Two-Time NBA Champion Claims Larry Bird Antagonized Celtics-Pistons Rivalry

The Boston Celtics versus Detroit Pistons rivalry in the 1980s was one of the most fierce in sports history. It featured the likes of Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre and Bill Laimbeer against Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish.

The teams met five times during the postseason from 1985-91. The winner reached the NBA Finals four times. Former Pistons guard Joe Dumars, now a Hall of Famer, recently recalled how tough it was to win a game at the Boston Garden.

"Someone asked me the other day, `What the toughest arena you had to play in,"' Dumars said on a podcast. "And I said, `Garden, Boston.' They said, `Why?' The air conditioners, they turn on in the winter. They turn the heat on in the summer."'

Despite the Celtics featuring multiple Hall of Famers, he said the catalyst was always Bird. The Celtics won in 1985 and `87 before the Pistons finally broke through in `88. Even with the homecourt tactics, Dumars said Bird always made it tough to defeat the Celtics.

"But please let's not forget how incredible Bird and the Celtics were in their prime," Dumars said. "They were almost impossible to go in there and beat. You could not make a mistake with them. If you turn your head or you don't rotate right on time, those guys made you pay. And it was (Bird). He was like a savant on the court. He was two plays ahead on everything.

KOBE BRYANT LEGACY LIVES ON HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

NBA legend Kobe Bryant influenced many of today's younger players during his career. There are plenty of stories of him playing a role in the development of today's generation, ranging from Paul George to Dwyane Wade to even LeBron James.

What many forget is Bryant's lasting impact even went beyond. Wayne Coffey tells the fantastic story about high school basketball player Amalia Holguin and her relationship with Bryant, who was her coach before his death in 2020. The story is titled "The Last Mamba."

“I don’t think I’d be the player I am today, or have the mindset that I do, if I hadn’t (been coached by Kobe Bryant),” Holguin told Coffey. “I can still hear him saying, ‘Amalia, make sure you are working harder than everybody else. If you take time off, always remember that somebody else is working.’”

Since working with Bryant on the Mamba Academy team, Holguin,17, has become a top NCAA prospect. She is a senior at Sage Hill School in Newport Beach, Calif.

For more on her, check out the full profile here.

She openly talks about the influence Bryant had on her career. Bryant was very active in the girls' basketball world because of his daughter, Gigi, who was a budding star. She was also killed in the tragic helicopter accident.

Hopefully, Holguin can help carry on the Mamba Mentality for years to come.