Larry Bird by Jack Kavanagh

Author:Jack Kavanagh [Kavanagh, Jack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-62285-033-4
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2014-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Image Credit: AP Images/G. Paul Burnett

Larry Bird eyes a loose ball during the 1982 NBA All-Star Game. He was named the game’s MVP.

The Celtics played badly in the playoffs. They did not have to worry about Philadelphia. The Milwaukee Bucks knocked the Celtics out of the playoffs in the second round in four straight. The blame was placed on Coach Bill Fitch. The team’s morale was very low. Everyone was relieved when K. C. Jones was named head coach for the coming season. He had been an assistant coach and had been a great Celtics player. Bird went home determined to improve his game even more. He practiced on the court beside his mother’s house. He ran three or four miles a day. He thought hard about what could be done to help the Celtics return to the top of the NBA.

Once again, the smart general manager, Red Auerbach, had swung a deal to improve the Celtics. The 1983–84 team added point guard Dennis Johnson. He had been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive team the past five seasons, playing with Phoenix and Seattle. He mixed very well with the Celtics’ veterans, particularly with Larry Bird.

One thing the Celtics had lacked at the end of the last season was a fighting spirit. Bird set out to show the rest of the league how tough Boston was. The exhibition season opened in the Boston Garden against their old enemy, the Philadelphia 76ers. Last year, after the Celtics had been eliminated, the Sixers had won the championship. On top of that, Moses Malone was once again voted the league’s MVP. The Sixers set out to physically intimidate the Celtics right there on their home court. The game had just begun when Moses Malone tackled Cedric Maxwell. Max threw the ball at him. Less than a minute later, Bird cut himself in on the action. He and Mark Iavaroni grabbed each other’s shirt. Bird hit the big man in the mouth and went after the even bigger Malone. Most brawls between athletes are just pushing and shoving matches. The players have never learned how to fight. Bird came from the hardscrabble country of southern Indiana. Boys grew up fighting to hang on to the few things they owned. Bird was a devastating battler.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.