1977 NIT Indiana State vs Houston Larry Bird 44pts vs Birdsong 30pts
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- čas přidán 9. 03. 2024
- Indiana State Sycamores vs. Houston Cougars
NIT First Round
Wednesday 03/09/1977 at Hofheinz Pavilion
Houston, Texas
With the game tied at 82, Dan Rutledge fouled Houston center Mike Schultz with 37 seconds
left, then Schultz made one of two free throws to provide the winning margin… Schultz’s miss was
rebounded by Indiana State, but Larry Bird missed a “tough turn-around” in the final seconds that allowed Houston to advance
INDIANA STATE (25-3) FG-A FT-A PF PTS HOUSTON (27-7) FG-A FT-A PF PTS
Larry Bird 19-28 6-7 3 44 Cecile Rose 3-6 0-0 3 6
Harry Morgan 3-14 4-6 5 10 Charles Thompson 4-9 0-1 0 8
DeCarsta Webster 4-9 2-3 2 10 Mike Schultz 7-11 4-6 4 18
Danny King 4-12 4-4 3 12 Otis Birdsong 13-26 4-4 2 30
Jim Smith 2-3 0-0 3 4 Mark Trammell 2-5 0-0 1 4
Brad Miley 1-4 0-0 0 2 Al Winder 0-0 0-0 0 0
Dan Rutledge 0-0 0-0 1 0 Ken Ciolli 4-6 0-0 1 8
This is why Larry Bird is the greatest forward of all time including in the NBA. the difference between Larry Bird and LeBron is illustrated in this one video alone. Larry savaged his body by diving for those loose balls and he's hit the ground more than football running back. It is his very dedication no holds barred hustle for every loose ball that shortened his great career. I've rarely seen LeBron James ever dive for a loose ball like that. LeBron has the longevity records, but Larry Bird was the greatest forward of all time and it's not even close in my estimation!
LeBron would flop away from defenders he's good at that😂
@@davidgeissler8620 100% 😊😁🤣😂😅
True its Larry Bird the greatest forward ever
LaFlop and the NBA deciding to crown him is why I no longer watch…. they don’t even play defense anymore. It’s just a game of horse.
@@FUBAR1986 100%
Just when you thought you'd seen every Bird video.
Earliest bird tape ive seen. Awesome.
Lot of joy from Bird, lot of joy.
I grew up 45 miles from him. Around 1970 our family attended a convention at the French Lick Springs resort hotel where Larry's mother worked as a waitress. Maybe she served us.
Me too !! This is awesome
Amazing footage of Larry Bird at 20 years old. Also such coincidental last names.... Bird and Birdsong.
Yes Indeed 💯, a young End of Sophomore year Larry Bird. I'm Tellin Ya. I Noticed the Basketball Rims are curved way out on the floor & the Post is no longer there, the way all if them should be🏀🏀🏀👏👏👏
Hitting from anywhere, blocking shots, dunking it, diving onto the court for loose balls. Bird did it all.
I've said it several times and I'll say it again:
I got Bird slightly over LeBron.
@@exclamationpointman3852In some ways he was a better player game for game but LeBron pretty much Doubled his stats by now 40'000 11,000 and 11,000 2200 steals is absolutely insane
@@frankie3791 I hate to say it
but I think them double stats was brought to you by Balco
@@exclamationpointman3852 No the NBA tests are strict they were popping guys just for marijuana, I've never even heard of an NBA player accused of steroids lol
@frankie3791 If he stays on the court for 100 years, he'll have REALLY huge stats.
Really good quality video of Bird. Shocked that no pro scout did not see him in his sophomore year playing. Maybe Red Auerbach saw him early. He was amazing in this video. No 3 point back then and he was amazing under the basket. My fav player of all times.
Dude was recruited by Knight....his best move was leaving Indiana
Bird's coach Bob King also coached Pacers HOF Mel Daniels at New Mexico. No doubt some of the NBA brass knew of him because of the Bob King/Daniels NBA connection. Mel also became an ISU assistant coach in 1977 which helped Bird become a better inside player and defender.
I think the longest shot he made was the free throw. Amazing the variety of shots he made.
Bird and Birdsong were unstoppable inside 15'. Amazing players. What a game.
Larry is my favorite player of all time. His basketball IQ and skill was off the charts. He played with so much heart too.
Yeah.right on .much rather have bird on my team over LeBron the clown james.
Dominique Wilkins said "Look into Bird's eyes (when he's playing), you'll see a killer".
We all know Bird. Otis Birdsong even in NBA was a Beast but forgotten sadly.
Recognized Otis Birdsong's name as soon as the announcer called it. He was a helluva player too!
Yes he was, he was my idol back when I was 13 as I saw him play with the KC Kings many times. My favorite player from the old days lol
I agree Otis was just an all around great player had a fine college and pro career
Larry Bird was already NBA ready as a sophomore.Different times though
He was 20. Magic was 20 when he hit the NBA. Don't think the money was as big back in those days.
I thought that Larry Bird was black, back then, because of Otis Birdsong. Their names were similar and the only place I ever saw Bird's name was in The Sporting News. There was very little television coverage of regional basketball and I was amazed when I finally saw what he looked like. I think he did ok for himself.
Nolan Richardson said the same thing. It on here if you want to see it.
saw this game live if you would have asked anybody in Houston that day who Larry Bird was not one person could tell you that is how unknown he was at the time. Yes he was amazing that night.
I was at that game & I left very impressed
Fabulous Bird highlights. Thanks for posting! 💪🏻
bird just too tall with all those shots crazy variety of angles and types anywhere on court can't stop him :O
Bird v. Birdsong. Great contest. Every junior high player should watch how you can score 44 or 30 and never take a 3. How refreshing.
The G O A T . . . My favourite sportsman of all time . . .
Bird and Birdsong were technically teammates for a hot minute in the 1988-89 season. Birdsong was brought in ironically to help cover for Bird being out for the year due to injury, so they never played together. Birdsong in turn had a potentially HOF level career derailed by injuries.
Thanks for information
😅
Yes, in the early 80s, Birdsong and Phil Ford of the Kansas City Kings were probably the best starting guard tandem other than Magic Johnson and Norm Nixon of the Lakers.
@peacelovehopecharity I disagree. These combo's were better... Cheeks/Toney, Spurs Gervin/Moore, Spurs Griffith/Green, Suns Walter Davis/Dennis Johnson
The tartan floor and those goals need to make a comeback.
Tartan floors suck.
Bird was owning the offensive glass. People forget he was a legit 6 foot 9 and could bang inside.
Bird was basically the tallest player for this game. Most of his points came from offensive rebounds put backs and tips. Nothing special.
Except he looks about 6'7. Did he grow taller after this?
@@dalepress1581 He was actually 6'10 in the NBA. He wanted to be a small forward so he was listed as 6'9. That is why he averaged 10 (9.9) rebounds for his career.
@@charlesgeorges3192 He went on to become a top 10 player in NBA history. He was special alright.
@@terrellbaker1660 IMO, top 5 yet he did not win enough NBA championships. I would take BIrd's 3 years of his prime over ANYBODY. Definitely Top 10.
Thank you for posting.
He's the greatest.
It's easy enough to say now, but this performance was Bird as a sophomore, so how could so many NBA scouts, after his junior year, and sports journalists, throughout his college career, not have realized his remarkable talent?
He was drafted 6th after his junior year.
@@mr.e6684 Correct. Note that I did not say *all* NBA scouts.
@@sbrasel I think some of it was about position. NBA scouts still prized traditional centers and point guards, not the hybrid position that Bird and Magic Johnson were about to introduce to the world. So they drafted guys like Mychal Thompson and Phil Ford first, thinking that their skills were sure to translate well in the pros.
Some of the scouts probably thought he didn't have the athleticism to be a great NBA player. Also, he was playing in a smaller conference. Boy were they wrong!
This is amazing! What a find!
For those who are viewing this video the NIT was the major college championship tournament in 1977….the NCAA wasn’t the March Madness as it is today….
While the NIT tournament was the bigger tournament until the mid-to-late 50's, the NCAA tournament has ruled ever since. Hence, in 1977 the NIT had already been relegated to little brother status for around 20 years.
@@brent.a Preach, whoever you are ... Preach .. You KNOW the history.
@@darrenneal7245Russ & Wilt changed that. USF dominance & WILT's scoring prowess at KANSAS knocked the NIT out. Right behind those two: Elgin, Oscar, West & the UCLA DYNASTY with some guy named Lew Alcindor.
@@RICHBLACKCOCK I KNOW the history.
LOL NCAA was WAY bigger deal in 77, NIT was more of a consolation prize for teams that didnt make NCAA tournament
the quality is excellent! i've seen far worse from mid-80s nba clips
Amazxiing how Bird has at least 2 or 3 different moves everygame ...
That double pump, falling backwards, off the glass shot. 🤦♂️. Only one Basketball Player in history of the game can make that, and he could make it 100 out of 100 times.
The quality of this video is amazing!!
The people act different than they do now. They jump celebrating like they just got they all just saw the Superman film. And man I would be afraid to wear those shorts for MANY reasons!
This is awesome.
Bird straight cooked them dudes!! Great team defense on him in that last shot. Bird JUST missed it!
Great editing in this video!!! Instant sub!
Great post. I forgot all about Otis Birdsong.
Larry Bird and Otis Birdsong were teammates with the Boston Celtics during the 88-89 season.
The same season Brian Shaw & Kelvin Upshaw played for the Celtics.
I was there. So exciting!
Fun memory.
The Battle of the Birds.
(Notice no 3 point line
3-Point line is the single biggest mistake Basketball has ever made!
Great video!
Thank you
44 points and no three point line, he made it look easy.
Bill Walton scored 44 points also... in the title clinching 1973 NCAA championship game on 21 for 22 FGs. No three point line either.
@@mr.sinjin-smythKobe had 81 points one time
@@TV-ob1if Yes, but 21 points of that are from 3 pointers (7 for 13 from three point line). So what's your point?
He wasn't a three point shooter in college 😊❤
@@mr.sinjin-smythJordan scored 55 against the knicks
This looked like the beginning of 80's basketball right here, just like Jordan looked like the beginning of 90's basketball in the 80's.
Those two fouls on bird are crazy, he got that block clean and should have had a jump ball when he picked dudes pocket.. but they didnt call that foul when larry got raked across his arm on his jumper, guess reffing hasnt changed much in 50 years
Good quality video.
Gosh, LB was a once in a lifetime talent. He's basically playing with me and you on his team. And he's dominant. Yes Birdsong was a great scorer and the league is full of great scorer's. Larry was the full package. Imagine averaging 10 rebounds/career. While you spend the rest of your time being "Larry Bird?"
#31 is fellow French Licker, and co-captain of the team, Danny King.
There's Bird, then there's Birdsong!
Refs were awful, Bird didn't commit a foul on any of those loose balls or that block 1:11, After this game ISU played Rutgers where Bird was hacked on the last play in a 1 point game, Bird went after the ref after that game.
Bird vs Song 2 Great Players
Skinny bird was the best bird. As a pro his love of beer added weight which slowed him down and decreased his vertical.
Either that or maybe it was his back issues that took some of the spring out of his legs..
@@cindyknudson2715 He lost his spring way before he hurt his back. It was the beer
Actually he was still a great athlete until the back injury from trying to shovel gravel for his mom's driveway. Bird's game changed after the injury IE he learned how to improve his rebound position and keep the opponent off balance on offense with pass/shot fakes. He also perfected his set shot after the back injury, even though he was already a great outside shooter.
@@Forever_Laura Yeah ok
In my opinion, on that final drive the ISU Guard should have taken the Shot because He was at least facing the Basket but instead He Forced the Pass to Bird who Not thus his Shot was at a Awkward Angle.
What a game!
Totally clean block at 1:11 (Watch it at half speed).
I would’ve titled this video: Bird versus Birdsong
You're right about that foul.
It was 100% clean block. Refs weren't used to that kind of block and almost always called a foul. They also weren't used to officiating a player that could dominate every stat line like Bird. Only a handful of collegiate players changed basketball IE Wilt, Russell, Oscar, Kareem, Elvin, Pistol, Bird & Magic.
Yep fantastic
Who directed this?
The Houston players were like "That white boy got game."
What a legend
Two Birds with one stone. Nice
Bird looked more athletic here
Well, he’s not playing against all NBA caliber talent.
@@thomaslyne3243 I guess you did not see Birdsong play in NBA..lol
He's 20 years old. I was more athletic at that age too. 😄
Larry Bird was basically Superman...Unfortunately...his Kryptonite was none other than...Magic Johnson...
Wrong! If you swapped teams, Bird with Michigan State would've won every game. Magic with Indiana State would not had even made the tournament let alone go 33-0 and make it to the title game. Btw, Magic is the greatest PG to ever play the game, but Michigan State was loaded with talent... and ISU was not.
Awesomeness!!
Bird and Birdsong played one season together in Boston in the late eighties.
Did anyone else notice the I State coach run after a ref and throw a towel at him? I had to rewind a few times.
CZcams Gold.
Imagine if Bird played with any real talent at Indiana State. While far from being a fan of women's basketball...I did check out Caitlin Clark's 2 Final Four games this year. She's different. Like Bird, CC took a bunch of nobodies to The Final Four....and played against two teams (UCONN and South Carolina) that will have multiple First Round picks off each team.
If they were nobodies, they don’t beat UConn with Clark playing so poorly. STFU with the unnecessary glazing.
@@manuginobilisbaldspot2 I wouldn't call it poorly, I think she had 22 points with 90% of them being in the second half. If your team is so tired from chasing and defending a player of Clarks caliber, you won't have the legs you need to make the easy shots in the closing minutes. UCONN missed a lot of open shots in the 4th quarter even Geno said those shots were there. UCONN plays with only 6 players 3 are Freshmen. UCONN did amazing for what they brought to the table. Love em' and are my favorite. I do believe if NCAA would just up the total fouls allowed to 6 (like the WNBA) the results would be a true reflection of the talent on any team vs another team. UCONN was always in follow trouble before the half of many of those games. So I believe there would have been different results if UCONN had the legs and weren't in foul trouble. That said I am very much in agreement with paulentz1972. Clark is very much like Bird in what she does for her team. UCONN had two players who were in the first 14 picks of the WNBA draft not counting Buecker who chose to stay who would have been a top 5 pick. So if you take two of those three you have two top 6 picks and a 14. Martin for Iowa did get chosen but was way down on the list. She's a solid player more a finisher from Clark getting her the ball - and isn't that the point.
free throws. refs do their job for "hyped players"@@daviddeleo4078
In third grade, my sister had shorts like those.
For everyone who said that Larry couldn't jump. 4:02
There's absolutely no doubt that Larry Bird is better than LeBron. Look at career stats plus clutch shots.
Bird was a great Garbage Man....dude was amazing... most of his points weren't long distance shots
no 3 line here...he'd hit from all over and that's why his fakes were devastatingly awkward...he'd take the shot if you gave it, and usually make
@@johncraftenworth7847 Absolutely....the game was so different in the 1980's....Bird would be by far the best player in today's game. & this is coming from a Sixers fan back in the day who loathed Larry.
I don't watch NBA anymore, but...some highlights....nothing against Jovic & Doncik are whatever their names are ....Bird would kill it today.....5× times the players they are
they good. bird better on rebounding and d but there's no incentive to play d with the rules/reffing how they are now. Jokic actually has a lot of shots and playmaking quite comparable to bird. it's mainly the whole intensity of the leaque is soft and weak these days@@user-dv3do1od2r
Do you have video of the whole game?
yes i have
@@sportvideofootage I'd love to see at the very least the intro of the starting 5s. Other than Bird and Miley on ISU and Birdsong on Houston, I couldn't name any of those players.
Will you ever post it?
Players today could really learn something from watching how hard Larry played. He was special and in my opinion opinion the greatest of the greatest college players to ever play the game. After all he actually led Indiana State to the number one ranking in 1979 despite your blue blood schools and major conferences. I still have not seen another like him maybe Caitlin Clark.
@@user-pc3kl6hl3p Larry Bird had an amazing history. He finished 3rd in the Indiana high school Mr. Basketball voting in his senior year of 1974, then dropped out of two colleges. Was working in sanitation at a resort at age 20. From that to the NBA title MVP just five years later.
I’m surprised Bird missed that last shot.
Just like in the 1987 NBA Finals.
He was always taking the pressurized last shot. Took a lot of them. Anybody is going to miss a few.
@@dmichael100 Yes, but it always hurts knowing what might've been.
Got the ball to him in a bad position
@@mr.sinjin-smyth Sure, that's why we love sports and following favorite teams and players.
I am responding to the surprise at the miss. No one- including Bird- ever made all their game winners. Truth is, if you check the stats close- the percentage is not super high. but the makes look large in our memories.
No one should be surprised - if they are realistic that BIrd, or Jerry West, or Steph Curry missed several last second shots. They all took so many
Just imagine the score with a 3 pt line.
The 3 point line has ruined team basketball.
I saw him play at ISU
Give me prime Larry Legend on my team, you take whoever you want…
Really nice documentary about birds and birdsongs
How did larry miss that last shot?
Bird looks like he may have grown a couple of inches after this game
I know my Halloween costume for next year. Larry Bird 1977 Indiana St. Can I find those awful striped shorts somewhere is the only question?
Jimmy Smith looks like a future NBA all star. This Bird kid has a chance to make the NBA as a role player off the bench. 😐
It does not appear to me that Larry had reached his full height yet. Compare this to 2 years later.
I remember when birdsong played for Kansas City Kings
First time Larry ever missed a last second shot!
Seems also like a precursor for the heartbreak miss in the 1987 NBA Finals.
Awesome. The game was so much better without the 3.
Gotta give it to Houston. They beat Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) and Larry Bird in college battles. If only they have handled Lorenzo Charles in '83.
Bird vs Birdsong!!!
The real Goat Larry Joe Bird
If there was a three point line Indy State probably wins by ten.
Did you see how Bird choked on that last shot? No way is he going to be much in the NBa.
Some Hometown Cedar Knob ref bs going on there late in the game.
No doubt and after this game ISU played Rutgers and Bird was hacked in the last seconds of a 1 point game, Bird went after the ref after the game
GO COOGS.
Larry should of made that last shot i bet it still bothers him today 😅
Otis Birdsong wasn’t so bad either
This game was for the Birds…😂
why dint indiana state qualify for ncaa that year?
Didn’t win their conference championship.
They didn't win their league and the NCAA tournament was only 32 teams.
@@charlesswain1767 At that time Indiana State was an independent. They went into the Missouri Valley Conference the next year (Bird's junior season). ISU was 25-2 on the regular season (lost at Purdue and at Illinois State, beating Illinois State two weeks later at Indiana State). Should have been in the NCAA with at 25-2 record and Bird.
They are so small that Bird plays as center
6'9" is fairly tall.
@@cindyknudson2715 I saw him life several times in Bcn 92 and he was only 2m 06cm (in NBA they measure with sneakers they give them extra 3cim). 2,6 is poor in FIBA when the center is usually taller thasn 2,10. Larry Bird was a 3 (McHale was a 4) but in NCAA were so small he was the center
6' 9" was pretty much normal height for centers in 1970's NCAA. Not every team had a 7' center and if they did, he was probably only 6' 10" because coaches lied about players height 99.9% of the time.
Fun fact, the 1980s had the tallest average height of any NBA era ever
Real GOATs win championships my a?$
Larry Bird in college before the 1979 Final Four Year Awesome to see Bird had 44 needed 46. but he hit many game winners later on and get rid of those ugly Indiana State striped pants lol haha the 70s
The 70s seem like centuries ago and a different planet…..The 70s were a better time
Larry Bird is what James thinks he is...
Houston acted like they'd just won the national championship after beating a mid-major team by one point that nobody had ever heard of. BTW, I was a classmate of LB.
C'mon. Winning any tight game, especially in a "win or go home" tournament is cause for celebration. I didn't read the rule that you can only celebrate wins over high-majors. And actually, I see businessmen celebrate wins in lunchtime pick-up games with more verve than UH did here.
They thought they had hit the lottery
That's such a COPING comment after seeing and relieving your alma mater / classmate lose after all these years. It was a memorable win for Houston and a heartbreaking loss for Bird and Indiana State, just like what would happen against Magic and Michigan State 2 years later. So enjoy the coping all over again. 😆😆😏😏
NIT was still a big deal back. It was filled with a lot of good teams.
Poor you knowing nothing about competition winning and losing 😊😅😂❤!
Houston lost to st bonaventure
Labrons longevity is because he didn't play in the physical era and lord knows what he's putting in his body cause any one's got to admit it against human nature to do what he's doing at his age. And we know there's all sorts of red flags about his usage of illicit substances but knowing printing it and know one in the NBA but ex player's who have no reason to lie talk openly about this topic. It's been common knowledge for years. Hell even his wife is connected. The NBA is very powerful and has successfully shut down any subject that would give the NBA a bad rep, whether it was the ref scandal throwing games or Jordan's gambling accusations leading to his baseball follies. What a croc that was but Stern bottled it up and the media backed down.
Looks like women's basketball
All i heard in this video was bird or birdsong