Post#10 » by Havlicek17 » Mon Nov 24, 2008 1:06 am
I have to admit, I was around when the Celtics had Bird in the 80's. We got a lot of negative press back then, but as someone said earlier, you get hated on when you are the best. It's unavoidable.
The league was different back then, and Bird's teams were very physical and had his attitude. That led to a lot of not-so-flatering quotes from other teams, (outside of Boston) press, articles, etc.
During his career, Bird was one of the most vocal trash talkers in the league. Other players always commented about how bad Bird was, and a lot of them really hated him. He always played with a chip on his shoulder. He predicted he would win the 3 pt shotout one year, by announcing in the locker room before the event, that everyone was playing for second. He got into a shoving match/fistfight with Dr J who was an elder statesman and everybody in the league respected at that time.
The Pistons were the most physical and tried to intimidate everybody back then. But not Boston, Chief punched Lambeer in one famous playoff skirmish. That and losing to Boston so much back then, led to the Detroit team and Isaiah saying the only reason Bird got any recognition as a good ballplayer was because he was white. They all took it back the next day, but trust me there was a lot of hating going on.
That brings me to the Fakers. They complained about Boston all the time. They said that Red made sure they did not have AC in their locker rooms of the old Boston Garden during the first of the Bird/Magic finals (it was HOT, mid-upper 90's, and I do think Red did it). They complained about Boston's physical play all the time. There was the famous McHale clothesline of Kurt Rambis, that a lot of people say turned the momentum and won the Celtics the championship that year. That was talked about a lot after we won. In the 80's, NBA teams played very physical and there were a lot more hard fouls, and altercations back then. It lead to intense rivalries, a lot of trash talking between teams and the teams fans, and it lead the league to change the rules so there are harsher punishments as we see handed down today.
I enjoyed the old intense rivalries. I didn't consider it hating, as much as just more trash talking by the press and fans.
Here's an example. Jack Nickolson, famous Laker fan used to give Bird and our other players the choke sign late in games. He hated the Celtics, and was quoted in the press as much as one of the players. One year in the finals after the Garden started chanting F U Jack, Jack Nickolson dropped his drawers and mooned the whole place from his seat. The rivalries and the fans were pretty intense back then. I never considered it hating. I just thought it was to be expected if you are the best. Someone's always going to find something to talk trash about.
PS: I respected Jack a lot more after that because he had the nuts to do it.
), BBD is a teddy bear, LP seams tops and paul and kevin seam decent when off the court at least. I believe the league is way better for having a good Celtics team, than a bad one.
