Trash talking Larry Legend
God is all good and all knowing. Imagine the consequences had the quake happened not on a holiday. I don’t even want to think about it. One day at a time, let us all thank God for letting us again see the light of day and enjoy His countless blessings. Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, we all pray to the same supreme being, we just differ in ways of doing it. Let us all unite in prayer for all our brethren affected by the terrible disaster.
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One of the NBA’s top 50 greatest players in history, Larry Bird is known for his high basketball IQ, is fiercely competitive and is almost always composed on and off the court. One thing we really are not aware of is that he is also the NBA’s number one trash talker.
Trash talking had its peak in the 80s and 90s with the likes of Gary Payton, Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley and yup, Michael Jordan making the lives of opposing players miserable by continuously taunting them and backing them up with their superior skills. These four guys also have their trash talking stories but we zero in on the best of them all.
The latest crap we had on Larry Legend was during an interview with the local media a week ago prior to the Indiana-Houston pre-season game held at the MOA Arena. A lady reporter asked him which gives him more pressure, as a player or coach. Bird’s reply, “Pressure? I don’t even know what that is! You obviously never saw me play.†Nosebleed for the lady.
Gathering quotes from the web (Hoops Nation and Bleacher Report), here are some of the best Larry Bird originals that can be downright crazy, nasty, offensive, humiliating or funny, depending on how our intellect absorbs the heckling.
In 1986, when the 3-point shooting contest was first introduced during the All-Star Game, Bird came inside the locker room and started looking around without saying a word. Finally, he opened his mouth and said, “I’m just looking around to see who’s gonna finish second.†He did win the contest without even taking his warmup jacket off.
The following year, in the same All-Star 3-point shooting contest, Bird said, “There’s no need to talk this time. We all know who’s going to win.â€
There was an All-Star 3-point shootout without Bird and Craig Hodges of the Bulls came out the winner. Asked if his victory was not significant considering Bird’s absence, Hodges replied, “He knows where to find me.†Told of the challenge, Larry Legend said, “Yeah, at the end of the Bulls bench.†Ouch!
In 1984, Bird initiated a fight with Julius Irving. He was shooting really well and Irving was having a bad night. He continuously taunted Irving by saying “42-6, 42-6â€, referring to margin that he has outscored Dr. J. It led to a shoving match, then both took a swing at each other which resulted in a bench-clearing brawl.
On a Christmas Day game with the Indiana Pacers, Bird told Chuck Person before the game that he would give him a Christmas present. With Person on the bench, Bird went to the baseline right in front of Person, heaved a three pointer, faced Person, said, “Merry f_____g Christmas!†and the shot went in.
In another Pacers game, rookie George McCloud was assigned to guard Bird in the closing minutes. He yelled to the Indiana bench, “Hey, I know you guys are desperate, but can’t you find someone who at least has a prayer?†Amen.
In a game versus Detroit, Bird made four straight baskets with Dennis Rodman on him. He ran to coach Chuck Daly and said, “Who’s guarding me Chuck? Is anyone guarding me? You better get someone on me or I’m gonna go for 60.â€
Rodman said of this game, “I would be all over him trying to deny him the ball and all Larry was doing was yelling at his teammates ‘I’m open! I’m open! Hurry up before they notice nobody is guarding me!’ Then he would stick his elbow up my jaw, stick the jumper in my face then he would start on my coach, ‘Coach, you better get this guy out and send in somebody to D me up because it’s too easy when I’m wide open like this.â€
More on Larry’s trash next week.
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