The Boston Celtics have built a reputation on winning, and Bleacher Report says that edge shows up in another way too: talking.
In its ranking of the 50 best trash talkers in NBA history, B/R put two Celtics at the very top, with Larry Bird at No. 1 and Kevin Garnett right behind him at No. 2. Michael Jordan checked in third.
Bird’s case starts with the way he handled Jordan. As B/R put it, "Bird's dynamic with Michael Jordan says it all," B/R writes to help explain its ranking.
"His Airness went out of his way to avoid giving Larry Legend any material to use against him. Jordan went as far as forbidding his teammates to engage with the Hall-of-Famer.
There were no boundaries to when Bird's trash talk would begin, either. Before the game, after the game, in interviews-he was down to troll wherever and whenever."
The list also points to one of the most famous Bird stories, his 1988 3-Point Contest line about who was playing for second.
"Trash-talking extremes are always entertaining," B/R writes. "They take on new meaning when they're employed by an active legend, without filters or favors.
Bird is a big name who needled other marquee talents, but he had no boundaries and didn't recognize status. He was an equal-opportunity troll, whose results backed up his smack talk."
Garnett’s spot at No. 2 comes with its own sharp edge. B/R described him this way: "Nobody throughout NBA history has hurt more feelings and bruised more egos than Kevin Garnett," B/R writes. "His trash talk was so profoundly surgical, it impacted opponent behavior."
The outlet also noted that Garnett has kept that energy going through his KG Certified podcast.
The Celtics’ presence doesn’t stop with Bird and Garnett. Other former Boston players made the top 50 as well: Cedric Maxwell at No.
49, Rajon Rondo at No. 46, Jason Terry at No.
40, Xavier McDaniel at No. 38, Kevin McHale at No.
36, Sam Cassell at No. 35, Marcus Smart at No.
34, Paul Pierce at No. 13, Shaquille O'Neal at No.
11, Rasheed Wallace at No. 8 and Gary Payton at No. 4.
All told, that gives the Celtics 13 players on the list of the NBA’s 50 all-time best trash talkers.
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