Trash-talking is an important part of sports, particularly basketball, a game that relies heavily on mental toughness. If you can get in your opponents' heads with just your words, you will likely be able to break them down on the court.
One guy who was exceptionally skilled at this was Larry Bird , and even guys he was friendly with away from the game weren't spared when they matched up on the court.
Salley on Bird's trash-talk
Part of what made the Boston Celtics legend so devastating was that he could back up everything he said, making playing against him all the more difficult.
John Salley faced Bird many times, and he found out right away that guarding him was not easy. The four-time champion revealed that not only would "Larry Legend" cook him, but he would also never let him hear the end of it.
"He talked it all the time," John said on The Dan Patrick Show . "He was constantly talking…He would say, 'Sal, you better ask for a double team.' I was like, 'When you gonna let these people know you're a black guy from Indiana? When are you gonna do that? Stop this whiteness, what are you doing?'"
Related: Steve Kerr on why Devin Booker has started every game for Team USA: "He's probably been the guy who's been most adaptable"
Larry was relentless
Slowing Bird down was almost impossible. Add in the fact that he was incredibly confident and had no problem letting his opponents know, and the Celtics legend was arguably one of the toughest matchups for anyone in NBA history.
Salley didn't have much success guarding Bird throughout his career, and the latter knew that. So, to rub salt in his already gaping wounds, "Larry Legend" taunted John by saying that he should ask for a double team if he wanted to slow him down.
However, even that wasn't too helpful. At the end of the day, John knew he stood no chance when he found himself on an island against Bird.
In an era when trash-talking isn't as prominent as it once was, it's eye-opening to look back on old-school players and analyze their trash-talking ways. One consensus, though, seems to be that Bird was ruthless, and Salley's comments further support that point.
Related: Jeff Teague on who’s better between Larry Bird vs. Kevin Durant: “At one point, I thought he was better than Bron”
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