Shaquille O’Neal Shares Story of Larry Bird Toying With the Hawks and Making Their Bench His Fans

Larry Bird, without question, is one of the greatest players of all time. However good one was at basketball, they could not love playing against a team led by Bird. The 6ft 9’ forward was a menace to deal with.

Be it Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas, Patrick Ewing, or Dominique Wilkins, everyone (some more than others) got the taste of defeat at the hands of Larry Legend.

Shaquille O’Neal recently shared one of his stories of tormenting Wilkins’ Hawks so much so, that Atlanta’s own bench started enjoying the misery their team was going through.

 

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When Larry Bird toyed with the Hawks and made their bench his fans

A regular season game between a solid Hawks team led by the Human Highlight Reel and the defending 3-time MVP’s Celtics in the 1984-85 season became one of the most memorable games of the 13-year career of Bird.

The 28-year-old came up with 60 points, shooting 22 of 36 from the field. It wasn’t like it was his day and the Hawks team was going easy on him.

The man had an answer for everyone who guarded him throughout the game. This 60-point demolition would go on to be his career-high night in scoring. And to this day, it is the highest (joint with Jayson Tatum) score by a Celtics player in franchise history.

Bird had several memorable games, but this one was special

Scoring 47 points while only using his left hand was another unique game by Bird which set his dominance apart from most players in the game of basketball.

But making an entire opposition bench, cheer for you? The Hawks’ bench looked like it was the Celtics’ bench. That’s something nobody ever saw before that night or would see afterward.

That is why the man is a legend of legends. And even the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, who achieved more than Bird did, also appreciate him whenever they get the chance.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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