Mike Bantom: Larry Bird No Puzzle, 1982

[Did you know that Larry Bird’s least-favorite NBA defender was . . . Mike Bantom? Yes, Mike Bantom, who logged eight productive NBA seasons in the 1970s and early 1980s before heading to Italy to close out his pro career. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Bill Lyon takes a closer look at Bantom’s mastery of Bird, checks in on his struggle at the free-thr…