“When he has to start throwing elbows, he’s got to expect it in return” – Sixers head coach Billy Cunningham defended Julius Erving for fighting Larry Bird originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Larry Bird and Julius Erving were known as cool and collected players on the court during their time in the league. However, the two legends were only human and had limits, unafraid to exchange blows when necessary. A rare incident that took place back in 1984 was a brawl that most NBA fans of these two teams remember to this day.
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The Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers were playing at the time until things got heated in the third quarter. Bird and Erving exchanged punches towards the end of that period after things went awry after a play. Sixers head coach at the time, Billy Cunningham, said it was Bird’s fault for starting the fight because of all the cheap elbow shots he was throwing at Julius during a game.
“(Bird) is probably the best player in the NBA,” Sixers coach Billy Cunningham said via The Washington Post. “But, when he has to start throwing elbows, he’s got to expect it in return or we’re going to come in here and point someone out to get into a fight with him. It’s a two-way street.”
Yapping, not elbows, sparked melee
Although it appeared Cunningham was referring to Bird throwing elbows, Larry’s trash-talking instigated everything. Things got out of hand after Erving and Bird got entangled on one of the Celtics’ offensive plays, but it turned out there was more to that.
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The Indiana State forward sparked it all with his infamous trash-talking ways. Barkley attested to that, recalling what happened before Bird and Erving traded blows.
“He’s like, ‘Charles, y’all better get this old man off me. I’m telling you.’ And he’s just roasting Doc… He’s killing Doc. He’s like, ‘Chuck, I’m telling you for the last time, you better get over here because I’m gonna kill this old man,'” Barkley recalled.
Aside from Chuck, other players present at the time concurred with his claim. One of Bird’s teammates, Robert Parish, also admitted that Larry’s trash-talking sparked the fight.
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“He told Doctor J he wasn’t sh*t and he wasn’t gonna be sh*t anymore. ‘I’m the new sh*t on the block.’ And I’m quoting Larry on that, too,” Parish said in the “Celtics City” docuseries.
Bird was notorious for talking trash about his opponents; Erving was no exception. In that game, Dr. J was having a bad game. Already frustrated with his performance, the last thing he needed was to hear about it from his rival. Bird rubbed more salt on the wound, and the result was chaos.
Costly fines but no suspensions
Bird and Erving were thrown out of the game as a result of that incident. The NBA issued $30,500 in fines to all the individuals involved in that brawl, including Barkley, who was surprised he was sanctioned for trying to play peacemaker.
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“They fined me because they said I was holding Larry Bird so Dr. J could hit him. I was trying to break the fight up,” Barkley quipped.
Of the record fine set by the league, Barkley accounted for $1,000 for his participation in that brawl per the Philadelphia Inquirer. A bit of a consolation for all was that no one was suspended from that skirmish.
The Bird-Erving altercation was rare and was understandable considering the competitive nature of both NBA legends. However, both reconciled the next time they faced off, this time with cooler and saner heads.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.