Danny Ainge Sunday night stood by a published report in which he was quoted as saying Larry Bird and Kevin McHale aren't friends and don't speak to each other on or off the basketball court.
"Everything that was printed, I said, but I don't think anything I said was negative," Ainge said Sunday night. He was quoted in the Feb. 2 edition of The National, the new national sports daily newspaper."It's a known fact that Larry Bird and Kevin aren't the best of friends. This isn't new this year. It has been that way since they started playing together. But they respect each other on the court. You all should know that. I don't think it's such a big thing," Ainge said.
"Kevin and Larry don't talk that much now. They didn't talk that much then," Ainge said.
McHale downplayed this potential crack in the Celtics' famed mystique.
"Larry and I get along just fine," he said. "What's a good friend? I've made four or five good friends since I've been in the league. But I have a lot of friends."
This is the 10th season McHale and Bird have been teammates. They have been to the NBA finals five times and won three championships.
Bird did not stay around to comment on the story or on Ainge's remarks Sunday night. He slipped out a back door.