“There wasn’t a lot of time to talk trash” - Sidney Moncrief on his rivalry with Larry Bird

Larry Bird ’s scoring prowess often left even the most formidable defenders struggling to contain him. However, Sidney Moncrief proved to be one of the rare exceptions to this rule. This was particularly evident during their 1983 playoff series when Sid limited Bird to 18.7 points per game, significantly less than the former’s scoring average of 23.3 points, as the Milwaukee Bucks swept the Boston Celtics 4-0.

Despite the intensity of their on-court rivalry, Moncrief kept the 12-time All-Star in high regard, acknowledging the other-worldly talent that Bird truly was.

Moncrief on Bird

Having encountered Celtics in four postseasons over the span of five years, Moncrief had plenty of opportunities to recognize his basketball IQ, natural scoring ability, and exceptional playmaking vision.

More importantly, in his interview with SportsCasting, the five-time All-Star also clarified that despite Bird’s reputation as a big trash-talker, he never heard the 6’9” forward’s trash talk during their matchups in collegiate and NBA games.

"We had a history," Moncrief said . "We played together on the International team and we played against each other in the NCAA tournament (Bird's Indiana State team defeated Arkansas 73-71 in the Elite Eight in 1979). Then the Bucks-Celtics rivalry was intense, so there wasn't a lot of time to talk trash. I think there's more trash-talking that goes on when you're bored."

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Sidney on Larry being one of his 3 toughest players

Having played 63 games against Larry Legend, including playoffs, Moncrief saw the C's forward averaging 23.0 points and outscoring him in 44 of those games. This is why he recognized the Celtics legend as one of the toughest players he had ever had to guard. The only other player he considered ‘unguardable’ was Michael Jordan.

"Guarding Larry and Michael Jordan were tough. Larry's size was always a problem. He was in the category of unguardable," Moncrief added. "Jordan's speed and athleticism always made things tough."

While most defenders from the ‘80s would reckon Bird and Jordan as their toughest challenges to contain, for ‘the Squid,’ even Andrew Toney was right up there with them, who he referred to as ‘Steph Curry with size.’

Related: "There is only one man that can guard me, and that's God" - Robert Parish shares epic Larry Bird trash-talking story