An elderly and injury-plagued Bird dropping a triple-double thrilled Rick Fox.
In the NBA, LeBron James has changed people’s ideas about how long players can play, but this wasn’t always the case in the 1980s and 1990s. The majority of athletes at that time usually called it quits around their mid-30s. This fact had a toll on players like Larry Bird, who struggled with recurring injuries in the later parts of his career.
But even with his ongoing injury problems, the native of Indiana surprised rookie Rick Fox with one of his best games in his final season.
Larry Bird’s triumph 49-point triple-double
The two-month absence stemming from a debilitating back ailment was followed by the three-time MVP’s return to action on March 1. Then, on March 15, Bird chose to give one of the cutest and most enthralling performances of his career to close off the Boston Celtics’ game against the Portland Trail Blazers, demonstrating why he will always be among the best to walk the NBA court
With his 49 points on 19-of-35 shooting from the field, 14 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals in 54 minutes, Bird looked unbeatable in an incredible game that saw five Trail Blazers score more than 50% from the field and force double overtime. Larry Legend scored 59 points and had a triple-double while guiding the Celtics to victory, 152-148.
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