After the surgery, Bird experienced back problems going forward and was never quite the same as he once was in his prime. In his second full year post-surgery, a 34-year-old Bird put up averages of 19.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 7.2 assists in 38 minutes over 60 of his team's 82 games.

That season, Bird averaged a mere .140 win shares per 48 and totaled only 6.6 overall. His player efficiency rating (PER) of 19.7 was the worst mark of his 13-year career, yet he still made the All-Star Game.