Happy Birthday to The Legend

Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty ImagesBoston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird turned 65 years old today.

From the first game this writer can remember watching, I was smitten with Bird and the game of basketball. I was just a little guy, probably foru or five years old. I just remember watching this guy wearing #33 bury shots and make passes. And I remember the joy it brought my dad and uncles. It was all so perfect.

I was too young to count the 1981 title as my first Celtics title, or so my dad and uncles would say. I was pretty hooked on hoops by 1986, but that team made it my lifelong passion. To this day, I maintain the 1986 Boston Celtics played basketball more beautifully than any…