"He's probably one of the premier players for getting calls" - When Phil Jackson called out Larry Bird for saying Bulls are favored by the refs

The 1998 Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Indiana Pacers was a highly competitive series. Coach Larry Bird knew that the playing field needed to be level for his team to have any chance of beating the defending champions.

However, he felt his team was disadvantaged due to what he perceived as favorable officiating for the Bulls . As the three-time MVP voiced his frustration, Chicago's coach, Phil Jackson, responded with sarcasm, pointing out how the former himself benefitted from such days during his playing days.

Coach Bird wasn't happy with the officiating

Larry Legend's impact as a coach mirrored his remarkable rookie season as a player with the Celtics. In his first season coaching the Pacers, he improved their win total by 19 compared to the '96-97 campaign and made Indy a top-5 offensively and defensively rated team. The team's strong performance continued in the playoffs, losing only twice on their way to the EC Finals.

However, the series against the Bulls was their first ultimate test. After Michael Jordan & Co. decisively won the series opener, Game 2 was a closer contest, ending with a 6-point difference. Bird expressed frustration over the officiating, particularly noting how Scottie Pippen wasn't called for fouls despite being unnecessarily physical with guard Mark Jackson.

"You know what I'd like to see? I'd like to see Scottie Pippen guard Michael Jordan all the way up the court the same way he guards Mark Jackson and see how long he stays in the game," Bird said .

Jackson wasn't having of Bird's wild speculations

The Zen Master likely sensed a touch of irony in Bird's complaints. After all, the Bulls' head coach had seen the 12-time All-Star receive plenty of favorable calls during his playing days and took the opportunity to deliver a sarcastic response.

"Coming from anybody but Larry Bird, people could accept it a little bit. But everybody knows what Larry got in his career, so it's real tough for people to say, 'Hey, Larry, you know exactly what you got in your career as a player,'" Jackson said. "He's probably one of the premier players for getting calls. He certainly can't complain about refereeing at this level."

Lastly, Jackson even invited Bird to a Bulls practice session to witness firsthand how Pippen always defended MJ full court without anyone calling a whistle, implying that the Bulls consistently played tough basketball.

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