It's Larry Bird's birthday today, and a great time to look at the guy that NBA.com rated the second-best clutch player of all time. No one broke more opponents' hearts than Larry, save Michael Jordan - and even Michael-better-than-Bird is not in stone. Bird may be the very best. NBA.com had Reggie Miller at #5, Magic Johnson 4th, Kobe Bryant at #3, Larry 2nd and Michael first.
And Larry definitely was a trash-talker. There were whispers that his verbal jabs ignited the infamous Bird/Dr J/Charles Barkley fracas at the old Boston Garden, with me and my friend, Milton Cram in attendance.