Welcome to LWOS Basketball department “NBA Time Traveler Series,” the column that imagines which retired player from an NBA franchise one would most want to travel back in time to see them play again in their prime. The LWOS Basketball department will review each of the 30 NBA franchises and which retired player would be their “NBA Time Traveler Player.”
Be sure to bookmark the site and follow us on Twitter. Last Word On Sports is your headquarters for everything hoops. For a Complete Listing of all our NBA Time Traveler Player Articles click here.
LWOS TIME TRAVELER SERIES: BOSTON CELTICS’ LARRY BIRD
Very few teams in sports have had the honor to have such a long and acclaimed list of players in their history as a franchise. The Boston Celtics, needless to say, fit that mold perfectly. From Bill Russell, the game’s biggest winner, to the likes of Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Paul Pierce among others, all of them have represented the embodiment of winning through the many years they have played in a Celtics uniform. However, the player that stood out the most for them, in a period when the NBA was in a fast decline, was Larry Bird. He, along with Lakers legend Magic Johnson, re-invented the game of basketball in the 80s’, and brought the NBA to new heights with their storied rivalry that paved the way for stars like Michael Jordan for the next three decades.
TIME TRAVEL TO SEE LARRY BIRD PLAY FOR THE BOSTON CELTICS AGAIN
Bird is best known for having an all around game; great shooter, great rebounder, excellent passer, and good defender (despite not being known for his athleticism), all to go along with his now famous trash talking ability, and endurance to perform extremely well under pressure, both which made him have a psychological edge over many of his opponents. If there’s any player you would want to choose in a pickup game based on his intimidating factor and all around skills to be an enforcer, Larry Bird is most certainly your guy. Undisputedly one of the best players in NBA history, Bird will always be one of the most renowned athletes ever to grace Boston sports, right up there with Bobby Orr, Ted Williams, and Tom Brady.
LARRY BIRDS’ INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES
Despite never leading the league in scoring, Larry Bird is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, having a career average of 24.3 points per game and a 49.6% field goal percentage. For his great performance in the regular season, Bird was awarded the MVP award for three straight years from 1984 to 1986. His performance in the playoffs resulted in him winning two Finals MVPs. He was also a 12 time All-Star, and a 9 time All-NBA First Team in only a 13 year career that was cut short due to chronic back pains.
LARRY BIRDS’ TEAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Larry Bird led his team to five NBA Finals appearances throughout the 80s’, going on to win the title three times in his career, losing two to Magic Johnson and the “showtime” Los Angeles Lakers. The 1985-1986 Boston Celtics team is consider by many to be one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, going 67-15 in the regular season, and an NBA record 40-1 at home, on route to winning their third NBA title. Later in his career, he was a member of the 1992 Dream Team that won the Olympic Gold Medal in Barcelona; in what is arguably consider the greatest team ever assembled in any professional sport.
THREE GAMES THAT ONE MIGHT WANT TO TRAVEL BACK INTO TIME TO SEE BIRD PLAY:
Bird Steals It!
The Celtics where on the ropes in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, trailing by one against the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons with five seconds to go, and the Pistons were ready to inbound to most likely end the game. If the Pistons where to win that game they would’ve had a 3-2 series lead with a chance to close the series out in Game 6 in their home court, ending a chance for the Celtics to make it back to the Finals. What ensued would become one of the most famous plays in NBA history, and one of Bird’s defining moments. Just when Isiah Thomas passed the ball to Bill Laimbeer, Bird quickly left his man and stole the ball in the blink of an eye, and just when he was about to go out of bounds, he passed the ball to Dennis Johnson for the easy layup to take the lead. They won the game 108-107, and closed the series out in Game 7 to advance to their fourth straight Finals. The play showed Bird’s genius as a basketball player, knowing exactly what he needed to do in order for the team to win thanks to his peripheral vision of the court, and going against the conventional wisdom of staying with your man. It is a trait he had carried his entire career, but no other moment shared that trait more than that one.
60 Point Game
On March 3, 1985, Kevin McHale broke the Celtics’ single game scoring record by scoring 56 points against the Pistons. Nine days later, in typical Bird fashion, he went on to score 60 points in shooting spectacle against the Hawks, re-establishing the Celtics record. It was a testament to his competitive nature, not shying away from competing with his own teammates to prove who the better player was.
Game 6 of the 1986 NBA Finals
With Boston leading 3-2 against the Houston Rockets, and the team returning back to Boston for the chance to close out the series and clinch the title, Bird delivered one of the greatest Finals performances in history. He recorded a triple double, with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists that where vital for the team’s 114-97 victory to win the Finals. Bird was awarded the MVP for his performance all throughout the series, but none better that his performance in Game 6, where Bird’s full brilliance was on display.
