Larry Bird not very "athletic"

[Maple Leaf]

If you had watched ESPN's Friday Night Fights on march 24 you may have heard color commentator Teddy Atlas say during a the cruiserweight match-up that one of the fighters (both were black)was "kinda like Larry Bird, not very athletic so he had to be good at a lot of things to make up for it". Atlas's co-host, Joe Tessitore, made no comment and usually never does when Atlas makes this kind of comment and so it just slips by quietly into the evening.
I am not sure what Atlas meant by that but I think I have an idea. I think Atlas can safely make a comment like that without being asked to explain himself because the sports media in the U.S. generallyassert that unless a basketball player is dunking he is not very "athletic".
I don't care what most of the U.S. sports media believe, I can't understand how shoving a ball down a hoop is more "athletic" than throwing it into that same hoop 20+/- feet away. Most NBA basketball players can touch the rim with a little hop anyway so shoving the ball through the hoop isn't much of a task especially when they are alone and unhindered by an opposing player. Granted, both tossing and ramming the ball are much more difficult when players are jostling, pulling, and generally distracting one another.
The difficulty level of the 2 tasks is easly demonstrated and it is such common sense that a 4 year old understands it. Tossing the ball through the hoop is more difficult than ramming it through because the hoop is further away! How fastenating it is to watch these "all star" competitions and see these stupid, idiotic "fans" drooling when some player 6,10 dunks without a defender to beat. Honestly, is that even nearly the same skill and "athletic" ability as throwing the ball in that same hoop 20+ feet away? One is incredible skill, the other is almost "cheating".
Basketball games are won or lost by shooting or lay ups, in other words not dunking. Larry Bird was the most consistent and accurate shooter maybe ever. Bird shot from all angles and positions, off balance, being fouled etc. He once made a legitimate shot out of bounds from behind the backboard! How many of these "great athletic dunkers" can lay claim to that!
I just wonder how a player as dominant as Bird in a sport such as basketball, not bowling, could be seen as "not very athletic". Teddy Atlas should give himself a shake and think twice before he says that again.

 

[pt.guard]

Not sure when "athletic" came to be narrowly defined soley as the ability to run fast and jump high. Strength, hand eye coordination, quickness, etc....are all attributes of being an athlete....

Larry Bird was a great athlete for all of the reasons you mentioned above. And, for someone who was "slow and couldn't jump" he often was the first person down the court and before his back problems could get up pretty high....and was consistently among the leaders in rebounding....

He also did more things well on a basketball court than virtually anyone who ever played.....shoot, pass, rebound, steals, clutch play...etc...(Magic and Oscar Robertson would also be included in this group in my opinion...and neither of them were super fast or were great leapers)

As brillant as Jordan was, he could not shoot or pass anywhere near as well as Bird, and did not raise the level of play of his teammates as well as Bird or Magic (at least for the first half of his career).

This does not mean that Jordan was not the greatest individual player ever, but if you were starting a team, the argument could be made that Bird or Magic could bring quicker success to that team....even if they were not great "athletes"

As far as Atlas' comments, not sure why, as a boxing analyst, he feels the need to comment on the lack of athleticism of a basketball player while commenting on a fight....

 

[jaxvid]

Yes, as has been commented by others on this forum if blacks were good at shooting or passing then that is what would be considered "athletic". Whatever serves the agenda.

 

[white is right]

Umm Magic played a"white" game I never saw Magic ever dunk or elevate period. I also don't ever recall Magic ever being called slow or unathletic either....

 

[michiganblkman]

I enjoyed watching Larry Bird play during his career and I enjoy watching him on classic sports now.


One of the most memorable moments that I can remember was when the opposing team was actually cheering for him. (the atlanta hawks bench).


The term 'unathletic' doesnt come to mind when I think of Larry Bird.


Here are some unathletic scorers that come to mind for me.


Adrian Dantly, Bernard King, Antione Walker, and the likes.


None of which could compare to Larry in his prime.

 

[pt.guard]

I agree. And people tend to forget how good Bernard King was before he blew out his knee.

Think that what set players like Bird and Magic apart was that they did so much more than score.

Maybe I am biased, because I grew up in the 80's watching these games, but I think the quality of play was far superior to most of what goes on now in the NBA.

For one thing, the league is more diluted now.....in the 80's it was possible to have as many as 3 or 4 hall
of famers on the same team (the Celtics and Lakers of the mid 80's for example.)

For another, most players had a better grasp of the fundamentals because they spent some time playing college ball.....even Jordan stayed 3 years at North Carolina and did not leave until Dean Smith basically told him it was time to move on. Edited by: pt.guard

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

if anyone on the board has some old issues of Sports Illustrated at their disposal, the Nov. 28, 1977 issue introduced the country to Bird in a story by staff writer Kent Hannon. the article described Bird's first shot for Indiana State as "a rampaging slam dunk at the end of a fast break" and wrote that Larry Legend "displayed wall-to-wall talent and the finest all-round game in the country" in his first season in Terre Haute.

in the Larry Bird biography, it clearly describes that in his younger days, Bird was a nasty dunker. it would be nice to see a pic or two from that era. not bad for a guy who "noted NBA talent evaluator" (please note the heavy sarcasm) isiah thomas said would be "just another player if he was black."

 

[white is right]

Yeah that Isiah comment was too funny. Last seen Isiah Thomas never elevated once in his life.............

 

[white tornado]

Most people remember Bird from the early 90's when he could barly run due to injurys. Ive got a picture in a book where Bird is trying to block a shot by Dr. J and he is almost as high as him.

 

[pt.guard]

There was a big difference in Bird's athletic ability (and many other players) from when he was in college and the first couple of years in the league, before injuries began to wear him down.

If you watch the tape of the 1979 NCAA final against Mich. State, there is one play where Bird intercepted an attempted alley oop pass, and he was way above the rim....so much so, that Billy Packer (believe it or not) called it an "extremely athletic play."

Isiah was actually backing up Dennis Rodman who made the comment after Bird torched them in the playoffs again.......later Isiah said that he was kidding and Bird let him off the hook when he was questioned by the media....and said it was probably just the frustration of losing a big game talking.....

To be fair to Isiah, he was a great, great guard and could take over a game like few people his height ever could....but he is an awful GM......

 

[jaxvid]

To be fair to Isiah, he was a great, great guard and could take over a game like few people his height ever could....but he is an awful GM......

Too bad Isiah's post player career has turned out so bad. He was a great guard. He was one of the few people 6ft tall that could dominate a game. Remember when you are talking Bird, Magic, Kobe, Shaq, etc. you are talking freakishly tall people 6'7 or more. Name another person his height in the modern era that was the main man on his team?

He also was fond of saying that he was not athletically gifted. He credited his skills to hard work. He was that ghetto kid that always had a basketball with him, a real "Basketball Jones". He was tough for his size too. Too bad it seems he is such a jerk.

 

[Don Wassall]

To be fair to Isiah, he was a great, great guard and could take over a game like few people his height ever could....but he is an awful GM......

Thomasbought the minor league Continental Basketball Association, which had been around forever, and promptly ran it into bankruptcy, though it did start back up eventually. He is one of the prime examples of affirmative action taken to absurd lengths when it comes to the management end of sports.

 

[Realistic]

I will ask the same question I always do when Steve Nash's name comes up in regard to "athleticism". If the brothers are so athletic why can't they stop him? Heck, why can't they even slow him down? There wasn't a man in the league that could stop Bird. There is more to being "athletic" than having a great vertical jump.

Another thing that bothers me is that they NEVER label a black as being non-athletic. Moses Malone couldn't jump over a piece of paper yet he was never labeled as non-athletic.

 

[GWTJ]

Unfortunately, athleticism is measured by our ability to run and jump. Who was more athletic, Larry Bird or Danny Ainge? But who was a better basketball player, Bird or Ainge? Ainge could probably beat Bird in a lot of games. Baseball, golf, bowling and he would probably look better than Bird doing it. He was more of a natural athlete than Bird. But Bird had abilities on the basketball court that Ainge could only dream about. He had the gift of "vision" on the court and the gift of "anticipation" that do not require athleticism. That is why Bird was always among the league leaders in steals. His gift for anticipating what his opponent would do next brought him to a level very few players ever reach. Add to that his dedication to the craft of basketball and one can see why Bird excelled on the court.

But it is unfair that only whites are singled out as being "unathletic".