Since 1983, the record for a Celtics regular season player was held by Larry Bird, with 53 points.
But on March 3, 1985, Kevin McHale, propelled into the starting position with the injury of Cedric Maxwell, would take this record from him. Against the Pistons, the interior was going to deliver a recital, especially in taking a position.
Result ? 56 points at 22/28 shooting, with 16 rebounds, including offensive, against Bill Laimbeer and company!
“The only time I scored more points was in a game with friends, when I was 12 years old. And we played for about five hours.” the hero of the evening had fun after the meeting.
Larry Bird will have a surprising reaction after the match. After having stuffed Kevin McHale with balls, he nevertheless criticized his teammate, who had asked to leave when victory was assured…
“Kevin asked to go out. I could not believe it. Especially against the Pistons. It was already hot with them anyway, so why not try to score 70 points? There was no one back home who could defend him. When he pointed at the bench to go out, I told him, 'You can't go out, you can score some more points.' I just couldn't believe it. »
As the competitor that he was, even with his own teammates, Larry Bird will only leave the record to Kevin McHale for a few days. On March 12, 1985, he thus scored 60 points against the Hawks!
