Um...WHAT?!!

Little bit of history for you. I was doing some research on double doubles (Kevin Love's streak being alive and kicking and all) and I found out an interesting tidbit.


On February 18, 1985, Larry Bird had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists through 3 quarters of play versus the Utah Jazz. He also had 9 steals.


Let me point this out: there are 4 players in the history of the ENTIRE FREAKING NBA that have ever registered quadruple doubles. Bird, apparently, was unimpressed with history. He decided to sit out the rest of the game, since the Celtics were up by 30. "I already did enough damage," he would say afterward. "Why go for it if we're up by 30?"


Why go for it? WHY GO FOR IT?! Because you were the greatest all around player of all time, someone who cared about every game, someone who wanted to win, and could be counted on to pull his team, kicking and screaming, to the finish line. Because you were one of the most memorable players in history, and this would be yet another part of your wonderful legacy. Because, as Nate Thurmond pointed out after registering the first quadruple double in NBA history, "The reason why [quadruple-double] is such a hard thing to accomplish is because it requires a player to be completely dominant on both ends of the court without being too selfish—so he can get the assists—and without fouling out trying to block every shot or grab every rebound. A lot of guys can get the points, rebounds and assists, but it's the defensive stuff that messes everybody up. You have to love defense to get a quadruple-double. There's no way around it." Because, Larry, YOU WERE THAT PLAYER.  Not just on one career night, but EVERY night. You cared more about teamwork than about scoring, but you scored because you had to. You cared about defense because it won games, and played it intelligently for this reason.


So Larry, when time travel is invented under the Obama administration, go back and get that last steal. Add that to your legacy. Because people forget as time goes on. The only thing that stays around is who won, and what numbers they posted. Give us, who still worship your style of play, something to show the stat heads to prove your greatness. You owe us this, just as we owe it to you.


For the love of everything, give us a quadruple double.