Given his talent, there is no denying that Larry Bird deserved his starting role with the Boston Celtics in his prime. But there were times when he would lose the starting spot in the lineup, particularly when he was forced to miss games due to an injury.
In 1982, Bird was forced to the sidelines to undergo surgery for his cheekbone. He returned weeks after that procedure but had to come off the bench since the Cs had changed the rotation. Larry Legend was fine with that arrangement, vowing to give the same performance as he would as a starter.
“It’s the same thing for me as starting, except I come into the game a little later,” Bird quipped in a report by the New York Times in April 1982.
Larry hardly showed rust in his return, racking up 21 points and 8 rebounds in 22 minutes of play. Better yet, coming off the bench hardly affected him. There were even a couple of games where he still ended up being the top scorer despite not being a starter.
Despite coming off the bench, Bird kept his averages from that season at par and had notable games, including a 31-point performance on March 16, 1982, and 35 points on March 31, 1982. Ironically, the Celtics won these games against the Washington Bullets on both occasions.
He averaged 23.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists before getting injured. Despite the new role, the 6th overall pick of the 1978 Draft managed to produce solid numbers during that time.
Bird vowed not to let fans, teammates down
Bird believed that performing according to expectations shouldn’t be an issue for him or any other player. He explained that giving his best on the floor was a commitment not just to the fans or his teammates but also to himself.
“Even if I don’t start, that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t play as hard as if I did – then I’d be cheating the fans, and my teammates, and myself,” Bird stated.
Bird knew he would eventually reclaim his starting position once then-coach Bill Fitch figured it out. He did so on April 13, 1982, starting for the Cs against the Chicago Bulls. Unfortunately, Boston lost that one, 120-115.
Overall, the Celtics had a good run that season. They finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference, 63-19, and appeared on course for another championship. Boston was so confident that they could almost taste it. But for that to happen, they had to eliminate another nemesis in the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sixers bring back Cs to reality
Considering they met the same team in the 1981 EC Finals, Boston was confident they could oust the Sixers again. This was despite the Celtics having to come out of a 1-3 deficit again in the 1982 playoffs. Boston defeated Philly in 1981 and was confident they could do the same. But instead, the tables were turned. The Sixers beat the Celtics in seven games, ending the Bean Town squad’s run on a sour note.
Bird admitted that the Celtics got a bit cocky in that series, believing that they could repeat over their Eastern Conference rival. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be as Boston failed to clamp down on a crucial Sixers player.
“The guy who really hurt us was Caldwell Jones, who didn’t shoot the ball much as a rule. We left him alone, as we normally did, and he drilled five jumpers in the second half,” Bird said. “He just demoralized us. All of a sudden, our cockiness was gone. Philly had knocked us down a peg.”
It was a humbling loss for Bird and the Celtics, who realized that they should not take any team for granted. They fared worse in the 1983 playoffs but made up for it in the 1984 playoffs. The Celtics made it to the 1984 Finals, handing the franchise its 15th title in franchise history in a win against their archrivals, the Lakers.