“Bird’s Holiday Surprise: Larry Bird Trades Hoops for Bartending, Unleashing Chaos in Memorable Celtics Practice!”

“Bird’s Holiday Surprise: Larry Bird Trades Hoops for Bartending, Unleashing Chaos in Memorable Celtics Practice!”

The 1980s NBA championship was the first of three titles the Boston Celtics were about to win. The Celtics won the 1981 NBA Finals after defeating the Houston Rockets in six games, led by second-year player Larry Bird.

The Celtics became disenchanted with head coach Bill Fitch’s rigid coaching style. On December 26, 1981–82, the Celtics hosted the Kansas City Kings for a game. Cedric Maxwell, a former forward with the Celtics, claimed that Fitch forced the squad to leave on Christmas Day. The players weren’t too fond about that. At that point, Bird transitioned from being a famous basketball player to a bartender, and chaos ensued.

In 1981, Larry Bird worked as a bartender aboard the Boston Celtics Christmas flight.

The former forward for the Celtics and current radio host for the team, Maxwell, wrote in his book If These Walls Could Talk about how upset the squad was when Fitch chose to fly to Kansas City on the holiday.

“On December 26, we played a game in Kansas City,” Maxwell writes. You would think that, being the reigning champs, we would play on Christmas, but for some reason, we didn’t. Bill Fitch determined that we had to leave on Christmas Day, much to our dismay. Let’s just say that we weren’t pleased.

Remember, we were operating a commercial aircraft at the time. Bird, Kevin McHale, and a few other guys convinced the flight attendant to take all the booze meant for first class on the flight.

After that, Bird changed his identity to that of a bartender and combined all the ingredients to make what they refer to as jungle juice. Guys were feeling it very hard, and it was potent. It was Christmas, hey.

Former Celtics guard and non-drinker Danny Ainge claims that Fitch became a little agitated over the state of affairs on the flight.

Maxwell said that Ainge stated, “The team was rebelling.” “So, while they were playing cards in the first-class area, they filled this pitcher with all of the mixed beverages that come in those little bottles. Fitch called for a late-night practice because he was so incensed over what he was witnessing.

That was an awful practice for the Celtics.

Ainge remembers how the Celtics immediately got to work at practice once the plane landed.

He said, “We landed and went straight to the gym.” “We put on our practice clothes and begin our three-man weave across the floor. You will have to sprint again if you drop the ball. I’m with Larry and Kevin in the same group. Kevin would drop it when I would toss it to him. Everyone burst out laughing, and Fitch became enraged, yelling at me. And I’m pretty much the only man on the plane who is sober and hasn’t had any alcohol.

Maxwell called the practice appalling.

He declared, “It was one of the worst practices I’ve ever seen.” Bird and McHale were unsure of their direction of travel. They.