INDIANAPOLIS — Larry Bird can again lay claim to something that has always defined him: winning.
INDIANAPOLIS — Larry Bird can again lay claim to something that has always defined him: winning.
After years of struggles and sharp criticism from an Indiana fanbase that once worshipped him as one of the state’s most prominent natives, the Pacers president has his team back near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Pacers entered Saturday’s action with a 27-19 record, creating an optimism around the franchise that has been absent for years.
“There’s places we want to go with this team,” Bird told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “We think we’ve got talent to do it. It’s just how we compete every night, and if we’re going to get better from now to the end of the year. We feel if we get better, we have an opportunity to do something special.”
Last season, the Pacers were 17-27 when Bird fired coach Jim O’Brien. Interim coach Frank Vogel then took a young team with core pieces Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough and Darren Collison and guided it to the playoffs. The Pacers challenged the Chicago Bulls before losing the first-round series 4-1.