Larry Bird turned $60 million Pacers man into ‘Most Improved Player’ after benching him in Game 7 against Michael Jordan and Co

Larry Bird never ran away from making huge decisions, neither in his 13 years as player nor 3 years as Head Coach.

When the Celtics’ legendary forward, Larry Bird, one of the greatest players in the NBA, took up coaching in 1997 as the Head Coach of Reggie Miller and Co. they instantly became a top team for title contention.

But as successful a career the 3x NBA champ had as a player, he couldn’t do the same as a head coach. Undoubtedly, he took the Pacers to the heights they had never been to, nor they will in the next 22 years after his calling it a day in 2000.

But before the 12x All-Star led them into the 2000 NBA Finals, there were two struggling years where they lost two-straight Conference Finals, the first of which would be against the man to whom he and Magic Johnson handed the reigns over to when they retired.

Also read: Billionaire Michael Jordan surpasses Diego Maradona with ‘Last Dance’ jersey selling for whopping $10.1 million 

Larry Bird was as tough a coach than he was a player, if not more

When Larry Legend took over the Pacers as the mastermind who will be running things in 1997, it was pretty much a known fact that the 97-98 season would be the last season for the 5x Champs, Chicago Bulls, with Michael Jordan and his team.

What it could have meant for Reggie’s team could be the best team in the East and win championships as the league was up for grabs for the taking because its ringmaster would soon be leaving the game.

That might be a reason why Bird took the job there. And as soon as he did, he led the Pacers into the Conference Finals. However, before he left we know how Jordan had to have ‘The Last Dance’.

It wasn’t much of a dance for ESPN’s $60 million worth analyst who was a role-playing forward in his fourth year in the league and was a consistent presence in the closing minutes for the team.

Jalen Rose owes a lot to Larry Bird

In Game 7 of the Conference Finals though, he missed two straight jumpers and Bird took him off the court immediately. Rose remembers the whole sequence following it quite well.

They did improve each year from 3rd finish in the East in 98 to 2nd and 1st in the next two years. And Rose himself had the best years coming, averaging double in almost every statistical category in 1999-2000 compared to two years before.

He also won the 2000 most improved player and became quite a good offensive weapon, a regular 20-point threat for the next five or years.

Also read: Larry Bird could shoot from “anywhere on the court” since he was in high school

So, Jalen has a lot of it to thank Bird for bringing the best out of him in his short and decently good 12-year career.

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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