The Chicago Bulls' cheerleaders went out of their way to put a stop to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics ahead of a playoff game in 1981. Although the cheerleaders did their best to get Bird drunk the night before, the Celtics forward could not be stopped from dominating, as seen in a recently resurfaced clip.
Former Celtics player Rick Robey recalled a story of how cheerleaders from the Chicago Bulls tried to get Bird drunk the night before a playoff game.
"I can remember the night. He and I, we went out to Rush Street and, as you said, we had a couple of beers, maybe a few too many because the Chicago cheerleading staff happened to be in the bar that we were at and they kept sending us a few beers and a few beers."
"Before you knew it, it was late at night, and we had a few too many," Robey continued. "We got in a cab, and they got us back to the hotel."
"About six hours later, we had to be up. We're playing the 12 'o'clock game that afternoon, and we get to the arena, and we're still a little tired. Matter of fact, Larry fell asleep on the taping table to get a little nap before the game."
Robey recounted how Bird started poorly as he missed everything on his first shot attempt. Following this, Robert Parish picked up three quick fouls, resulting in an unfavorable start to the game.
Unfortunately for Chicago, Bird missing the first shot was not a good omen for the rest of the game. The Celtics forward went on to score 35 points while grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out five assists to lead Boston to a 109-103 win and a 4-0 series sweep against the Bulls.
Robey also recounted that after the win, Larry Bird talked trash to the cheerleaders by thanking them for the beers.
The Chicago Bulls didn't pose much of a challenge to Bird and the Celtics in the 1981 playoffs. Following the series win, Boston went on to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals before eventually facing the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.
Bird and the Celtics would eventually go on to win the Finals in six games as the forward would contribute 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game to aid the team.
This championship would mark the first of three wins for Larry Bird and this iteration of the Boston Celtics. For the next decade, he contributed significantly to the team's success.
His career was marked by several highlights, including three MVP awards, 10x All-NBA accolades, and 12x All-Star selections. He was also a core member of the 1992 Dream Team.
His career was also marked by several memorable stories, such as the legend of him destroying Craig Hodges at the three-point contest. He even blasted Charles Barkley and said putting a white guy to guard him was disrespectful.
Following his playing career, Bird also coached the Indiana Pacers from 1997-2000. During this time, he won the Coach of the Year award in the 1997-98 season and even led the Pacers to the 2000 NBA Finals. He eventually took over as President of Basketball Operations for Indiana until he retired from the role in 2012.
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Happy 62nd birthday to five-time NBA All-Star, four-time All-NBA selection and 2011 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Chris Mullin! After a stellar college career at St. John's, Mullin was drafted seventh-overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 1985 NBA Draft. He'd go on to play 13 of his 16 seasons with the Warriors, and he still ranks in the top-10 in franchise history in defensive rebounds (sixth), assists (sixth) points (fifth) and games played (third). Members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame are celebrated for their outstanding achievements and accomplishments. Good luck! Did you like this quiz? Are there any quizzes you’d like to see us make in the future? Let us know your thoughts at quizzes@yardbarker.com, and make sure to subscribe to our Quiz of the Day Newsletter for daily quizzes sent right to your email!
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
The Detroit Tigers have been unstoppable at the plate lately, and Tuesday night was no different. The Tigers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks, 12-2, giving them 27 runs in the last three games. A big contributor to their offense on Tuesday was outfielder Wenceel Perez, who joined Sam Crawford (1912), Ossie Vitt (1915) and Ty Cobb (1924, 1916, 1915) as the only four players in franchise history to have a single, double, triple and two stolen bases in the same game. Perez began his historic night with a double off Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt in the second inning before adding a single in the fourth. A monster fifth inning put the Tigers ahead 8-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, which set the stage for a three-run sixth inning that included this triple from Perez off Arizona's Jake Woodford to give Detroit a 10-2 lead. Perez scored two more runs, one in the sixth and the other in eighth, to give the Tigers their final two runs in a 12-run outburst. Overall, Perez had three hits in five at-bats, scored four runs and added one RBI to go with his historic statline. Given his performance over the past month, it was surprising to see Perez show out against Arizona. After all, he did not have a single hit the last two games, and he only recorded more than one hit once in 20 games the entire month coming into Tuesday. The Tigers were once the hottest team in baseball when they held a 59-34 record on July 8. Since then, they suffered a slump that includes a six-game losing streak. Suddenly, Detroit has won its last three and scored 10 or more runs in two of those victories. As good as the offense has been, the pitching has been solid as well with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 27-7 during the three-game stretch. Yes, the last two wins have come against a struggling Diamondbacks team that sits fourth in the NL West with a 51-57 record. Still, they have taken care of business and won handily. The next step is getting healthy and having someone to pair with ace Tarik Skubal in the rotation. Right-hander Chris Paddack was added to the 26-man roster and is set to start Wednesday, while free agent signing Alex Cobb is beginning his rehab assignment. The Tigers will go for the sweep of the Diamondbacks on Wednesday before traveling to Philadelphia for a weekend series against the Phillies. It will be difficult to top Perez's historic outing from Tuesday, but if momentum is any indication, the Tigers may only be getting started, especially if the pitching depth is there.
The MLB trade deadline is on Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m. EST. The New York Yankees have already added third baseman Ryan McMahon and utility man Amed Rosario to the roster. However, it sounds like Hall of Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez has two potential targets the front office could trade for before the deadline. Martinez got the rumor mill churning again after naming Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara and Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez as potential trade options for the Yankees. Martinez does question whether or not New York can afford to trade for either one of those players, but he also admits that anything could happen at this point. “Trade deadline: Alcantara and Suarez could be key additions for the Yankees, but can they afford it? Anything could happen.” Sandy Alcantara, who is 29 years old, has been involved in trade rumors for several weeks. The Yankees are not the only team linked to Alcantara, but he would make for a great addition to New York. Alcantara hasn’t had the most successful season, but a change of scenery could change that. Through 104.0 innings pitched, Alcantara owns a 6.66 ERA and 1.433 WHIP while recording 77 strikeouts. As for Eugenio Suarez, the Yankees already addressed their third base problem by acquiring McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. So, a trade for Suarez seems a bit less likely. Regardless, the 34-year-old third baseman is having a spectacular year and is one of the hottest names in the rumor mill. Through 383 at-bats, Suarez owns a .248 batting average and .321 OBP while recording 95 hits, 36 home runs, and 87 RBIs. The Yankees are in second place in the AL East with only the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of them. We’ll see if the front office has one more trick up its sleeve to potentially improve the roster. But only time will tell if New York can manage to pull off a deal that would truly benefit its World Series chances.