The former Celtics’ star returns as president of the Indiana Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Larry Bird rarely traveled with Indiana during his first season as team president, but he’s not about to miss the Pacers’ next road trip.

Games 3 and 4 of the Pacers-Celtics playoff series are in Boston, where Bird forged a Hall of Fame career during 13 seasons in a Celtic uniform.

It will be Bird’s first venture into Boston during the playoffs as a member of the opposing team. He was a two-time NBA Finals MVP on three championship teams with the Celtics, and also won three league MVP awards.

“I hope I’m not a distraction,” Bird said.

He has been anything but a distraction during the Pacers’ record-setting season. The French Lick, Ind., native took over basketball operations last summer, but has made a conscious effort to remain in the background.

His biggest move was firing former coach Isiah Thomas and hiring Rick Carlisle, who was an assistant during Bird’s three seasons as coach at Indiana.

Bird has remained steadfast in his assertion that Carlisle, CEO Donnie Walsh and the players deserve all the credit for the team’s considerable success this season.

That’s not to say his presence isn’t felt.

“He really has been a major force here, but in a very understated way,” Carlisle said. “He’s done it and stayed out of the limelight and stayed behind the scenes.

“To have that type of presence in your front office is one of the great things that we have here.”

Carlisle and Bird have instilled more discipline in the young team.

The Pacers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs three straight years, and Thomas was criticized for losing control of the young and volatile group.

Bird wasted little time taking control. He addressed the team before the season, telling the players that anything was possible, as long as they kept their act together.

“The seriousness and the matter-of-factness of his tone was an important thing for this team,” Carlisle said.

Added Bird: “They had a lot of things that went on here in the past few years that I didn’t agree with. It was time to start playing basketball. You get paid to play, paid to put a show on for your fans and it’s all about winning.”

That set the tone for a season filled with success. The top-seeded Pacers won a franchise-record 61 games in the regular season and never lost more than two games in a row.

Since that brief speech, Bird has spent most of his time on scouting trips and in meetings with other front office executives.

“We really don’t see him that often,” Jermaine O’Neal said.

That’s just fine with Bird. Always the reluctant star, he prefers to keep a low profile.

“I stay out of it,” Bird said. “It’s Rick’s job to deal with his players.”

During the season, he has occasionally taken players aside, offering advice or spending a few minutes during practice working on a small part of their game.

When asked if these young players have an inherent respect for him simply because he’s “Larry Legend,” the quick-witted Bird replied, “Only if they watch classic sports.”

One thing’s for sure, Bird is still an icon in the Boston area for leading their beloved Celtics to glory. He retired in 1992, yet still holds team records for career scoring average (24.3 points), single-season scoring average (29.9), triple-doubles (69) and single-game scoring (60).

Boston fans will be conflicted as Bird returns as the head of a team that has dismantled the Celtics in the first two games of the playoff series.

The Pacers have outscored Boston 98-48 in the paint to take a 2-0 lead.

He no doubt will receive a hero’s welcome at the Fleet Center, but there’s no question where his loyalties lie.

“I never had a problem going into the Boston Garden as a coach, and I don’t now,” he said.

AP-ES-04-21-04 1855EDT