Jack Toft
Years ago
DVD Review: Larry Bird - NBA Legend
As a Lakers fan, I had always thought Larry Bird was one of those players who was a little over-rated until I watched his highlight DVD. I knew he had an amazing 13 seasons, 3 titles and 3 consequtive MVPs to his name, but I didn't know the "Hick from French Lick" was such an intelligent player with the court sense and cunning of a hay shed cat from the cornfields of Indiana. After watching the video I would class him as a Player’s Player, one who inspired his teammates and lifted them up to his standard. I couldn’t imagine any of his teammates not wanting to be on the pine wth him. Reminds me of a local lad who played a season or two.
Anyone who has a retired number at an NBA Franchise and who is inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame is worthy of a DVD and the DVD is worth watching.
The DVD starts off in his early years and shows some great footage of him at College where his rivalry with Magic Johnson started. They had short shorts back then so just a warning for small children and those with heart complaints. Bird’s impact on the Celtics was immediate and the footage collected as part of the DVD creation shows some classic shooting and plays that would get any Celtic fan drooling like Homer Simpson over a doughnut, and any coach reaching for their whiteboard to jot the plays down.
It’s rare to find a big man (6’9”) who can shoot and dribble like a guard and the highlight reel is limited to the amount you could fit into one DVD. That’s why there’s two of them. After the special on Bird, the first DVD features a full game from one of his many playoff seasons. The highlight being him nailing a seemingly impossible 3 to force it to OT and then it goes to double OT. Bird finishes the game with 47 points. Its late in his career so the short shorts are a little baggier and the top a bit sloppier by now.
The second DVD contains two classic games. The first is game 7 in the ’88 playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks. Keep an eye out for #25 for the Hawks - Celtics fans will know who he is. The lead changes at least 22 times and Bird bags 20 points in the final quarter to lead his team to the win. The second game is the ’85 Classic against the Hawks. It’s the game where playmaker Bird gets 60 points. He probably could’ve bagged more, but didn’t want to be greedy.
A must see for all Celtic fans, and fans who just want to watch great basketball and learn a bit more about a great player.
