Past eras of NBA basketball are notorious for their physicality. Rules in the 1980s and ’90s allowed defenders to guard offensive players more roughly than in today’s game. But that doesn’t mean everyone abided by those rules. Pacers legend Reggie Miller recalls that Magic Johnson’s tendency to call weak fouls got shut down by Larry Bird.
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Players don’t have any say in how referees officiate the game. What they can do is adjust to the whistle, whether that requires more or less physicality. In the offseason, during private runs, that is a different conversation.
UCLA has been the home of some of the most intense offseason pickup games among NBA players. Guys like Johnson and Miller participated so they could work on their game against the league’s best. One day, their competitive energy reached an all-time high.
Miller made a guest appearance on the ALL THE SMOKE podcast. During his conversation, he spoke about the time Bird showed up to the UCLA pickup game in style. He immediately set the tone by standing up to his long-time rival’s foul calls.
“Ain’t none of this bullsh*t going to be called today,” Miller said. “Larry wasn’t having it.”
Bird was as tough as they come. He didn’t become a three-time NBA champion for no reason. He played with an edge that followed him wherever he stepped foot on a basketball court.
The Celtics legend didn’t just stand against Magic’s calls; he tantalized the competition. Miller was in awe of Bird’s onslaught.
“Oh my God, some of the passes,” Miller exclaimed. There is no footage from the legendary pickup game, but Miller says Bird asserted his dominance.
During that specific run, Miller had the luxury of playing alongside Bird. However, when Bird eventually became Miller’s head coach with the Pacers, he experienced a different side of the NBA legend.
Bird wasn’t an easy coach to play under
Bird took a break from basketball when he finished his playing career in 1992. But he couldn’t stay away from the game for long. In 1997, he became the head coach for the Pacers and led the team to impressive heights.
Miller had faced off against Bird on plenty of occasions, but now he played under him. Playing up to Bird’s standards and expectations presented a different set of difficulties for the shooting guard.
“There was so much pressure on us,” Miller said. “Every game had to be like a Game 7. That was his mentality.”
The Pacers players embraced Bird’s philosophy and had some of the most successful seasons in franchise history. Indiana clinched their first and only NBA Finals appearance under Bird in 2000. Unfortunately, they fell short, losing to the Lakers in six games.
Miller always respected Bird as a player but earned a new level of regard for the basketball mind when he became his coach. Their relationship transcends the basketball court and remains tight-knit to this day.
