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[stb]

http://www.csnne.com/blog/standing-room-only/post/The-Legend-of-Larry-Bird-20-Years-Later?blockID=757965&feedID=10424

[Redz]

Thanks for the link.

Unlike the author I had the good fortune of growing up in the prime of my youth and teens.  I graduated high school in `86.  Larry was a god.  My athlete hero worship days are way past me, but rest assured Larry was (and is)top dog hero for my sports watching life.

I was there for a couple of the moments the author mentioned (Larry's first game, and Larry Bird night), but maybe my greatest Bird memory was being part of the crowd at Government Center for the rally after the Celts beat the Rockets `81 championship.  Larry had the city in a spoon and gets up there and tells the crowd "Moses eats bleep!".

Larry LARRY LARRY!

[SHAQATTACK]

Larry was my first basketball hero...........but as a wee lad my daddy and I would watch Dave Cowans , with a  beer in one hand other around my shoulder ..." see son, THATS how a man plays basketball "

Dear ol Dad was a Celtics nut  ...yup he never missed a Bird game if he could help it.

I got it honest...

[Redz]

Larry was my first basketball hero...........but as a wee lad my daddy and I would watch Dave Cowans , with a  beer in one hand other around my shoulder ..." see son, THATS how a man plays basketball "

Dear ol Dad was a Celtics nut  ...yup he never missed a Bird game if he could help it.

I got it honest...

Yup.  My Dad was (and is) a huge Celtics (and sports) nut.

And yes Dave Cowens did play the game "like a man" 

[GreenFaith1819]

Larry was "Swag" before swag was even a word.

Anytime a player goes out, tells you they are going to do something on you, and does it?

LOL.

We have Smokey the Swag Bear in Sully, but TRUE SWAG was Larry.

Kobe has it to, to a degree. LeBron has shown flashes of it. Even our own Pierce has shown Swag:



But Man! Larry just took opponent's hearts out and fed it to them - sometimes on an nightly basis.

Larry Bird just did Otherworldly Stuff out there on the court...stuff that you just don't see that much anymore. Stuff that left you scratching your head.

I'd watch those 80's Celtics teams just go out and impose their will on teams...just amazing.

[Celtics17]

Larry Bird was truly one for the ages. I'm not sure that I have ever seen another player who had his ability to analyze and also takeover a game like he did. Some players, Lebron, Kobe, MJ, have the ability to takeover games offensively but few have both the ability to see the game unfold long before it happens and also be able to dictate the game as it does. Bird was one who could do that.

John Wooden was once asked who he thought the quickest player mentally was in the NBA. He replied that noone was faster then Bird. This is what separates him from other great players and allowed him to also be a successful coach and GM. 

[Bingbangbarros]

Sadly, I hated Bird growing up. I was born in 1981 and from probably 1989 til college I never missed a game. I hated our slow, old, white players, otherwise known as the ZAPS (Bird, McHale, Parish) but loved the cool black athletic players (Reggie, Shaw, Dee, Gamble) who of course were the ZIPS. Thanks Tommy. Bird was obviously great. So were McHale and Parish. I wish I could have appreciated Bird more, all of them actually. I was so happy when he retired.

[33_Larry Legend_33]

Sadly, I hated Bird growing up. I was born in 1981 and from probably 1989 til college I never missed a game. I hated our slow, old, white players, otherwise known as the ZAPS (Bird, McHale, Parish) but loved the cool black athletic players (Reggie, Shaw, Dee, Gamble) who of course were the ZIPS. Thanks Tommy. Bird was obviously great. So were McHale and Parish. I wish I could have appreciated Bird more, all of them actually. I was so happy when he retired.

Honesty, racism & foolishness all wrapped in one post... thanks!

[BballTim]

Sadly, I hated Bird growing up. I was born in 1981 and from probably 1989 til college I never missed a game. I hated our slow, old, white players, otherwise known as the ZAPS (Bird, McHale, Parish) but loved the cool black athletic players (Reggie, Shaw, Dee, Gamble) who of course were the ZIPS. Thanks Tommy. Bird was obviously great. So were McHale and Parish. I wish I could have appreciated Bird more, all of them actually. I was so happy when he retired.

  Parish was pretty slow for an old white player.

[CelticHooligan3]

Sadly, I hated Bird growing up. I was born in 1981 and from probably 1989 til college I never missed a game. I hated our slow, old, white players, otherwise known as the ZAPS (Bird, McHale, Parish) but loved the cool black athletic players (Reggie, Shaw, Dee, Gamble) who of course were the ZIPS. Thanks Tommy. Bird was obviously great. So were McHale and Parish. I wish I could have appreciated Bird more, all of them actually. I was so happy when he retired.

  Parish was pretty slow for an old white player.

Haha 

[2short]

Larry was my first basketball hero...........but as a wee lad my daddy and I would watch Dave Cowans , with a  beer in one hand other around my shoulder ..." see son, THATS how a man plays basketball "

Dear ol Dad was a Celtics nut  ...yup he never missed a Bird game if he could help it.

I got it honest...

wow i could have wrote that same exact post

[2short]

So for those of you who never saw MR BIRD play.  To put it into perspective:
take the fire of KG
rebounding of KG
passing of rondo
scoring of pierce
put this all together with one of the greatest basketball minds to ever play
THAT is larry bird

[thirstyboots18]

I am old enough and was a huge fan during the original big three years.  They were amazing, every one of them.  One of my favorite plays of all time was Chief's full court inbound pass before the other team had a chance to react and retreat on defense.

That said, however, don't miss out on the truly amazing (IMO, anyway) play of Rajon Rondo.  He is a combination of Cousy and Maravich with his passing and ball control  and I think in twenty years we will be raving about how good he was.  (think I am overdoing it a little?  ha ha ha)

[SHAQATTACK]

So for those of you who never saw MR BIRD play.  To put it into perspective:
take the fire of KG
rebounding of KG
passing of rondo
scoring of pierce
put this all together with one of the greatest basketball minds to ever play
THAT is larry bird

all this and he was always in control and cool .   You knew good things were going to happen long as he was on the court , he made everybody else better when he stepped on the court.