Larry Bird, 30 points, 12 Rebounds, 10 assists, 9 steals, 0 minutes in 4th quarter

[WayOfWade]

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-19/sports/sp-456_1_larry-bird
I just barely read this and was absolutely stunned, he did all this work in just 33 minutes! Apparently Larry knew he was just one steal away, but he chose not to play in the 4th quarter anyway. The dude was so good, it's a shame that I never go to see him play live. Easily the most impressive game I've never heard of. Maybe it's been mentioned here before, but I had never seen it. Top 5 (player) all-time

[Dr Hawk]

:bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown: :bowdown:

And all this while playing within the flow of the offensive game of his team, unlike others

[HOoopCityJones]

Greatest SF of all time.

[ArbitraryWater]

:biggums:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390570

had a thread about this yesterday bruh

[Spurs5Rings2014]

Greatest SF of all time.

:cheers:

Did all that while playing off-ball. One of, if not, the GOAT off-ball player. The ultimate non-stat padder. Rather sit out the rest of the game and increase his and his team's chances of winning further down the line. GOAT SF gonna GOAT.

:bowdown:

[STATUTORY]

it's like Kobe putting up 62 in 3 quarters and sitting up the 4th

[WayOfWade]

:biggums:

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390570

had a thread about this yesterday bruh
Yeah I didn't really read that other thread. It's all good though, no worries

[SHAQisGOAT]

Bird sat out the entire fourth quarter. After playing the third quarter, head coach K. C. Jones informed Bird that he was one steal away from a quadruple-double and asked if he wanted to stay in the game. Bird declined, saying that he "already did enough damage."

:bowdown:

Few of Bird's highlights from that game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t6TFJwSBWo

I think that Utah had the league's best ranked defense in 1985, mostly due to them having Eaton down the middle... But their fastbreak defense wasn't great (also because they wanted to quickly run to the other end), and they didn't really have nobody to really check Bird 1on1... Dantley didn't give a **** about defense but could've used his bulk/strength to guard Bird in the post; AD didn't play though... Thurl Bailey was 6'11, athletic and could play D but it was tough for him to keep up with Larry on the perimeter... Bob Hansen was athletic but too small.
...
Bird exploited all of that and was just killing them EVERYWHERE. Celtics gave the Jazz no chance, with great offense and playing suffocating D.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/198502180UTA.html

[TomBrady]

Massachusetts collects the greatest players of all time.

[90sgoat]

GOAT :cheers:

[Pushxx]

Legend :bowdown: :applause: :rockon: :cheers:

[SamuraiSWISH]

:eek:

[AirFederer]

Bird was such a boss :bowdown:

[stalkerforlife]

Greatest SF of all time.

Top 5 all time.

[ShawkFactory]

Wish I could have watched him. So bad.

[catch24]

Best SF of all-time... At the very least 1A/B with LeBron

:applause:

[mr4speed]

http://articles.latimes.com/1985-02-19/sports/sp-456_1_larry-bird
I just barely read this and was absolutely stunned, he did all this work in just 33 minutes! Apparently Larry knew he was just one steal away, but he chose not to play in the 4th quarter anyway. The dude was so good, it's a shame that I never go to see him play live. Easily the most impressive game I've never heard of. Maybe it's been mentioned here before, but I had never seen it. Top 5 (player) all-time
I never saw this game but read about it in the paper, it is a true hidden diamond among greatest games. My personal favorite Bird game was on Feb 14th vs Portland where he scored 47 points (20 points were left handed) and he tied the game with a jumper at 6 seconds to force the OT and then won the game with a jumper with 3 seconds to go. He shot 62% and had 11 assists and 14 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Total domination.

[ShawkFactory]

I never saw this game but read about it in the paper, it is a true hidden diamond among greatest games. My personal favorite Bird game was on Feb 14th vs Portland where he scored 47 points (20 points were left handed) and he tied the game with a jumper at 6 seconds to force the OT and then won the game with a jumper with 3 seconds to go. He shot 62% and had 11 assists and 14 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. Total domination.
Is that the game where Clyde also had a 40 point triple double, or something very near it?

If so that's one of the best duels of all time.

[Fedor - Laker]

lmfao, Kobe wishes he was like Bird,

Never will be

[SHAQisGOAT]

Is that the game where Clyde also had a 40 point triple double, or something very near it?

If so that's one of the best duels of all time.

Nah... That one was in 1992, one of Bird's last tremendous games... He had 49/12/12/4/1 on .622 TS%, while Clyde put up 41/8/11/2/1 on .595 TS%... Indeed one of the best "duels" ever, Celtics won by 4 in double OT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woAK1i-o2wI

The 'left-handed game' mr4speed was talking about was in 1986... Bird was at his peak then, they said he just got "bored" and started to try lots of FGA's with his left hand... Ended up with 47/14/11/1/2 on .665 TS%, while scoring 20 points with the left hand, making the shot that sent the game to overtime, then hitting the game-winner in that OT:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R76nMD8buR8

[senelcoolidge]

Best SF of all-time... At the very least 1A/B with LeBron

:applause:

I have a hard time putting lebron on Bird's level. Bird played off the ball and in the flow of the game. Lebron can't do that.