Though they won a championship in 1981, the Boston Celtics truly started dominating the NBA after they beat the LA Lakers in the 1984 finals. Even for Larry Bird , this period marked his ascension as the undisputed best player in the league. His dominance was so evident that opposing coaches instructed his players to focus on outplaying him, disregarding the rest of the Celtics players.
Even when that was the case and an NBA record was in touching distance, the Indiana native chose not to pursue it. Why? Simply because he had no interest in chasing personal glory.
Bird single-handedly dominated the Jazz
On February 18, 1985, the Celtics traveled to Utah, boasting an impressive 43-11 record. As the record suggests, coach KC Jones' team was on top of their game right from the start of the season, and this game proved to be no different. The reigning champs quickly imposed their superiority by securing a commanding 34-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Interestingly, while the Celtics boasted arguably the best lineup in the league, with Dennis Johnson, Robert Parish, and Bird in the starting five and Kevin McHale coming off the bench, the Jazz, on the other hand, was in a transition phase, with John Stockton's era just beginning.
With the difference between both teams visible, Larry was leading the charge, having outscored the entire Jazz team single-handedly in the first quarter. This prompted Jazz coach Frank Layden to remind his players who they should focus on.
"Forget Boston," Layden said . "Let's beat Bird."
Related: "The way we let that one go really hurts" - Larry Bird admitted Celtics' morale took a big hit after dropping a clutch game in the 1987 finals
Bird chose to not chase a stellar quadruple-double
Entering the fourth quarter, Larry Legend had already accumulated 30 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 steals. No player in league history had ever recorded a quadruple-double with that combination. The only quadruple-double in NBA history at that time was achieved by Nate Thurmond in 1974, consisting of points, rebounds, assists, and blocks.
Ultimately, the statistics crew informed Coach Jones about the potential record Bird could achieve. However, after the 12-time All-Star was made aware of what he could accomplish, he chose to remain on the bench for the final 12 minutes.
Reporters were puzzled by Bird's decision to bench himself and not re-enter the game. He made sure that his playing ideology was understood by all.
"That's not why I play," Bird said.
And that was it. Bird never got so close to the quadruple-double, but he did not mind. The one thing he looked forward to while playing was winning and raising the championship trophies.
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