On this day in 1984…does anyone remember the fight between Larry Bird and Dr. J? The Celtics (defending champs) hosted Julius Erving’s Philadelphia 76ers, and Bird was lighting Dr. J UP; scoring 42 points to Erving’s six. A late offensive foul call on Bird, who appeared to throw an elbow at Erving, sparked a vicious melee at the other end of the court. If you look closely that’s a much younger (and much smaller) Charles Barkley holding back Bird. Sir Charles is still pissed to this day that he got fined by the NBA. They ruled he was helping Dr. J but he claims he was just trying to break up the fight. Part of our reverence toward Bird and that era of the Celtics comes from the sheer intensity of their competitiveness… would love to see our young Celtics catch some of that spirit this year!