Larry had been on a remarkable scoring run heading into the playoffs, averaging over 30 points in the final three months of the regular season.
That included his famous 60-point outing against the Atlanta Hawks on March 12, 1985.
The momentum carried into the postseason.
Larry averaged 34.7 points in a first-round series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, and then he had 40-point games against the Detroit Pistons in the conference semifinals.
Larry Bird competed at just about everything, including drinking. In one such instance, though, it got the Legend in trouble.
In the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics won the first two games at home.
Larry felt like blowing off some steam by having a drink at the now-defunct Chelsea’s bar in Quincy Market.
Unfortunately, the evening ended in a disaster, with Larry getting into a bar fight.
Can you imagine that?
Larry struggled in Game 4, shooting 4-of-15 with eight turnovers, and scored just 14 points in a 76ers victory.
However, things became more apparent after the game as Bird’s index finger had swollen considerably.
Those close to Bird swore the finger had been disfigured since college due to some softball injury.
Meanwhile, the NBA MVP brushed the injury aside and trudged on.
Unfortunately for the Celtics, this loomed large when Boston fell short against Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the NBA Finals.
Bird opened the Eastern Conference Finals with three straight games of at least 23 points. But in hindsight, the final two games of that series made it clear that the injured index finger played a role in his struggles.
