"I always shoot it but never make it" - Larry Bird's recurring dream never had him as the Boston Celtics hero

While Larry Bird made an all-around impact on winning, it was his clutch gene that enabled the Boston Celtics to win three championships in six seasons. Whether it was stealing the ball in the dying moments of Game 5 of the ‘87 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit Pistons or the unprecedented feat of knocking consecutive buzzer beaters (in 1985), Bird always found a way to be his team’s hero and rise to the occasion. Paradoxically, the Indiana native never got to visualize himself as the protagonist in his dreams.

Bird’s recurring dream

Throughout his illustrious 13-year NBA career, Larry Legend maintained an impressive field goal percentage of 49.6, always using his versatility to come in handy when the Celtics needed dependability on the offensive end. So, one would imagine the Indiana native didn't have problems visualizing such scenarios in the subconscious mind. However, that wasn’t the case. In fact, the three-time MVP was never able to clutch down the easiest of shots, and even though the Celtics emerged victorious, it was because of someone else’s brilliance.

"Every dream I’ve ever had about basketball, I can never make a basket. Never make the basket. I always shoot it but never make it, and I don’t know why ," Bird said in an interview with ESPN. "We always win the games, but someone else always makes the shots. "

Related: "We might be talking about the greatest player who ever played" - Larry Brown said he could've made Allen Iverson the GOAT

Bird was the Celtics’ hero whenever they needed him the most

The irony is palpable when one considers that the individual upon whom the Celtics franchise heavily relied throughout the 1980s, both for offensive production and defensive prowess, was unable to envision himself as the protagonist in his subconscious narratives. However, reality painted a starkly different picture. The 12-time All-Star’s stats in clutch situations were nothing short of remarkable. In the eight Game 7s he played, Bird averaged 27.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, leading his team to victory in six of these crucial encounters.

Even when the games reached a nail-biting finish in the regular season, Bird was the Celtics’ go-to guy. This could be justified by the fact that the two-time Finals MVP knocked four buzzer-beating game-winners in his career, all of which came when the team trailed.

Although he could not hit a single shot in his dream, Bird had the audacity to inform the opposing defenders about his move and executed it to perfection.

Related: "Of course, me, you know?!" - When Larry Bird couldn't miss a shot even when he was intending to