Think that's bad? Some guy gave the worst take ever the other day, "Kawhi Leonard or Larry Bird? Ehh... that's a wash. probably Kawhi. it's a toss up." 😡 I legitimately walked away, came back and started yelling at my phone. I was actually angry for a good 3 days.
@@88949597 it makes you wonder if his health hadn’t deteriorated as quickly as it had, would he be in the conversation for being as great as MJ? I think some aspects of his game are superior to Michael’s, and vice-versa.
@@davidperkoski1132 I put MJ, Magic ,and Larry on the same rank at the top. They seem to a rock paper scissors trio Magic edged bird, bird stopped MJ and MJ beat Majic
@@88949597 Ok yeah i don't know if that was just some opinion or something. But calling Bird overrated is just really stupid. I don't think Kawhi is better than Bird. But i actually like Kawhi because he puts effort in defence still, what Bird actually also did.
@@Dusk1962 So true lol. Bird was one of the greatest trash talkers of all time. No way would today's soft refs let it slide. He would probably change his game if it became an issue, but if he played with the same attitude that was allowed in his era, he would lead the league in techs.
I never recalled any other NBA player in history telling his teammates, "Do you want to win the game?" "OK, Gimme the ball and get out of the way!" LB actually did it on numerous occasions.
Pat Riley: "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan; If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life...I'd take Larry Bird".
n the past 50 years, here are the highest Total Career Avg Stat Points (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK) #1) Jordan = 44.7 #2) LeBron = 44.4 #3) Bird = 43.1 Curry is #31 with 37.5 That's just to put things into to perspective
When it mattered most...Most game-winners (last minute) of All-Time: #1) Kobe = 26 (in 1346 games) #2) Jordan = 25 (in 1072 games) #3) Bird. = 24 (in 897 games) #4) LeBron = 19 (in 1366 games) ... However, when it came to overall game-winners ratio, here are the best of All-Time: #1) Bird = 2.67 #2) Jordan = 2.33 #3) Kobe 1.93 #4) LeBron = 1.39
When it mattered most...Most game-winners (last minute) of All-Time: #1) Kobe = 26 (in 1346 games) #2) Jordan = 25 (in 1072 games) #3) Bird. = 24 (in 897 games) #4) LeBron = 19 (in 1366 games) ... However, when it came to overall game-winners ratio, here are the best of All-Time: #1) Bird = 2.67 #2) Jordan = 2.33 #3) Kobe 1.93 #4) LeBron = 1.39
He was unstoppable and an absolute killer in the final minutes. Most players are good at one thing, but Bird could do it all and one of the only players who could change the game without taking a shot.
Nahhh. Bird is too slow and unathletic. He can’t move laterally. Back then people like Rodman who’s “elite at defense” weighed like 210 lbs lol. Someone who’s 6’7 today weighing 240 is going to BULLY bird. And he’s not blowing by any body or using his handle to get anywhere lol. He’d be like Gallinari of todays game
@madlak3378 Well, players with much more knowledge on the subject, agree with me 🤷🏼♀️ He was way above the game, way above everybody else" - Michael Jordan on what made Larry Bird special. MJ addressed those who put Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic in the same sentence as Bird. Only a few guys could pose a challenge to Michael Jordan on the court, but Larry Bird was a notable exception.Oct 23, 2023 “When I played, Larry Bird was the only one I feared,” Magic Johnson said, per ESPN in 2000. “A lot of Black guys always ask me, ‘Did Larry Bird really play that good?’ I said Larry Bird is so good it’s frightening.” Julius Erving aka Dr. J- "What I notice right away about Larry, even as a rookie, is that not only he can get his shot, and he has amazing range for a big man, but he will make it too. He may be the best shooter I've ever seen. And he is a smart passer, able to thread the ball through inches of daylight. And he will not stop working."
@GunGoBang maybe we should look at the records he set.... 1) The highest points total for a triple double. 52 points, 13rebounds, 14assists 2) Only 1 of 2 players in history to lead his team in ppg,rpg,apg,spg, FT% for starters, and 3pt% for starters,for at least 94% of his career. Oscar is the other (aside from the 3p% of course ). 3) Is the only person in NBA history to be named Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. 4) The only non-center to win 3 MVP's in a row.(Russell and Wilt are the other two) 5) 5th All time in triple doubles. 6) Bird is the only 20, 10, 5 player in NBA history (points, rebounds, assists per game) with a lifetime PRA rating (points + rebounds + assists per game) of 40.6 7) Led the NBA in 3Pt% over 40% for 6 seasons(record) 8) Led the NBA in FT% 4 seasons(record) 9) 5th leading scorer all time in NCAA history 10) Only player in NCAA history to lead his team in ppg, apg, rpg, and spg for a whole season(he did it 2 times). 11) 2nd player to reach at least 20,000 points, 5,000 assists, and 9,000 rebounds within 10 seasons.(Wilt Chamberlain is the other) 12) Has the most consecutive wins of the 3pt shooting contest at 3 13) The most wins of the 3pt shooting contest at 3. 14) Bird is 84th all time defensive rating, thats higher than MJ(133), Kobe(241), Lebron(115), Magic(221), and Pippen(90). He also became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times.
@madlak3378 people with much more knowledge about basketball think he's the best.... He was way above the game, way above everybody else" - Michael Jordan on what made Larry Bird special. MJ addressed those who put Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic in the same sentence as Bird. Only a few guys could pose a challenge to Michael Jordan on the court, but Larry Bird was a notable exception.Oct 23, 2023 “When I played, Larry Bird was the only one I feared,” Magic Johnson said, per ESPN in 2000. “A lot of Black guys always ask me, ‘Did Larry Bird really play that good?’ I said Larry Bird is so good it’s frightening.” "What I notice right away about Larry, even as a rookie, is that not only he can get his shot, and he has amazing range for a big man, but he will make it too. He may be the best shooter I've ever seen. And he is a smart passer, able to thread the ball through inches of daylight. And he will not stop working."~ Julius Erving, aka Dr. J
Larry is destroying the league today no question, everythings is a foul, jumpshots are encouraged and a lot of the time the Lane is wide open because of the 3 point threat.
@@Mrballerize you really have no clue do me a favor and watch the video and while you are at it do some research too you ever hear of Reggie Miller why don't you listen to what he gas to say JJ is a clown he sucked nuts in the nba and he's running his mouth about one of the greatest of all time if bird played today he'd would lead in all time 3s made the three came in in his rookie year wow you really don't know much about much do you
J.J. Reddick was a bench warmer who came out to hit a set 3 pointer once in a while in the NBA. That’s all he was. He wants to create a narrative that the NBA is so much better today, that way he can claim if he played in the 80s he would have been a star. The irony is, he wouldn’t have even played in the 80s. He would have got hard fouled once and cried.
When it mattered most...Most game-winners (last minute) of All-Time: #1) Kobe = 26 (in 1346 games) #2) Jordan = 25 (in 1072 games) #3) Bird. = 24 (in 897 games) #4) LeBron = 19 (in 1366 games) ... However, when it came to overall game-winners ratio, here are the best of All-Time: #1) Bird = 2.67 #2) Jordan = 2.33 #3) Kobe 1.93 #4) LeBron = 1.39
His statement here is literally that defense does not exist and has never existed. The number is the number, you get the ball behind the line, you shoot it, and no other factors exist.
I am a Hawks fan and we hated him whenever he played us. He did bring the best of of Nique and team. Bird is one of the greatest player EVER. Ask Magic, Jordan, and any of those that played agianst him. JJ Reddick is just a jelous thing. Wonder how that thing would feel about the Big O
Well, Larry has 3 rings, 2 finals MVPs, 3 league MVPs, is in the Hall of Fame, and has had his number retired. I am pretty sure that Redick doesn't have any of those.
Bird was one of the GOATs of the NBA and his play was not just shooting. He was an incredible passer, rebounder and all the small things done to make his teams better.
I grew up on Bird and Magic- attended probably 10-15 Celtic games. Bird was legit- when his team came in town it was like the Beatles landed on US soil. You had to be there to appreciate it
My family took us to Disneyland during one of their finals games. Remember watching the game on the bars TV's as a kid at a restaurant across the street by our hotel.
That's how MJ was for me, I got to see him twice and am grateful for it. I wasn't paying attention to the NBA until the end of Birds career but I appreciate him now. His highlight reels are as exciting as anyone's.
@@K-Dot94 I think you missed the point...what it means is that just because Bird didn't shoot many 3s during games, it didn't mean he couldn't...Bird could shoot 3s with the best 3-point shooters in the NBA...he just didn't, because the Celtics offense didn't call for him to shoot lots of 3s.
@@davevandebunte2949 no offense did in the 80s, jj isnt saying bird was a bad 3 point shooter, but even the best shooter from the 80s isnt in the conversation for best shooter ever, its just true
During a period between 1981-87 Larry Bird was the greatest basketball player who ever lived, including Jordan..any all time liat that doesn't include Bird among the starting 5 or top 5 is not a serious list..you could leave off magic or Oscar, Russell, maybe West..but you absolutely cannot leave off Bird..he defeated every team, every player
Michael Cooper shared this one: “Larry walks in and says I hope all you guys in here are thinking about second place, because I’m winning this…’EXCUSE ME?!’ “And he started shooting and he just didn’t miss.” Of course, he won, lifting his finger in the air before the final shot went in, and not even removing his warm up jacket. The following year, in the same All-Star 3-point shooting contest Dale Ellis told the press that Bird didn’t have much to say this year. Bird said, “There’s no need to talk this time. We all know who’s going to win.” Later on, after Craig Hodges won the NBA All-Star Game Three-Point contest in Bird’s absence, Hodges was asked if the victory was tainted because Bird hadn’t participated. “He knows where he can find me,” was Hodges retort. Told of Hodges’ challenge, Bird replied, “Yeah, at the end of the Bulls bench.”
@@KvotheprepareI mean he’s cooking any non nba player but by nba standards, yeah, he doesn’t really matter. Never did. He’s a below average role player and a defensive liability.
Refers to where those washed up players who are self described experts have to pull their heads from so they can speak on TV. That's why they're getting money to sponsor sexual lube and mouthwash.
You would have it also, if you were made to kiss up LBJ's, Curry's behind, and espn suits's in order to keep your job! No integrity in big media, and he was a marginal player whom didn't get paid enough to chill post career.
Michael the goat Jordan has never once talked negatively about Larry. In his speech when talking about Bird, he even recognized that he never got one over Larry. The GOAT calls Larry the big boss he never beat. But JJ has something to say...
That group was the top 50 players of all time j.j. should be working at home depot after that take on Larry legend and I've been a Knicks fan my whole life.
And those of us who are old enough to have watched Larry play in real time. I was a huge Lakers fan in the 80's and every time the game was tight at the end, you had a knot in your stomach knowing that if Larry had the last shot, chances were very high he would make it. I remember watching the 3-point contest where he lifted his finger after he shot the last ball to win the contest. He and everyone else had no doubt it was going in.
Bird was a GREAT SHOOTER from anywhere on the court. Color him any shade you want! This coming from a lifelong Detroit Pistons Fan who HATED HIM due to the pain he caused us. HAD TO RESPECT HIM THO.
Bryce kudos, I'm from Maine so naturally we were Celtic fans and we kinda feel the same about the pistons but man you guys had great teams, and we pretty much loathe bill but there is one very underrated player!
@@joecollins3494 not true. I'm a buccaneer thru and thru, and loved playing Barry Sanders and Brett favre twice a year. Anytime you are lucky enough to watch the great ones in person at their peak, you cherish it. Even at the time. Barry was the greatest buck killer of all time, and I loved him. He was amazing, and we were so bad, it made it fun to watch Like Saturday morning sports bloopers, but every Sunday at 1 o'clock, because nobody wanted to watch us play. We only got to watch away games due to blackouts, so a lot of gene deckerhoff, who is basically a radio god.
@@reallythough4591 ok mabe I messed up saying RESPECT. As a Celtics fan I f..... hated Magic Johnson when they were fearce rivals. But as I look back on it. Magic was one of the greatest players and embassidors of the game. You can sugar coat it all you want and say it how you want I will still think your full of shit
As a Rockets fan I hated the Celtics for beating the Twin Towers in 86. I still have to admit that Bird was right up there with Magic as the top two players during the 80's.
I’d like to preface this by saying that I played basketball in NYC in an all black high school and got my nick name from the brothers playing at The Cage and at Rucker Park. We were all trying to emulate what Larry bird was doing on the playground and it was impossible for us. However, I remember hearing what Pat Riley said, “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I’d choose Michael Jordan, but if I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I’d take Larry Bird."
I grew up a Celtics fan in the late 70's and through the 80's as a kid. Today, at 54 yrs old I look back at players from that era and my favorites were Bird, Magic, Bernard King to name a few. Michael Jordan was incredible, but I started to lose interest in the NBA after Detroit won it all in 89. Players like Nate Archibald, Walter Berry, Mark Jackson and Chris Mullin were also my guys along with Ed Pinckney.
That's a powerful quote coming from Riley, and I recall reading that quote years ago. Larry Bird was a unique character in many ways, playing with skill, determination and supreme confidence more than natural ability or athleticism in the traditional sense. He was a winner and an assassin.
A lot of people don’t take into consideration how many years he played compared to so many others who played twice, or even up to 3 times as many years as Larry, in order to surpass his records. And lest we forget that for at least 4 to 5 of his NBA career he was plagued with injuries. So, taking all that into consideration, I just have to say WOW, how dare these people. And, these HATERS, should be down on their knees, thanking Larry and Magic for SAVING the NBA, and making it what it is today.
Dude literally said Curry is defended more physically than Bird was 😂 All time atrocious moment for JJ, no wonder Dominique Wilkins called it an idiotic take.
If anything Bird is underrated because most people can't even comprehend how good he was. He wasn't a "3 Point shooter" because he was a total basketball player and was only good at 3 pointers because he was so good at everything and he did whatever he had to to help his team. Sometimes that was shooting a 3 pointer.
An MMA fighter is a total fighter and is good at every aspect of fighting, sometimes that involves boxing. That doesn't mean an MMA fighter is better at boxing than a Boxer, in fact in most cases they are not. A person that specializes at a particular thing will be better at that particular thing than someone that doesn't. There is a reason the saying "Jack of all trades, Master of none." exists. You need heart surgery, who do you go to a doctor that has been practicing medicine for 15 years and has a wide pool of knowledge about the medical field and is a great overall doctor, or do you go to a heart surgeon that has specialized in specifically heart surgery for the past 15 years.
Not once did JJ call Bird a bad player or overrated he just said he’s not a top 3 or top 5 3 point shooter. I just can’t disagree with that take when we are in the era of shooting we are now.
Bird’s first 3pt contest score of 22/30 is the 9th best winning score in history. It’s the only score from the 80s in the top 18 scores of all time. He did it in a time when 3s were not seen as valuable and instead as a novelty. Imagine this man playing in 2024. Taller Luka. Crazy.
I wish there was a way to go back and compute Bird's fourth quarter shooting percentage, overall, 3-pointers, and free throw shooting. I doubt there is any player even close to him. I would love to see Bird's percentages in the final minute when the game was on the line. I doubt there is any player close to him, either.
"After 5 minutes into the 1st practice I knew I could play in this league. After 15 minutes I knew I could dominate it for the next 10 years." - Larry Bird
When it mattered most...Most game-winners (last minute) of All-Time: #1) Kobe = 26 (in 1346 games) #2) Jordan = 25 (in 1072 games) #3) Bird. = 24 (in 897 games) #4) LeBron = 19 (in 1366 games) ... However, when it came to overall game-winners ratio, here are the best of All-Time: #1) Bird = 2.67 #2) Jordan = 2.33 #3) Kobe 1.93 #4) LeBron = 1.39
He also said recently, he doesn't think he will live much longer that if you look around not many people his height still around... He basically got that hypothesis from the ghetto bible... Always pessimistic and dreary of the future. He's like his old man that committed suicide. He's said alot of things. Not all very forward thinking and confident.
@@dseabee it's a percentage of game winning shots in number of games. It basically tells you how many more he could have had if he played the same amount of games as Jordan and Kobe.
Let's not make this a generational thing. You, and the people liking your comment, just come off as old men shaking their fist. Stop. The guy who made the comment is just a moron.
Yes, with young people who weren't even born until decades after the real greatness of the Bird Man, Dennis Johnson, all our heroes we loved back in the 80's..BTW, did you forget the 3 consecutive MVP's....
I think one problem that arises when talking about Larry Bird as a three point shooter is that you do have to take into account that he was a power forward, who then transitioned to small forward and eventually played less minutes at power forward, due to Kevin McHale being on the team. Putting McHale in the line-up allows Bird more creative freedom to score. Plus at the power forward position, given Bird's size (taller than Charles Barkley), his presence was needed down low to help rebound the ball. The same could be said of Magic Johnson, because of his size, he would be asked to fill in for Kareem at center, whenever Kareem was out. This is also why when you watch a lot of highlight clips of both Larry and Magic, you will see either player collect the defensive rebound and go coast to coast with the ball, and either score the bucket himself on a fast break or pass it to a teammate for an easy bucket. Also, when you watch a lot of Bird highlights, you see him on the fast break a lot. Players during the 1980s did not run a fast break and then shoot a pull-up 3 pointer. I mean, not unless your team was down by 3 points and the game was on the line. Or if the other team had a really intimidating shot blocker and he beat you down the floor. Really the 3 point shot, traditionally, has been a shot taken in the half court set, usually at the end of the shot clock, after progressing through all of your post-up possibilities or if a one-on-one move breaks down. But also when it comes to Bird, he often has nights in which he has the hot-hand and will demand the ball more or if he wants to go out and punk a younger player. See clips of Bird versus Pistons or Bulls.
@@3-0gio guys in this buck and chuck 3 generation don’t just get the nod over him just due to volume. Which is 100% due to style. If bird was in today’s league able to shoot 10 3s a game his numbers would be up there with any one other than prob Curry. Shooting more 3s during a game gives you a chance for rhythm. Guy was the founding father of the 50/40/90 and won 3 point contests, theres no reason to think he couldn’t compete with other top 5 3 point shooters. The volume argument is silly
@@tylersouthcott3359 To add to your point.....if you look at Bird's 3pt shooting season to season, you'll notice that his best percentages also came when he shot at a higher volume. That can lead one to reasonably assume that he could maintain 40%+ from 3 if he was playing today and was allowed to shoot it 7-10 times a game like many others do.
In an interview with Michael Jordan,he was asked “besides yourself,who would you want to take the last shot with the game on the line?” And he didn’t hesitate and looked right at him and said “Larry Bird”
JJ Redick needs to keep his mouth shut because if he played against Larry Bird, Larry Bird would send him home crying. How dare he open his mouth and below average player his whole career average 12 points a game he needs to go in the corner and be quiet.
@@Vell1981your dumb my guy JJ Redick is the only person on espn who gives consistently good takes and you probably didnt even watch the full segment for the context in which JJ is talking about
Michael Jordan explained the mentality of the old-school 80s and 90s players regarding the three-point line. For Players in that era, shooting threes was not a goal. In fact, they thought it was a bad way to win the game and ultimately it would hurt the game. The three point line in the 80s and 90s was used as a strategy for clutch plays or to demoralize the other team. Reddick is wrong. Just because Larry Bird didn’t go for the three points shoots all the time does not mean he couldn’t do it. in fact, his percentage of attempt and actually making it is better than Steph Curry. It’s so hard to compare players from different areas because They have different mentality that determines what a good game is. For my part, I prefer the 80s and 90s games. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c2CyJdCq-zU.htmlsi=ib-OpcIN0dTGZV4Q
We "The West", dreaded when Larry Bird came to town to play against our Team. The East was very strong, very scary back then. And even worse, they were actually allowed to have physical contact amongst the players without someone crying because they got a broken nail.
@@mrsky67 I know Bird is legendary just as JJ knows Bird is legendary. Here he’s simply playing devil’s advocate because Russo relentlessly bashes modern NBA. (From the looks of things JJ is successfully trolling many in this comment section as well 😂😂😂)
Larry was always guarded by the best defender on the other team, while Reddick was always guarded by the 5 th best or nobody. You know why? because he wasnt a good player, just a good shooter.
I grew up in the 80s being a knick fan was hard Celtics come down on a 3on1 break and bird would pull up from 3 and I knew and I would bet every knick fan watching knew it was nothing but net. I played high school basketball at that time and if you took a shot over 20 feet even if you made it he would take you out the game and ask you what the f@#k you doing I told you 18 feet or closer.
@@darrengordon-hill not the same. Mac McClung is ELITE at one thing, but a good overall player...he was G league rookie of the year last year and has averaged 18ppg on 56%fg and 48%3pt shooting this year on 26 minutes per game. Also averaging 5 assists and 3 rebounds per game too this year. Mac is NOT a 1 trick pony, he is a well rounded PG, and an ELITE jumper.
He busted up his index finger and knuckle, as a freshman in college. Bird claimed, a basketball never felt the same to him. Imagine his stats if he never injured his hand?
@@lotso2963he was one of the first guys to bring street ball style to the NBA. The passing was the biggest component to that. Hands down one of the most creative players to ever play.
I'll go further on context. The game Larry Bird played was not built around setting up three point shots, defence could put their hands on you and a player did not have a protective bubble when shooting rhose threes. Bird was shooting a fair amount of his threes at the end of the clock or while being double teamed and without the extra space shooters are given today. On top of that when Larry had to make that three point shot to tie or win a game his shooting percentage was off the charts. Larry Legend had the clutchest clutch gene of all time. "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd take Larry Bird." Pat Riley
The Celtics were 50 - 1 at home including playoffs in 1986. The greatest home record ever! Larry the LEGEND had so many great CAREER stats whilst he played half his career injured! My favourite player of all time :) That's why they call him the LEGEND!
The larry bird stories absolutely crack me up. like one with Gary payton he said bird was the coldest player he ever played against!! Said do anything he wanted too.
@@blackjesus6433 LARRY HAS NEVER SAID MJ IS THE GOAT.. ONLY GREAT. THERE'S #1 RIGHT IN THE CELTICS HOUSE: BILL RUSSELL. WHICH MJ HIMSELF CALLED RUSSELL THE GREATEST EVER. BY RINGS HE'S THE GREATEST WINNER IN SPORTS HISTORY. 🤫MILLENNIALS, SMDH.
@@jlobiafra I knew that full well. The Portland Trailblazers. In fact, it was the 1986 Boston Celtic's worse loss of the entire season. It happened, I think in December of 85, Wasn't considered a huge loss at the time, but as the year went on, and these white boys absolutely dominated the league, especially in the REAL Garden, one can only wonder how they lost to the Blazers. Best single season team, I ever saw. Man, they were so automatic on the Parquet that year. Even in the injury plagued 87 season, I believe they only lost 2 regular season home games, one to the Lakers and one to the Bulls in a totally bogus "home game" in Hartford, where the Celtics had to play three bullshit home games every season, for whatever reason. GOD, I was so bitter, and still am about that to this day.
He’s really not, waych his highlights and then watch someone from todays highlights, the players, speed, competition and everything about the film will show you how advanced we’ve come. It’s really crazy to watch but you should! Bird had like 50-70% wide open shots, but in todays league he would be clustered so hard he wouldn’t be able to get a shot off
@@yerik6034 have you ever heard of Jokic? Larry had some of the highest iq along with being a great shooter. I get the whole athleticism argument but it doesn’t apply to everyone. And the competition in the 80s isn’t comparable to the competition in the 50s like you’re making it sound
@@yerik6034 absolute shit take that proves youve not done the research to actually back up your point, your essentially looking at high lights where bird got open and not watching games, you speak as if there wasnt fast athletic guys in the 80s and the court was wide open
One last thing, i'm maybe wrong, but i don't think soo, about, nowdays NBA players making more 3pts shots attempts, then Lary Bird era, stats also depends on coaches tactics decisions, i mean by that ... if L.Bird or even M.Jordan maybe even Reggie Miller was playing right now at their prime time level, they would break new 3pts records making todays players look soo ridiculous, there are some nowdays players of exception like Curry as example, but most players would not match the veterans level.
All you have to do is listen to those who played with and against Larry to know how good he was. And these are some of the greatest of all time. They know for a fact how great Larry was because they saw it firsthand.
@@Lonewolfmike BIRD WAS FASTER THAN BOTH.. COMING FROM FORMER LAKERS AND REGGIE MILLER. REMEMBER HE WAS A PF 1ST DOING THE THINGS HE DID THEN SG. BIRD COULD SHOOT, PASS, REBOUND, STEAL, DEFEND AND DUNK. PLUS HIS MID RANGE WAS EVEN DEADLIER THAN HIS 3. HIS TRASH TALK WAS ELITE BECAUSE HE BACKED UP EVERY WORD HE SAID... LARRY LEGEND. 🤫
Bird: 3 consecutive 3point contests won Redick: 0 wins and sets dubious record for most attempts made with foot standing on the line. Yep. Redick has room to call people overrated
Basketball reference has for bird 1.9 three point attempts per game for his career and .7 three pointers made for a.376 percentage. Basically, he was a 38% shooter who take an average of 2 three pointers a game. If he practiced the shot more like they do now and was allowed to take 10,12, to 14 three’s a game like now , he would make 4 to 5 to 6 there’s a game or more
actually if you listen to JJ talk basketball (and not some dude editing a video to take a comment out of context) you know JJ thinks Brid is top 10 all time.
When it mattered most...Most game-winners (last minute) of All-Time: #1) Kobe = 26 (in 1346 games) #2) Jordan = 25 (in 1072 games) #3) Bird. = 24 (in 897 games) #4) LeBron = 19 (in 1366 games) ... However, when it came to overall game-winners ratio, here are the best of All-Time: #1) Bird = 2.67 #2) Jordan = 2.33 #3) Kobe 1.93 #4) LeBron = 1.39
No sports fans or analysts disrespects their past legends more then Basketball. So many seem desperate to justify the era their watching by saying every player is better for some reason.
Someone forgot to tell that dude that there is an entire line of legendary players who can confirm it with awe, Bird would tell you what he gonna do and do it, and there was nothing you could do about it, he would trash talk entire NBA rooster of today into crying themselves to sleep sucking on their thumb 😂
no he didn’t. mad dog said bird was a top 3 point shooter of all time. that’s factual not true. jj correctly sai no he isn’t, and correctly again said bird was a top 5 all around shooter just not top 5 strictly from 3. absolutely no lie told. y’all are getting a biased clip that doesn’t show the full context of what jj was saying.
Scoring has changed so drastically over time. When the 3 point line was originally initiated, it was more of a novelty shot. Larry Bird only attempted 2 3’s a game for his career. Bottom line, Larry, averaged, 24,10 and 6 for a career in what many consider the toughest era ever in basketball. I rest my case
@@jetsettech8804 Riiiaaaaggghhhttt bEcaUse pLaYinG aGaInSt a BunCh oF MaRshMalLoW fLoP aRtIsT iS tHe eXaCt sAmE As PlaYiNg AgaInsT a sToNe WaLl DeFEenSe...
Another thing people don't mention often is that the league changed rims in around 2010 to 180 breakaway rims. This deadens the rebound on the back of the rim and also creates a spring effect on the front and sides, which increases the possibility of bouncing off the rim and still making it. Overall it's just easier to make from distance on modern rims compared to when Bird played.
It's a great point, and is never talked about. I actually wondered about this recently . Even my sons games at middle school , you can tell the rim and backboard are very still...it's like the classic rims at an outdoor basketball park. Same thing, super stiff, if it doesn't swoosh, the bounce is most likely not going in. But you can tell the stark difference when you watch the professional NBA rim and backboard. There is much more give, and therefore more "subtle" bounce if you will.
Bro playing on a non-breakaway on an outside court was straight PAIN.😖 You had to shoot straight net most of the time and you'll get a giant workout from constantly running for rebounds.
All you need to know about Larry Bird is the absolute and total respect Michael Jordan has for the man. He was devastatingly good from anywhere on the court. That combined with his size and basketball IQ made him as difficult to cover as any of the top 5 NBA players. That, and he was one of the greatest trash talkers of all time.
@@richardmead5969 Nobody paying attention to that anymore, celtics 5 hall of famer team swept a low ranking bulls team, jordan stuck it out on the bulls to win 6-0 with no game 7 not gonna talk bad about larry legend he just had a better team and his whole career won 3 championships in 13 seasons not too bad, but show me one good center that jordan had you people cut it out and Mj single handly killed the celtics 63 points and larry called him god be realistic
He doesn't want to see, he doesn't want to understand the 80s era ,the big names, the competition, the physicality, the passion,the game...who cares? Larry Bird was one of the kind, unbelievable player
Some athletes should stay just that, athletes. Just because you played the game, doesn't make you a viable candidate to be an intelligent analyst of the game. The disrespect shown to Larry Bird and other hall of famers from these younger players is unbelievable
did u even watch the full vid on espn or did u just watch this biased old head's perspective, JJ said bird is one of the best shooters but not a top 5 3 point shooter, that is based on facts not feelings
@@jonnstewart2023 It's "based on facts" because he's comparing Bird to today's guys rather than just giving an honest evaluation taking era into account. That's actually the problem with a lot of modern fans when talking about past players....they can't help but compare them to today's guys and because they're so biased in favor of the modern NBA they can never give truly objective takes.
Anyone that watched Larry Bird knew he was the best basketball player on the court in nearly every game he ever played in. Pre injuries the best I had ever seen. He would have dominated every era of the game, was still doing it post injuries, and I can say without any reservations he would be even more dominant in today's game than his own. You can easily see him scoring more in a far less physical era. The amount of 3's would have skyrocketed in such a wide open and spread game as well.
Not even that. He's saying he's not a top three 3-point shooter all time. Which juxtaposes nicely against the OP stating at the end of his video, "I personally think, he [Bird] is a top 10 shooter of all time."
Never once did JJ say he was overrated. He even acknowledged that he was one of the greatest shooters of all time. He just pointed out (truthfully) that he isnt ranked highly as a 3 point shooter as Mad Dog was making out. The players can only play in the era they play in so all the "context" argument is sophistry. Its like Chamberlain saying he would have picked up shaq and moved him wherever he wanted to. Its fantasy just like most of this video and definitely the title.
Amen to that - defense is considered secondary or tertiary today. Players only want to make highlights for offense. Give me old school game of post men, high IQ guards, and pick and rolls. Three pointers are a nice compliment to a smartly played game but todays players are mostly one-dimenisional.
Larry would demand to be taken out of the game if the other team wasn't even bothering to play defense on him. This fact is juxtaposed with him scoring a game-winner over Pippen and Jordan. How does a slow guy who can't jump score over those two?
Actually, it's not just math. For most of Bird's career, he only took heavily contested three pointers when Boston was in a late game situation and needed three points. A surprisingly high number of his three pointers have him dribbling and moving or falling away to get the shot off. It wasn't until the late 80's that teams even began to have a three point specialist on their teams. Bird was a great three point shooter and shooter over all, because he was able to get off and make highly contested shots at the end of shot clock situations. The real way to understand how good of a shooter Bird was is by looking at foul shooting percentage, which is what scouting departments today look at to determine how good of a 3 point shooter a player can become with the right training and practice. Well, Bird lead the league in free throw shooting 4 times and in each of his last seven years he shot over 89% from the stripe. For his career he shot 88.6%, and for his career his FT shooting percentage ranks number 14. Was he the best pure shooter ever? No, but he also played in era without shooting coaches and computer motion tracking. He was, though, an excellent in game shooter who was really good at shooting contested shots in high leverage situations. If you want to know who are and who would have been the greatest 3 pointer shooters, just look at the top 20 list in career FT percentage. It shows you the great three point shooters over the last 25 years, and the players who would have been great 3 pointer shooters if they had played in today's game. BTW, JJ is number 9 on the career FT shooting list. What you notice on this list is that Steph is over a half percentage point higher than Steve Nash, and only three players are at 90% or better. One other tidbit is that Durant has an almost identical FT shooting percent to Larry Bird, only 3 thousandths of a percent separate them. Durant seems like a great modern comp to Larry Bird when it comes to the naturalness of their shooting stroke.
No its just math...that is why Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Kyle Lowry and Redick himself are better than Bird. Of course what I just said is insane. That is why the logical extension of pure math in these debates is horse shit.
Good points. Consider also the 50-40-90 club, which has only nine members. Bird is one of only two players to have done it more than once. (The other is Steve Nash, who did it four times, and came within a single free throw of doing it FIVE YEARS IN A ROW)
The thing that JJ doesn't realize, that Bird would put up even better numbers in his prime if he played in Today's NBA. Bird would be playing in a no hand check, free lane driving era. Don't get me started, on how many points he would average in this 3 point era.
Bird was not focused on building his own stats! He made his team much better by assisting others to shoot. If he was a player thinking only about himself, not the team, Larry would have set all time, unreachable records
@@bonnieplasha4684 he is a Legend and i'd pick him over LeSwept anyday. but "come on man". Jordan had crazy moves and an unflappable will to win. the man had a 3-peat, retired for 2 yrs, comes back and picks up where he left off and another 3-peat. even Larry couldn't do that and he'd probably admit. watch some of those Finals games and you'll understand. Jordan was in a class by himself
@@joeclayton2121 Hey dude, no disrespect to MJ and I give him his props but Bird was the inventor of the 50-40-90 club, hit the numbers in back to back seasons, and still holds the league-leading 91.6% from the free-throw line. I just checked, and your boy isn't in the club... PS - Bird is only one of two players in history to make the club twice
