Truth & Rumors > NBA

Bird rips team, spells Pacers 'S-O-F-T'

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08:11 AM ET 05.23 | Larry Bird certainly didn't like what he saw Tuesday night. [Bird] doesn't do a lot of interviews. He prefers to stay in the background and let his players get the attention. But when Bird talks, you listen. That was the case about two hours after the Pacers suffered the worst playoff loss in franchise history -- 115-83 -- in Game 5 against the Miami Heat. "I can't believe my team went soft," Bird said on the phone. "S-O-F-T. I'm disappointed. I never thought it would happen." When asked to elaborate on those comments, an obviously frustrated Bird said, "That's all I have to say." Those are the strongest words I've ever heard Bird say about his team -- good or bad -- in my seven-plus years of covering the Pacers.

Indianapolis Star

Larry Bird, Getty Images Larry Bird, Getty Images
May 23, 2012  08:14 AM ET

One can never accuse Larry Legend of not seeing the obvious.


Might as well point the finger directly at Hibbert.

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May 23, 2012  08:23 AM ET

There should have been mutiple ejections last night.

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May 23, 2012  08:38 AM ET
QUOTE(#4):

Absolutely agree 100%...........

Though it could've been a serious injury, I still found it kinda funny that Lance Stephenson threw up the choke sign in Game 3 and then gets elbowed in the throat by Pittman last night.

Talk about karma.....

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May 23, 2012  09:05 AM ET

Pacers better take Larry's words to heart. He's been at this rodeo before.

May 23, 2012  09:09 AM ET

LARRY HAS SPOKEN!!!!!!

May 23, 2012  09:10 AM ET

COME ON, MIAMI!!!!!! WERE READY FOR YA!!!!!!

May 23, 2012  09:10 AM ET
QUOTE(#2):

Pacers should listen to Larry Legend...........He knows of what he speaks...............

EXACTLY!!!!!! HEY MICK!!!!!

May 23, 2012  09:18 AM ET

Guess the Heat has taken over as the "Thugs" in the NBA for now.
Haslem's foul was as absolute mockery of the sport. He lost my respect.
The Pittman foul speaks of institutional thuggish issues in the organization. CLEARLY he was in there with instructions to "punish' that idiot. The coaching staff needs to be punished as well.

Finally, if Stern et al don't act swiftly and decisively, they need to take their wet panties and retire. Learn something from Godell.

May 23, 2012  09:18 AM ET

I won't complain about Haslem being in the game because the Pacers should beat whatever scrubs they throw in there. I do complain, though, that this league is so corrupt that Haslem and Pittman didn't get tossed. It seemed deflating to the Pacers that the fix was obviously in and that they couldn't do anything about it. In any case, they played terribly and I'm really shocked that they threw in the towel.

May 23, 2012  09:19 AM ET

When one Mr. Larry Legend speaks.......the Pacers should listen......translation=their play was disgraceful. It's just that simple.

The Pacers getting punked by those punks in Miami. The Pacers begin to listen its seems to the likes of Wilbon, Johnson and the rest of them clowns on ESPN rather than stay the course and play physical basketball. They went on rants such as Granger should stay outta Lebron's and Wade's face concentrate on playing the game.

Excuse me, Wade and Chalmers are always up in people's face jawing, and Lebron.....the countless lowering his shoulders and barging into opponents, along with that elbow of his constantly coming up and around. Bird has it right 100, the Pacers played soft and got punked by some true punks in every sense of punkism. The Heat players for the most part are a buncha cowards running around pouting, whinning and fronting as tough guys.

I have never seen a Pacer team be punked like this one and I've seen McGinnis, Miller, Jackson (both) and Rose, (not excactly tough guys) who would never back down.

 
May 23, 2012  09:21 AM ET

those last 3 comments were so hot, THEY COULD BURN OFF YA FACE!!!!

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