Bird in Running for MVP . . . as Rookie

March 5, 1980

Bird in Running for MVP . . . as Rookie

Preliminary honors are beginning to pile up for Larry Bird. He was named as the NBA Player of the Week on Monday, and yesterday it was announced that he had also been chosen as the league's Player of the Month for February. His February accomplishments included scoring 28 points a game, shooting 52 percent from the floor, grabbing 10 rebounds and handing out 5 assists a game, shooting 46 percent (13 for 28) on three-point shots and leading the Celtics to a 9-2 record for the month. During February, Bird had four games in which he had 30 or more points, including his season's high of 45 in Phoenix on Feb. 13. He also had games of 33, 32 and 30, and in the only two games in which he did not score at least 20 points he recorded 8 assists in each.



He's not off to a bad start in March, either. He commenced March activity with his 41-point, four 3-point, 13-rebound gem on Sunday, and last night he continued to roll along by connecting on three more 3-pointers en route to a routine 29-point evening. He has now moved high among the challengers for the league's Most Valuable Player award, which is voted on by the players. Three candidates stand out, the other two being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (runner-up for the Player of the Month honor) and Julius Erving. Any honest voter should realize that it's currently too close to call, and that ballots should be held
onto as long as possible, pending March results.

The NBA Board of Governors will convene tomorrow in Chicago to discuss realignment now that Dallas has been admitted to the league for the 1980-81 season. The two ideas proposed are to switch Cleveland to the Atlantic Division and insert Dallas into the Central Division with its fellow Texans, or to switch Chicago and Milwaukee into the Central and form a new Midwest Division of Utah, Denver, Kansas City and the three Texas entries. Given the geographic realities, this second idea makes far more sense.

Cedric Maxwell was truly a horse, logging a season's high of 44 minutes played. He battled the aroused Spurs underneath and was particularly outstanding on the boards in the third period . . . Spur coach Bob Bass had spoken of the need to "lay somebody on 'em," and his team responded accordingly. The first half was a cross between a track meet, a rugby scrum and Saturday night in Dodge City, and referees Ed Rush and Hue Hollins did not maintain adequate control . . . The Celtics are now 21-11 on the road, and Fitch had promised the team a dinner on him when they clinched a .500 road record for the season. Well, coachie? . . . "Memoirs of a Hot Dog," the autobiography being compiled by Larry Kenon, received a new chapter last night when Mr. K, the celebrated self-styled "best all-around forward in basketball," shot 0 for 6 in the first half and capped his performance by missing a dunk because he wanted to throw it in backhand instead of straight on. The Celtics took the miss and scored at the other end . . . George Gervin, who had 21 of his 35 points against the Celtics last week in the first quarter, had 16 of his 26 last night in - guess what? - the first quarter . . . The Celtics are on the tube again tonight, when they play the Rockets.