Larry Bird has been a part of some of the greatest squads ever put together in basketball. That said, the 1992 Dream Team is undoubtedly the most iconic.
The Boston Celtics legend also participated in the Dream Team’s scrimmage in preparation for the Barcelona Olympics, which many dubbed “the greatest game nobody ever saw.” However, Larry saw it differently.
“Just a normal practice”
In recent years, media hype and Jordan’s own admission — he called it the “greatest game he’s ever played in”— have contributed to the legend of that scrimmage. However, Bird downplayed how epic that practice was.
“I didn’t think it was much at all, to tell you the truth. If you asked three-quarters of the guys who were there that day, they wouldn’t have thought much of it. It was just a normal practice with guys talking; everybody was talking more than playing,” said the Celtics icon. “When they (Sports Illustrated) came up with it (the title), I was like, ‘Well, when was that?’ I think it’s nostalgia talking.”