Tuesday Night Promises Some Memorable Games In The NBA

It is hard to fathom what is going? through Larry Joe Bird’s head on Tuesday afternoon. Anybody who was around during Bird’s playing days knows he was the ultimate competitor, as well as one of the greatest smack talkers of all time! Two great episodes in smack talk come quickly to mind. The first would be back in the day during All-Star Weekend. Larry Legend was a mainstay of the first generation of the “Three Point Shot Competition” held the day before the actual All-Star Game. Bird would walk into the locker-room and ask the rest of the players who was going to come in second? He would tell them that the first place trophy already had a spot ready in his home. And then he would go out and win it! The Second incident that comes to mind was back in?March of 1985. Celtics power forward Kevin McHale scored 56 points on ?March 3, against the Detroit Pistons. Bird reacted derisively, saying he would have gone for 60! On March 12, Bird again backed up his words by dropping 60 against the Atlanta Hawks. Because of the injuries that Bird suffered in the last few years of his career, the Achilles surgeries, the back problems, a lot of lustre has worn off the accomplishments of the Celtics last true superstar. Just remember he is only one of three NBA players to win 3 consecutive NBA MVP Trophies (think about it for a while I’ll give you the other two? near the end of the column!)

There has to be some mixed feelings going on in his head and his heart, as Tuesday night the team he is now President of, the Indiana Pacers, take on the 5-0 Boston Celtics. As I just wrote Bird is the ultimate competitor, and most assuredly wants his team to win. But here has to be a sliver, a kernel, of his soul that feels proud for what Boston has accomplished so far, and what potential this team has. There will always be a part of Larry Bird that will always be a Celtic.

That is just one of 8 NBA games on the docket for Tuesday night in the NBA. Boston is the only team in the NBA without a loss, the Seattle SuperSonics have the dubious honor of being the only NBA team without a win as they currently are 0-7. They take on former Sonic Rashard Lewis and the Orlando Magic in Florida Tuesday. Orlando, who with Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, and Lewis have formed a very impressive front court. The Magic have started out the?season nicely with a 5-2 mark. Seattle on the other hand has gone through some major growing pains, even with Kevin Durant doing very well as well as the addition of rookie Jeff Green. But they are not anywhere near a cohesive unit, and until they become a team rather than just a collection of individual players, things will not go well.

Now one team that is a cohesive unit is the Houston Rockets, who are 6-1 and have had the Western Conference Player of the week both times in this young season. Tracy McGrady won it for week one, Yao Ming won it for week two. The Rockets are playing up to their potential and have dominated almost every game they have played. The same can not be said for their opponent Tuesday the 1-4 Memphis Grizzlies. It looks like Damon Stoudamire’s?days as starting point guard may soon be over, especially after what rookie Mike Conley Jr. did on the floor the other night. Memphis needs some shaking up.

And finally the game featured on NBA-TV Tuesday night features the LA Lakers versus the Sacramento Kings. Reggie Theus’ team had their heads handed to them Monday night by the Utah Jazz, they will try to salvage a split of the back to back games against Los Angeles. The Lakers have looked great some nights and mediocre other nights, who knows which team will show up Tuesday night?Answer to the other two NBA players who won three consecutive NBA MVP Awards? Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.