Larry Bird often made basketball look easy.
Once, he upped the degree of difficulty.
Thirty-one years ago yesterday, Bird’s Celtics played the Trail Blazers. Boston had won 14 of 15, playing at a level that would eventually bring the Celtics a championship later that year. So, what did Bird do? Via the NBA:
02.14.86 - Larry Bird tells his team and the media that he plans to play the next game left-handed. He ends up scoring 10 of his 21 field goals with his left hand. Bird finished the game with 47 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. Bird also scored a clutch basket to send the game into OT and eventually hits the game winning shot with 3 seconds left to lift the Celtics to a 120-119 victory over the Trail Blazers.
