“Larry Bird is the greatest trash talker mind-game player of all time,” Michael Jordan had as soon as stated. The Boston Celtics legend would by no means miss a chance to mess along with his opponents. However, this one time in 1986, earlier than his first of three 3-point contest wins in a row, he determined to be humorous and it backfired. The three-point battle was first introduced into the All-Star weekend in 1986 in Dallas. It was the inaugural 12 months and lots of had been a bit tensed. But Bird went on to show his standard cockiness.
Bird entered a quiet locker room earlier than the battle and noticed everybody’s heads down. So he questioned his fellow contestants, “Who’s coming in 2nd?” Sadly, this tried joke didn’t sit effectively with them. Bird shared in an interview at present, “I just did it for a joke, but they didn’t like that very well.” Fortunately for the 3x NBA champion, he secured the title that 12 months with a stellar taking pictures show.
Bird went 22/30 within the inaugural battle, that too in opposition to a few of the greatest 3-point shooters within the league again then. Well, it’s now actually uncertain if Bird was joking right here!
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Bird has been a wonderful shooter all his profession. He received the 3-point contest within the first three years it was launched. Even when he shot round 50% in his second and third battle, his opponents couldn’t catch up. He has essentially the most 3-point contest titles. In truth, he may earned extra, however he was carried out with successful.
Former Mavericks star explains how tense an All-Star locker room was
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You may get away with something within the fashionable NBA as a result of developed bonding between the gamers. But the Nineteen Eighties had been totally different. Former Mavericks star Detlef Schrempf defined, “Back then, there was not like this friendly locker room where we’re sitting there chatting and hugging it up… It was a little bit of a different interaction then”. All-Star was critical business again then and that’s the reason Bird’s joke didn’t sit effectively.
Bird himself had a slight remorse for making that assertion. He shared in an old interview, “I don’t know why I (said it), but I did. Everybody was sitting there not saying a word…It just came out. Thank God I won.” The concern he had again then was fairly evident!
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