"I've made a lot of mistakes" - Larry Bird on the silver lining of getting into a bar fight during '85 ECF

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird stood as symbols of success and greatness in the NBA. As a result, fans sought to emulate their game on the court but also expected them to be role models away from it. 

However, during the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana native tarnished his image after he found himself in a heated altercation at a bar. The Boston Celtics legend accepted responsibility for his involvement in the incident. 

However, he said that the whole situation had one silver lining. Larry's bar brawl After the C's successfully defended their home court to take a 2-0 series lead against the Philadelphia 76ers, Bird decided to go out for a drink and relax at a bar in Quincy Market. 

However, the evening took a tumultuous turn when he got into a fight with a bartender-bouncer named Michael Harlow. "He (Bird) sucker punched me in the jaw," the Globe quoted Harlow, per UPI. 

"'There was a noise and a scuffle as they came across the street. Then Larry Bird went 'boom,' a nice swoop over the top with his right hand to the left side of the face,'" an unnamed witness told the Globe.