Revisited: Larry Bird chucks the ball violently at Bill Laimbeer, throws hands at Dennis Rodman during Boston Celtics vs Detroit Pistons 1987 playoff series
The 1987 Eastern Conference Finals between the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons feature a legendary fight between Larry Bird and Bill Laimbeer.
That era was extremely physical, and hard fouls were much more commonplace.
Until the end of the Jordan Rules era, players had to be ready for physicality. Larry Bird wasn't one to back down, as he often dealt with hard fouls and dished them out himself.
In one of Bird's legendary fights, he got into a brawl against the Detroit Pistons, who were known for their physicality during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Big men Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman were the Pistons' enforcers and showcased that during their 1987 matchup against the Celtics.
Numerous hard fouls during Game 3 sparked the incident.
Larry Bird completely loses it against Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman. https://t.co/iec6w1Cxh4
Bird was on the receiving end of several hard fouls up to that point, but Laimbeer's takedown finally set the Celtics star off.
Given that Bird was Boston's best player, it could certainly be argued that the move benefitted the Pistons.
On this date in 1987: #FreepFlashback
You've seen it: Larry Bird fights Bill Laimbeer after a HUGE takedown. After being separated, Bird throws the ball at Laimbeer's head. Both players were ejected.
The Pistons won Game 3 of the ECF, 122-104, to cut the series deficit to 2-1. https://t.co/skkframlaj
Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics did win the series, but Detroit's physicality wore them down. The injury-riddled Celtics lost the finals in convincing fashion.
Larry Bird, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman would meet again, but with vastly different results.
Bird and the Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons to reach the 1987 finals. Unfortunately, this was the last time they were able to do so during Bird's era.
The Celtics and Pistons would meet again during the 1988 ECFs, but the series' intensity and physicality failed to match their prior meeting.
Bird and Bill Laimbeer were never quite that physical again, making 1987 the last matchup where the two went at one another.
If I could take two athletes in their prime and match them up for a fight, it wouldn’t be Chuck Liddell vs Jon Jones.
It would be Bill Laimbeer vs Larry Bird.
The violence on display between the two former champions is something the league would want to avoid today.
Both Bird and Laimbeer also had issues with other players throughout their careers.
One of the most infamous fights in NBA History, Dr. J vs. Larry Bird. Neither player was assessed a suspension after this fight, wow have times changed. https://t.co/ugRgK1ZCc2
April 19, 1990: The Pistons & 76ers fight in The Palace.
Charles Barkley & Bill Laimbeer were each fined $20,000 and suspended for one game. Detroit's Scott Hastings was fined $10,000 and suspended for one game. Both teams were fined $50,000 for failing to control their players. https://t.co/cCkUu6T5FA
For Bird, Bill Laimbeer, and Dennis Rodman, this was just how they learned to win.
Players such as Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman effectively functioning as hockey goons and stars like Bird fighting back is now just a relic of a bygone era.