Recreational Holidays

Larry Bird Basketball

Larry Joe Bird was born on December 7, 1956 in West Baden Springs, Indiana to parents Joe and Georgia and was raised in nearby French Lick. Excelling at Basketball at an early age, Larry attended Springs Valley High School and became his team’s all-time leading scorer; he graduated in 1974. Perhaps no one knew the greatness of Larry Bird or that his name would be forever synonymous with basketball but his high school efforts landed him a scholarship to the University of Indiana-a premonition of things to come.

Bird felt intimidated by the size of the campus and dropped out immediately. After taking a year off, he returned to college at Indiana State and became part of their Sycamore team. As a senior in 1979, he led Indiana to the NCAA Championship, where they faced off against the Magic Johnson-led Michigan State Spartans. Indiana State finished this season with a 33-1 record; while at Indiana State, Bird was the 5th highest scorer in NCAA history with a 30.3 points per game average.

Larry Bird was the number one draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 1979 - he joined the team, earning a then-record of $650,000 annually. He averaged 21.3 points per game with the team and won a NBA Rookie of the Year award. Bird led the Celtics to a 61-21 record and himself to great popularity with Boston’s fans.

By 1980, the Celtics moved their playing court into the Robert Parrish Center and drafted Kevin McHale. These two men would become what have been dubbed the “best frontline in NBA history.” The 1980-81 seasons saw the Celtics go to the NBA finals where they took down the Houston Rockets in six games-this would be Larry’s first NBA Championship-but not his last. Larry was a leader and this was seen by general manager Red Auerbach, who happily watched his team become one of the two most exciting and winning teams in the NBA during the 1980’s. In fact, almost every NBA final would feature either the Celtics, the Los Angeles Lakers, or both.

Now at master playmaker, Celtic’s coach Bill Fitch gave Larry the nickname “Kodak.” Of this nickname, Fitch explained, “it’s for his ability to picture how a play would unfold. He can turn a play into points.” Bird’s defense was also recognized and one season saw 59 triple-doubles in the regular season and ten more in the playoffs-his tallies for the 1981-82 year would reach the double digits. In the 1982-83 season the Celtics would revamp their team again when KC Jones was announced as coach and guard Dennis Johnson was acquired-this would set the stage for a winning team that would last for several years.

The end of the 1983-84 season brought victory to Bird and his Celtic teammates with a seven-game series and win over the Lakers; they won the seventh game in a close but exciting 111-102 score. Larry averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds during this amazing series and won the coveted Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the NBA’s regular season MVP for the 1983-84 season. A loss to the Lakers in the 1984-85 season still brought Larry the NBA’s MVP award. Fans of basketball everywhere still feel the match-up of Bird versus Magic was and is the best match-up in basketball and the most exciting to watch.

Returning to the finals in the 1985-86 season, the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in only 6 games and made a 76-15 record for the season. He won the MVP award for the series, his third championship victory. Bird won the MVP award from the league this season, the third player to receive this honor. The Celtics would take the NBA championship again the next season in a six game victory over the Lakers.

Bird’s biggest season in terms of numbers was 1987-1988 with an average of 29.9 points per game in 30 minutes per game. His field goal percentage was .527 and his free throws .916. He had to sit out the 1988-1989 season due to a bone spur, but came back for the following season; however, he knew it was getting close to time to retire. His status as legend was cemented in 1992, when he joined Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson on the US Olympic “Dream Team”, winning the gold medal. With his career average of 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, his 49.6% field goal average and a stunning 88.6% average on free throws, as well as a 37.6% three-pointer average and twelve All-Star games, Bird is a legend and his name is a synonym for basketball with fans all over the world.