Danny Ainge and Wayne Rollins Rumble

On April 24, 1983, a classic NBA altercation takes place.

In a first round meeting between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks, Boston sharp-shooter Danny Ainge takes one too many elbows from Hawks center Wayne "Tree" Rollins.

Ainge, who had allegedly called Rollins a "sissy," finally ran up and tackled the 7-footer, causing a bench-clearing brawl to ensue. While Ainge and Rollins were scuffling on the floor, Rollins took a bite at Ainge's middle finger.

"He almost bit my finger off,'' Ainge said in a  Sports Illustrated interview. "He bit it all the way through. I had to get two stitches.''

Ainge was ejected from the game, as was Atlanta guard Mike Glenn. Rollins, however, was not ejected. Boston went on to win the game and sweep the Hawks out of the postseason. Rollins was later given a $5,000 fine and a five-game suspension to be assessed at the beginning of the '83-84 season.

The Boston Herald covered the story with the headline: "Tree Bites Man." In later years, the facts of the incident began to strain, and people began to believe that it was Ainge who had bitten Rollins, and not the other way around. Ainge was able to dispell these rumors, though only after displaying the scar that had been made on his middle finger.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird Go Toe-To-Toe

On March 24, 1979,  Magic Johnson and Larry Bird lead their respective teams to the 1979 NCAA finals.  Magic’s Michigan State team would destroy Penn State by a score of 101-67, while Bird’s Indiana State would beat out DePaul 76-74.

Larry Bird (back left) watches Magic Johnson (right) take free throws in their 1979 NCAA tournament game.

Both Magic and Larry would have outstanding games in their respective semi-final games.  Magic registered a triple-double, with 29 points to go along with his 10 rebounds and 10 assists, as he was nearly perfect that day going 9-for-10 from the field and 11-for-12 from the free throw line.  As for Bird, he would narrowly miss a triple-double of his own with 35 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

Michigan State and Indiana State would go on to face each other in the NCAA championship game, as this would mark the beginning of one of sports’ biggest rivalries.

Magic Johnson (left) and Larry Bird (right) wait for a free throw shot in their 1979 NCAA tournament game.

Michigan State has a chance to add onto their NCAA Tournament resume this year, while Indiana State missed the cut.

Michigan State has compiled two NCAA Tournament championships in 1979 and 2000. They were the Tournament runner-up in 2009. The Spartans have reached the Final Four eight times including back-to-back-back appearances in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Their last appearance in the Final Four came in 2010. The Spartans have also reached the Elite Eight 11 times, the Sweet Sixteen 17 times, including four straight years from 1998-2001. Overall the Spartans have reached the NCAA Tournament 28 times, and is on their 17 consecutive appearance this year dating back to 1998.

While Michigan State won the NCAA Tournament in 1979, and again in 2000, Indiana State had never won the NCAA Tournament. Their highest finish ever was in 1979 when Bird’s team lost to Michigan State. The Sycamores have only reached the Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen once, in 1979.

They Sycamores have reached the NCAA Tournament four times though in 1979, 2001, 2001 and 2011.

Larry Bird Sets Boston Celtics Scoring Record

On March 12, 1985,  Larry Bird scores a Boston Celtic record 60 points in a single game.

Boston Celtics great Larry Bird (left) with Atlanta Hawks great Dominque Wilkins (right).

During his career Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale.

Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star, earning the All-Star Game MVP once, and was named the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. He played his entire professional career for Boston, winning three NBA championships, and earning the NBA Finals MVP twice.

His other awards included being named to the All-NBA First team nine times, All-NBA second team once, being named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team three times. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 1980 and was nominated to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He was a three-time Three-point Shootout champion from 1986-1988.

Due to chronic back problems, he retired as a player in 1992. He was a member of the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.

He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, and he held that position until 2012. During his tenure as coach with the Pacers, Bird was named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1998 and NBA Executive of the year in 2012.

In addition to being part of the 50–40–90 Club, he is the only person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.

During his career Bird scored 21,791 points, averaging 24.3 points per game. He dished out 5,695 assists for an average of 6.3 per game and had 8,974 rebounds, averaging 10 per game over his entire career.