All language subtitles for Celtics City - 1x06

- Oh, no!
- Get you on camera.

- No.
- Get him on camera.

This competition
thing is amazing--

what it does to you,

what you put your body through

The way I train and what
I put my body through,

I knew I was gonna break down.

I mean, it was just
a matter of time.

I dove all over the court.

I knew I wasn't
gonna last long,

so I tried to get
the most out of it.

Wants it.
Won't go down.

Rebound.
Akers kept it alive.

Ooh, tough collision there
between...

Larry knew
he was in trouble.

But he did not want to leave
the tradition of the Celtics

without having somebody with
an ability to take it over.

Len Bias really on fire.

I was very high on Bias.

He thought that
he might have had that

somewhere along the way.

Alley-oop to Reggie.

Yes!

That's the beauty
of the Celtic organization.

Paul Pierce.

It was all about
preparation,

the new guard taking over.

Larry had been ready
to pass the torch

but continued to play for Red
and the Boston Celtics.

He doesn't regret it.

He just knows what the impact
of doing that was.

That's Larry.

That's just Larry.

So anyway, what else you got?

The Boston Celtics
are the world champions.

Oh, my,
this place is going crazy.

Welcome to the 1986 NBA Draft.

Speculation has it that this
will be one of the most

Red Auerbach may
change things around.

Logic indicates he will take
William Bedford, the center.

But Red has always had an
affinity for Lenny Bias,

who he's known
for a long time.

34, Len Bias.

Len Bias was a consensus
all-American from Maryland.

He was a sure thing,
a can't-miss.

With two minutes to go,
alley-oop.

Bias with a dunk.

Let me tell you
about Len Bias.

I live in Washington.

practice quite a bit.

I knew him well.

This young guy
is gonna be the bridge

that sets up the next dynasty
for the Celtics.

This is Bias.

My husband flew to New York
with Len for the NBA Draft,

and I was back home
with the kids.

The Boston Celtics
select Len Bias,

the University of Maryland.

I saw the very moment
that it happened in real time.

But it was unsettling
for me because

though people kept
telling me congratulations,

I never felt it.

As you can see,
Lenny Bias made it.

We know a lot of you have
some questions to ask him

or to interview him.

He's gonna be around awhile.

I consider myself lucky
but more blessed,

having the opportunity to play
here and be drafted here.

Afterwards he called, and we
talked about what had gone on.

It was just so much
excitement and all.

We'll see you
when we get home.

The next day, Len came home
and came over to the campus.

So here is the dorm
of Washington Hall,

where Len actually stayed.

Crazy thing,
it still looks the same.

Completely,
completely the same.

We were just celebrating,
talking,

I know we dapped each other up
and gave each other a hug.

And I just said, man,
congratulations.

I'm proud of you.

Just left, you know?

We thinking, hey,
see you tomorrow.

Leonard Bias was brought
to us at 6:50 this morning.

There was no cardiac function

during the two hours
that he was here.

And he was pronounced dead
at 8:50.

It's something
that you'd never expect.

He'd been through
a physical exam

and just came out perfect.

And now he's not here.

It was so shocking.

This amazing kid with this
world in front of him,

That really hurt
Coach Auerbach.

I was in his office
the morning.

We just sat there for--
seemed like an hour,

neither of us saying a word.

He was just really exuberant
because he achieved his goal.

He was a Celtic type kid
in every essence.

It was kind of
a dark cloud over us

after that time for a period.

Just don't get--
you just don't shake off

something like that real easy.

You really don't.

Now everybody's speculating,
how did he die?

How could somebody
that healthy,

somebody that young die?

Leonard Bias died
of cocaine intoxication,

which resulted in
the sudden onset of seizures

and cardiac arrest.

When you're gonna make
a draft choice like that

and that investment
of that choice,

you run some kind
of check on a guy?

Well, a background
check on a guy,

would you know that what
you see and what you feel?

We didn't check Larry Bird.

We knew what kind of guy
Larry Bird was.

After he died,
it was all about cocaine.

It's all about drugs.

It's all about
regulating drugs.

It's about drug laws.

Now is the time to reach our
goal of a drug-free generation

in the United States.

Now all he is
is a device to pass laws.

It's about telling kids,

hey, you don't want to end up
like Lenny Bias

because Len Bias
died doing cocaine.

Just say no.

Believe me, homeboy

This is no lie

Because if you use it,
you just might die

Well, stop a moment
and think of Lenny Bias

He wasn't even
a person anymore.

He was a cautionary tale.

We never got to see
what happened.

And even to this day,
it's a huge what-if,

not even for what he would
have done just as a player

but what he would
have been to Boston.

His legacy is what
could have been.

There are men
and women that still

approach me with tears
in their eyes about Len

almost 40 years later.

He never played
professional ball,

but yet there's still
an interest in him.

Why?

Because of who he was.

The Celtics just won
the world championship.

That means they're
the best there is right now.

Still, Bias' death means
the team is suddenly minus

the first cornerstone
in what was supposed

to be the next dynasty.

Ladies and gentlemen,

tonight is a very special
evening.

The members of the
1986 championship team

will be presented with
their championship rings.

All right.

You want him?
You got him.

Let's raise that flag,
get on with a great year.

Help us out.

The Boston Celtics
have won three

NBA championships in six years.

People are calling
Larry Bird the greatest

player of all time.

Used to be Bill Russell.

Now Larry Bird
is pushing him pretty good.

You mean to start
a franchise?

- Yup.
- Are you serious?

I'm serious.

Bird for 3.

Larry Bird for 3
with four seconds to go.

Oh!

You now join Bill Russell
and Wilt Chamberlain

as the only players
to win the league's

MVP award
three years in a row.

It was obvious Larry
was the best player.

You know, he was the man.

There's no question
that I feel, next year,

if I feel like I do right now,
I can win it again.

together, as a team.

Yes, we were definitely
the big dog in the house.

Blocked by Robert Parish.

On the court,
we had good chemistry.

Robert opened up
a lot of things for us.

Watch Parish run the court.

I played against
a lot of great players

around the league at that time,

and I'm telling you, I wouldn't
trade him for any of them.

McHale makes a move.

low-post player
I ever played against,

Kareem at the top.

McHale got it!

McHale on the back end.

Scoop shot is good.

Unlimited moves
and creativity.

brings it up and dishes
to McHale, who slams it.

I thought, boy,
we stay healthy,

we're gonna make a run here
for another 2, 3.

I developed a stress
fracture in my foot.

So now everybody else
has to play more.

And then that took an
untenable toll on all of them.

McHale is hobbling.

He is so, so important.

My foot's killing me.

But I kept playing.

And I was thinking, well,
you know, just suck it up.

You got something going on in
there, but it's nothing major.

But in the playoffs,
the doctor

started holding my toes,

and he would move my foot
around, and all of a sudden,

he goes, yeah, you got
a fracture in your navicular.

And I thought, I got
a couple more rounds to go.

I think I can play.
I think I can manage.

Kevin McHale,
the coal miner's son

from Hibbing, Minnesota.

real hard for everything
they got.

And I think Kevin knew that.

My father worked
in the mines.

McHale blocks it away
from Pierce.

He just thought
he had a job to do.

And...

To McHale.

And I figured that 80% of me
was maybe better than 100%

of the guy that was gonna
come in and play for me.

Lucas pushes the floor,
comes inside.

Picked up by Lucas.

And that's it.

Boston wins it,
138-137 in double overtime.

Kevin McHale,
today he went 55-plus minutes.

The Celtics have won
another seventh game at home.

And now for the Celtics,
the Detroit Pistons are next.

Everyone expects
to battle the Celtics

all the way in the
Eastern Conference Final.

Kevin, when did you
get out of the hospital?

What are you talking about?

I'm talking about your foot.

Nah, it's fine.

feels great.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
wait a second.

Whose X-ray is this, then, huh?

Is that not yours?

I don't know.
Let me take a look at it.

It says adult male gorilla.

That's not me.
Could be Laimbeer, huh?

Bill Laimbeer.

Laimbeer, mm.

Why is it that everybody
hates Bill Laimbeer?

You'd have to go home
and ask his wife, I think.

Well, I don't want
to talk about Bill Laimbeer.

It's my style of play
that antagonizes people.

I don't give anybody
any respect.

He deliberately tried
to injure you

and took pride in it.

He wore that bad-boy image
that they created

like a badge of honor.

He reveled in it.

The Detroit Pistons
have become

the bad boys of basketball.

Sometimes that bad-boy
image gets us into trouble.

Isiah Thomas picks up
his fourth personal foul,

and Parish is hurting.

As much as we disliked
the Lakers,

we disliked Detroit even more.

Most of the trouble they
got into, Isiah started it.

Isiah is really
talking to Sichting.

He was an agitator.

He seemed almost like a 6'1"
version of Magic Johnson.

Isiah with one
nice bounce pass.

There's that great smile
of Isiah Thomas.

He started to sort of
understand

that the way
the Pistons played

was almost sort of kind of
under his direction,

like as if he was some kind of,
like, crime boss or whatever

and these were his henchmen.

From the Boston Garden,
the Eastern Conference

Championship Series
with the defending

And for the first time in
the history of the franchise,

the Detroit Pistons

in a conference
championship series.

With the Pistons,
they knew who they were

and who they were
going to become.

There was no fear
of the Celtics.

We're still
the guy climbing.

They've been there.

They're pretty much
on the mountaintop.

You know, Detroit better
figure out an early vacation.

I read it.

It had been proven
through the NBA,

there's a little bit
of a rite of passage.

The Celtics are always
trying to beat the Sixers.

Now the Pistons were coming
for the Celtics.

And the Celtics
had their hands full.

Go off the glass.

Laimbeer, though, the follow,
and Robert Parish just

picked up a technical foul.

Laimbeer just pushed him
from one side of the basket

all the way under and no call.

Never had a lot of respect
for the Pistons.

It's sad you had
to play that way.

I mean, we're all out there
trying to make a living

and do our best.

And they were trying
to maim you most of the time.

97-81 Pistons.

And the 24-second clock
goes down,

I don't remember
Larry Bird getting

as angry as I saw him there.

That was a violent,
violent knockdown

by Laimbeer,
the yellow, gutless way

they do things here,
where they have

been called a dirty ball club.

This is a typical--
a typical disgusting display.

Now Rodman goes after Bird
after Bird threw the ball.

And he said, I was just trying
to hand the ball

back to the ref, and Laimbeer's
face got in the way.

Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer
have both

I said, Birdie, I don't mind
Laimbeer getting thrown out,

but you can't get thrown out
with him because that--

that's not a fair exchange.

It's like, Larry Bird,
Bill Laimbeer.

I said, you know,
if you took Isiah

of a equal exchange.

I think the Pistons
are in a lot of trouble,

Larry Bird is gonna make
Isiah Thomas and Laimbeer

go home crying tonight.

Bill Laimbeer went up and
offered a hand to Larry Bird,

Posted.
Laimbeer blocks it.

right off the rebound.

He elbowed me in the throat.

Two plays later,
I catch one in the chest.

I was like, Bill,
watch your elbows.

So he called me an MF
and told me to go eff off.

And that did it.

- He nailed him.
- Parish nailed Laimbeer.

And Laimbeer is down,
and he is hurt.

He nailed him.

Bill Laimbeer
got a little rambunctious,

and Parish said,
no, you don't.

And it looked like Laimbeer
hit him with an elbow.

And he just let him have it.

No foul was called
on the play.

People are sick and tired
of this guy

with the baby face

with putting his hands up
all the time.

Meanwhile, he'll--
he'll sucker punch you.

He'll do everything
in the game.

It couldn't happen
to a nicer guy.

Now we got trouble.

One-point ball game,
27 seconds remaining.

All right, it's 107-106,
but there are 17 seconds left.

Boston down one.

It comes to Dennis Johnson.

Dumars has got him.

DJ, left side Bird.

Nobody home.

Rodman the block.

Out-of-bounds.
Who's got it?

Detroit ball
with five seconds to go.

They're gonna beat the Celtics
at Boston Garden

in a playoff game.

And you got one
of the smartest guys

in the league, which Isiah
was, taking the ball out.

And now there's
a steal by Bird.

Underneath to DJ.
Lays it in.

What a play by Bird.

Bird stole
the inbounding pass.

DJ laid it up and in.

Oh, my, this place
is going crazy.

One way or another,
Bird kills you.

The place goes
absolutely bananas

Havlicek stole the ball.

Havlicek steals it!

Henderson stole the ball.

Bird stole the ball.

Now there's a steal by Bird.

The leprechaun has popped out
from down the rafters again,

Like, people believed this crap
because it kept happening.

I seen Laimbeer
standing there by himself,

and all I did was run over
there to try to foul him

and got my hand in there
and stole it.

And just as I got it, I seen
a white jersey streaking

down towards the basket.

And I turned, and it
was DJ, of course.

Bird on the cut to DJ.

Johnson, layup Boston.

I remember
how DJ instinctively

went to the basket.

Normally when something
like that happens,

everybody freezes.

But for whatever reason,
DJ didn't, because had he not

cut to the basket,
we would be talking about

a different story now.

while we're out there, he can
find me and I can find him

in any types of situations.

He would tell me
at the end of games,

don't give anybody
the ball but me.

And he says,
I'll do the same for you.

It's not that we was trying
to edge them other players out.

He didn't trust them.

And Detroit's
valiant effort comes up

a point short on a critical
inbounds mistake.

No, I can't.

Danny Ainge, 3-pointer.

Larry Bird has played
the entire game.

The Celtics,
as they always do,

find a way to win
down the stretch at home.

The Boston Celtics
will go to the finals again

After the game, I remember
I hit both locker rooms.

And then I hurried back
to start writing,

and a couple of other writers,
friends of mine, came and said,

you better get back in there.

Isiah and Dennis
just said something stupid.

I remember walking
into the Celtics room

and hearing Larry Bird,
and he goes,

well, I don't apologize
for being white.

And that's when it
clicked into me.

Oh, man, the shit
is gonna hit the fan here.

I say it sarcastically,

if Bird was Black,
he'd be just another good guy.

And I started laughing.

Isiah had called me
and said, I was joking.

I was joking.
We have the tape.

And I said, I don't think
people believe you were joking.

I cringed
when that happened.

And I said, oh, God,
you just can't say that.

You cannot say that.

You just can't say it.

You got to remember,
still, 99% of the fans

They don't want to hear that.

This had been
rolling for a week.

And in hindsight,
it just felt like we were

so ill-equipped to have
an intelligent discussion

about race.

Following Larry's statements,
he's gonna take off.

and they call this
absurd press conference.

To this--unprecedented.

Isiah Thomas flies to LA,
and Larry's already there.

It was crazy.

Isiah was in his hotel room
before the press conference.

I'll never forget.
He had a roll of Rolaids.

And he was biting
the Rolaids off the roll

without unwrapping the paper.

And I thought, wow.

I mean, he grew up
on the West Side of Chicago

in a tough neighborhood.

It was--he had seen
a lot and done a lot,

and I think he was terrified.

Jokingly, I say it.

But I have to agree
with Rodman, smiling,

laughing that if Bird was

Black, he'd be
just another good guy.

And from that,
shit, we got this.

If Isiah tells me
that it was a joking matter,

I think it--we should
leave it at that

because I don't think
Isiah is stupid.

He knows I'm a bad player.

Now, here's the beauty
of it.

Larry, you had my career right
in the palm of your hands.

Larry did us a huge solid.

Do you understand that moment
that he's talking about

- that you had?
- Yeah.

Come on, Reggie.

We've been in them locker rooms
taking tough losses.

You know, competition
sometimes brings the best

out of you and the worst.

Mm-hmm.

Isiah was a great
basketball player.

He had a big career
ahead of him.

I wasn't gonna damage
his career by saying

something I didn't mean.

He didn't need that
in his life.

I didn't need it.

I was getting ready
to go in the finals.

I'm doing a press conference,
a packed place,

and they're trying to push
this thing to another level.

You know, get out of here.

Because if it meant something,
I would have said it.

But it meant nothing to me.

My motivation for the comment
was simply joking.

The controversy
is that Isiah said

that Larry Bird,
if he was Black,

Larry definitely works hard
to get where he's at.

I mean, if he didn't work,
he wouldn't be a great player.

I worked hard, too,
to get where I got,

or I wouldn't be here.

I wouldn't be as good
as I am

if I didn't practice
my butt off.

If Larry Bird
were a Black player,

he'd be just another guy.

That's not just
a basketball comment.

That is a comment
about opportunities.

That's a comment
about exposure.

For Larry, he didn't
accept the reality of it.

The racial dichotomy
existed in the audience

but not in the person.

I'm very proud of the fact
that I'm a basketball player.

I worked very hard to become
a good basketball player.

I'm very proud of the fact
that I'm able to compete,

You know?

But I'm just--

I tell you, you was fast
as shit the other night

in game five
when you stole the ball.

Yeah, I forgot to thank you
for that too, Isiah.

It just shows how little
people understood

the full context of what
they said and took it out

and blew it up into something.

If they fully understood
what was going on there,

then they would have had the
same reaction that Larry had.

Yeah, and?

OK.

Can we get past this shit
and get back to basketball?

I don't think
we should have to sit here

and talk about it all day.

So I'm leaving.

So...

You're trying
to reconcile an event

that seems defined by race.

You think this guy is great,
but his greatness

contradicts what we think
a great player

is supposed to look like.

You already know
what they did for me.

- What?
- I walked away with the MVP.

who was in any way
sort of used by the culture,

but I suppose maybe he was.

We'll never know what the '80s
in the NBA are like

if, you know,
it's Magic Johnson

and another Black player.

I heard Converse made
a pair of Bird shoes

for last year's MVP.

Yup.

Well, they made
a pair of Magic shoes

for this year's MVP.

OK, Magic,
show me what you got.

The Lakers and the Celtics
back in the NBA Finals.

Right now, this is
a no-contest affair.

The Lakers and a big one.

126-113.

They just had a bit more
firepower than we had.

Kevin McHale, who has been
playing with a fractured foot

throughout much
of the playoffs,

has learned that perhaps the
injury is growing even worse.

and I'm gonna go
out there and play.

It hurt.
I mean, it hurt.

But to have four championships
would have been well worth it.

I'd do it again.

I just don't know
how this man is playing.

I told him
it's not worth it.

He should not play.

McHale is shaken up.

I think he actually
made it worse.

He never was the same.

Even when it healed,
he never was the same guy.

But you know what?

Sorry, Kevin.

This is really not your
typical LA-Boston matchup,

because for the first time,
we have a clear-cut favorite,

and that's the Lakers.

Do you admit
they're the better team?

First two games,
they were, yeah.

McHale, offensive rebound.

Boston wins 109-103.

But now the series
reads two games to one

in favor of the Lakers.

Wipe 'em up, Boston!

I mean, what's better
than this one?

I mean, just a classic.

You have to understand,
outside of the Boston Garden,

they have a kiosk
where they have all the

"I hate effing LA,"
you know?

'87 finals,
the Lakers were awesome.

We win game three,
and then game four is the game.

But we had Bird.

I was confident.

I believe this guy
can do anything.

This was John Wick.

It was like, I--
I don't care who we're playing.

We have Larry Bird.
We're winning.

Cooper with a move
around Bird.

Bird blocks the shot.

Great play by Bird.

McHale.

Celtics win.

It's a new series.

Bird.

We're up 6
with two minutes left.

They're coming back, and Cooper
is right in front of us.

Magic sees him,
and Cooper splits off.

And you knew
it was gonna go in.

And all of a sudden...

Kareem does it.

And the Lakers
jumping for joy.

They take the lead.

And we're like, oh, my God,
we just--we blew this.

We all know
that in the crunch,

number 33 for the Celtics,
Larry Bird,

will try to do what
number 33 for the Lakers

Bird goes for 3.

Larry Bird did it again.

Everyone's going bonkers.

Larry Bird,
with a big 3-point bomb,

has given the Celtics
the lead.

He's done it again.

That's the kind
of asshole he is.

Going to the wire.

And by far, the best game
of this '87 NBA Final.

It's Lakers' ball
with seven seconds to go.

And the Celtics trail by one.

They go to Magic,
and he hits some bullshit shot

Killed us.

But if my foot's
not broken, I like

I almost got it as it was.

Hell of a shot, though.

You got to give him credit.

That was a big play.

But it was still time
left on the clock.

I like to shoot
that last-second shot.

You can tell when people
are a little nervous,

but I just don't feel it.

And Larry Bird rode me up
the lane with a little shove

and freed him up for that shot.

I think I peed
on myself a little bit.

And the Lakers have won,
and Pat Riley and the Lakers

dance off the court.

I just remember fogging out
and you saying, we have to go.

We have to go.

Yeah, you were just like--

I was like, are you dead?

But the other thing,
like, you have

those sounds in a crowd
when it's, like, a big Bird 3

and be like, ah.

And then if you make it, ah.

And that one was a ah, oh.

I can picture it still.

He's shooting the ball,
and he's going,

it's already in.

Like, he's already turned
and going to the locker room.

He couldn't believe
he got that good of a look.

I would have bet
it was going in.

That one shot, if it goes in,

would it have been
any different?

That's when I knew
we was in trouble,

because how often do Larry
miss a wide-open shot?

I knew we wasn't gonna win it.

I wouldn't say that
out loud at the time,

but the writing
was on the wall.

3, 2, 1.

What I remember in the
aftermath of the '87 Finals

is Bird up at the podium.

And they asked him
about Magic Johnson.

Magic is just a great
basketball player.

He's the best I've
ever seen, you know?

I--unbelievable.

I don't know what to say.

It was the first time
I ever looked at Bird

and thought, man, he's beaten.

He looks beaten to me.

It felt different.

Like, maybe this
dynasty is over.

The rivalry of the Lakers
and the Celtics,

I wouldn't trade it
for anything.

It was the best of the best.

Both teams in that decade

gave everything that they
could give to winning.

You know,
it's always tough to see

an opponent kind of fade away.

All you have
is memories and respect.

The Detroit Pistons
leading three games to two.

When I was a kid
watching basketball,

the Celtics always somehow
ended up winning in the end.

Like, if you believe
in things like this, fate,

it's like, that's just
how it's gonna work out.

It's just got to be close,
and in the end, Bird will win.

But even by thinking that, it's
like, you're sort of conceding.

Well, the Celtics are
gonna go out like champions.

Make no mistake about it.

But hail to the new
Eastern Conference

kings, the Detroit Pistons.

After that,
you knew they was gonna

break up the team a little bit,
move some pieces around.

- That's it.
- Yeah.

OK, I can't go any further.

I don't need to stick around
until I'm 65 years old

in this game that I love.

After KC left,
bad things started happening.

For Larry, he had
the double heel surgery,

pretty major surgery.

At this point, there's
no way I can play at--

at this stage
where I'm at right now.

So I'm just hoping to get
back as soon as possible.

Didn't play all year.

You know, Kevin had his foot.

We played 12 years together.

We've been to the finals
five times.

That's an extra season or two,
you know, of hard basketball.

We were slowly deteriorating.

They never talked about
their injuries, the Celtics.

I think that's
how they all felt.

But I remember,
after they lost,

Kevin McHale saying, you know,

I'm not gonna lie.

Now I can finally put
my foot up and admit to you

it hurts like hell.

McHale was never
gonna be the same.

That year, Bill Walton
couldn't play at all.

In fact,
he never played again.

I spent years chasing a dream.

But I got a broken foot.

And, you know,
I am all by myself

in as lonely a place

I have yet to move forward.

I'm still stuck
in that darkness.

Health is everything.

Looking back on it,
you know,

I should have retired
that year in '86.

I would--I would have
enjoyed my career more.

Larry and I
could still compete.

But it just felt like
you were always just

swimming against the current.

You don't feel
a part of the team.

You're out; you're in.

You get mentally broken down.

You have to fight that because
it'll bring you right down.

I felt sorry for Kevin the
most because he kept playing,

and we knew that he shouldn't
have been doing it,

but he was trying
to help the team.

How he managed that,
I have no clue.

There was a point where
either I got used to the pain

or got a little bit numb.

But then I was
driving to practice,

and it just dawned on me that I
didn't want to go to practice.

I didn't want to go through
the pain anymore, the rehab

and everything else like that.

The first time in my life
I ever felt like that.

And, you know, I just
sat there after I cried.

I just sat in my car,
and then I drove off

and went to practice.

But that feeling never left.

I always subscribed
to the philosophy you should

walk away on your own terms.

I was actually sad because
I know how hard they work

and struggle to try to rehab
and get back to a semblance

of what they used to be.

And it just wasn't happening.

I remember it was
a Christmas party of '88.

It's just Red and Kevin
and Larry and myself.

And we're sitting at a table
just shooting the breeze.

And we're going in there.

And Red said,
hey, Kevin, come here.

I read this thing
about me going to Dallas,

and I'm like, oh, crap.

I didn't want to go to Dallas.

I'm thinking, jeez, I'm getting
traded at freaking--

at the Christmas party?

I'm like, really?

And--and he goes,
I just want to let you know

that I told the owners
if they trade you,

they fire me.

And I looked at him, and he
just slapped me on the ass

and said, go enjoy
the Christmas party.

And that's why you fight
for the guy.

He was pretty--pretty amazing.

OK.

When I play or coach,
no shootarounds at all.

Practice?

Mm, sometimes.

I said, Red, can we
really get Herb Williams,

Chuck Person,
Steve Stipanovich

for Larry right now?

And Red goes, yeah,
I think we could.

I go, why aren't we doing it?

Like, look at him.

He's injured.

And I'm saying this
right in front of Larry.

And we're just having fun.

And this is our--
our way of having fun.

I go, and we can get
Detlef Schrempf and Sam Perkins

for McHale

and we're--
and we're not doing it?

He said, I would have
traded both of you guys.

And I go, yeah, you prick.

Little rat.

Red goes, I'm not trading
any one of you guys.

Like, you guys aren't
going anywhere, and...

that always stuck with me.

I think that he should
have traded him.

And you have a feeling

that has a lot to do
with the development

of this Celtic pride.

That's what it's all about.

It's a family thing.

Well, I think he thought
Bird, Parish, and McHale,

they won three championships.

And they turned around
his franchise.

And they deserved to finish
their careers together.

He was gonna let them
retire Celtics.

They're Celtics forever
anyway.

They were great players.

But I was smart enough
to know

Father Time wins
100% of the time.

I was traded.

Yeah.

That's exactly
what I was telling Red

to do that December,

because if I'd have been
in his office, I'd go, Red,

we got to make that deal.

I'll definitely
check the papers

and see how the Boston Celtics
are doing

I'll be very curious
and watching and cheering

for a lot of the people
that are still here.

When Bird resumed
his NBA career,

he did not look like the
high-flying Bird of the '80s.

Didn't have his legs,
and he didn't have his timing.

And you could see he was
frustrated that things

weren't working well for him.

But all of a sudden,
Larry's coming off the screen,

and he's not getting
the jumper off in time.

All of a sudden, people are
blowing by him defensively.

Anybody that watched him
had to wonder,

is he ever going to be
the same player?

I can remember going
to practice back when

they were at Hellenic College.

And I can remember him
running up and down

and grabbing his back
and shaking his head

and then storming
out of the gym.

Like, it was brutal to watch.

Bird misses the shot.

who dominated everything.

Now you're just another team.

And is that feeling
ever gonna return?

Remember,
part of the Celtics way

is continuity, consistence.

That required some nurturing
and required some mentors.

Cooz and Russell
and those guys made sure

they left the team
in great hands

for stars who were
coming up behind them.

So you look at the roster, and
you're looking at Reggie Lewis.

Basketball's
best-kept secret.

Reggie Lewis
of Northeastern.

The brightest star to emerge
during the '91 season.

And you started to wonder,
like, could Reggie be it?

The first step towards
moving into the future

began when the team looked to
Reggie as their new go-to guy.

- And Lewis.
- Oh!

Reggie Lewis
showed the Celtics had

a star beyond the big three.

There was initially, I think,
this feeling that's like, well,

he's not gonna
replace Bird, though.

Like, it's never
gonna be like that.

He's never gonna be that good.

And it's like, oh, my God.

Two baddest white boys
in the league were now old,

and they were injured.

So it was now up
to Reggie Lewis

to be the face
of the franchise.

Do you think
that there's been kind of

a passing of the Celtic
mantle, if you will,

that has to carry the torch?

Well, I don't think so.

I don't think it'll
just be myself.

I think you'll see more guys
just helping to make

the team that much better.

When I got drafted
by the Celtics, it was like--

it's like a dream come true
because I knew the history,

playing in the old
Boston Garden,

you know,
having real, authentic,

personal conversations
with Red Auerbach.

Those things,
you can't just take away.

Organ music and hooping,
that was it.

Every time you walk
into the Garden,

you have shoes to fill,

and you want to make
your impact

up there during your tenure.

I'm so grateful
for Larry, Kevin,

Robert showing me the way.

Larry Bird would take
the rookies out to dinner

and just talk to us about,

you know,
just life and basketball.

Felt like I was
a part of that history.

Oh, my.

Getting to the point
right now,

we're getting--
growing very accustomed

to seeing Reggie doing it.

And it's very reminiscent
of another guy

that I saw do it for years
and years and years in Larry.

Larry was rejuvenated.

He'd go to practice.

You can't complain
about anything.

Like, practice too long,
practice too hard.

Wait a minute.
We got 16 banners, dude.

Like, what you
complaining about?

And guess what, rook.

You gonna shoot with me
after practice.

It was more of a lesson.

for whatever was coming
after they retired

and they left the team.

Seeing Larry every day
try to play one game,

he did everything possible.

I mean, he would go
to doctor appointments.

He would be in traction.

I don't know if you ever
been in traction,

but you lay down there,
and they tie these weights

on you and all this,
and you're laying there.

You know, you drink
so much water during a game.

I mean, I know I did.

Then of course, after the game,
I'd drink a couple beers,

you know?

Ten minutes later,
I'm pushing that button.

That nurse told me
one night, she goes,

this traction ain't helping
you if you can't stay in it.

I'd get up and go
to the bathroom, come back,

and they'd do it
all over again.

Everybody has back problems.

Obviously it's to
a different degree.

The one thing about nerves is,
when they start hurting,

that's a whole
different ball game.

And that's--I had nerve damage
and flared-up nerves.

Going through all that
was a mess.

Larry Bird did not decide
to play in this ball game

The man has had to fight
all of his life.

You got people that
don't believe in you.

So he is driving,
driving, driving

because we have--
all have one thing.

I don't think it's any
more or less in Larry.

We're all trying
to prove we're worthy.

All of us have proven
we're worthy.

All he ever wanted
was for people to say

he played the hardest
of anybody.

That was the most
important thing to him.

And it has come down to this
fifth and deciding game

My favorite Larry Bird moment

is the first round in '91
against Indiana.

Pacers downcourt in a hurry.

Larry Bird had some words

right in the face
of Chuck Person.

It was one last moment
of glory, of greatness,

Bird on a knock-away
by Sanders.

Bird is down, and he's hurt.

Tries to go a loose ball,
hits his face.

a concussion or something.

He cracked the bone
in his face.

As Bird goes after the
loose ball to try to save it,

he does, in fact,
get it, keeps it in play.

But he paid for it.

While he was gone, the
momentum completely changed.

Don't think the fact
that Larry Bird is

in the locker room
right now isn't

helping the Indiana Pacers.

They know the leader
is not on the floor.

And here comes Larry Bird.

And everybody was like,
Larry, Larry!

They have been
standing and cheering

since Larry Bird made his way
from underneath the tunnel.

He's giving away
three inches to Bird.

Drew the foul.
Yes!

And it counts!

That, to me,
is one of my all-time

seminal moments because of
how personal these things are.

How many times does he drive
that spike through your heart

with shots like that?

There are certain sounds
and certain games

that don't just
take you back to the game.

They take you back
to where you were

at that point in your life.

was the end of that era.

But Larry had one more
piece of magic for us.

And it is all over.

The Boston Celtics have
defeated the Indiana Pacers.

Larry! Larry!
Larry! Larry!

I had some major problems
after that playoffs

with my back.

So I had back surgery.

I couldn't believe I was
still out there doing this.

Why would I go play,
then go straight

and then go back?

And every time I would play,
I was wondering if I

was gonna be in a wheelchair.

Was I ever gonna be able
to walk on the beach

or hold my kids?

It's a very emotional day,
but it's not really a sad day.

When I retired at the end,

it felt like the weight of
the world was off my shoulders.

Now I can go get--
get this stuff fixed

and move on with my life.

If you don't play
for the Boston Celtics,

you never played
professional basketball.

You want to be
a part of a family.

You want to be
a part of the team.

And the only way
you can get that

is to play for the Celtics.

It was a really
difficult ending

to a fantastic,
incredible career

that should have lasted
another five years, you know?

And, you know, if you
go back and say to him,

all right, you have
a time machine.

You can go back.

Don't dive
for that loose ball.

Don't grab that rebound
and get smacked in the head

and fall flat on your back.

He'd still dive
for the loose ball.

He'd still grab
that rebound in traffic.

That's who he is.

You can't change who you are.

And I think Bostonians
embraced that.

I said this to Bird once, of
the 25 best moments of my life,

I think you were
involved in 20 of them.

You'd wait for these games
all week, and we'd go.

And the crowd would
be fucking ballistic.

There's no better night.

It's the best.

The great emotion
of the fourth period

of a game seven
in the NBA.

That was one of the best
games we've ever been to,

Bird and Dominique.

Bird gets it in low
on the turnaround.

Here's Wilkins.

This is the type of game
of who's gonna blink first.

They just went at it,
and it was awesome.

But Bird summoned everything
and just was like,

And we were delirious.

And it's Bird.

Just listen to this crowd.

You are watching
what greatness is all about.

That was a wonderful moment,
though,

We had just seen
something spectacular.

Yeah.

It was neat to have
this common thing to go to...

Yeah.

That we both
enjoyed watching.

We enjoyed being together.

And that was
the most important reason

for me to have the tickets.

Larry Bird and Boston is
a partnership that basketball

will never see again.

He was it.

In New England, I mean,
it was like, John F. Kennedy,

Fans loved him.

They love him to this day.

And that's why Larry's
retirement ceremony

filled the Garden
for a night without a game,

which tells you
all you need to know.

The whole run we had through
the '80s, we had really

just a great group of guys.

And whenever I see those guys,
I get a big smile on my face

because it just brings back
being a young kid

and playing in the NBA,

and all the experiences
we had together

were just, you know,
phenomenal.

The one thing I miss:
the locker room, my teammates.

I had my best time
of my life in Boston.

And me and my wife,
we absolutely adore that city.

We loved it out there.

I'm not just saying that
because I played there.

We were out there, and we
were thrilled to death.

You know, I just--
it's amazing to me.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Larry Bird.

I listened tonight to all
these things about Larry.

And I'm just proud
to call him a friend.

And the only regret I had
is that I never coached him.

The one thing I want
somebody--you know,

they always talk
about this and that--

that I came to play,
because I came to play.

If you're playing
and you put your uniform on,

you better play, and you
better wear it proudly.

I can remember one time,

we was driving home
after a game,

I say, did it look like I
was playing hard out there?

She goes, you always play hard.

You just didn't play
very well, you know?

And it makes sense.

But you can always
give that effort,

and that's what I want to be--
I gave an effort.

I gave an honest effort
every night.

Please welcome now the Laker
player who, along with Larry,

defined a new level
of competitive excellence

in the NBA,

Earvin "Magic" Johnson.

You only told me one lie
in your career.

Larry Bird said
that there will be

another Larry Bird.

And, Larry,
there will never, ever,

ever be another Larry Bird.

I love you, I respect you,
and I admire you.