10.23.2018

Player of the Week? Larry Bird

November 30, 1982

NBA PLAYER OF THE WEEK? THE NAME'S BIRD

On many nights, the skills of Larry Bird are taken for granted. But that was not the case yesterday when he was named Player of the Week.



Bird, who will be in his usual starting forward slot tonight at Hartford when the Celtics seek their ninth straight victory at the expense of Detroit Pistons, was at his best last week in victories over Portland, Utah and Milwaukee. For the week, he averaged 29.0 points, shooting .547 from the field (35-64). He also went 17 for 18 (.944) at the free throw line and had 29 rebounds.

Bird's best night of the three was a 37-point outing in the 124-109 victory over the Bucks on Sunday. He sank 15 of 18 shots and added nine rebounds. For the year, he is averaging 23.9 points, eighth best in the NBA, and 10.9 rebounds, sixth overall.

"This is an award that Larry is a candidate for every week," said coach Bill Fitch. "It's nice to see him win it, though, because he's certainly contributed a lot to our current winning streak."

Fitch added that Bird is a player who continues to improve night after night, particularly on defense.

"When Larry first came into the league," said Fitch, "There was some question about his ability to play consistent defense. But he's the type of guy who works at not only his strength but also his weaknesses."

Bird, who has scored 20 or more points in 13 of 15 games, tends to downplay his role. "The key to our game," said Bird, "is the way we play defense. When you're in a groove, you have a tendency to run more and to get more open shots. Against Milwaukee, the shots were just going in for me. But you can't count on that keeping up every night. It was just my night."

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