I grew up in the 80s and Bird by far was the best basketball player from the first year he came in until he had to leave because of injuries, Larry Bird is and was the G.O.A.T.
Another display of why Bird was the best to ever play in the NBA. This game shows his ability to dominate the game in a variety of ways and will his team to victory. Dave Heeren's book "basketball abstract" is a statistical analysis of all the players in the NBA and selects Bird as the player of the decade (80"s) and the MVP for 4 years rather than 3. Based on numbers not emotion or fan base.
This whole era argument needs to be put the rest! If he played today he would be doing all of the advanced workouts that they do today! Thus making his game even scarier!
I appreciate that kind of respect coming from a rival. Especially from Chicago where Mr Jordan takes a back seat to nobody !! Growing up I despised the Lakers and the Sixers and the Bulls Pistons etc... But I never talked shit about what guys like Magic and Dr J or MJ cause as a basketball fan you knew how great they were and that if they wore Celtic green I would love them. Your call on Larry's 1988 season was definitely on point. Averaged almost 30 a game and hitting buzzer beaters against the Bullets and the Mavericks and just doing Larry Bird stuff all year :)
The thing about Bird is he KNEW he is the best ever, It just took his opponents a while to realize it. Always loved his attitude, after sinking a impossible shot he never pumped his chest or raised his arms going SEE, hed just walked back to the other side to start a new possession. Old school basketball at it's best. PUMP FAKES, UNREAL PASSING AND ALWAYS GOING TO THE OPEN MAN FOR THE SURE SHOT. LARRY WAS TEAM 1ST , LAST AND ALWAYS. LEGENDARY GOAT.
This is what a GOAT is all about. The whole package. I super enjoy watching his game, pure skill, nothing fancy, very effective. He made opponents looked neophytes.. seriously.
@@RickDanner - Jordan was the greatest in a watered down era. The 90's had some great players but they lacked certain disciplines that players had in the 80's. And part of that was teamwork. Too many individual players, not enough team players and remember basketball is a team sport and this is why you had fewer great teams in the 90's. Plus Bird had back issues due to his ridiculous hustle and diving after the ball. Skill vs skill Bird is better than Jordan. Jordan just became the go-to guy for the NBA, was severely hyped and became the most popular player ever. That doesn't equal GOAT but some people seem to think it does. Ridiculous
The way games were ref'd were also changed to allow Jordan to flourish. It's really obvious in retrospect (watching youtube) that Jordan was allowed to travel and to charge through defenders because of his amazing athleticism. Refs clearly didn't know how to call it when the contact was being initiated in the ways Jordan initiated it. He would use defenders as proverbial launch and landing pads for his leaping. If a defender has good position but his outstretched arms come in contact with your KNEES, is it a foul on the defender, or on the shooter? The refs largely decided to favor the shooter in these cases. But to me, they look like blatant offensive charging fouls. It's little wonder flopping became a habit in the 90's. You had a better chance getting a ref to be on your side if you just fell out of the way, rather than trying to stand your ground and both get a foul and be the human mattress for Jordan to land on. You could call it the "Jordan defense." This was very different from other athletic players like Wilkins and Dr J, who would use their athletic leaping to swim through and avoid defenders rather than to mow over/through them. He was also getting away with 3 step drives to the hoop several times a game, and I haven't seen that happening for anyone else in any of the other games I've watched from 1981->1987. I also never see anyone scooping the ball while dribbling or crossing over prior to Jordan. Combined with the watering down of the league, which gave Jordan and extra +6-8 games a year against flimsy expansion teams in their 10 yrs (re)building processes -- yeah. Jordan had a lot working in his favor. And to be fair to Jordan, he always played his heart out and was also easily one of the league's top defenders too. But Wilt Chamberlain was not wrong at all when he said the league changed the rules to make it harder for him to score, and then changed the rules again to make it easier for Jordan to score.
@@brianreed1859 pat Riley said if I needed z last shot to win the game I’d choose Jordan if I need a lady shot to save my life I would choose Larry bird .
Bird is like watching Magic. Some of their decisions in a split second are literally amusing they're so good. Anyone thinking you couldn't stick Bird in today's NBA is an idiot, pure and simple. It wasn't about his athleticism. That's all the kids see. It was his impeccable timing on everything, including the release of his shots. Bird and Magic both were smooth offensive players, they could get almost anything they wanted because of fundamental skill. That shit doesn't simply go away when you put them up against more athletic players.
nonplayerzealot4 they just don’t understand. Larry Bird could drop 50 on you while taking 10 dribbles the whole game. He dribbled out of necessity, and when he did he went somewhere with it. His passes we’re incredible, and his shit was just so pure. I love watching his shooting highlights because when he gets in a one of those modes it’s literally hitting nothing but net. Watching him play is like watching poetry in motion.
but Bird did have an attribute that made up for his lack of athleticism, and that was his height and size...he was 6'10 , and he could hit the outside shot...
Nowadays a player has only to look at an opposing player the wrong way and he's called for a foul. It's not the rough and tumble game that it used to be. With no touching today, Bird would absolutely flourish no question.
Look at the sequence from 1:57-2:02. Insane instinctive handles (from a 6'10" guy in the 80's, remember) and vision. Bird had some of the best hand-eye coordination ever.
Can you imagine how many years Bird could have played with today's rules? Without being smashed, beaten and thrown to the ground multiple times each game, he'd still be playing today.
Would not have mattered. Bird hurt his back after this season putting in a driveway for his mother. Stupid thing to do but that was Bird, blue collar all the way. No rule changes or anything else would have mattered, Once he hurt his back it was the beginning of the end. If he hadn't he certainly could have played more years at a very high level.
@@dhart8451 did it really happen like that?? last year my brother visited the Bird family home he built for his parents in French lick. probably walked on that driveway.
@@majorkade Unfortunately yes. Not sure if it's the same house since this happened over 30 years ago and unless his mother remarried the house was built just for her His father took his own life when Bird was a kid.
That is so cool ! Im a Celtics fan and from Boston. I can just imagine what it was like for cities like Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and every other NBA city in the 80's when Larry Bird and the rest of the Celtics came into town
god how i miss those days , low lighted courts , ball smell everywhere , sweaty - physical game , skilled players . Golden era for sure , now its only commercial and hops , money and trades , no loyalty at all just professionalism without feelings for ateam everybody plays . Those were the heroes players like Larry , Magic , Michael , Hakeem , Kareem , Pat , David and Timmy , Doctor and Moses , The run TMC , Stock and Karl etc... Thank u guys for learning what real basketball and heart is.
The GOAT of clutch. The GOAT period. Maybe the best shooter of all time from ANYWHERE, scored at will even against physical double teams(ask scottie and michael), score again insane athletes(put 60 on Dominique), fierce rebounder,, top 3 passer of of time, one of the best free throw shooters of all time (and he would live at the line in this era), maybe the toughest player in NBA history. He made everyone around him so much better. Modern training and diets, this dude would decimate today's NBA.
Basically, Bird was so dominant that he did what he wanted to do in this kind of game. 1st quarter : scoring; 2nd quarter : assisting teamates; hitting clutch shots, ... He just wanted to make some fun in those boring regular season games.
Bird was defended by Nique, Worthy, Rodman, Grant, and Pippen (among others), all of whom were just as, if not more, athletic than basically anyone who'd be defending him today. He torched them all. Bird would dominate in any era.
Len Bias would've allowed the Celtics to sustain their success since it would've given them some much needed youth and athleticism while allowing Larry to play less minutes and extend his career.
In a little over a week Bird won the 3-point contest in Chicago, had a 39-17-10 game in San Antonio, beat Dallas with that classic pull-up 3, and finished off the run with this. He was on fire.
Awesome stat there! In his autobiography "Drive", Bird talked about how much he loved playing the post All-Star game "west coast" trips. His stats on those west coast runs year after year are pretty staggering! I think he loved playing away games more than playing in the Garden during the regular season because (like Ainge was quoted as saying) he needed those kind of challenges!
Best all around player in the NBA from 1982-1988 - Larry Bird. the only thing that stopped the streak - injuries. I was lucky enough to see him play, as I was in my 20's. I saw him in person, twice & he made it look easy, which of course, it isn't.
I'd say 81-88. Bird deserved that 81 Finals MVP Award. He almost averaged a triple double playing against the Rockets. But Maxwell averaged more points so he got it.
He scored 49 pts like 10 times in his career! And I've watched atleast 20 game highlights were he had 47, 48, or 49. Players today are aware and make sure they get to 50 now! As were in his highlights he doesn't force anything and makes no extra effort to get 1 more basket because he refuses to break the flow of the offense! All his stats came organically in the flow of the offense unlike LeBron were the offense has to go through him because he can't play off the ball as we saw in the 2011 final! Yes completely stuck if the offense isn't running 100% through him!
Bird didn’t care about personal stats he was all about the team and winning , something Jordan the ball hog and newer players only care about themselves when it comes down to it .
@mattc941 Your right guys are not as athletic today and defence is almost non existant, In today's league Larry Bird would be hitting hundred point games
IsaDRayM, at the time of your comment 6 years ago you were correct (almost, since Bird had a PPG of 29.93). Since then Stephen Curry, during the 2015-16 season, had a 50-40-90 season with a PPG average of more than 30. From Wikipedia: "Curry is the only player to average at least 30 points-per-game during a 50-40-90 season, with Bird narrowly missing the mark at 29.93 ppg during his second 50-40-90 season."
@jordanlover23 The argument that Bird would be dominated by better athletes today is ridiculous. Phil Jackson(11 rings), said Rodman was the most athletic player he ever coached. Notice he didn't say Kobe, Gasol or LMAO, Artest with his 1 inch vertical. Darryl Griffin had a vertical leap of 48 inches, higher than any player currently in the NBA. Wilt could bench over 500 lbs in his late 40s, Dwight Howard's max bench press is 365 and he's in his 20s, don't give me this better athlete BS.
lolol! Where in the world did you hear Wilt could bench over 500 pounds ever in his life, let alone in his late 40's? No 7 footer has ever benched over 500 pounds, period.
Celtics - Phoenix connection in this game: DJ played for Suns in early 80s / Ainge would go on to play for Suns in 90s / Brad Lohaus went to Greenway HS in Phoenix, AZ.
32 back then is like 38 today. players today age better due to the care they get. they also don't do wild dives for balls. same in NFL. softer today, but smarter.
@mattc941 even Jordan couldn't defend Bird. Bird wasn't even fast in his era, and Pippen is the best defensive small forward of all time. Your argument doesn't hold up at all.
"Pedestrian Bird? What the fuck is this LARRY BURD guy talking about? Bird averaged 30/9/6 in 87-88, it was one of his very best seasons, he finished 2nd to Jordan in the MVP race. This clown makes it sound like he had an off-year.
Gilmore had hands of stone. It was so frustrating being a Celtic fan in 87-88. Bird was having his best year but Parish and McHale were getting older and Gilmore dropped so many Bird no-look passes that year it was sickening.
@jordanlover23 exactly. guys today aren't allowed to play as physical defensively as guys in the late 80s early 90s so Bird would absolutely feast today.
Wow! Has anyone ever scored three points in the last seconds of three out of four quarters in a game, including a two point shot with a foul to win the game? Has anyone else ever done that in NBA history, or even the whole history of basketball? Bird hits a three pointer at the end of the first quarter with one second on the clock. He hits another three pointer with one second on the clock at the end of the second quarter to close out the first half. Then, on a drive to the basket, while down two points, with a few seconds left in the game, he takes a hard foul and makes the basket before ending up on the floor. He makes the free throw to put the Celtics up by one point with just three seconds to go! Amazing game!
Name me a guy who could shoot that far and keep the dribble alive that well at 6'9 with guys hacking him with his back turned for post moves. Rick Barry couldn't do that without bitching to the refs.
I can't think of any other game in which Bird just casually dribbled to his spot and jacked up a swish. He should of done this more. He was too unselfish at times IMO.
Wasn't this his last year in the league? I saw a play where Magic just took his lunch from him on a rebound, ran the break and made a dazzling pass for the slam dunk... I think that was 83 or 84... I said after seeing that play was that Artis needed to hang it up then, considering what he was as a player.
Bird easy 3 more rings in the 80s with Len Bias around. Shits a team game and MJ had a great team for all 6. So good that he left and they still contented all the way to ECF. Bird never had that much help, he had great players that fitted well with him but couldnt win games without him. He is by far and away the most important 1 guy to a 15 man roster ever. Those Celtics teams obviously dominate in the paint as a huge front court and decent size backcourt, but everything is absolutely clogged to the max with no hope of floor spacing whatsoever unless Bird is hitting his shots.
The 88 Celtics !! I needed less Mark Acres Brad Lohous Artis Gilmore Dirk Minnifield Fred Roberts and Conor Henry and more Reggie Lewis !! If KC had giving him more minutes they might not have run out of steam vs the Pistons in 88 :(
excuse me but are u telling me that bird could n't even compete in today's nba?are u serious kid?1st of all i disagree that back then were worst atletes,if u look who nba players have the higher vertical leap mj(48),drj(42),pippen(46)nique(42),drexler(43),webb(46),griffith(48),woordidge(42)kemp(42)chambers(42)....the other are lebron(43),t-mac(42),carter(43),nate robinson(44)!there are many "great"athletes like kobe,wade,howrad.igouadala,gay,derozan,westbrook,griffin(35) who are all 35-39!
so eventhough today's better training technics,players are n't much more athletic!don't overrate today's athletes and underrate those great players and athletes!also athletsism is n't everything,many top players of this era like duncan(in my opinion the best players in 00's),dirk,j. kidd,nash,pierce,allen,...aren't great athletes but dominate!do u think durant is more thaletic or strogrer than nique?nique was 6.8 235lb,man!bird was 6.9 230lb an his vertical was 28(marginal athlete back then to)
To be fair here - Eddie Johnson of Phoenix was primarily guarding Bird on most of his points and EJ was arguably the weakest defender in the NBA in 1988.
@cbaldwinjr You couldn't have seen Bird play then....Larry Nance(look at him in the dunk contest..see how high he can get) Nance was defended bird and he got up WAY higher than pippen and was as good of a defender as any. Drexler...does he suck too...Dr. J hes sucks too, huh? Weak argument...come at me if you want to talk basketball really.....
Nique, Worthy, Grant and even Pippen from his younger days would all have to gain a solid 20 pounds of muscle to compete in today's NBA the way they did in that time. In fact Pippen did just that as his career wore on in order to keep up. Rodman was ahead of his time in terms of fitness and conditioning and it enabled him to overcome his other glaring basketball deficiencies. It's indisputable that the strength and power of NBA and NFL athletes especially is far greater than any other time.
I know. It's always bothered me that Lebron's game has often seemed so unrefined for such a great player. It's also probably true that the skills and imagination of players like Bird and Pistol Pete far surpass anything in players today. However, athletes like Lebron have just never existed before. Take the closest parallels from the 80s, guys like Nique and Worthy and they wouldn't be as productive in today's NBA. I know they'd adjust their training regimen but still I believe they'd struggle.
Nikola Jokic called. He wants you to erase your stupid ignorant comment. Slower than Bird. Not as good of a shooter than Bird was. Yet...Nikola Jokic continues to DOMINATE today's NBA. Fundamentals, Intangibles and BB IQ with ALWAYS beat athleticism. Bird proved this 3 decades ago Jokic is proving it now.
