NBA commissioner Adam Silver might not be a big fan, but trash-talking is an essential aspect of basketball. It adds entertainment value and even differentiates the good from the great players. Down the list of legendary NBA stars, and you will find all of them were exceptional at trash talk in some way, shape or form. But as good as the likes of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were in that regard, they couldn’t hold a stick compared to Larry Bird.
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It seems that every so often, a new story comes out highlighting the mental torment Bird would put his opponents through. Former Los Angeles Lakers star Norm Nixon had plenty of duels against the Boston Celtics legend and is happy to let the world know just how far Bird could push people.
[Larry Bird] is one of the biggest [trash talkers ever],” Nixon said on Byron Scott’s Fast Break. Nixon was among the contestants who listened to Bird declare his three-point contest win moments before capturing the title. To most, that may seem like the most prominent trash talk moment, but another resonates strongly with Nixon.
Players didn’t just sit idly as Bird unloaded heaps of trash talk. Plenty engaged in the back and forth, while others let their emotions get the best of them.
In the 1985-86 season, the Los Angeles Clippers prepared to face the Boston Celtics in the Boston Garden. The Clippers were far from a dominant force like the Celtics were back then. However, they had added Cedric Maxwell, who was a Celtics legend for the first eight years of his career.
The Clippers were quite confident that they would be able to contain Bird with Maxwell’s help. But Bird didn’t waste any time letting Nixon know, their efforts would be futile.
“He walked on the court like, ‘Norm, I’m shooting all threes tonight,'” Nixon said. “I said, ‘Maxwell is going to lock you up.'”
Turns out Maxwell was unable to lock Bird up. The 12-time All-Star got fouled on his first three-point attempt and immediately stared down Nixon while lying on the ground. Nixon laughs at it now, but in the moment, he could feel the frustration building. Lived experiences like these are why Nixon claims to know exactly why Julius Erving got into a fist fight with Bird.
“That’s why [Julius Erving], if you look at the tape, Doc called him at half court, grabbed and punched about eight times,” Nixon said. “You know he was in Doc’s ear.”
That moment took place in the 1984-85 season. On November 9, the Celtics took on the Philadelphia 76ers at home. Bird looked forward to matchups against the league’s best, which Erving was. Unfortunately, Erving had had enough of Bird chirping his ears off.
Bird was still torching the Sixers and at point, had 42 points in just 30 minutes. That number could’ve reached even greater heights if he hadn’t been ejected alongside Erving.
