Larry Bird was one of the greatest trash talkers to ever play in the NBA and this story by Dominique Wilkins further solidifies it. On Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks will be in Boston to take on the Celtics, which means Wilkins is in town and recently, the Boston Herald caught up with the Human Highlight Film to get a glimpse into his epic battles with Bird.
During his rookie season in 1982-83, ’Nique recalls one of the earliest moments when he took on Bird and the Celtics, and from the opening tip-off, Larry Legend was giving him a hard time. “One of the first times I ever played against him, I went out for the opening tip and I went to shake his hand. He just stood there and looked at me stone-faced with his hands behind his back,” Wilkins said. “I was like, ‘Whoa.’ Then we were getting ready for the tip and he says to me, ‘You don’t belong in this league, Homes.’ I couldn’t believe it, but it happened so fast, I didn’t know what to think."
So, Bird took it easy on him after the tip-off, right? Nope! Larry continued to go after 'Nique, especially when they went one-on-one. “Then they had the ball and I was on him and he said, ‘I don’t know why they got you guarding me, Homes. You can’t guard me.’ Then, whap, he hit a 3," Wilkins revealed. "Then he came down again and said, ‘They made a mistake putting you on me, Homes,’ and he took another 3.”
Eventually, though, Wilkins got some revenge. “So now I’m hot. I mean, I’m steaming," he said. "Then a little while later, I came down on a break and he was backpedaling. I just went right after him. I jumped up and he tried to challenge, but I took that right through the rim. He fell and hit the basket support.
“He got up and said, ‘I like you, rookie. You’ve got (guts).’ I was happy for a second, and then he said, ‘But I’m still going for 40 on you tonight,'” Wilkins remembers. “But I got him,” Wilkins said. “He only scored 39.”
To read what that moment meant to Wilkins and some other great memories involving Bird, click here.
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[via Boston Herald]
