Writers’ Memories of Bird

Times staff writers remember Larry Bird, basketball player, on parquet and elsewhere:

Larry Bird was a master of intimidation. He worked at it on the court, demoralizing an opponent with verbal abuse while pumping in a three-pointer. He worked at it off the court as well, planting seeds of doubt in an opponent’s mind that might grow into distracting apprehension.

In the 1984 NBA finals between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, with Boston leading the best-of-seven series, 3-2, Commissioner David Stern allegedly remarked that he hoped the series would go the limit.

Bird questioned that remark, leaving the inference that perhaps the commissioner would do more than just “hope” the series went seven.

Was he indicating that Stern would try to affect the outcome through the officiating? Bird would say no more, but the seed was planted.

After Game 6 at the Forum, Celtic reserve M.L. Carr was sprayed with beer by an unruly fan.

Heading into Boston Garden for Game 7, Bird said, if he was a Laker, he’d take the floor “wearing a hard hat.”

Tough arena, tough crowd, tough atmosphere. The Lakers already knew all that, but Bird had planted another of his seeds just to remind them.

In one regular-season game between the Lakers and the Celtics in the early ‘80s at Boston Garden, a Laker missed his first of two free throws when Bird leaped in and grabbed the rebound.

No, the referee told him, there is one more to go.

Disgusted, Bird shook his head and fired the ball from where he stood near the free-throw line to the basket at the other end of the court, roughly 80 feet away.

The ball went in.

It didn’t count. Not on the scoreboard.

But the shot electrified the crowd and fired up the Celtics.

Did Bird really lose track of the free throws? Don’t bet on it.

Intimidation. It was as much a weapon for Larry Bird as the three-pointer.