3.09.2009

Bird Eclipses 20,000

1990-91 Boston Celtics

So how much was it really, 6 or 12?

Larry Bird went into last night's game needing one of the above to reach 20,000 points. The dispute arises when Bird's 6 points from Wednesday's slip-out against Atlanta are factored into the situation.

The Celtics maintained Bird needed 12 points to reach 20,000. That is because all statistics from the Atlanta game are not included until the game is completed.

Bird, however, felt he needed only 6 points to reach 20,000. He figured the 6 he scored against Atlanta are being held in hoop lay-away, frozen until the game is finished on Dec. 23. So he had 6, he just had them in escrow.

For the record, Bird picked up his sixth point last night with 2:54 left in the first quarter on a fallaway jumper. By the Celtics' standard, No. 33 reached the plateau with 8:19 left in the third, when he scored point Nos. 12 & 13 off a foul-line jumper.

"Suppose I scored 6 points and then got hurt," Bird conjectured, "and I missed a lot of games. Then when the game comes up the rescheduled Atlanta game, I get the other 6 automatically. That gives me 12, right?"

Sound convincing? The Celtics weren't budging. They said 12 and the Spalding folks said 12, too. But Bird figured he'd have 20,006 by then.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm confused about the record here,

the game against Atlanta is not on Wednesday, it is Sunday.

"Wednesday's slip-out against Atlanta", which game is this?

Lex said...

Wow! Anon paying close attention to my historic posts.

Ok, here's my take. If you this post-http://lexnihilnovi.blogspot.com/2009/02/celtics-floored-by-wet-garden.html--you'll see that the Atlanta game was canceled due to condensation on the floor.

So my guess is that game was on a Wed.

The bullets game was on 11/30, according to this link

http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teamscores.htm?tm=BOS&yr=1990&lg=n

Lex said...

Does that help?

Lex said...

By the way, these are actual globe articles, as opposed to my rewrites...

Anonymous said...

Big Thanks to your answer.

I'm using another website to search Boxscores :

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/BOS/1991_games.html

I did't know that Hawks game was canceled and rescheduled at Dec.23.

Okay, I need to know How many points that Larry already has, after Miami game (Nov.26)?

Then larry thought he needs only 6 points to reach 20000 points in the bullets game, because in the not officially corrent Atlanta game(Nov.29) he has already scored 6 points, am I right?

Larry said, suppose he score 6 points in the bullets game and get hurt until Dec.23, the new Atlanta game(Dec.23) will start at with 10:30 left in the second quarter and all the statistic from the first quarter (Nov.29) will be count as usual, right?

That's why he said he will get 6 points automatically even though he may not in the game due to injures.

I'm always pay attention to your historic articles, now I writing something about Celtics in chinese and using the Information from your posts:

http://bbs.hoopchina.com/557151.html

You may see "Lex", "Boston Globe" something like that and that means it's all your contributions.

I'd like to read and looking forward to see more.

Lex said...

Cool website.

Anonymous said...

I just don't understand why in the case "But Bird figured he'd have 20,006 by then. "

he has 12 points for what he really scored in two games, Atlanta game and bullets game. That enough for 20000 points. Why larry thought he has 18 points to reach 20006 ? 6 points for free?

Lex said...

The 6 points in Atlanta wouldn't "officially count" until the game was completed on 12/23. So it's as if the hadn't really scored the points by the time the bullets game started.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to calculate again:

After Miami game (Nov. 26), larry has 19,988 points.

then the Atlanta game (Nov.29), larry has 6 points, put in the "Money Bank"

then suppose in the Bullets game (Nov.30), larry score 6 points and get hurt like out for a month.

Larry will sit and watch the Atlanta game (Dec.23) at home and receive the 6 points from "Money Bank", that's 20,000 points in all.

The Problem is, why larry thought he will reach 20,006 points? where another 6 points come from?

I just don't get it.