On this day 39 years ago, 24-year-old Larry Bird put up this statline in a 105-91 road win over the Lakers:

• 47 minutes played, 36 points, 16 of 25 shooting, 21 rebounds, six assists, five steals, three blocks

Two things:

• He didn’t take a single 3-pointer

• Why did he play 47 minutes?

Bird would win his first title that season, averaging a cool 22-14-6 in 17 playoff games. H/T to Bob Ryan.

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