"He just really wanted to motivate himself," Ainge said of Larry's trash-talking. "But the most characteristic one was he didn't usually trash-talk to like Magic [Johnson], Dr. J [Julius Erving], guys like that. He had so much respect for them."

As the Conference Finals get underway, the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers renew their '90s rivalry, meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 - the last time the Knicks made it this far.

The Pacers' success, particularly on offense, is the product of a group of players that has bought in and an NBA champion coach who has evolved.

Larry Bird doesn't look back at his Boston Celtics front office stint with a sense of pride. If anything, it was an unforgettable experience, though not in the way legends usually want to be remembered. His time in the C's ivory tower felt more like a PR move than a proper strategic role.

Sunday night was a great one to be an Indiana Pacers fan. Indiana dominated the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers from start to finish, cruising to a 129-109 win in Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. The game was never close,