Larry Legend Calls out Players

[jgod213]

http://blogs.indystar.com/pacersinsider/2012/05/23/pacers-bird-calls-his-team-s-o-f-t/

Pacers beat writer Mike Wells is reporting a conversation between himself and Larry Bird in which Bird said:

"I can't believe my team went soft. S-O-F-T. I'm Dissapointed.  I never thought it would happen"

Bird refused to elaborate further.




Dissapointing seems to be the right word here.  As Roy Hibbert was quoted as saying, the Heat were having an "And-1 mix tape out there. They were just dunking, having fun and doing whatever the hell they wanted."

I don't really have a huge problem with the tit-for-tat fouls on Hansboro/Haslem (though Haslem's was dirty), but to watch that Pacers team just stand around after Pittman nearly crushed Stephenson's windpipe was just sad.

Just a complete failure to show up last night.  These comments by Bird should make it pretty clear to his players that that effort will not be tolerated in game 6.

[jgod213]

Via Tom Haberstroh's twitter feed...

Bird probably wanted to motivate his players to stand up, but I also see it as a way to put pressure on Stu Jackson.

After Larry Bird's S-O-F-T quip, I see the NBA office dropping the hammer on suspensions. Larry dumped gasoline on already flammable series.

Perhaps an undersated way of Bird telling Jackson that if he doesn't dish out suspensions then retaliation is on its way.

[GreenFaith1819]

Good on Larry.

Pull an "Uncle Drew", Larry.

Suit em' up!

But seriously I'm glad that Bird is speaking up, here.

[angryguy77]

Thanks for the link.

I hate this team so much, I really hope they get checked at some point in the playoffs. But this is what happens when you let the likes of Wade continue to do his antics for two years in a row now.

They are thugs. For a team that is supposed to be so good, I don't understand why they need to resort to these types of tactics.

[Redz]

Taking an old page out of his book when he said his Celtics teammates played "like a bunch of sissies".  Pretty sure that was the game before McHale clotheslined Rambis.

Hope it works this time for Larry too.

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

I am bored....

[Redz]

Can we try to keep the suspension conversation to the Bounty Hunters thread please.

This one is about Larry calling his team soft.

Heat stuff moved here http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=55970.msg1215538;topicseen#new