Hall of Famer Julius Erving was a pioneer on the basketball court. His skill set was unlike any of his peers in his era, and his stylish playstyle with one-of-a-kind athleticism made him an icon. Irving, better known as Dr. J, had plenty of confidence in his abilities. However, his faith in his skills backfired spectacularly at the peak of his powers.
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During the 1984 playoffs, the defending champions Philadelphia 76ers faced the New Jersey Nets in the first round. The Dr. J and Moses Malone-led 76ers were heavy favourites to win the series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals. However, the Nets surprisingly won Games 1 and 2, leaving Philadelphia on the brink of elimination.
The 76ers came back to tie the series at 2-2 after wins in Games 3 and 4, and ahead of the series finale, Dr. J was convinced Philadelphia would win Game 5 and advance to the next round. His self-belief bordered on over-confidence as he told media members, “You might as well mail in the stats,” suggesting the Nets had no chance. Dr. J would end up regretting his comments.
New Jersey beat Philadelphia 101-98 and ended their season. Dr. J finished the game with 12 points and four assists and earned an earful and a warning from Nets head coach Stan Albeck, who said,
“That statement was so unlike Doc. I’m sure he said it in haste. But it went out on the wires and my wife heard about it. We decided that if we won, we’d have 10,000 copies of the stat sheet passed out and have everyone mail one to Doc.”
Dr. J failed to fill out the stat sheet and was forced to eat the humble pie. It was probably one of the most embarrassing moments of his legendary career.
Dr. J once fought Larry Bird after getting cooked by the Celtics legend
While Dr. J had no problem trash-talking, he took exception when Larry Bird did it to him months after his infamous, over-confident jibe at the Nets. During a regular season game between the 76ers and the Boston Celtics, who were both 5-0, a fight broke out between Dr. J and Bird, leading to both players and Charles Barkley being ejected from the game.
During an interview, Hall of Fame referee Dick Bavetta revealed what led to the fight between the two. He said,
“Larry Bird has an unbelievable night. Every shot he took — Erving is guarding him — and as every shot went in that Larry took, he went further back and kept on saying to Erving, ‘Aren’t you going to guard me? Can you do any better?'”
Bird had 42 points, while Dr. J struggled and had only six. The frustrated 76ers star punched the Celtics icon and commenced a massive brawl. Dr. J landed two punches on Bird, who was being held back by Barkley.
Bird and Dr. J were fined $7,500, while Barkley and Moses Malone also received smaller fines. 1984 wasn’t a good year for the 76ers star’s reputation. The loss to the Nets and the fight with Bird were bad looks for Dr. J.
