Exactly what kind of Mormon is Danny?

The 1985-1986 Celtics were renown for trash talk. One time late in the game on a West Coast trip with the score tied, KC Jones called a time-out to diagram the next play. As the time-out expired, Bird strolled past the Phoenix Suns bench to "his" spot in the corner beyond the arc, and told anyone who would listen, "DJ's gonna pass me the ball right here. In one motion, I'm gonna catch it and shoot it, and the next sound you'll hear will be the ball snapping through the net. The good news for your team is you have front row seats." After the time out, the play went down as Bird said and the Celtics walked home winners. As KC later said, "now that's arrogance."

But the trash talk wasn't always directed at opponents. Bill Walton was often the focal point. Bird liked to ride Walton about his radical political views, long-haired days from Portland, and, of course, his injuries. One of the 50 greatest players of all time, Walton could have been even greater had his body not failed him. Over the course of his career, Walton missed the equivalent of nine full seasons of basketball, and Bird never let him forget it. One night after Rick Carlisle played a crucial role in about 10 minutes off the bench against the Lakers, Bird told Carlisle in front of everyone else, "now, Rick, if you can do that in 10 more games, you will have contributed more in one season than Walton has during his entire career."

Ainge was thankful that the Celtics signed Walton during the summer of 1985. Prior to his arrival, Ainge bore the brunt of Bird and McHale's wit. Despite proclaiming to be a devout Mormon, all Ainge ever talked about was money and his golf scores. He bragged about both. Ainge tithed all his money to the Church, and every time he reported his golf score, it seemed to improve over the last time. McHale tired of this, and always had an antidote ready: He'd pull out a copy of the Mormon Holy Book, ask Ainge to place his hand on top, and repeat his score to the entire locker room. Ainge never played along.