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“Before Bird I used to vacillate,” says Bob Cousy, now a Celtics broadcaster. “The question didn’t seem relevant. But Bird came along with all the skills, all the things a basketball player has to do. I think he’s the greatest.” […]
At this point Bird seems unconcerned with reserving a throne in the NBA pantheon. He never saw the great forwards of the past, the Baylors and Bob Pettits—Schayes to him is the Nuggets’ Danny, not the Syracuse Nationals’ Dolph—and has watched only a few film clips of Barry, a superstar of more recent vintage. “All I know is that people tend to forget how great the older great players were,” says Bird. “It’ll happen that way with me, too.”
Sports Illustrated – Remembering Larry Bird in his prime: ‘As Nearly Perfect As You Can Get’
In case you missed it, yesterday was the 23rd anniversary of Larry Bird’s retirement. SI.com marked the day by republishing the March 1986 profile of Bird at the peak of his powers. Larry Legend was on the verge of winning his third straight MVP award, after three years of finishing second in the voting. Not coincidentally, the Celtics were three months away from winning Banner 16, which was their third title in six years.
Watching the Celtics in the 1980s was the proverbial hoop heaven. Bird was not just great, he would do something astonishing every single game. Every night brought several “wow” moments, guaranteed.
Keep in mind, Bird won all those MVPs and titles while competing against the Magic/Kareem Lakers, the Dr. J/Moses 76ers, and even the Don Nelson-coached Bucks, who put up 55-60 wins per year and couldn’t even sniff the Finals. Who knows how many titles Larry’s Celtics would have rung up had they faced anything less than those opponents.
It’s truly a shame that Bird’s career was shortened by injuries, most notably a chronic bad back. But forgetting how great he was is simply unthinkable.
So if you never saw Bird play live, do yourself a favor and go to YouTube. Also check out NBA TV this week as they feature the greatest games of the ’80s. If you can put up with the ancient video quality, it will be well worth it.
On Page 2: Red’s Army on ESPN Boston
Chris Forsberg, long-time Celtics beat writer for ESPN Boston, has once again invited writers from Red’s Army and other Celtics blogs to weigh in for his annual Summer Forecast. In a daily series that began this past Monday, Chris is publishing predictions about how the Cs will fare during 2015-16.
Comments from Jay and Ben of Red’s Army have already been featured in the series. Monday’s segment projected how many games Boston will win this season, and Tuesday’s entry covered how far the Celtics might go in the playoffs.
Catch up and keep up on the series by visiting the Boston Celtics Report.
And, finally… Baseball Danny
.@KJ_MayorJohnson could have been a major league shortstop and @wesleyperson7 had major league power!! #great people https://t.co/0sWRwSKjgG
— Danny Ainge (@danielrainge) August 18, 2015
#InThe90sWeAsked the @Suns to model our new uniforms. pic.twitter.com/KTJaD1gIUE
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 17, 2015
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Did you know Danny Ainge played three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays? That was before his .220 lifetime batting average made it clear he had a better future in basketball. Danny, wearing the black jersey, still looked good in a baseball uniform many years later.
Glad for Celtics Nation that he didn’t hit .320.
The Rest of the Links:
CSNNE – Another season full of player movement for the Celtics? | Hoops Hype – Good or bad, Lakers and Knicks keep getting TV love | NBA.com – Summer Dreaming: Who wins Kia Most Improved Player? | Pro Basketball Talk – Isaiah Thomas has an impressive workout partner — Floyd Mayweather
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