Larry Bird voices his support and love for Boston in comments on Deflate-Gate


Earlier in the week Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe talked to Larry Bird and retrieved some intriguing comments from the Celtics legend on his thoughts on multiple topics, including Deflate-Gate:

"I thought it was a bunch of lying, if you want to know the truth," said Bird. "That's something [Bob] Kravitz [Indianapolis sports columnist] came up with, and I never believed any of it.

"It doesn't really matter. It was written about a lot around the country, but here in Indianapolis, most people knew. We knew the Patriots was going to beat them anyway. I thought it was pretty chintzy. People finally realized they would have beat us anyway. I just laughed about it.

As all Boston sports fans know, Deflate-Gate was arguably the most overblown sports story that the public has ever followed. For months and months, people have been arguing back and forth about the air pressure in a couple of footballs in a game that the Patriots won, 45-7. Now we all know that Tom Brady eventually had his suspension overturned and that he's now at the helm of a revenge tour of rampage against the NFL, but it's still good to hear that Larry Bird is in agreement with Boston fans on the Deflate-Gate front. For the Celtics great to call out long time Indianapolis columnist Bob Kravitz as well, just goes to show how ridiculous he thinks this story was.

In addition to that, Bird also chimed in on his love for the passion that Boston sports fans have:

"There's no sports town like Boston. I don't care where you go.

"They talk about Chicago and Philadelphia. No. They don't ever compare to Boston. I mean, there's ladies in their 90s and they can name every player on the Red Sox and Patriots team. You just don't have it anywhere like that.

"It's unbelievable out there, and my gratitude to the fans out there is that I'd never root against them because I know how important sports are to them."

After all this time, it's still refreshing to hear how much love Larry Bird has for the city and the fans of Boston. Not only is he arguably one of the best basketball players of all time, but next to Tom Brady, I can't think of another athlete more beloved in this city than Larry Legend himself. Even as the now President of the Indiana Pacers, Bird still can't help himself but to show love for the teams in Beantown.

Larry Bird is the true symbol and embodiment of what it means to have "Celtic Pride" and it's something that will never leave him. While yes he may not live or play in the city of Boston anymore, one thing is for sure, the impact this great sports city had on him will always stick with the basketball legend.

Image Credit: Darren Cummings/AP
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