There's Nothing Like Old Bird Stories

Despite the flurry of free-agent news and rumors, we're taking some time to share some great Larry Bird stories, courtesy of his high-school basketball coach (via Golf Digest):

He told us Bird liked to play basketball in jeans because he was so self-conscious about his skinny legs. He said he had to warn the other kids on the team to keep their hands in front of their face at all times or they risked a broken nose from one of Bird's now-famous no-look passes.

Even after Holland ended practice, Bird and his teammates would stay and keep shooting. And if he forced the kids out of the gym, they would hide outside and wait for Holland to leave before they would sneak back in to shoot some more. "I would see their little faces in the windows trying to see if I had left yet."

Bird averaged 30 points per game his senior year, and that was before there was a three-point line. He scored 55 in one game--and came out with three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The part about the jeans reminds of when John would shower in his uniform after games at Emerson College.

In other news, somehow I missed Paul Pierce's interview on WEEI yesterday (via NESN):

“[GM] Danny [Ainge] told me and told Kevin [Garnett],” Pierce told WEEI. “We knew he wasn’t going to be traded.”

“[Rondo's] biggest weakness is also his biggest strength,” he said. “He’s so competitive, sometimes he blocks everything out.”

Pierce also commented on the Cavs and Magic:

You see Cleveland get Shaq [O’Neal] and Orlando get Vince [Carter] and you say, ‘Wow. We’ve got to do something,’” Pierce said to WEEI. “But we didn’t expect to do anything. It was a disappointing season, but we were injured. We just need to get healthy. We like our starting five.”