“I know the rhythm of his shot, it’s not there” - When Celtics coach grew concerned after Larry Bird secured his 2nd MVP award

The 1984-85 season was a standout year for Larry Bird . He led the Boston Celtics to a 63-19 regular-season record and secured their path to the championship round. The Indiana native also snagged his second consecutive MVP trophy after averaging 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. However, as he rose to prominence, the Celtics’ coach and staff were concerned about Larry Legend’s struggles with injuries.

Bird started struggling in the latter half of the ‘84-85 season

Bird dominated the ‘84-85 campaign thoroughly, winning the MVP award by a landslide. He was second in scoring average, logged the 8th-best rebounding tally, and even had the most minutes per game. The 12-time All-Star also led in advanced stats such as Value Over Player Replacement, Player Efficiency rating, and win shares. As a result, the Celtics forward earned 73 of the 78 first-place votes - becoming the first non-center to win back-to-back MVP honors.

However, once the playoffs approached, the two-time Finals MVP developed bone chips in his right elbow. Despite the pain, Bird continued to play. Unfortunately, he even missed Game 3 of his first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Once, when he returned to the court, his injury affected his shooting accuracy, which dropped from 52% during the regular season to 43% in the playoffs.

Despite this, the Indiana native was resolute in not accepting that something was constantly bothering him.

"If I can only get 70% to 80%, I'm in trouble. But if I can get 90% extension, it doesn’t bother me," Bird said . "The last couple of weeks, it's felt really good. It hasn't bothered me at all."

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The Celtics coach knew Bird’s injury was bothering him

Although The Hick from the French Lick refused to blame his elbow for his poor shooting, Celtics head coach KC Jones and the coaching staff recognized it as a significant factor in his performance decline.

"Sure, it's the bone chips in the elbow and everything else that's affecting his shooting," Jones said. "I know the rhythm of his shot. I know it’s not there. But when I ask him about it, he says the shots just aren’t falling. I say OK. What else can I say? He won't complain because he would see that as a sign of weakness."

It wasn’t just KC, but even assistant coach Chris Ford knew that Bird’s shooting struggles were directly affected by his shoulder, yet the three-time NBA Champion was hellbent on not getting an operation. While it may seem reckless for a player to expose himself to such a vulnerability when injured, Larry knew he had to make sacrifices like that if his team were to win.

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