Larry Bird was known to be a fiery character always and he didn’t hold back after losing game 6 of 1984 NBA finals against the Lakers and went after David Stern.
Larry Bird was always known to be vocal when it mattered. One of the instances of him being a bit too vocal came in 1984 when Bird and the Celtics were at the peak of their powers and so were the LA Lakers and he decided to call out David Stern.
The Celtics lost game 6 against the LA Lakers and Larry Bird lost his composure. With Lakers winning game 6, the title was going to be decided by game seven and that’s when Larry Bird called out then-commissioner David Stern and the NBA of deliberately pushing for a decisive Game 7 to capitalize on financial gains.
In Game 6, the Lakers made the game physical as they threw everything at the Celtics knowing they were going to lose. After the Lakers outscored the Celtics 36-21 in the fourth quarter with three of their players (Gerald Henderson, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish) in foul trouble, Bird became enraged and pointed out how larger forces are fervently pursuing a Game 7.
Bird stated: “Stern told a fan that the NBA needed a seven-game series, that the league needed money. When the commissioner makes a statement like that to a fan, you know it’s going to be tough.
According to Bird, if NBA commissioner makes statements like these then the events that unfold after that will always have its mark. Once that statement was made, there was no way of closing the game in six games according to the legendary Bird.
Stern said nothing in response to the serious allegations. Brian McIntyre, his spokesperson, called Larry’s claims “ridiculous” and implied that the NBA Commissioner would just laugh them off if he found out.
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