Prior to their concert, Bird was advised to take it easy versus a member of the Grateful Dead.
Larry Bird’s competitive spirit had no bounds, whether he was against the reigning MVP in the Finals, a weakened squad in the preseason, or a novice player in practice. Legendary drummer Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead witnessed this firsthand when the three-time MVP refused to allow him shoot a single shot in a one-on-one showdown right before his performance. Bird did not want to offer mercy.
The band visited the Boston Celtics’ facility the day following their performance in Worcester. Despite having another gig set for the next night, drummer Mickey Hart was ready to put his basketball abilities to the test. Bird rose to the occasion, sensing a challenge at hand.
While one would expect the two-time Finals MVP to take things lightly, he upped the ante and demonstrated to Hart why he should remain away from the court. “It was humiliating, to say the least. Larry approaches me and says, “Walton tells me that you want to see how good I am.” Larry throws the ball at me like a rocket. I was 15 feet away. “I grabbed it and immediately thought, ‘This is not a good thing,'” Hart recalled. “He drags me to the court and says, ‘Me and you.’ I couldn’t even get one shot off.”
Larry Legend’s stubbornness to back down prompted Hart to caution the Celtics forward against playing too aggressively, noting that he had a concert the next day. Larry was a Grateful Dead fan because of Bill Walton. Bill Walton’s main hobbies were basketball and music, especially the Grateful Dead. Walton became one of the world’s most well-known ‘Deadheads’ after becoming infatuated with the band after seeing them live for the first time in 1967, when he was 15.
Furthermore, once he joined the Celtics, Big Red made it his duty to introduce his colleagues to the world of the Dead. The 1978 MVP covered the locker room at Hellenic College’s practice facility with band-themed stickers. On November 4th, the Celtics players met at Bird’s house before heading to Worcester for a Grateful Dead concert. While the players had met the band before to the show, the Hick From The French Lick was fascinated from the start, even referring to Jerry Garcia as the ‘Michael Jordan of musicians.’
