“When the Game Was Ours” Excerpt of the Day

Posted by Zach Lowe on Apr 8, 2010 73588 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2010%2F04%2F08%2Fwhen-the-game-was-ours-excerpt-of-the-day-3%2F%22When+the+Game+Was+Ours%22+Excerpt+of+the+Day2010-04-08+21%3A45%3A03Zach+Lowehttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D7358

“When the Game Was Ours” has been my morning subway ride reading for the last two weeks. I’m reading it in 15-page chunks (20 pages if the subway is delayed, which it always is) to make the book last, so to speak. When I come across an excerpt I really like, I’ll post it here.

On Larry Bird’s tenure as coach of the Indiana Pacers:

Bird’s expectations were straightforward: be in shape, be respectful, be on time. He enforced all three. In his first year, the Pacers were taking a charter flight to Nashville, Tennessee, for an exhibition game against the Charlotte Hornets. At precisely 4:00 p.m., Bird signaled for the pilot to start the engine and take off. At 4:03, Dale Davis and Travis Best ran out onto the tarmac, bags in hand. The pilot cut the engine. Bird signaled for him to rev it up again. The door remained closed and the plane took off, leaving two of the team’s key players standing on the runway in disbelief.

Once again, Larry Bird: Totally and completely awesome.