter of Game 5 and the Detroit Pistons led the Celtics with a score of 107-106. In a dramatic series-saving play, Bird stole an inbound pass thrown by Isiah Thomas and directed to Bill Laimbeer. As he fell out of bounds, Bird turned his body and passed the ball to Dennis Johnson for a two-point layup that won the game  with less than one second on the clock.

7. 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals

One of the greatest and most popular Larry Bird moments is the playoff duel that occurred between him and Dominique Wilkins during Game 7 of the Semifinal series. Throughout the game, Bird and Wilkins duked it out, bringing their respective teams closer to a win with each point. Excitement grew as the two players matched each other score for score in the fourth quarter.

Wilkins scored 47 points and Bird scored 34 in a game Wilkins described as “the greatest game I’ve ever played in or seen played.”

In the end, Bird dispensed with an arsenal containing layups, floaters, three-point shots, jumpers and the prayer. With the clock winding down, Bird scored with a layup to secure the Celtics’ 118-116 series-clinching win.

8. November 1989, Boston vs. Atlanta

Bird was 33 years old and heading into the twilight phase of his career when the Celtics faced Atlanta in sold-out Boston Garden. Hitting 19 for 25 from the floor, he scored 50 points, including a three-pointer and 11 out of 12 free throws. As the Celtics closed in on an eventual 117-106 victory againstAtlanta, Bird threatened yet another triple double but finished with 13 rebounds and seven assists.

9. March 1991, Boston vs. Chicago

Although they played against each other many times, the game that took place on March 31, 1991 is known to be one of Bird’s best performances against Chicago Bull Michael Jordan. It was the last meeting of the season for the two teams and the game was in double overtime. As the clock ticked during the second overtime, Bird completed four out of five shots from the field to score nine points and help the Celtics win, 135-132.

10. 1992 Olympics, Barcelona, Spain

The last few seasons of Bird’s career were riddled with bone spurs and back pain, greatly reducing his playing time and ultimately leading toward the end of his career. But weeks before he announced his retirement, Bird went to the Barcelona Olympics as co-captain of the original Dream Team. A pride-filled nation and astounded world watches as Bird went out in a blaze of glory while helping his teammates earn a Gold Medal.

Honorable Mention – 1984 NBA Finals

The Celtics defeated the Lakers in Seven games.  During this series Larry averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds on his way to earning the Finals Most Valuable Player award.  I think this series really defined his career and put Larry up there with the elite class of the NBA for all time.

After his retirement, Bird served as a Celtics consultant before going home to Indiana to coach the Pacers from 1997 to 2000. Unable to make it to the playoffs the previous season, Bird led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals in both the 1998 and 1999 seasons.

A true basketball legend, Bird was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Over the course of his career he scored 21,791 points, had a 10.0 rebound average while grabbing 8,974 rebounds, and passed for a total of 5,695 assists.