Hall- of-Famer Bird resigns as Pacers president
Larry Bird made the decision last year.
After nearly 40 years in the NBA, he had started plotting an exit strategy.
The 60-year-old Hall-of-Famer finally told the rest of the world Monday: He was stepping down as Indiana’s president of basketball operations, turning the reins over to Kevin Pritchard and staying in the Pacers organization as a scout and consultant.
“Maybe when I turn 70, I’ll come back,” Bird joked. “But right now, my wife is happy. She’s been on this run since I was a sophomore in college.”
It has been a run of legend. Bird’s story is well known to millions — the small-town prep star who led Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA championship game against Magic Johnson, won three MVP Awards and three NBA titles in Boston, and then helped the Dream Team capture Olympic gold in 1992. In August 1992, the man nicknamed “Larry Legend” and “The Hick from French Lick” retired as a player but remained with the Celtics as a special assistant until the Pacers offered him their head coaching post in 1997-98.
Bird took the Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals three straight times and was named the league’s coach of the year in his debut season. A heart ailment prompted Bird to follow through on another promise — that he would only coach three seasons. He walked away weeks after Indiana lost to the Lakers in the 2000 Finals.
Jazz try to slow down Warriors
The Utah Jazz had the slowest pace in the league during the regular season, while the push-it-at-everychance Golden State Warriors were among the fastest as they tried to establish their tempo from the tip.
That clash of styles even showed up in the first round of the playoffs, as the Jazz needed a Game 7 to get past the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors dismantled Portland in a four-game sweep and haven’t played since April 24, waiting to find out their opponent.It became a big advantage as Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Co. got well-rested, healthy and ready for the next challenge in their championship chase: those upstart youngsters from Utah today in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Jazz are the only team to beat Golden State in the last 20 contests, winning a mostly meaningless regularseason game on April 10 in Oakland.