Larry Bird

[Real Talk]

It is popular amongst most NBA fans that Magic Johnson is better then Larry Bird. The fact that he is 3-1 in championship games (Including College) verse him the most convincing stat.


Despit this Bird still got more NBA MVP awards?


Do you think Bird got extra hype because he was white?

 

[white lightning]

If I remember right,Magic won 5 rings with the Lakers
and Bird won 3 rings with the Celtics.I think that they
were both incredible players who deserve to be in the
hall of fame.How many mvps did Magic win?

 

[Don Wassall]

They were both all-time greats. You won't find people on this board saying that Johnson was over-rated and received so much publicity (including corporate endorsements, a TV talk show, etc.) simply because he is black, but you will find a lot of people who call us "racist" who claim that Bird was over-rated because he is white. Bird was a great all-around player. He was a poor jumper, which is what a lot of people use to denigrate him as a basketball player, but he more than made up for that deficiency with his shooting, passing, teamwork, and unsurpassed court sense and understanding of the game.

 

[Bart]

Larry Bird was the consummate basketbal player.A tough rebounder with a great inside game who could also shoot three's very well for a big man. He was an awesome passer. Other than Rick Barry what other forward could direct a game as well. He wasautomatic at the foul line and was known for his clutch shots. He was the guy who inbounded the bal at crucial times because of his deadly passing skills. He could dribble pass and shoot well with either hand. He should have won more MVP's. He was simply fabulous. Yes, Johnson was outstanding but Larry had more weapons in his arsenal. If he were black he would be king.


Larry Bird's stats.



<TABLE =lightBrownBG cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">G</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">FG%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">3PFG%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">FT%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Rebs</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">RPG</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Asts</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">APG</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Stls</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Blks</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Pts</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">PPG</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">897</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.496</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.376</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.886</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">8,974</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">10.0</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">5,695</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">6.3</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">1,556</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">755</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">21,791</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">24.3</TD></TR></T></TABLE>


Magc Johnson's stats.



<TABLE =lightBrownBG cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width="100%">
<T>
<TR>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">G</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">FG%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">3PFG%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">FT%</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Rebs</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">RPG</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Asts</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">APG</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Stls</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Blks</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">Pts</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">PPG</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">906</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.520</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.303</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">.848</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">6,559</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">7.2</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">10,141</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">11.2</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">1,724</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">374</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">17,707</TD>
<TD align=middle>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12px; FONT-FAMILY: arial">19.5</TD></TR></T></TABLE>

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I remember watching those two guys shoot it out in the 80's. It was awesome to watch. After Bird retired and Majic said he had AIDS I quit watching NBA basketball, which had become the Michael Jordan highlight show. I don't think basketball will be as exciting as it was back then until more white players get back in the NBA and become stars, which will take a lot of time and effort. The European whites are fun to watch, but I think it will take American white stars to bring the game back to that level.

 

[white tornado]

http://www.nba.com/news/birdat50.html

 

[Bart]

White Tornado, this story is too good not to post.


We'll let K.C. Jones tell what it was like:


"We are playing in Seattle. Five seconds left on the clock and the score is tied and it is our timeout. In the huddle, I am thinking Xavier McDaniel is guarding Larry.


"So I said, 'Now Kevin, you take the ball out and get it to Dennis and Dennis you can finish that.'


"Larry said, 'Why don't you just give me the ball and tell everybody else to get the hell out of the way?'


"So I said, 'Larry you play, and I'll coach.'


"And he said, 'All right.'


"So I said, 'Dennis, you take it out and you get it to Kevin. Kevin you get it to Larry and everybody else get the hell out of the way.'


"That is communication. Before the timeout was over, he leaves the huddle, and I said to myself, where is he going.


"And Xavier was right there and Bird said, 'Xavier, I'm getting the ball. I'm going to take two dribbles to the left. I'm going to step back behind the three point line and stick it.'


"And that is what he did. So when he stepped back behind the line and released the ball, as soon as he released it, his arm was still in the air going to the dressing room. Game over."

 

[white tornado]

No one in sports today has any ware near the charisma as Bird.

 

[Alpha Male]

He wasn't a poor jumper really until his back injury forced to play that way.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Bird was a better jumper than Karl
Malone from what I've seen, who was
said to have a poor vertical . What
Bird didn't have in jump ability
he made up for with increadible
quickness and a court sense probably
better than anyone alltime.



I am too young to really remember Bird from live games, but from what
I've seen in highlights he was very quick. Quickness is a different
skill than pure speed. Quickness to me more applies to acceleration and
abiltiy to start and stop in short areas at a fast pace. Bird also had
good on court agility from what I've seen.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Here's a question for posters: If
you could have either Magic Johnson
or Larry Bird with ball in hands at
the end of a game, who would you
want to have the shot? and who
would you rather have to make a
pass?

 

[KG2422]

Bird and Bird. I'd really like to have Stockton to make the pass. Edited by: KG2422

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

i've got a biography on Bird's life and hoop accomplishments. it talks in there about how good a jumper Bird was a young player... he says he could do a 360-dunk coming out of high school, but his game evolved over time due to injuries and so forth..,

 

[pt.guard2]

Larry Bird was the greatest small forward who ever played and so far above any other forward as far as his passing goes, it is not even close. Jimmy Chitwood is correct...when Bird was young, before he injured his back and heels, etc, he was also a very good athlete.

Bird was one of the rare athletes who was hyped up during his prime....3 straight MVP's, original member of dream team and yet in retrospect more than lived up to his hype.

 

[sunshine]

Good points posters regarding Bird's athletic ability. I would sum it up this way. In his prime before the wear and tear-and bad habits--bad diet etc.---Bird who rebounded like a center, passed like a wizard and shot the rock. Bird was really quick and light on his feet. He would explode up in the air very quickly--hence his rebounding prowess. He was so agile for his size it was off the charts. He was a good leaper--but the height of his leap started to go down over the years. The reason why Mullin or Ferry never became the next Bird had a lot to do with athletic ability. I remember when Mike Dunleavy was drafted and some were saying he may not be quite as skilled as Bird but was a better athlete. Nonsense. Dunleavy lacks Bird's quickness and agility. And Bird had the reflexes of a boxing champion.
Go back to the what year---1981 I think playoffs vs. The 76'ers and Dr. J. --who was considered an athlete above all others. Bird would guard him in the series and often blew by Dr. J off the dribble. They got into a quick fight once and lucky for Dr. J it didn't go full tilt because Bird's hands were like lightening. The media has settled into a stereotype of Bird being a slow plodding player. Yeh and those type of guys win three MVP's in a row. Watch his college tapes--the guy was 5 places at a time. AMAZING .

 

[sunshine]

One more note sorry--Bird was not a sprinter--but ran the court well especially early on. In basketball a fast 40 is not required but quick acceleration is more important.

 

[Bart]

If you want to see some incredible Larry Bird performances, check out some of these clips. Bird's 50 greatest moments is sensational. I learned a few things about him I didn't know.


[url]http://videosearch.nba.com/search/?sp_a=sp10038c44&amp;sp_f= ISO-8859-1&amp;sp-t=video&amp;sp_s=postdate&amp;sp_advanced= &amp;sp_q="larry+bird[/url]"

 

[Quiet Speed]

I like what Pistol Pete Maravich said about Larry. To paraphrase he said Larry was not the best runner, jumper, dribbler, etc., yet he was the very best. He said that on the old Roy Firestone show, SportsLook. Some of you may recall that program. That interview with Pete is with out a doubt my all time favorite with a sports personality. He had a compelling way about him. Too bad he was taken so early.