Balloons for San Mig Coffee Mixers did not fall from the rafters last Wednesday night as Petron Blaze Boosters survived and lived to fight another game. Tonight decides who will take the PBA Governor's Cup title. For the simple reason that JuneMar Fajardo plays for the Boosters, I go for Petron. Maybe Arwind Santos will live up to his MVP billing tonight and prove to all that the award was not a fluke. Maybe.
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When you talk, you better back it up with your walk. As they say, walk the talk. Larry Bird supported his confrontational vocalizations with stellar plays, often viciously consuming the souls of his opponents. He's not quick, he's not strong, he can't jump high but his basketball IQ is bigger and brighter than Staples Center and Boston Garden combined.
He plays to win and rattling the other team to the point of arrogantly ridiculing them makes Larry Legend the NBA's number one trash talker. Times have changed. Today, players tweet or PM their sentiments to the opposition. How exciting.
In a February 1985 game versus Utah, the Celtics were murdering the Jazz and Bird was the main assassin. With 30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 9 steals, he sat out the entire fourth quarter. Asked after the game if he had wanted to play in the last quarter to go for the rare quadruple double, Larry said, "What for? I already did enough damage to them."
Reggie Miller was still a rookie and he tried to disrupt Bird's concentration while making a free throw late in the game. Bird glared at him, converted the first free throw and snarled, "Rook, I'm the best f---ing shooter in the league. In the league, understand? And you're up here trying to f---ing tell me something?" Then took and made the second free throw.
On a West Coast trip in 1986, Bird told the entire Dallas Mavericks bench that after the time out, Danny Ainge would inbound the pass to Dennis Johnson, who would then hit him in the corner. He would then step back and shoot a three. "So you got that? I'm gonna stand right here, I'm not going to move. They'll pass me the ball and the next thing you'll hear will be the ball hitting the bottom of the net." And that's exactly what happened. Bird winked at the Mavs bench before running back down to the other end of the court.
Michael Jordan was a rookie (with the accompanying hype) and was playing against the Celtics for the first time. During warmups, MJ went after a ball that was going towards Bird at the other end of the court. Bird kicked it to the opposite direction and said, "Welcome to my kingdom, kid."
Shawn Kemp - "Larry Bird taught me a lesson. People criticized Bird, him getting old, his back is in pain. So I got out, hit a couple of shots on him. I was like, man, I said a couple of words to him, next thing you know, he's shooting threes in my face, talking to me, ended up with like 50 points. He taught me a lesson that regardless of who you are, how good you are, you have to bring it every night, you got to get your respect that way."
In that game, Bird made his last three pointer in Kemp's face and declared, "I'm the best damned player from Indiana!"
Horace Grant - "I started talking a little trash to him, 'you're not going to score, you're not getting the basket'. I remember him telling me exactly what he was going to do to me. He says he's going to fake me left and then he's going to shoot a right handed hook over me. And then he goes and does and scores."
Glen Rice - "When Bird started lighting you up and talking trash, that's hard on you. It's like driving a stake through your heart."
Charles Smith - "That kind of thing makes you want to jump on a guy", when Bird said "Sorry Charlie" as he released a long, last second shot to win the game.
NBA announcer Ted Davis said Bird is the best trash talker he had seen. "You never know it because you couldn't see his lips move. He had no lips."
Stuff legends are made of.
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My piece on Oslob two weeks back not only rekindled childhood memories but also resurrected a long forgotten playmate of the 'pagumangkon sa pari'. It was really nice to reconnect, Engr. Caloy Mirasol.