Larry Bird was a badass

[hawkedoff]

I remember one story where he went over to the opposing coach and told him the guy guarding him wasn't good enough. Then told him who to put on him. Went back and said I was wrong....he isn't good enough either after a few plays.

Why do people keep saying he wasn't athletic. That is bs. He ran the floor as well as anyone

 

[TheCainer]

Probably the best career move Bird ever made was transferring from IU to ISU. It got him out from under Bobby Knight and let him display his true abilities.

 

[mthawkeyes]

At a 3 point shooting competition, Bird walks into the locker room and asks who is playing for second place?

Actually, I think it was, "Which one of you f***ers is getting second place?"

 

[FAUlty Gator]

I remember one story where he went over to the opposing coach and told him the guy guarding him wasn't good enough. Then told him who to put on him. Went back and said I was wrong....he isn't good enough either after a few plays.

Why do people keep saying he wasn't athletic. That is bs. He ran the floor as well as anyone

He was definitely athletic. But wasn’t agile. Used his feet and body well to gain him openings.

 

[hawkedoff]

He was definitely athletic. But wasn’t agile. Used his feet and body well to gain him openings.

He is 6'9". There is a video of the game after magic announced he had HIV of Larry copying Magics moves. He had them all.

There are also videos of the black guys he played against thinking he was a joke because he was white and wouldn't be athletic and every single one of them laughed about how wrong they were when they had to guard him.

 

[Legend12]

He's the best to ever play small forward.

Because Bird had average athleticism, though, people think it's LeBron James. Those in the know, however, will say Bird was the best at that position.

Uhhhhhh....no.

 

[FAUlty Gator]

He is 6'9". There is a video of the game after magic announced he had HIV of Larry copying Magics moves. He had them all.

There are also videos of the black guys he played against thinking he was a joke because he was white and wouldn't be athletic and every single one of them laughed about how wrong they were when they had to guard him.

I don’t disagree with any of this. Moe Cheeks and Andrew Toney were both quicker and more “athletic” than Bird. He would tell you that. But Bird was a much better basketball player.

And it was Chuck Daily Bird yelled at for putting a white guy on him.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Uhhhhhh....no.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

No one says this.

False.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

lebron or larry?
which one averaged 10 rebounds a game and which one averaged 7.4?

 

[Legend12]

Did they play against the same level of competition?

 

[Legend12]

lebron or larry?
which one averaged 10 rebounds a game and which one averaged 7.4?

Soooo....Dennis Rodman >>>> Larry Bird.

 

[hawkifann]

The Celts were lucky to have a couple of players the caliber of Bird and Hondo Havlecik...those two helped the Celts win a whole bunch of titles....and beat teams that we’re much better than the Celts.

Thank goodness for those two because they were surrounded by no-talent ass clowns like Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, Dave Cowen, Tommy Heinson, Sam Jones, Bill Sharman, Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, etc.

 

[hawkifann]

Why do people keep saying he wasn't athletic. That is bs. He ran the floor as well as anyone

He was above average NBA athleticism for his time, but not a freakshow. He made himself elite with basketball IQ and want-to.

 

[hawkedoff]

Did they play against the same level of competition?

Um..yes.

Larry actually says the game is better now than when he played because it isn't as physical. LeBron would have been fine in that era because he is a physical beast and would have held his own but he also would have been beat to hell by guys like rodman and lambier.

Larry would make Steph curry look small. Bird was a freak shooter.

 

[hawkedoff]

He was above average NBA athleticism for his time, but not a freakshow. He made himself elite with basketball IQ and want-to.

That isn't what the guys that played against.him say.

People say this because he is white. No other reason

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Soooo....Dennis Rodman >>>> Larry Bird.

You’re missing the point. How does the unathletic guy average 10 and the far superior athlete Only 7.4.
There’s more to sports than how athletic looking you are.

 

[Legend12]

You’re missing the point. How does the unathletic guy average 10 and the far superior athlete Only 7.4.
There’s more to sports than how athletic looking you are.

Yes, there is. But anyone who thinks Bird was better than James is insane, or basketball retarded, one of the 2.

 

[Legend12]

Larry would make Steph curry look small.

WTF?

 

[hawkifann]

That isn't what the guys that played against.him say.

People say this because he is white. No other reason

You misinterpreted me, I think. I said he was above average in athleticism. Probably very above average. However, he's a top 10 all-time player, arguably top 5 and just in his era, he wasn't the overall athlete Magic, Dr. J, Jordan, Wilkens and others were, but he was absolutely a better player than most of those guys.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Did they play against the same level of competition?

The game was more physical when Bird played.

I think you could make a compelling argument for LeBron. My point is Bird is definitely in the conversation. As a Celtics fan, I'm biased, but Bird is definitely in the conversation. I'm not the only one who would take Bird in his prime over LBJ.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Um..yes.

Larry actually says the game is better now than when he played because it isn't as physical. LeBron would have been fine in that era because he is a physical beast and would have held his own but he also would have been beat to hell by guys like rodman and lambier.

Larry would make Steph curry look small. Bird was a freak shooter.

That's because Bird is 6'9.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Yes, there is. But anyone who thinks Bird was better than James is insane, or basketball retarded, one of the 2.

Why? The stats are very comparable as are the accolades, including number of championships.

Make your case for why it's so stupid.

 

[hawkeye54545]

I'm not saying Bird is better than LeBron but LeBron would have to lose the whining after every touch foul he didn't get in that era.

And to be fair, LBJ is big and strong enough his game would have worked back then.

 

[33hawkfan]

Do their age 35 season next!

 

[JupiterHawk]

He played a lot of years on a very bad back and both feet with bone spurs.

Boston advanced through the playoffs to earn a rematch with the Lakers, this time losing in six games. In the summer of 1985, Larry injured his back shoveling crushed rock to create a driveway at his mother's house. At least partially as a result of this, he experienced back problems for the remainder of his career

 

[RileyHawk]

lebron or larry?
which one averaged 10 rebounds a game and which one averaged 7.4?

Bird played forward exclusively and LeBron often played PG. LeBron's eFG% is higher, he averaged more than 1 assist//game more than Bird while playing with far, far less talented players around him.

Larry was better than average athletically than a typical guy off the street, but in the NBA - no way.

 

[NoleATL]

so did everybody else.

I agree... not a fan of those short short.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Do their age 35 season next!

Why?

Bird had serious back problems at the end of his career. If longevity is being argued, LeBron wins hands down.

Comparing the two in their prime, the numbers slightly favor Bird. And when you compare how physical the League was back then, it's even more impressive.

My opinion is while LeBron is clearly a better athlete, a compelling case can be made for Bird being a slightly better all-around player.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Bird played forward exclusively and LeBron often played PG. LeBron's eFG% is higher, he averaged more than 1 assist//game more than Bird while playing with far, far less talented players around him.

Larry was better than average athletically than a typical guy off the street, but in the NBA - no way.

Far less talented players? Yeah, maybe his first few years in Cleveland.

You want to talk about far less talented players around you, see many of the Atlanta teams Dominique Wilkins played on. Then compare his stats to LeBron's.

 

[SeaPA]

Regarding Bird's athletic ability, it largely depends on how you view, define, and interpret athletic ability. If you think of it as "run fast, jump high" he wasn't particularly athletic. If you also factor in hand-eye coordination, strength, balance, he was an elite athlete.

 

[fivecardstud14]

Only one of the great players from that era to be a successful coach and GM.

Only person to win: MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.

 

[BigDelHawk]

Um..yes.

Larry actually says the game is better now than when he played because it isn't as physical. LeBron would have been fine in that era because he is a physical beast and would have held his own but he also would have been beat to hell by guys like rodman and lambier.

Larry would make Steph curry look small. Bird was a freak shooter.

Bill Lambeer used to mug Larry on a regular basis. Just pull him to the deck. Dirtiest basketball player I have ever seen.

 

[hawkedoff]

Regarding Bird's athletic ability, it largely depends on how you view, define, and interpret athletic ability. If you think of it as "run fast, jump high" he wasn't particularly athletic. If you also factor in hand-eye coordination, strength, balance, he was an elite athlete.

Except he got up just fine. There are videos of him dunking over people and blocking shots. Just because he didn't make those things a part of his day to day game doesn't mean he didn't or couldn't do them. He did. He isn't LeBron or Michael on the athletic scale but he was incredibly athletic. He was also playing for the most part before the highlight real dunk was a thing. Those kinds of dunks didn't really make an appearance until ESPN started pumping the top plays of the day.

Larry has given a few interviews about comparing eras and his thoughts are actually pretty good. He was asked if he would dominate the league now and his response was essentially who the hell knows unless you step out there. He was also asked if his dream team for the Olympics could beat some other dream team and his response was probably but we are all almost 60 now. Funny guy.

Larry wasn't ever after the limelight. He just wanted to win and he did it a lot. He think LeBron and Michael are freaks of nature so I don't think he would place himself above either player....then again he almost certainly thinks rankings like this are stupid.

 

[Rustys Dad]

Talk about no respect for for your opponent. Lol

View embedded media

I grew up rooting for the Celtics as a kid (of course, they were winning championships around that time). Bird was so fun to watch. His passing and shooting … Incredible. Miss the old rivalries the Celtics had with the Pistons, Lakers, 76ers … Loved the NBA in the 80s/early 90s … Now, I can't even name one player on the Celtics. I probably haven't watched an NBA game in 10+ years … I stopped watching about the time Jordan retired ...

 

[33hawkfan]

Why?

Bird had serious back problems at the end of his career. If longevity is being argued, LeBron wins hands down.

Comparing the two in their prime, the numbers slightly favor Bird. And when you compare how physical the League was back then, it's even more impressive.

My opinion is while LeBron is clearly a better athlete, a compelling case can be made for Bird being a slightly better all-around player.

Because the only way you can make the argument for Bird is my cherry picking certain season comparisons like you did. LeBron not breaking down and still putting up huge numbers at 35 is a major reason why he's in the GOAT discussion and Bird isn't. LeBron is a better scorer, a more efficient scorer, he's a better passer, he's a much better defender.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Because the only way you can make the argument for Bird is my cherry picking certain season comparisons like you did. LeBron not breaking down and still putting up huge numbers at 35 is a major reason why he's in the GOAT discussion and Bird isn't. LeBron is a better scorer, a more efficient scorer, he's a better passer, he's a much better defender.

Only die-hard LeBron fans think he belongs in the GOAT discussion. The truth is LeBron is a glorified Dominique Wilkins playing in a lame era of NBA basketball, where the Eastern Conference playoffs have been an absolute joke for well over a decade. LeBron is 3/9 in the Finals. GOAT my ass.

Oh, and LeBron is a better defender and is more athletic. He is not a better shooter, rebounder, or passer. Put Bird in this hands-off, no-defense era, and he is averaging well over 30 for his career. Shoot, Jordan is averaging what Pete Maravich did at LSU.

 

[Legend12]

Only die-hard LeBron fans think he belongs in the GOAT discussion. The truth is LeBron is a glorified Dominique Wilkins playing in a lame era of NBA basketball, where the Eastern Conference playoffs have been an absolute joke for well over a decade. LeBron is 3/9 in the Finals. GOAT my ass.

Oh, and LeBron is a better defender and is more athletic. He is not a better shooter, rebounder, or passer. Put Bird in this hands-off, no-defense era, and he is averaging well over 30 for his career. Shoot, Jordan is averaging what Pete Maravich did at LSU.

LMAO

 

[fivecardstud14]

Only die-hard LeBron fans think he belongs in the GOAT discussion. The truth is LeBron is a glorified Dominique Wilkins playing in a lame era of NBA basketball, where the Eastern Conference playoffs have been an absolute joke for well over a decade. LeBron is 3/9 in the Finals. GOAT my ass.

Oh, and LeBron is a better defender and is more athletic. He is not a better shooter, rebounder, or passer. Put Bird in this hands-off, no-defense era, and he is averaging well over 30 for his career. Shoot, Jordan is averaging what Pete Maravich did at LSU.

How can anyone take your basketball thoughts seriously when you say something like that?

 

[33hawkfan]

Only die-hard LeBron fans think he belongs in the GOAT discussion. The truth is LeBron is a glorified Dominique Wilkins playing in a lame era of NBA basketball, where the Eastern Conference playoffs have been an absolute joke for well over a decade. LeBron is 3/9 in the Finals. GOAT my ass.

Oh, and LeBron is a better defender and is more athletic. He is not a better shooter, rebounder, or passer. Put Bird in this hands-off, no-defense era, and he is averaging well over 30 for his career. Shoot, Jordan is averaging what Pete Maravich did at LSU.

LOL ok bud, didn't know you were just trolling.