When Larry Bird was 12

[edjr 6,578]

 

[Strike 5,186]

Not as impressive as I was expecting.  But I'll never forget the time he grabbed a rebound while he was drifting behind the backboard and threw it up from behind and to the side of the backboard, and did all of that in basically one motion.  THAT was an amazing shot.  And in a meaningful basketball game, not just a playground move.  Dude was unreal.

[WhiteWonder 2,675]

[BeenHereBefore 1,455]

26 minutes ago, Strike said:

Not as impressive as I was expecting.  But I'll never forget the time he grabbed a rebound while he was drifting behind the backboard and threw it up from behind and to the side of the backboard, and did all of that in basically one motion.  THAT was an amazing shot.  And in a meaningful basketball game, not just a playground move.  Dude was unreal.

Yea a lot of us remember that one.

[Patented Phil 1,469]

33 minutes ago, Strike said:

Not as impressive as I was expecting.  But I'll never forget the time he grabbed a rebound while he was drifting behind the backboard and threw it up from behind and to the side of the backboard, and did all of that in basically one motion.  THAT was an amazing shot.  And in a meaningful basketball game, not just a playground move.  Dude was unreal.

I was at that game.  This video has an alternate angle of the shot.  Also, check out the Houston player at the end of the bench.

[Patented Phil 1,469]

All-time best Larry Bird memory - the 60 points he dropped on Atlanta that had the entire Atlanta bench going crazy.

Here is clear video of some of the best shots and the bench reactions.

Here is a great video of Doc Rivers (Hawks player at the time) describing it.

Hilarious interview with Doc Rivers and Dan Patrick many years later, talking about the next day's film session and all the hawks players who got fined for celebrating.

[posty 2,612]

30 minutes ago, Patented Phil said:

I was at that game.  This video has an alternate angle of the shot.  Also, check out the Houston player at the end of the bench.

All that for zero points...

[Patented Phil 1,469]

13 minutes ago, posty said:

All that for zero points...

Thanks Posty.

[thegeneral 2,896]

The stories of players talking about how much shet Larry talked are so great. YouTube filled with them.

HBO series “Winning Time” which was unfortunately cut short had the best actors playing athletes I have ever seen. Larry Bird guy was fantastic. Def worth watching if you grew up watching Lakers Celtics.

[edjr 6,578]

2 hours ago, Strike said:

Not as impressive as I was expecting.  But I'll never forget the time he grabbed a rebound while he was drifting behind the backboard and threw it up from behind and to the side of the backboard, and did all of that in basically one motion.  THAT was an amazing shot.  And in a meaningful basketball game, not just a playground move.  Dude was unreal.

1st thing I thought of. 

[Patented Phil 1,469]

Fun facts about Larry Bird:

1. Larry won 3 straight MVP's from 84-86.  What makes that fact fun?  The entire Dream Team was playing in the NBA
2. Only person in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year
3. Had more rebounds per game than Patrick Ewing
4. Second highest win% of all-time, behind only Magic Johnson by one-half of one percent.
5. Larry only played 12 seasons.  Jordan, whom everyone always asks "what night have been?" - still played 15 seasons.

[edjr 6,578]

6 minutes ago, Patented Phil said:

Fun facts about Larry Bird:

1. Had more rebounds per game than Patrick Ewing

   During a time when the NBA averaged less than 5 - 3 point shots per game. 

[Patented Phil 1,469]

51 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

The stories of players talking about how much shet Larry talked are so great. YouTube filled with them.

HBO series “Winning Time” which was unfortunately cut short had the best actors playing athletes I have ever seen. Larry Bird guy was fantastic. Def worth watching if you grew up watching Lakers Celtics.

Larry and Magic WERE the 80's.  

This is a great 3-minute clip showing how they went from hated rivals to friends.

Magic gets choked up remembering when Bird reached out to him after the HIV diagnosis.

[thegeneral 2,896]

12 minutes ago, Patented Phil said:

Larry and Magic WERE the 80's.  

This is a great 3-minute clip showing how they went from hated rivals to friends.

Magic gets choked up remembering when Bird reached out to him after the HIV diagnosis.

You should watch Winning Time if you haven’t already. Had some great episodes. Was mostly about the Lakers but got into the Celtics rivalry quite a bit. 

Dude who played Jerry West was funny and hell. Adrian Brody playing Pat Riley was great. The whole cast really was spot on. Great music.

[Patented Phil 1,469]

His dominant run from 84-86 (3 straight MVP's, 2 Championships) culminated in the famous Game 6 victory against the Houston Rockets (after Ralph Sampson fought Gerry Sichting the game before).  Larry has always said it was the greatest game he ever played.  The stats weren't gaudy (though he almost had a triple-double by half-time) but he was all over the court and dominated every phase of the game.  He even won a jump ball against Ralph Sampson.

Larry Bird's Greatest Game

[Patented Phil 1,469]

7 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

You should watch Winning Time if you haven’t already. Had some great episodes. Was mostly about the Lakers but got into the Celtics rivalry quite a bit. 

Dude who played Jerry West was funny and hell. Adrian Brody playing Pat Riley was great. The whole cast really was spot on. Great music.

I started watching it a couple weeks ago and then got distracted with something else.  I'm definitely going to finish it.

[Patented Phil 1,469]

It's interesting how Larry's game has been reassessed with the way the NBA game has evolved over the last 10 years.  He was ahead of his time.

[BunnysBastatrds 2,310]

1 hour ago, thegeneral said:

The stories of players talking about how much shet Larry talked are so great. YouTube filled with them.

HBO series “Winning Time” which was unfortunately cut short had the best actors playing athletes I have ever seen. Larry Bird guy was fantastic. Def worth watching if you grew up watching Lakers Celtics.

 Love that series. I grew up as a young kid watching them battle. Great basketball. 

[edjr 6,578]

1 hour ago, Patented Phil said:

His dominant run from 84-86 (3 straight MVP's, 2 Championships) culminated in the famous Game 6 victory against the Houston Rockets (after Ralph Sampson fought Gerry Sichting the game before).  Larry has always said it was the greatest game he ever played.  The stats weren't gaudy (though he almost had a triple-double by half-time) but he was all over the court and dominated every phase of the game.  He even won a jump ball against Ralph Sampson.

Larry Bird's Greatest Game

Too bad the Celtics had to beat the useless Rockets and not the Lakers in 86. Celts only beat the Lakers once in the finals. Would have been twice, but butter fingers McHale/Chief bumbled an easy rebound  

 

[Patented Phil 1,469]

41 minutes ago, edjr said:

Too bad the Celtics had to beat the useless Rockets and not the Lakers in 86. Celts only beat the Lakers once in the finals. Would have been twice, but butter fingers McHale/Chief bumbled an easy rebound  

That 86 Celtics team was the best I’ve ever seen.  50-1 at home including the playoffs.  No biggee - just a run-of-the-mill .980 win percentage.  Insane.

[BeachGuy23 642]

Len Bias not dying would have gotten BIrd another ring or two at least.  Bias was a stud who Larry would have made even better. 

[Mookz 1,337]

Kid breaking fools down like The Professor from the AND1 Mixtape tour. 

 

[edjr 6,578]

29 minutes ago, BeachGuy23 said:

Len Bias not dying would have gotten BIrd another ring or two at least.  Bias was a stud who Larry would have made even better. 

2nd overall pick  did not play a sniff.

 

[frank 2,276]

17 minutes ago, edjr said:

2nd overall pick  did not play a sniff.

 

I see what you did there. 

[thegeneral 2,896]

3 hours ago, BunnysBastatrds said:

 Love that series. I grew up as a young kid watching them battle. Great basketball. 

I am really bummed it got canceled. The last episode was probably one of the better ones and they had years to go still.

[thegeneral 2,896]

1 hour ago, Patented Phil said:

That 86 Celtics team was the best I’ve ever seen.  50-1 at home including the playoffs.  No biggee - just a run-of-the-mill .980 win percentage.  Insane.

I am from Indiana and love Bird but as a kid I found myself rooting for the Lakers if I remember correctly. Showtime!

[Mookz 1,337]

Doesn't he double dribble at :19 though?  He picks up his dribble, pivots around like a maniac, then just throws the ball behind the defender and runs to get it.  Don't you at least have to pretend like the defender knocked it out of your hands? 

What I'm saying is he never should have gotten that shot off in the first place. 

[thegeneral 2,896]

1 minute ago, Mookz said:

Doesn't he double dribble at :19 though?  He picks up his dribble, pivots around like a maniac, then just throws the ball behind the defender and runs to get it.  Don't you at least have to pretend like the defender knocked it out of your hands? 

What I'm saying is he never should have gotten that shot off in the first place. 

This is that And One type shet where they try to clown the other guy. Sometimes they throw the ball off the dude’s head.

If you did that when I played next time you went up in the air you aren’t landing so nicely and coach would be giving you props after the game

[Patented Phil 1,469]

21 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

I am from Indiana and love Bird but as a kid I found myself rooting for the Lakers if I remember correctly. Showtime!

Booooo.

[thegeneral 2,896]

9 minutes ago, Patented Phil said:

Booooo.

Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Coop, mix in some Rambis and Pat coaching. They were just cool.

McHale kind of freaked me out. 

[Patented Phil 1,469]

6 minutes ago, thegeneral said:

Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Coop, mix in some Rambis and Pat coaching. They were just cool.

McHale kind of freaked me out. 

And Rambis didn’t?  Dude looked like a serial killer.

[thegeneral 2,896]

1 minute ago, Patented Phil said:

And Rambis didn’t?  Dude looked like a serial killer.

The stache was sweet. And he was like a 8th man who dove into the crowd and did crazy stuff: McHale was a main cog.

[Gepetto 1,288]

Where's age 12 Larry Bird video?

[edjr 6,578]

10 hours ago, thegeneral said:

 

McHale kind of freaked me out. 

Lurch

[Fireballer 2,639]

I’m sure this has been posted before, but still funny