KC Jones: Bird is Best Celtic Ever

March 31, 1983

Larry Drops 53 in W

He is the keeper of the flame. He is continuity with the past, excellence of the present and hope for the future. He is the torch-carrying inspiration on this team loaded with talent and question marks.



On Tuesday, Larry Bird saw his Celtics team humiliated right in the heart of his Indiana homeland. While his mom was uncomfortably seated in Market Square Arena, the Celtics were disgraced by 29 points and Bird had to bite his lip, hide his embarrassment, and prepare to assume his role as team leader.

Last night, he responded the only way he knows how. Leading by example, instead of words, Bird put on, perhaps, the most memorable performance in the storied annals of the archaic Boston Garden. In 33 magical minutes, he swooped, swished and slammed his way to a career and team regular-season record 53 points, leading the Celtics to a 142-116 victory over Indiana - the same Pacers who had dunked and danced on the Celtics' pride only 24 hours earlier.

Imagine . . . in the parquet palace that has been home for Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Bill Sharman and Sam Jones, no player in Celtic Green had ever done what Bird did last night.

When it was over, the banners barely fluttered. No doubt there'll be room for a worthy No. 33, and a few more championship flags before the inevitable crumbling.

K. C. Jones, who doubles as a retired number and an active assistant coach, said: "Bird is the best of them all."

Last night's performance was dramatic, awesome, inspiring and memorable. For homespun Larry Bird, the Indiana humiliation had been tantamount to Detroit's Diana Ross being booed off the stage at the Pontiac Silverdome, orSugar Ray Leonard getting KOd in the first round at his Capital Centre home court. Adding to the indignity, French Lick Larry had to answer questions about his team's 11-13 performance over the last 7 1/2 weeks.

"It's something you don't know if you don't live there," Bird said. "Indiana is basketball country. My mom was there and my friends were there and they all follow my career there. To walk out of that arena and have everybody say, what's wrong?' really hurt."

"I think he was a little embarrassed in Indiana," said teammate Kevin McHale. "He came to town tonight with vindication on his mind, and I'd say he vindicated himself - and the team - pretty well."

Bird's response was part Babe Ruth and part Luis Tiant.

1. Ruthesque: Just as when he beat Phoenix with a three-pointer, Bird called his shot before beating the Pacers last night.

"We're sitting in here before the game and he came right out and said he was gonna get 40 tonight," said Rick Robey. "Then the son of a buck goes out and gets 50."

"Yeah, he said 40," added M. L. Carr. "Bad arithmetic, Larry."

2. El Tiante Revisited: Bird hit 21 of 30 floor shots and 11 of 11 from the line. He was grace, power, head fakes and showmanship. As always, he was the consummate teammate. After hitting for an easy 24 in the first half, he scored a team-record 24 points in a 10-for-12 third quarter that had fans chanting, "Larr-eee, Larr-eee." The game was long gone by halftime, but in the garbage-filled fourth (Larry knows a little about garbage, too), Bill Fitch surrendered to popular demand and brought Bird back for a five-point curtain call.

Bird's three-minute fourth-quarter stint was one for the books and represented the only fabrication of his final stat line. Typically, Bird found it toughest to score when the game was already won and the Celtics were simply trying to help him break a team record. After hitting a jumper, he heaved up a bad miss and an airball before converting a three-point play for the record.

"As far as I was concerned," said Bird, "the only two reasons I wanted to break the record was because this is the Boston Garden and because we were playing Indiana."

The final high five put him in the Celtics' regular-season record book ahead of a fellow named Sam Jones, who canned 51 against the Pistons on Oct. 29, 1965. Jones was unavailable for comment last night, but you get the feeling he wouldn't have minded.