Was the legendary “lefty game” of Larry Bird truly as brilliant as it was said to be?

Was the legendary “lefty game” of Larry Bird truly as brilliant as it was said to be?

The “Lefty Game” versus the Blazers has a special place in the annals of Larry Bird stories. According to mythology, one night Bird got tired of using his right hand to beat opponents and decided to use his off hand instead. Bird added fuel to the fire on February 14, 1986, when he provided the ideal justification for his abundance of left-handed shots in Boston’s 120-119 overtime victory over Portland.

According to the Boston Globe, Bird stated, “I’m saving my right hand for the Lakers.” Next up came the Celtics, who were headed to Los Angeles. Perhaps the greatest trash talker of all time, Bird was always capable of delivering a jaw-dropping one-liner. While it would be best to leave certain old stories untouched, I wanted to test if the mythology and the reality matched when I had more time to play through older games again. I am going to provide you with an accurate summary of Bird’s well-known lefty game after recently seeing the game again. Were his claims about his left-handed abilities accurate?

It was Bird’s second triple-double in two nights. He made 10 of his 21 field goals with his left hand, including three in a row while the Celtics were attempting to hold onto a slim fourth-quarter lead, even though he didn’t exclusively utilize it. After making a right-wing jumper late in regulation to tie the game, Bird made a pull-up right-wing shot at the conclusion of overtime to give the Celtics a one-point victory. As the clock was running out, Bird essentially just intimidated Jerome Kersey of the Blazers to get to the desired place and end the game:

Nevertheless, Bird’s performance fell short of the expectations for the majority of the game. His lefty game is surrounded by a myth that is just too great. “That time when Larry Bird scored 47 points — all with his left hand” is the headline of a respectable newspaper. In actuality, he scored 20 of those points with his left hand; it was still extremely uncommon and amazing. In a film titled “Did Larry Bird Really Play A Whole Game Using Only His Left Hand?” the NBA itself.

Naturally, the response to it is no. Bird used his right hand for the bulk of his shooting attempts. Despite shooting over half of his shots with his left hand, a large number of them were straightforward layups at the rim. They demonstrated dexterity and talent, but not enough difficulty to match the exaggerated mythology. That night, especially early in the game, Bird showed unusually irresponsible behavior with the ball. Eight turnovers overall, including five in the first quarter, led announcer Bill Russell—yes, that Bill Russell—to call attention to his carelessness. Bird used his right hand for every outside shot and free throw, which was undoubtedly a smart move but perhaps less enjoyable than the other option. I played the first few minutes of the game.

Of course, Bird was still fantastic. That’s evident from his stacked stat line. To control the game, he didn’t always need to have the ball in his hands. I was still curious as to when he would wow me throughout the majority of the first three quarters. Then he carried out This is the one place where the mythology, in a way, falls short of accurately describing Bird’s performance. Bird’s left-handed game was later explained by Walton in this way: “At the conclusion of one of the trips, he had accomplished every goal, and we hadn’t lost a game on the trip.” When we were all waiting to go, Larry informed the players and the media that tomorrow night would be the last game of the trip. He remarked,

Walton’s recollections are riddled with errors. In actuality, the Celtics were midway through a tour in which they suffered one loss. Nevertheless, Walton’s final detail—which mentions Bird’s plan to use his off hand to play the first three quarters—stands out the most. The statement implied, at the very least, that Bird would return to using his regular hand when the stakes were high and would avoid using his off hand if the game was tight. As it was, his left hand showed no signs of apprehension. When the score was close in the fourth quarter, he unleashed his most spectacular lefty flurry of the game. There hasn’t been a more remarkable demonstration of off-handed skill in NBA history.

In a few five possessions, Bird made three straight absurd left-handed baskets. A left-handed floater in transition is something that most NBA players would never consider attempting, yet Bird skillfully sidestepped one defender, sidestepped another, and blasted a shot off the glass:

The fourth quarter saw the Celtics lead by six points as a result. Bird moved to his left hand once more after a 3-pointer by the Blazers had trimmed the lead in half. If a player made a hook shot of this kind, they would be benched or cut:

That kind of foolishness is something that most players wouldn’t even try in a driveway pickup game. In the fourth quarter of a close game, it takes a captivating blend of skill, ingenuity, and hubris to even consider switching to a sweeping, lefty hook shot. In the midst of a seven-game road journey, Boston was playing the second night of a back-to-back; such lengthy trips are almost nonexistent these days. The night before, Bird had destroyed the Kings in 43 minutes with 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists. And he was using his off hand to make big shot after big shot against the Blazers. Bird achieved the pinnacle of left-handed basketball after the Blazers had narrowed the advantage to one:

I laughed so hard at that lefty and one that I had to watch it again. Even though I had previously watched it countless times in highlights, seeing it in the context of the actual game flow gave me a deeper perspective. With his side leading by a slim margin in the fourth quarter, Bird’s biggest highlights as a lefty followed one after the other. During the same five-possession run, he absolutely mishandled a wide-open layup by a righty, almost as if he was simply trying to punctuate the ridiculousness of his lefty makes.

Even if Bird’s “lefty game” wasn’t always as good as the stories made it seem, that one sequence was better than the rest. The NBA version of Kevin Costner’s “Tin Cup” character Roy McAvoy broke most of his clubs over his leg and ended his round with just a 7-iron. because he was able to. Moreover, he had a different wiring than other people. Bird said that on February 14, 1986. Though it might be more entertaining to believe he also used his left hand, he used his right hand to make the shots that forced overtime and ultimately won against the Blazers.