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The Hawks and Celtics occupied much different places in the NBA pecking order in 1988, but the tide was turning. Boston won the title in 1986 with what some consider the greatest team in NBA history, but lost in the Finals to the Lakers in 1987 and faced challenges from up-and-coming squads in Detroit, Chicago and Atlanta. The Hawks finished the 1987-88 season 50-32, and after dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in round one, matched up with Boston in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Dominique Wilkins (Hawks small forward): We thought we were going to win it that year. We really did. We felt good about the way we were playing, particularly the second half of the season. We just grew to have so much confidence in ourselves and each other that we believed we could have won. Larry Bird (Celtics small forward): They were up and coming. They were young. They played together, and Dominique was the leader. They had the makings of a great basketball team. NBA.com

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Larry Bird, Dominique Wilkins 

Donnie Walsh said he is unsure he will return as Pacers president next season and thinks here’s still a chance Larry Bird will unretire and retake the helm. Walsh, the 72-year-old former Knicks president, told The Post Sunday he recently asked Bird if he wants to come back and he’d be willing to step aside. Walsh still hasn’t heard an answer from Bird. New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird 

Walsh said yesterday he would return if Bird doesn’t and owner Herb Simon wants him to. “I like this but I don’t need to do it,’’ Walsh said. Walsh said he will definitely run the draft in June. The Pacers general manager is highly regarded Kevin Pritchard. Last month, in a visit at the Garden, Walsh told The Post, “I took this job because Larry [Bird] wanted a year off. If Larry wants to come back, I’m out. I’m leaving.’’ New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Kevin Pritchard, Larry Bird, Owners, Herb Simon 

Walsh said he feels Bird might want to make a comeback after resting his bad shoulder. Walsh said yesterday he would return if Bird doesn’t and owner Herb Simon wants him to. “I like this but I don’t need to do it,’’ Walsh said. Walsh said he will definitely run the draft in June. The Pacers general manager is highly regarded Kevin Pritchard. Last month, in a visit at the Garden, Walsh told The Post, “I took this job because Larry [Bird] wanted a year off. If Larry wants to come back, I’m out. I’m leaving.’’ New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Kevin Pritchard, Larry Bird, Herb Simon 

Walsh, 72, said yesterday he isn’t sure he will be back next season. He said he only stepped in because Larry Bird needed a break. “I took this job because Larry wanted a year off,” Walsh said. “If Larry wants to come back, I’m out.’’ I’m leaving. If he doesn’t I don’t know what I’ll do.” Kevin Pritchard is Pacers GM. New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Kevin Pritchard, Donnie Walsh, Larry Bird 

With two games remaining, Durant is shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from 3-point range and a league-leading 90.7 from the free throw line. The field goal and free throw percentages are both career bests for Durant. Meanwhile, he's averaging 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists while playing 38.5 minutes, the fourth most in the NBA. Bird was unavailable for comment. But with Bird's counsel, Durant gained some perspective on exactly how he would approach this season. Durant peppered Bird with questions, from everything about his Finals matchup with Magic Johnson to his thought process in practices. “He's a guy that, of course, is a legend and I try to emulate,” Durant said. “Somebody that had that fire and that intensity when he played and when he coached and somebody I look up to.” Oklahoman

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Durant, Larry Bird 

Apparently, that guy in the AT&T commercials is tired of speaking with children in order to highlight the company’s service offerings. The wireless provider went out and got Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell to appear in its most recent iteration of television spots, with the one in the video clip above featuring an emotionally sensitive Bird being reacting to Magic poking fun at his lack of speed on the court during his playing days. NBCSports.com

Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Commercials 

ESPN Stats & Info: Kobe Bryant: oldest player with 40 pts, 10 assists since Larry Bird in 1992 #Elias Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird 

SI: Tell me one thing you learned from being on the Dream Team. Barkley: That's easy. Don't ever drink beer with Larry Bird. You'll be carried home. I was. SI.com

Charles Barkley, Larry Bird 

SI: What could you get on Michael about? Barkley: That's easy. He is so damn black. And he's not the best-looking guy in the world. Why do all these women think he's good-looking? If Michael Jordan was a damn plumber, he couldn't get a date. Any guy got $500 million looks good. SI: You and Larry Bird could go at it, too. What did you get on him about? Barkley: That's easy, too. He ain't the best-looking guy in the world either. We used to call the Celtics the ugliest team in NBA history. [Kevin] McHale, [Robert] Parish and Bird? Damn. SI.com

Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Robert Parish 

Move over, Larry Legend. Vinsanity still has a few special moments in him. Vince Carter scored 26 points to pass Larry Bird on the NBA's career scoring list, and the Dallas Mavericks headed into the All-Star break with a 123-100 victory against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Carter earned his nickname with circus dunks, but can't quite rattle the rim like he used to. He's more dangerous these days from one of the places where Bird did plenty of damage: the three-point line. USA Today Sports

Dallas Mavericks, Vince Carter, Larry Bird 

Zach Lowe: And...Vince gives the MJ "shrug" with another three to pass Larry Legend on the all-time scoring list. Twitter @ZachLowe_NBA

Dallas Mavericks, Vince Carter, Larry Bird 

The son of basketball legend Larry Bird was arrested Sunday at Indiana University, said Chief Keith Cash of the Indiana University Police Department. Connor Bird, 21, allegedly tried to hit his ex-girlfriend with a car. Bird faces multiple preliminary charges, Cash said, including battery with injury, criminal mischief, intimidation with a deadly weapon and possession of marijuana. Indianapolis Star

Law, Larry Bird 

Later, police said, Bird waited at his ex-girlfriend’s home and took her to a parking lot to talk things over. There, however, they got into another fight, police said, and the girl got out of Bird’s car with the intent of walking back to her home. That’s when, police said, Bird twice tried to hit the woman with his car. Another IU student witnessed the incident, police said, and took the female to the Indiana University Police Department. No formal charges against Bird had yet been filed by the Monroe County prosecutor as of 11:30 a.m. today, said an administrative assistant at the prosecutor's office. Indianapolis Star

Law, Larry Bird 

Connor Bird, the son of Larry Bird, was arrested Sunday after he tried to hit his ex-girlfriend with his car. The incident took place in Bloomington, on campus of Indiana University. Bird and his ex got into an argument at his apartment earlier in the day and he threw his cell phone at her. From the Journal and Courier: Later, police said, Bird waited at his ex-girlfriend’s home and took her to a parking lot to talk things over. There, however, they got into another fight, police said, and the girl got out of Bird’s car with the intent of walking back to her home. That’s when, police said, Bird twice tried to hit the woman with his car. The Big Lead

Law, Larry Bird, Connor Bird 

Parish, 59, said that Bird and McHale, both of whom have held coaching and front office jobs in the league (McHale is the coach of the Houston Rockets), have done nothing to help him in his quest to return to the NBA, although he says he has reached out to them. He calls his Hall of Fame teammates “acquaintances.” “In my case, I don’t have any friends,’’ Parish said. “I saw Kevin at an event; he said he was going to call me. He never called. I called Larry twice when I was at the Indiana Pacers; he never returned my call. And not just Larry. Across the board, most NBA teams do not call back. You need a court order just to get a phone call back from these organizations. I’m not a part of their fraternity.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Coaching, Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Robert Parish 

Bird has a rather different recollection. Traveling, he sent a concise text in response to questions from the Globe: “Robert never called me for a job. Period.” Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Coaching, Larry Bird, Robert Parish 

The new Seattle NBA ownership group has begun discussing possible candidates to run its franchise and has deliberated whether to target San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and former Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird, sources told Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Sports

San Antonio Spurs, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford, Larry Bird 

The Seattle group believes it will need to completely rebuild the franchise, and that means hiring an executive with a strong history of drafting, player evaluation and organization building. Kings GM Geoff Petrie, who is in the final year of his contract, will not be retained, sources said. Petrie is expected to retire at season's end, league sources said. Yahoo! Sports

Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Geoff Petrie, Seattle SuperSonics, RC Buford, Larry Bird 

(As a start, here's a link to a fundraising campaign for an orphanage in Kenya that could use our help.) The day of Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals, a legendary contest between defending champion Boston Celtics and upstart Detroit Pistons, my elementary school held a fundraising fair. It was nothing special, but because this was our family's first event of the sort after we had moved out of the city of Chicago and into a safer suburb, my parents dove into the thing with aplomb. My mother took off of work ahead of business hours to take an early Metra train out of the city, and my father was one of the volunteer dads that actually sat on the plank over the dad-stained water in the money-raising dunk tank. Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Larry Bird, Kenya