1991 playoff showdown with Pacers might have been the crown jewel of Bird’s career.
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Larry Bird, aka ‘Larry the Legend,’ will go down as one of the greatest-ever NBA players. Drafted in 1978 by the Celtics out of Indiana State, Bird won championships and challenged the Lakers and Ervin “Magic” Johnson in some of the most iconic championship games of all time.
But it was another showdown that showed Bird’s mettle. It was the 1991 NBA playoffs, Celtics vs. the Indiana Pacers. Bird was experiencing back programs and had to be hospitalized. Bird asked to be released so that he could take the court. As Bird was putting on his warm-ups, teammate M.L. Carr asked him if he was good to go. Bird nodded, but Carr knew he wasn’t okay. “Bird could barely put his pants on.”
Improbably, the situation got even worse. Bird was diving for a loose ball late in the second quarter and landed on his face. He broke his cheekbone. The air went out of the Boston Garden as Bird made his way to the locker room.
The game continued, and the Pacers, led by Chuck Persons, expanded the lead. Bird watched on the locker game TV. Seeing his team in distress, he left the locker room and returned to the court. The crowd roared. Bird was immediately inserted into the game. Slowly but surely, he led the Celtics to victory. The Celtics not only won that game, but they won the series, too, to advance in the playoffs.
It was one of many great moments in Larry Bird’s career, and it very well may have been the greatest.
