Bird Should Know Not to Put Best Foot Forward

The epic games usually have a hero and a goat, and this qualifies on all fronts. Kobe Bryant, 21 years old and a kid who could be a college senior, was the hero. Larry Bird, Larry Legend and a man in the discussion for best forward to ever play the game, was the goat.

With Shaquille O’Neal having fouled out with 2 1/2 minutes left in overtime, one would think the Pacers could rally on their home court and tie this series. But Kobe Bryant wouldn’t let them. Jumper, jumper, blocked shot, tip-in, ballgame, championship. OK, the NBA finals aren’t officially over, yet, but they will be because a badly sprained ankle and the Pacers couldn’t stop him.

Phil Jackson bet on Shaquille O’Neal’s foul shooting and Bryant’s tender left ankle and he rolled snake eyes.

Bird bet on Travis Best, no better than Indiana’s sixth or seventh best player, to take the most important shot of the Pacers’ season and came up looking, well, very bad.

The game should have never gone to overtime. Reggie Miller should never had been in the position to have to make that step-back three-pointer to try and win the game after an extra five minutes and a stupid play by Rick Fox. The Pacers had chance after chance to win it, to put serious pressure on the Lakers, but didn’t seem to know how when it counted.

The Pacers have one of the smartest rosters in the league, from Miller and Mark Jackson in the starting backcourt, to Dale Davis and Sam Perkins in the frontcourt, to Travis Best and Chris Mullin on the bench. Their coach is Larry Bird, a thinking man’s player in his day.

And Best, 5-foot-10, shooting over 7-2 O’Neal is what they come up with, when a championship is on the line?

But boy do the Pacers play dumb sometimes. Bird makes personnel decisions which seem to defy the very logic with which he played.