Great Interview-McHale and Bird

pete wrote:

Absolute marvelous chat between two Celtic greats!

Really is and great stories!

Excellent!  When did this come out?!  Trying to find the replay on NBATV

Observations:

"It's a lot of fun".  That's what I heard.  Those guys had fun...and you should.  You're playing basketball for a living.  

Andrew Toney-PHI-against Boston.  Forgot all about that (mis) match up.  

"Trash talk" - priceless.  Elvin Hayes McHale

Time together.  Hmmmmm.  Sounds like the reason why the US Team keeps consistently losing the Ryder Cup and can't figure it out.  

No mention of DJ?  There was only one still shot of DJ in the team picture.  A little stunned here.  Didn't Larry say DJ was the best player he ever played with?  What was it he said exactly?  Maybe he's still mourning his passing and can't talk about it?

Still, overall, a tremendous interview.  Worth seeing several times.  Lots of funny stuff/shenanigans going on with Larry.  Hilarious!  Thank you, pete, for posting this.  

db

Db

I was surprised as well that they didn’t mention DJ. Kept waiting for that.

It is funny because Bird always said that DJ was the best guard he ever played with. I think they were so caught up in just exchanging stories about their time together that if slipped by.

I do know that DJ was always disappointedthat Bird never gave him a shot at. Coaching or asst. coaching after they had all retired and Bird was in iIndiana, even as a executive.

I heard and watched this interview a while ago after my son discovered it on You Tube.

Great to see what good teammates can accomplish together. Got to wonder about this generation

Yeah, I'll have to watch it again but it almost looked planned not to mention DJ. Like Larry still can't talk about him and his passing. I don't know. I'm just guessing.

db

Bird is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Regular Season MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year

And so self assured of himself that he walked away from it and is living his life. I know he still might have a small hand in what goes on in Indy but not much

I love just listening to their stories - can you imagine what it is like for them, living through those moments???

Shamrock1000 wrote:I love just listening to their stories - can you imagine what it is like for them, living through those moments???

Right what an unbelievable ride it was from the time Red drafted Larry with the junior eligible rule, then getting Parish and McHale the next year. With just a little luck or no bad luck we could have easily won 6 or 7 titles in dominant fashion with that team. Tiny dislocated his shoulder in 82 playoffs, then the tragedy of Len Bias....there’s a ton of pundits and coaches from those days that say what an impactful superstar Bias was set to grow into.

cowens/oldschool,

I can hear all the Celtic haters going, "Yeah, well I could have been Red and coached those teams to all those championships." Or, "Everything has a way of balancing out the riches" or whatever.

I do remember that morning with Len Bias and hearing that news. Devastating! I didn't really know what it all meant to Boston at the time. I think I was thinking well, they'll just get another pick or something.

Just like all the Carolina fans down here say, 'Well we'd have 12 titles now if it weren't for Coach K!." And they are probably right! They are insufferable! As an NC State fan through all the Thompson and Valvano years, our favorite 2 Carolina seasons were the Matt Daugherty coached years.

But the impact of Len Bias coming in to take the torch from Larry would have been unimaginable. We easily would have had 7 more titles. Chicago would maybe have only 3 titles, maybe none. Red had obviously found the next Larry Bird. Len created about the same stir or more as Zion is now. Pretty darn close at least. Jordan would be nowhere near where he is today if Len were around during that time. Nowhere close. Might even be like a Jerry West in terms of depression and less titles.

db

Bias would have been our young gifted multiple all star stud going right at Jordan, Worthy, Barkley, K Malone. I’ve read he played with a fire and loved to defend....Pistons never would have gotten a title.

He was unreal to watch. Carolina hated him. He was unguardable really. Like Rodney Rogers out of Wake Forest. I'd put those two with Zion all in the same category coming out of college EASILY in terms of potential pro impact at the time.

db

There are quotes from pundits and coaches that the best player they ever saw in the ACC was Bias not Jordan.

Oh yeah. By far. Unfortunately, at that time he was on UM team. They did not get the recognition the NC teams did in the ACC at that time. Of course, Jordan sinking the '82 shot heard round the world helped seal his fate.

Make no mistake, Jordan was very good. But Bias was ridiculous.

db

dbrown4 wrote:Oh yeah.  By far.  Unfortunately, at that time he was on UM team.  They did not get the recognition the NC teams did in the ACC at that time.  Of course, Jordan sinking the '82 shot heard round the world helped seal his fate.

Make no mistake, Jordan was very good.  But Bias was ridiculous.  

db  

Right Jordan was a better pro than college player, in college Bias was a bigger version of Jordan, able to dominate anyone in the front court, Jordan strictly a guard. Can you imagine how easy the game would have been for him playing with all those HoFers on the Bird teams...??? Woulda been sick, Pistons never would have gotten anything, LA and Bulls a lot less....