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Larry Bird on 1-on-1 vs. Michael Jordan: 'He'd kill me'
Larry Bird on 1-on-1 vs. Michael Jordan: 'He'd kill me'
Matthew Glenesk, [email protected]7:25 a.m. EDT July 28, 2015
Bird also looks back at his high school career
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Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird joined "The Dan Patrick Show" Monday morning to promote the team's special "Hoosiers"-themed Hickory jerseys.
The show's producer Paul Pabst wore the Hickory jersey (supposedly the same George Hill modeled) during the telecast.
And while Patrick and Bird talked about "Hoosiers" and Indiana's love affair with the classic underdog story, the conversation between the two friends provided a number of great moments for listeners of the syndicated radio and TV show.
Among them, could Larry Bird beat Michael Jordan in 1-on-1, currently at their advanced age?
Bird: God, I hate to admit this, but he'd kill me. (laughs)
Patrick: I don't know if I honestly believe that.
Bird: Dan, I'm 40 pounds more than I was when I played, I'm broken down. I really don't care like I used to. I have a fight in me, but it's not the fight I once had. But it would be a pretty close game. (laughs)
That question stemmed from a point earlier in the discussion in which Patrick mentioned that Jordan said he could beat anyone on the current Charlotte roster. Patrick asked Bird if there was ever a moment since he was either a coach or executive where he felt he could beat one of his players.
Patrick: Was there ever a point when you were coaching that you were better than somebody on your roster?
Bird: Back when I was 40? Nah, I don't know about that.
Patrick: What about shooting?
Bird: Oh yeah. When it came to shooting, ain't no problem.
Patrick: OK, was there a point where you were coaching, where you were the best shooter on the team?
Bird: No, Reggie was here. Chris Mullin was here. Sam Perkins. We had some pretty good shooters.
Earlier in the interview, Patrick asked Bird when he first thought he'd be just fine in the NBA.
Bird: Well, when I was in the summer, I was at rookie/free-agent camp in Boston and they had some veterans there. ... And they played a couple days with us, and I know it's just summer, I know it's not in the games, I remember one day walking out going, "I know I'm not going to have any problem in this league." That's the first time I really felt that. Growing up from a small high school, went to a mid-major, there's always doubt. People always told me, "Wait 'til you get to the pros," this and that. It didn't take long for me to feel I can play in this league.
More from Bird's conversation with Patrick:
Patrick: Explain that whole "Hoosiers" phenomenon in Indiana. How small was your high school?
Bird: Oh, I don't know. We were one of the smallest in the state. What it is, back in the day, back when I played, they didn't have class basketball, now they do. So the dream was to always be good enough to play against the big schools. That's what we tried to do. Try to be good enough to have the opportunity to play a Crispus Attucks or a Jeffersonville or New Albany, but unfortunately I played with a kid that kept missing free throws at the end of the game, and we didn't get there.
Patrick: Was there a Hack-A-Shaq thing (a strategy to hinder scoring by opponents by continuously committing fouls against one of its opposing players, usually the one with the weakest free-throw percentage) going on with your team back then?
Bird: Well, with my point guard, he got a little nervous, and they knew it, so they started fouling him. We just didn't make it.
Patrick: You're not over it, are you?
Bird: Never! A loss is a loss, a big loss. But hey, you know what's funny, I was at a party about two years ago, it wasn't a party, but a cookout, and this lady in her 70s , she looked at my friend and said, "What are you doing here?" "Well, I'm coming to the cookout." And she was like, "After missing them free throws back in '74 you shouldn't show your face." Yeah it's been 35 years and I understand that. … It happened, Dan.
Larry Bird on 1-on-1 vs. Michael Jordan: 'He'd kill me'
Matthew Glenesk, [email protected]7:25 a.m. EDT July 28, 2015Bird also looks back at his high school career
98TWEETLINKEDIN 2COMMENTEMAILMORE
Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird joined "The Dan Patrick Show" Monday morning to promote the team's special "Hoosiers"-themed Hickory jerseys.
The show's producer Paul Pabst wore the Hickory jersey (supposedly the same George Hill modeled) during the telecast.
And while Patrick and Bird talked about "Hoosiers" and Indiana's love affair with the classic underdog story, the conversation between the two friends provided a number of great moments for listeners of the syndicated radio and TV show.
Among them, could Larry Bird beat Michael Jordan in 1-on-1, currently at their advanced age?
Bird: God, I hate to admit this, but he'd kill me. (laughs)
Patrick: I don't know if I honestly believe that.
Bird: Dan, I'm 40 pounds more than I was when I played, I'm broken down. I really don't care like I used to. I have a fight in me, but it's not the fight I once had. But it would be a pretty close game. (laughs)
That question stemmed from a point earlier in the discussion in which Patrick mentioned that Jordan said he could beat anyone on the current Charlotte roster. Patrick asked Bird if there was ever a moment since he was either a coach or executive where he felt he could beat one of his players.
Patrick: Was there ever a point when you were coaching that you were better than somebody on your roster?
Bird: Back when I was 40? Nah, I don't know about that.
Patrick: What about shooting?
Bird: Oh yeah. When it came to shooting, ain't no problem.
Patrick: OK, was there a point where you were coaching, where you were the best shooter on the team?
Bird: No, Reggie was here. Chris Mullin was here. Sam Perkins. We had some pretty good shooters.
Earlier in the interview, Patrick asked Bird when he first thought he'd be just fine in the NBA.
Bird: Well, when I was in the summer, I was at rookie/free-agent camp in Boston and they had some veterans there. ... And they played a couple days with us, and I know it's just summer, I know it's not in the games, I remember one day walking out going, "I know I'm not going to have any problem in this league." That's the first time I really felt that. Growing up from a small high school, went to a mid-major, there's always doubt. People always told me, "Wait 'til you get to the pros," this and that. It didn't take long for me to feel I can play in this league.
More from Bird's conversation with Patrick:
Patrick: Explain that whole "Hoosiers" phenomenon in Indiana. How small was your high school?
Bird: Oh, I don't know. We were one of the smallest in the state. What it is, back in the day, back when I played, they didn't have class basketball, now they do. So the dream was to always be good enough to play against the big schools. That's what we tried to do. Try to be good enough to have the opportunity to play a Crispus Attucks or a Jeffersonville or New Albany, but unfortunately I played with a kid that kept missing free throws at the end of the game, and we didn't get there.
Patrick: Was there a Hack-A-Shaq thing (a strategy to hinder scoring by opponents by continuously committing fouls against one of its opposing players, usually the one with the weakest free-throw percentage) going on with your team back then?
Bird: Well, with my point guard, he got a little nervous, and they knew it, so they started fouling him. We just didn't make it.
Patrick: You're not over it, are you?
Bird: Never! A loss is a loss, a big loss. But hey, you know what's funny, I was at a party about two years ago, it wasn't a party, but a cookout, and this lady in her 70s , she looked at my friend and said, "What are you doing here?" "Well, I'm coming to the cookout." And she was like, "After missing them free throws back in '74 you shouldn't show your face." Yeah it's been 35 years and I understand that. … It happened, Dan.
