Larry Bird Greatest Games: 40pts/8rebs/13asts vs Nets (1987)

[@ireneduke5022]

The rafters at Boston Garden whispers Larry Legend's name. Larry and his teammates will always be remembered for their unity as one. Miss you guys!

[@irishgrl]

That is the most profound thing I’ve seen anyone say about Larry 🥰

[@lainiwakura4678]

The synergy on this Celtics team was unreal.

[@robertstout6111]

Larry is simply the BEST ALL-AROUND PLAYER EVER!!! He made his teammates better more than anyone. I will take Larry in his prime over anyone even Michael.

[@donmorton4597]

Now this is basketball at its highest level.

[@tombstone1111]

The mid 80's Boston Celtics were poetry in motion. The most beautiful, artistic, basketball ever played.

[@loydkline]

Talking about magic 🎩 Johnson & l.a Lakers & showtime& trackmeet basketball 🏀 of the 1980s;

[@Jondsmusic]

Unreal that off the backboard pass by Larry Legend, wow!

[@jamesgarcia2905]

The more I see him again in replays the more I remember how he would easily play in this NBA. I watched him live from Sycamores thru his NBA career!!!

[@cgyiltis]

Larry made the game look easy and effortless

[@wrsawy]

Absolutely beautiful.

[@dukane14]

Keep in mind this team should've had Len Bias on it too..

[@Defender80s]

3:27 Only Larry Legend Can Make a Pass Like That!

[@theresemorfas3390]

Playing chess while the Nets were playing checkers! Or in this game, tiddly winks!

[@loydkline]

Magic 🎩 Johnson & l.a Lakers showtime & trackmeet fastbreak offense 1980s

[@marzilyas]

To quote Bill Simmons, McHale (as is clearly shown here) "had the arms of an 11-foot man."

[@chadjones6074]

3.21 to 3.31, that's how you play beautiful basketball on both ends.

[@johncase2408]

Talk about team telepathy, the celtics timing, spacing were unmatched.

[@jakestine1159]

0:45 this is how you're supposed to punish teams for taking lots of 3's. Today's NBA should take notes.

[@jasoncamp483]

Really is too bad that this team was so injured for the finals in 1987. Healthy, would have beaten LA.

[@tombstone1111]

Indeed! Especially had Bias not died, Celtics would've been the team of the 80's.

[@sideguysideguy4810]

87 team would have had Len Bias also if he didn't O.D. Celtics would have been unstoppable.

[@joemartin1253]

Jason Camp The Pistons wore them out in that grueling 7 game eastern conference finals series.

[@davidcallaham60]

Just such an amazing team chemistry , they flowed together like the river..

[@theresemorfas3390]

Danny Ainge was a big contributor to the Celtics. DJ (deservedly) gets a lot of credit but Ainge sacrificed his game for Bird and the team.

[@newerafrican]

Yeah, the only non-HOF'er of the starting five and he was right there talent-wise.

[@jjs777fzr]

Ainge was an all American in school. He was seriously athletic and once he left the Celts he played, in my opinion, the best defense against MJ I’d ever seen. Danny would stick with MJ and harass him like no other and MJ would get peeved. Loved every minute.

[@Larryeffect]

Wow a rare 1987 Bill Walton sighting on the court...

[@quinntonexecute]

Lmfao Larry bird and Danny ainge were so effective together.. it really goes under the radar.. not enough people talk about that connection, or Danny ainges impact of these championship teams. Tom Brady and Edelman connection bird and ainge had

[@markw7297]

I hated the Celtics, but loved to watch them play. They hit another gear when they added DJ and then Walton... This team was ridiculous. I definitely think Bird's assist at 3:26 was intentional.

[@cindyknudson2715]

Definitely.

[@DJ-bj8ku]

If Walton hadn’t gone down with his bad ankles, they would’ve won another title.

[@JeffWiersma]

Don’t minimize the loss of Wedman to injury too - especially since McHale basically played the entire playoffs with a broken ankle

[@jjs777fzr]

@@JeffWiersma Wedman! Bird often described Wedman as the sharp shooter on the team. In the ‘85-86 Championship season, before Wedman got injured he was seriously an effective outside shooter. Glad someone else remembers him. I mean Bird talking about someone on his team as a sharp shooter? Wth.

[@popeyeisgood]

amazing team work here. i wonder if this type of basketball is reintroduced to nba, what kind of shocking result it will bring to the current status of the game.

[@postaltraining]

nervous breakdowns everywhere. today's game is stat-centric = contract $$$ more than it's focused on playing good basic ball

[@postaltraining]

***** with guaranteed long term max deal contracts nobody needs to play good defense or be much involved with a team. look at carmelo anthony. a lot of talent and a little brain but he still cannot get a team anywhere because his teams do not function as teams

[@popeyeisgood]

***** it would revolutionize the game???? revolutionize is a term used when something hasnt been seen before has been introduce and be widely adopted. spurs now still play the good old nice half court game but of course it is rare. the rest of the nba is very different from spurs. it makes the spurs now even more special

[@popeyeisgood]

postaltraining agree 100%. his offensive game is definitely more talented than lebron by far, it is that obvious.(lebron isnt as great as everyone claims he is today) funny how he started that talk about wanting to get a ring. he has a much better chance buying one from the store. he hasnt even tried hard enough to improve the team aspect of the game before complaining about how shitty his teammates are( which might have some truth to it)

[@popeyeisgood]

***** ture and agree with everything you said. but i still think lebron's physicality is overblown by media. for example, he is lacking of agility when driving to the basket( sure he compensates it somehow with his muscle), and his foot work is not so organized. defensively he just seems clumsy and slow when he faces some faster guards.

[@FavreianVengeance]

0:13 All five starters touch the ball in eight seconds for the score.

[@danielclark1247]

@3:30 did Bird actually intentionally throw that pass off the backboard? Come on man...

[@JakeStine]

Absolutely yes. You can tell he didn't even do a normal shot motion. If he was shooting his setup would have been totally different.

[@mikegulliver4885]

sure did

[@jjs777fzr]

McHale was setup for the backboard play.

[@cindyknudson2715]

Of course he did. Gotta have a little fun out there.

[@SteveGellerMusic]

Definitely yes. The mid-80's Celtics actually practiced throwing the ball off of the backboard to players who were underneath their coverage, when the entry pass was being denied. Usually, Bird was the recipient and not the passer, but they definitely worked on this play in practice, and as you could see, McHale was naturally perfectly ready for it, Which would not have been the case if Bird had just happened to wildly overshoot the rim on a shot, which happened maybe a total of 5 times in his whole career.

[@Rottidog]

One dislike. Hmmm, must of been the Nets fan.

[@mikejones9496]

Anyone have the full game? Jesus what a clinic this was...

[@cindyknudson2715]

Would love to watch these full games.

[@JAMESGANG-f5u]

0:27 Surely Bird was proud of Ainge’s quick touch pass here. 🏀💨💨

[@JAMESGANG-f5u]

6:32 DEADLY 🎯

[@europeanamerican379]

When Bird's mullet was flowing it was Barbeque chicken time. Bird, Mchale, Ainge, and Walton wearin these niggas out.

[@JakeStine]

0:45 full court pass, on the money, while falling backward out of bounds. :head esplode:

[@mattwatts33]

Uhhh how the heck did Bird make that pass off the glass??

[@fideltorres6380]

Nets got schooled, and Celtics were the ultimate complete team.

[@mtnnoel63]

LeBron who?

[@JAMESGANG-f5u]

6:53 😂 🤷🏼‍♂️ 🤷🏻 INSANE

[@Head318Hunter]

6:53 (the shot after) GTFO 😳

[@sohaminyoh]

4:44 wtf parish

[@Head318Hunter]

Bird would've had probably 3,000 more career assists and Parish 2500 less career off. rebs if Parish didn't F around and miss so many lay ups. I'm not kidding. I was a huge Celtics fan thru the 80s.

[@Head318Hunter]

@trha2222 at 4:44 ?? Pass to Bird?? He's talking about Parish missing one of his countless lay ins.

[@JakeStine]

@@Head318Hunter haha yes, in 87 especially Parish was having an off year. Which sucked since that was the year they needed him most. In the '87 playoffs he volley'd so many easy passes into the stands while Bird was being double and triple teamed.

[@Loydstardeli2017]

Kobe Bryant, dirk nowitzki, maybe

[@davidwilliamson8861]

Did.the NETS ever Play DEFENSE !!!! Shezz

[@richardvaughn5691]

Would it have MATTERED?!

[@garrywilliams5777]

Couple of things. First Ainge belongs in the Hall. Quicker and faster than people give him credit for. Take the ball to the hole and great outside shooter as well. Second Bird is a great all around player as we all know. Answer me why a slow white guy and non jumper as he's always described goes around black players with no problem and dunks over them as well. Answer he's the best. Case closed.