Tag: Larry Bird

On this day: Russell gets 14 points, 23 boards, 7 assists vs. Lakers; Bird logs 22 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists vs. LA

This was not a great day to be a Laker fan in Celtics history.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the Celtics beat their historic rivals in a squeaker on the road, the Celtics defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 92-90 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, L.A.’s home arena in those years.

The win was secured by Hall of Fame Boston big man Bill Russell, who put up an astounding 14 points, 23 rebounds, and 7 assists he managed while playing for all 48 minutes of the game. Legendary Celtics win John Havlicek added 21 points, forward Sam Jones chipped in 14 points and 6 rebounds, and legendary Celtic Tommy Heinsohn another 13 points and 6 boards.

The Lakers were led by Elgin Baylor’s 33 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists.

On this day: Bird triple doubles vs. Lakers; Pierce for 35 vs. Clippers; IT ties 20-point game record

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird triple-doubled vs. the Lakers, Paul Pierce scored 35 points on the Clippers, and Isaiah Thomas tied John Havlicek for the most regular-season 20-point games.

On this day in Boston Celtics history in 1991, Hall of Fame Boston Celtics small forward Larry Bird scored a triple-double against the Celtics’ longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers on the road at the Los Angeles Forum in Inglewood, California as Boston won 98-85.

The Hick from French Lick (as Bird is called affectionately as a nickname) put on a show, scoring 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in 40 minutes of game time. It wasn’t Bird’s most efficient night from the floor, with the Celtics great hitting just 4-of-16 of his field goal attempts and only a single make out of a trio of attempts from beyond the arc. But the Indiana native found other ways to help his team win.

Teammate Robert Parish led the team in scoring with 29 points and 10 boards, and forward Reggie Lewis chipped in 26 points as well.

On this day: Larry Bird’s left-handed game; Edney, Babb born

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird played his famous left-handed game, and former guards Tyus Edney and Chris Babb were born.

On this day in 1986, Hall of Fame Boston Celtics small forward Larry Bird played one of his most iconic contests, the legendary left-handed game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The game was a 120-119 win in overtime on the road at Moda Center in Portland, and on a spur-of-the-moment decision, the Celtic great decided to shoot heavily with his off-hand, (for those who do not know, his left). The Hick From French Lick — as Bird is sometimes affectionately called — produced a ridiculous stat line of 47 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, a steal, and 2 blocks in 49 minutes of floor time.

Larry Legend hit 21 of his 34 field goal attempts, 10 of which he shot left-handed, and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.

On this day: Larry Bird wins ’88 3-point contest; Kris Humphries born

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Legend won the 1988 AT&T Shootout, and former Boston big Kris Humphries was born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame Celtics small forward Larry Bird won the 1988 AT&T Shootout at Chicago Stadium, part of that year’s All-Star game festivities that were held in the Illinois city.

The Hick From French Lick (as Bird was sometimes affectionately called as a nickname) had already made a name for himself in the event — famously asking fellow competitors in the 1986 iteration of the event “Man, who’s comin’ in second?” (per ESPN’s Jeff Caplan) — and did not disappoint the fans in attendance of the 1988 event in terms of performance or trash-talking.

This time, Bird beat Dale Ellis by two points overall, leaving the court with a finger raised to the heavens as if to say he knew he’d already won yet again.

On this day: Larry Bird’s No. 33 retired; Greene, Loscutoff born

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird’s No. 33 jersey was retired, and Orien Greene and Jim Loscutoff were born.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the franchise retired Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird’s No. 33 jersey in a special, sold-out ceremony at the TD Garden in 1993.

Larry Legend played his college ball primarily at Indiana State (he briefly played at Indiana under iconic coach Bob Knight before transferring to Indiana). He was drafted before he graduated via a loophole in the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement that was exploited by legendary Celtics general manager Red Auerbach in the 1978 NBA draft. (Auerbach allowed Bird and his agent to extract a record-breaking rookie deal from Boston in the process.)

The Hick from French Lick (as the Indiana native was called) signed a historically large rookie contract and began racking up accolades in his inaugural season.

On this day: Bird hits 1st All-Star 3; Edwards traded; Green debut

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird hit the 1st 3 in All Star history, Blue Edwards was traded and Gerald Green debuted for Boston.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, a rookie and future Celtics Hall of Famer made history as legendary small forward Larry Bird scored the very first 3-point shot in the history of the All-Star Game, in a contest that was played at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland in 1979.

The Hick from French Lick (as Bird was sometimes called as a nickname by his fans with affection) hit the shot in the corner during the extra period of the Eastern Conference’s 144-136 overtime win over the West. It was all the sweeter as Bird managed to do it while facing off against his career-long rival, former Michigan State Spartan and then-Los Angeles Laker Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

The Indiana State product’s record-setting trey was part of his overall 7-point, 6-rebound, 7-assist performance in the first of a dozen All-Star appearances.

On this day: Bird goes for 30 vs. Clippers; Rozier gets 31 vs. Hawks

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Legend hung 30 points on the San Diego Clippers, and Scary Terry put up 31 points on the Atlanta Hawks.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, Hall of Fame small forward Larry Bird hung 30 points on the (then) San Diego Clippers (now, Los Angeles) for the Celtics back in 1983.

Still just a few years removed from swapping franchises with the owner of the Celtics and moving west from Buffalo (a very long and odd tale we highly recommend you get up to speed on if not already aware), New York in their previous incarnation of the Braves. The Clippers played Boston at the old Boston Garden with future Celtic Bill Walton and lost the road game. 120-110.

Bird’s 30 points and 6 rebounds were no small part of the reason, with Larry Legend going 10-of-18 from the field to seal the deal for the home team.

On this day: Bird gets dual honor; Naismith publishes 1st rules

On this day in Celtics history, Larry Bird won two prestigious media awards, and basketball inventor James Naismith published the sport’s original 13 rules.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary small forward Larry Bird was honored with being awarded both Man of the Year by the Sporting News and Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press in 1987.

It was the first time in history that any athlete of any sport had won both awards at the same time in the same year. The honor for the Hick from French Lick (as Bird was sometimes called) happened at the apex of his prime years. It may even have been a bit of a jinx if you believe in that sort of thing.

The dual honor ended up being the first time in 5 seasons the Celtics did not make it to the NBA Finals in the Playoffs.

On this day: Paul Pierce carries Boston past Los Angeles Clippers in overtime; Larry Bird triple-doubles

On this day, Celtic legends Larry Bird and Paul Pierce had a pair of particularly memorable games.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, legendary Boston small forward Paul Pierce had one of the best all-around games of his Hall of Fame career as he carried the Celtics to an overtime win against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2001.

Pierce had been selected out of the University of Kansas three years earlier with the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft after an unexpected slide and was starting to truly come into his own with Boston, exploding onto the national scene with his performance in the tilt with the Clippers, which padded his stats a little with the game going to overtime.

The Inglewood native scored 35 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and a block in just over 49 minutes of floor time, including the extra period.

How to draw Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird

For those of us who need help with our drawing as much as we do our jump shot, there is hope.

When it comes to the gravity that Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird had on the court, it was not unusual to see the Celtics legend draw two or even three defenders. But drawing Larry Legend is an entirely different story — especially if you have a little help.

For those of us who need help with our drawing as much as we do our jump shot, there is a tutorial hosted on the “Hey Kids, Let’s Draw” YouTube channel that offers detailed instructions and visual demonstrations to help us draw a cartoon rendering of Larry Bird, complete with his iconic Celtics jersey.

The instructions cover the neck, shoulders, jersey, shorts, socks, shoes and hands dribbling a basketball.

So check the clip above out if you want to bring the Hick From French Lick to life on paper, if not on the court.

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