Larry Bird has an unlikely candidate topping the Boston Celtics’ 3-point list

Larry Bird will forever be considered the greatest player in Boston Celtics history.

Not even Jayson Tatum’s greatness will ever touch Bird in Celtics folklore. Despite being a “Larry Legend,” Bird lands on some statistical career lists because of the way the game has changed.

One example was Celtics center Al Horford passing Bird on the franchise career list for 3-pointers made. It happened in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Indiana Pacers. Horford is now in seventh place with 650 triples, ahead of Bird (649).

That’s hard to believe considering Horford is known more as an interior player while Bird is one of the greatest shooters in NBA history. The reason is simple: the game is much different than it was when Bird dominated.

While Bird spent his entire career using a 3-point line, it wasn’t as prevalent as it is in today’s game. Nowadays guys like Horford are taking a lot more shots from behind the arc. Bird attempted just 1.9 3-pointers per game during his career, compared to Horford’s 2.2.

FORMER ALL-STAR CHALLENGES EVERYONE’S USE OF THE N-WORD

The word carries more weight in society than most, especially in the world of sports.

The N-word is one of the most debated topics of all time because it has different meanings depending on race. Former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson has a solution.

Stop using it, period.

Anderson even made a T-shirt to convey his message. He posted it on his social media page on Sunday.

The caption read: “And oh yeah, stop using the word ni… and use my word! I’ve been using it for many years now.”

Anderson heard his share of the word as he became a New York legend. He later played two seasons at Georgia Tech before becoming the No. 2 pick of the New Jersey Nets in 1991.

Maybe Anderson is right. The word did more harm than good. Disappearances are doubtful because they are so common in the black community. Even NBA players Kevin Garnett and Jeff Teague and others use it in their podcasts. It is mostly intended as a term of endearment, but remains closely linked to the racist epithet aimed at black people.

It seems that Anderson simply wants to move away from the word in general.

Shandel Richardson is the editor of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at [email protected]

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