“Larry Bird and Julius Erving Were Choking Each Other”: When Former NBA Referee Recalled 6ft 9” Celtics Legend’s Brutal Brawl with Dr. J
Emily Baldwin The NBA Eastern Conference was a tough place to be back in the 80s. Simply because teams had to deal with two of the greatest players of all time, Larry Bird and Julius Erving.
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Both men were absolute monsters and inspired fear among many of their peers. Given how big their personalities were, it comes as no surprise that the rivalry of the 1980s was between the Celtics and the 76ers in the East.
It was a truly bitter and intense rivalry, one that saw many scraps between the two. Even Bird and Erving got into it at times, like when they choked each other in 1985.
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Larry Bird and Julius Erving tried to choke each other out during an intense match back in 1985
Larry Legend, who was a 6ft 9″ beast, and Dr. J are two icons of the sport of basketball. Two men who also happened to be major rivals during their time in the league. They were the best players on their respective teams, the Celtics and the 76ers.
In addition to this, they both played in the East, a fact that only added more spice to their rivalry. Heck, if you need more proof that they were not friends, just ask former referee Dick Bavetta, who officiated a match between the two in 1985. One that did not end well!
“Larry Bird has an unbelievable night! Every shot he took, Erving is guarding him and as every shot went in…he went further back and he kept on saying, “Aren’t you going to guard me?”. He was the greatest soft-spoken trash talker I’ve ever met. Finally, it gets too much and I look up and I see them choking each other!”
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Luckily, Bavetta, who was still a young official at the time, handled the situation perfectly. He simply sent both men back to the locker room, a gutsy move to say the least.
Larry Legend got the better of Dr. J more often than not in their 68 meetings in the NBA
Being in the same conference, as well as the same division meant that Larry Bird and Julius Erving met on several occasions. 68 occasions to be exact, where both men gave it their all. But, it is Larry Legend who came out on top, with a 35-33 record against Dr. J!
An amazing and competitive rivalry to say the least. One that will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
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