LEBRON FANS REACT TO Making the Case - Larry Bird 

"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." - Pat Riley

I'd argue that Bird stealing that inbounds pass is the greatest play in NBA history. If you watch replays of it, he walks away from Thomas looking like he is going back on defense. He covers 8-9 feet to get to that pass. And then has the smarts to kick it for the layup. Just next level basketball intelligence.

Bird made the defensive 2nd team 3 times I believe. LeBron isn't on the same planet as far as clutch is concerned to Bird.

Luka is not Larry birds level I'm tired people comparing the 2 ...not you guys tho y'all cool 😎... great video

Bird did this stuff not knowing if he'd end up in a wheelchair after any given game. He played through injuries that would have ended most careers. All that, shooting, rebounding, passing...but when Bird didn't have the ball he was a terror. Such a complete player.

Bird is the best all around player I've ever seen. He was voted to 3 all defensive 2nd teams and finished as high as 4th in DPOY voting. He also finished 1st or 2nd in MVP voting over a span of 8 seasons. That's a pretty good peak.

In his prime Bird was as good or better than anyone who ever played the game. 🏀

Pick Bird or pick Magic. It doesn't matter. The reason you are watching basketball today is due to their rivalry that transcended team loyalties. When those two played each other, you became for that game a Celtic or Laker fan rooting for your favorite player. Magic Johnson showed up at his retirement proclaiming Larry Bird the greatest ever and his friend. That should tell you something.

Larry hurt his back building a driveway for his mom in 1985. Fractured two vertebrae and ruptured a disc between L4 and L5 and he didn't tell anyone. Played through the pain for years until he couldn't "ignore" it any more. Had operations on his feet, but not on his back until June of 1991, six years AFTER injuring it. Only marginally helped. Retired in August of 1992. HE PLAYED HIS LAST SIX YEARS WITH A SEVERELY DAMAGED BACK that his doctors didn't know how he did it. That's why, when not out on the floor, he could be seen lying on his back. . . . .

Naming someone the GOAT is subjective ! Saying Larry Bird is the greatest all-around player in NBA history is just facts !!!!

Larry Bird became a Goat, and he did it all within 2/3 of the time of everyone else while playing hurt a big part of his career!

Somebody asked Michael Jordan who he wanted to take the last shot and he said Larry Bird.

No hole in his game doesn´t mean he has to win an award for every aspect of the game. It means he had no weaknesses. Not that hard to comprehend.

LARRY LEGEND IS A UNICORN & THE TRUE GOAT 🐐 ☘️

Reaction is good, but not pausing while you discuss what you just heard cause you to miss the next bit of important information...

Bill Russel won 11 rings in 13 seasons. Nobody ever talks about him. It's interesting to not that MJ never got past the Celtics until Bird couldn't paly anymore.

Todays Defense is nothing compared to what it was in the 80's

Bird the most complete team player I ever saw

Keep educating yourself, gentlemen. The more you find out, the more your mind will change.

What younger people don't understand is that if any player went into the paint back then, they got knock on their ass hard and had to shoot free throws. It was super physical. I watched Lebron get real upset at Carlos Boozer when Boozer was bodying him up hard. One of the few times Lebron got a tech in his career. Boozer was nowhere near as physical as almost all of the forwards and centers were back then. Steph Curry was injury prone early in his career, in the 1980s he may have never had a career, he would have been picked up with a full court double team and elbowed, shoved and thrown to the ground. Hitting the floor over and over again would have shortened his career. Basketball back then was like football now without the pads.

No one comes close to Larry Bird. The greatest of all time.

You guys need to see videos about how *tough* Larry Legend is… “5 times Larry Bird was injured but refused to quit” and “4 crazy stories that prove Larry Bird is the toughest player in NBA history “ Larry’s superhuman pain tolerance while still able to put up All-Star worthy stats year after year is absolutely insane !

Pat Riley said it: "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."

Bird was a two-time all defensive player. Bird was easily the GOAT because he could do it ALL! Ex-Lakers coach Pat Riley said: "If I needed a player to take a shot to win a game, I'd pick Michael Jordan. But if I needed a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd pick Larry Bird!" Now what you gotta say boys? And as far as your argument about making a case for applying for a job, you can't compare the two. Why? Because when you go for a job, you're going in there just telling the man what your gonna do. But he don't know, because he's never met you before. Making the case for Larry Bird is totally different because he's already done it and proved it to y'all! Ok now, you wanna talk longevity? Fine, let's do it. Right, Bird played 13 seasons. Most of them he was injured and still put up those numbers. So your saying by someone playing longer it makes them better? Good, glad you brought it up guys. Because I guess that means if Bird wasn't injured all those years he'd have played about another 7 maybe? So that comes out to about 6 Championships, close to 30 ppg. 12 rpg. and 8 asst. pg. And don't forget he took home 3 straight League MVP's. Only the 3rd player to ever do it, and the only forward to ever do it. And don't forget that Bird came in 2nd in MVP voting 4 times too!

One thing to remember about Larry Bird. He played the MAJORITY of his legendary career with a bad back. It got so bad in his last few years that he had to stretch and wear a brace for up to 4 HOURS before each game just so it would stay stable enough for him to play for the night. Bird was undoubtedly one of the toughest players to ever live. Even with a bad back he was putting up legendary numbers and never took his foot off the gas. Bro had the heart of a lion. That's from Dominique Wilkins. Larry Legend.

BIrd was a much better defender than people realise. He averaged 1.7 steals per game for his career which for a small forward is a very good average, he was in the NBA all defense 2nd team 3x in his career which is more than Lebron believe it or not. Finally In 1983 he was 3rd in the voting for defensive player of the year. So he was close one year to not only winning NBA MVP but also NBA defensive player of the year in the same season. He was truly a remarkably gifted and skilled player.

Actually, Bird was all NBA defensive team 3 Times. One of those was as an alternate though

I had the privilege of watching Larry Bird , Magic in the 80s. He was one of those special players that you will always remember watching. As far as your conversation about longevity. Larry played through bad back where he couldn't sit on the bench. He had to lay down when he was out of the game. If he had todays medical tech he would have played at least 20 years.

Bird in my top three all time.

Larry was the best all-around player ever. I will never concede this, until someone better comes along. Kobe was damn close.

LUKA ain’t LARRY !

The more I study Birds career and skills, the more I’m convinced he’s the best SF ever

I'm a longtime laker fan and he was something else his IQ alone is top 3 his game is top 5 he was an assassin and loved being outnumbered in a game where you try to find the weak spot he wanted you to know where he'd be and no matter how you slice it that's just cold hearted

I think it was Pat Riley that said he would take Jordan to make a shot to win a game but he would take Bird to make a shot to save his life.

Being voted all defensive in the eighties when defense was dominant and being voted all defensive in Lebron's era when defense almost is nonexistent are two totally different scales!

Bird played his entire career with some sort of injury and he's still in the talk as being the GOAT. He had to retire mainly due to his back, which he hurt not playing basketball.

Larry's numbers would be even higher if he was selfish but he got everyone involved and made sure they all ate.

In man to man defense you can only double team the guy with the ball. Can't double team him before he gets the ball. And with Bird, if he gets doubled he can pass off to the teammate who is free.

Bird was named to the NBA All-Defensive 2nd team three times before injuries slowed him towards the end of his career. His underrated athleticism combined with otherworldly instincts is what made him a strong defender in his first years in the league. These were the years he made all three of his All Defensive teams: 1982, 1983 & 1984. Bird led the league in defensive win shares four times. His 3 appearances on the All NBA Defensive 2nd team make this case most strongly.

You guys gotta react to one of Bird's trash talking videos. It puts a whole lot of context into who Bird was. As a 50 year Knicks fan (god have mercy on me,) who watched the games on TV and a couple live at MSG, he was the basketball equivalent of The Grim Reaper. If he had been around during this time of surgery, rehab, etc., he would have played at least four more years. And if he played in this era of the spread out floor, shooting threes as a priority, and handcheck-free defense, you could put five more points and two more assists on his career totals, IMHO.

Larry is definitely top 5. Larry is a way better defender than people think. The leagues player defensive average is 110. Larry was 105. So he was above average for his career. If you could have seen him play every night you would understand. Three times he made all defensive second team. He was a borderline great defender in his prime before his injuries caught up with him.

Something to consider... Bird averaged 10 rebounds per game over his career, but keep in mind he gave up rebounds to Parrish, McHale, Walton (for 1 year) and Cedric Maxwell. If he needed to average 15 boards per game in order for his team to win, he'd have averaged 15 boards per game. And as already pointed out, Bird was all-defense 3x (second team) Enjoyed the video guys!

What's not down is how he would tell the opposing team what he was going to do before doing it, including game winning shots.

"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." - Pat Riley.

Bird led the NBA in Defensive Win Shares four times, and three additional times in the playoffs. Author and multiple member of 50-40-90 Club. Best passer ever. Video evidence of this is all over YT.

You know you're great when the opposing team cheered you

Also Larry made 3 straight all NBA defensive teams. 82, 83 and 84... second team each time... which means even though his main focus was offense he was still one of the two best small forward defenders in the league in the voters eyes.

You can pick many players to shoot the last shot to win the game. But if my life was on the line, I would pick Larry Bird over everyone else!

Have these guys reacted to a Larry bird trash talk video? If not that’s what they need to do after the mixtape video they done did. I like their reactions tbh, would love to hear them react to how cold he really was

U guys talk to much & miss important stuff.

You couldn't double team back then unless the player had the ball. You couldn't play zone either, it had to be man to man. 2 illegal defenses and they start shooting technical free throws. They lifted all of this around 2000 or so, I think.

If someone thinks Bird isnt a top 5 ALL TIME great they know nothing about basketball. Dude played like he invented the game.

"Jackie McMullan, in The Ringer’s Icons Club, pulled up a classic of what Michael Jordan thought of his rival: “I get so many questions about Larry Bird. The thing is, ‘Was he really that good?’ I say, ‘Yeah! He was really that good. White, black, green or yellow, he was really that good! When you see a player like Luka when you see a player like Dirk, they’re great players, but they’re not Larry Bird [laughs], by no means." He added: "You have to have a great appreciation to play against a guy who athletically, every single night, is at a disadvantage. But yet mentally and in the way his work ethic was, he was way above the game, he was way above everybody else.”"

Larry Bird is my most favorite player of all time, he talked so much trash but see he could back it up. Watch those videos and see the respect he had from the other players.

And Magic & Bird literally saved the league

I want to watch basketball and just be around you guys. Your reactions are so much fun to watch and listen to. I watched Bird play and it's hard to express how much better he was than everyone else on the court except Jordan. His defense was excellent even though he was slow; he passed better and shot better than anyone else. But the reason why he might be the best, who knows, is that he simply made his team which wasn't the best on the court...the best on the court. Jordan didn't do that, he carried his teams to victory. It's easy to say he wasn't a Steph or LeBron or Jordan because he doesn't look like them...not quick. But ask MJ which player brought his team to victory with him which is the mark of a great player, not just a selfish one. The others have played on dominant teams, Bird did not. Happy New Year.

Three players to take the final shot? Bird, Reggie Miller, John Stockton

Helps when you dont talk over 75% of the video.....

Two things about Bird and his injuries. First, he hurt his back putting in a driveway for his mom, instead of just spending his money to have someone else do it. Secondly, He didn't have the same feel for the ball in the pros, as he did in college. He was playing a softball game and hand his finger, on his shooting hand, bend backwards on a play where the ball hopped wrong as he was going for it. Imagine if he hadn't had those two injuries. P.S. LeBron wouldn't have made it back then as far as Bird would make it now.

bird was 3x all defensive. I know it's surprising but he was a surprisingly good defender

Bird was tenacious on the boards and consider not only his opponents like Olajuwon, Moses, Rodman, K Malone, Ewing, Kareem, etc. but also remember he shared the court with 10+ rebounds/ game players in McHale, Parish, and Walton. Young Bird was SO physical on the offensive glass, his 1st finals he averaged 18 rebounds/ game (and was robbed of the finals MVP by Maxwell)

If you watch a making the case video.. you should listen instead talk... ... just sayin... you missed quite a few facts cause yall were cackling like chickens... talk after the video...

What you need to know is Bird took a team that only won 29 games to 61 wins his rookie season when he was the only new player.

Pat Riley said If I need a player to make a last 2nd bucket I'm going with MJ if, I need a player to hit a shot to save my life I'm going with Larry Bird.😁

Bird was doubled half his fuckin life though lol

Defensive shares ..it's actually Larry over Lebron. And Larry was 2nd team all defense multiple years. So...yeah. no holes. 😉

Nah guy in the middle is wrong, you know how people in this era can post up? They dont call this a big man post up type era do they? It's the same thing... the 80s and 90s were the big man era, not a shooting era, the game was played from the inside out, feed the post and if they get doubled they kick out. This era is outside in, spacing, high pick and roll, all time three point attempts etc etc... just because there is a few players that can post up in this era no one who knows basketball would call this a big man post up era... that's why they never called the 80s and 90s a shooting era. Context.

Larry Bird, Kareem, Russell

Imagine how many games AD woulda missed if he played in converse or chucks. That’s a big piece people forget when comparing eras too.

LBJ isn't clutch!!! 19% is his clutch percentage, MJ is 50%!!

"Jordan made you look slow. Bird made you look stupid." so said James Worthy who surely played with some great ones.

You guys missed the dws info. You missed the career winning percentage info. And "statistics" don't even really tell the story of Bird's career. Longevity doesn't say anything about a player except they didn't get career ending injuries and they weren't so bad that no one wanted them on their team. That's all it actually means. IMHO 🙂

Yall need to actually listen.... Jordan is a better shooter than lebron. From outside 3 feet lebron hits like 35-36%, where MJ hit 50+ as a bull and 42% as a wizard. It's all context. Of course your FG% WILL BE HIGHER if the majority of your shots are at the rim (DeAndre Jordan, Tyson Chandler). If I had to win a game I'm taking Jordan, if I needed a win to save my life, I'm taking Bird.

Y'all talked over the last 3 minutes of the video. You couldn't even hear the arguments being made that answer the questions you were raising with your banter.

Dude in the grey hoodie was talking so loud nobody could hear the video

5 players for the last second shot...I'm going Bird, MJ, Kobe, Dame, Robert Horry lol 5 confident men who let their nuts hang and don't fear the moment.

In 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

Larry was a better shooter, rebounder, and had more assists than Jordan. As you read these career stats, just keep in mind, that Jordan played 2 more seasons than Bird did (175 games). Not only that, Bird played his last 4 years with debilitating injuries, and missed all but 6 games of the 88-89 season. Field goal percentage: Jordan: 49.7 Bird: 49.6 3 pointers made/attempted: Jordan: 581/1778....32.7% Bird: 649/1727....37.6% 2 pointers made/attempted: Jordan: 11,611/22,759....51% Bird: 7,942/15,607....50.9% Effective field goal percentage: Jordan: 50.9% Bird: 51.4% Free throw percentage: Jordan: 83.5% Bird: 88.6% Offensive rebounds: Jordan: 1668 Bird: 1757 Defensive rebounds: Jordan: 5004 Bird: 7217 Minutes per game: Jordan: 38.3 Bird: 38.4 Assists per game: Jordan: 5.3 Bird: 6.3 Rebounds per game: Jordan: 6.2 Bird: 10 Points per 36 minutes: Jordan: 28.3 Bird: 22.8 Rebounds per 36 minutes: Jordan:5.9 Bird: 9.4 Assists per 36 minutes: Jordan: 4.9 Bird: 6.0 Points per game: Jordan: 30.1 Bird; 24.3 Personal fouls: Jordan: 2783 Bird: 2279 Turnovers: Jordan: 2924 Bird: 2816 Blocks: Jordan: 893 Bird: 755 Steals: Jordan: 2514 Bird: 1556 Career points: Jordan: 32,292 Bird: 21,791 Again....Jordan played 15 basically healthy seasons, compared to 13 seasons for Bird, with 4 of those seasons played with a seriously bad back, leaving 9 truly healthy seasons. And those 4 injury riddled seasons, included the 88-89 season, in which he only played 6 games. He had back surgery, plus surgery on both Achilles tendons. Between 1981-1988, Larry won the League MVP 3 times in a row, and never finished below 3rd in the voting....2,2,1,1,1,3,2. In that same time period, Larry received 67% of all MVP votes cast. And like Jordan, he was in the stronger league, in the most talent rich era in NBA history. He is the only player besides Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, to win 3 in a row (and the only one that's not a Center)....and the only player in history, to win a championship, MVP, coach of the year, and executive of the year (and an Olympic gold medal). He is also the ONLY PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY, to retire with career averages of at least 20/10/5 (Bird had 24.3/10/6.3). Bird was never the center of any drama or pettiness, and played his entire career with the Celtics, winning championships with whoever the management brought on. Bird's 1986 Celtics team, is widely considered the greatest team ever....they went 50-1 at home that year, 10-0 in the playoffs, on their way to the title. Jordan was a career 11-34 against Bird. Jordan's Bulls never won a playoff game against Bird's Celtics. They swept Jordan's Bulls out of the playoffs TWICE. All things equal, and if Bird would have been healthy those other 4 years, he would have a legitimate claim as the best player ever. If I was building a team and had to pick between either player in their prime, I would pick Bird.

These Youngsters Don't know Bird swept Jordan in the playoffs twice

They totally missed the huge point of,,,The NBA FINALS were being shown on tape delay,,,because the ratings were so low,,,,

James Worthy……”I’d much rather play against Jordan than Bird. Jordan makes you look slow. Bird makes you look STUPID.

I love so much that every Larry Bird reaction video has “Lebron Super Fan” in the title. Haha 😂 For real everyone that did anything awesome in sports in the 80’s or 90’s would destroy todays athletes. Joe Montana in his prime would have fucked up Tom Brady.

The greatest ever. More end of time, game winning shots than anyone. Dropped 47 on Portland left handed! When asked by reporters why he used only his left hand, he said, I'm saving my right hand for LA, we play them tomorrow night! Won 3 MVPs during the greatest era of players. 3 3 point contest in a row , one while wearing his warm up stuff! Played the last 6 years with a broken back and blown Achilles tendon! Because of his back, they took a stationary bike to all games. Larry had to ride it, 1-2 hours before each game, to loosen his back, up!! Was the first 50/40/90 guy. When playing the bulls in conference finals, swept them! As a rookie, on third day of camp, came out and told reporters, this league is nothing, I will dominate this league! Worthy said, he would rather guard Jordan than Bird! Made 2 shots on purpose from behind the backboard! Got the whole Atlanta bench in trouble, for his shooting display against them. When the rockets had the Twin Towers, they should have won 2 titles. Bird and the Celtics, stopped them! He's the goat. Maybe the only better player was pistol Pete, but he just burnt out too soon, plus born with a unusually small heart pump side. He once told an opposing player who has a good first half against him, " are ur parents here, cuz ur not gonna want them to see, what I'm about to do to you!" So Bird drops 27 on him in the second half, and also shut him down. He tells the guy after the game, " that was for ur mom!" Ice cold! He played during an era, when there was no hack a Shaq foul, no finger hand elbow or body check fouls. And when centers and power forwards would break ur bones and punish you, if you went inside!

who to take the last shot ask Pat Rielly hall of famer when asked (HE SAID TO WIN THE GAME I'LL TAKE MICHAEL JORDEN, BUT TAKE THE LAST SHOT TO SAVE MY LIFE I WILL TAKE LARRY BIRD)

I will take a broke back Larry Legend over ANYBODY in today's Cupcake NBA.... ANYBODY

Why Bird to me is the goat: whatever he said he was going to do on the court, and he told players exactly, 2 dribbles left, pump fake, bucket. Then did it and could not be stopped. Cooper, who was the best defender then, said MJ is dangerous when he has the ball, but once he passes he stands around pulling on his shorts. LB is more dangerous when he passes the ball. Bird made everyone better, not just his team mates, but the opposing team as well, cause if u didnt step up yer game, u got embarrassed. LB was ahead of his time. He passed at times when he could have taken the shot or his stats would be higher. He cared about getting his team involved and in winning. MJ talked trash after scoring, LB gave the exact play, then did what he said and couldnt be stopped. Who predicts rainbow in the trainers lap and gets knocked by a defender into the trainers lap? LB. MJ ever do that? Dont get me wrong MJ was awesome, a goat in his own right as an athletic player. Who has the IQ of LB? LB was athletic when younger or he wouldnt be at pro level, but no where near MJ, which is more of a testament to LB's game, a white guy dominating the league. Players had nightmares about LB. Magic said LB is the only player he feared. His dominate shooting hand had a permanently broken crooked finger from a softball injury, LB stated he never had the same feel for the ball, this is before the Celtics! Do more research on LB. You cant go by just stats, the league is different now, tailored to a player like LB, but Bird played ball when it was rougher, the modern medical advancements and much better gear to play in ... Imagine playing in Chuck Taylors against Laimbeer, who tried to hurt players all the time. I'll shut up and step off my soap box. 1 more thing: Bird is the G.O.A.T. !!!

If there were the medical expertise, with today's MRI'S Imagery, better x-ray imagery, telescopic surgery, rehab expertise and all the other medical advancement and even sneakers. All sneakers back then were flat bottom with no separate heals. Bird would have extend his career by another 5 years. The only one of you three has the presence of mine to understand his skill set. You said he can't play defense. You said yourself he had 9 steals in one game, and that was after 3 quarters. He didn't play the whole game because they were so far ahead. Larry didn't care about padding stats, he was about winning. That's why he shared the wealth. Robert Parish said Larry was responsible for 5,000 of his points .

24-10-6 career numbers . The only player in NBA history who averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds who averaged over 5 assists a game. When you are the only person in a statistical category you are the GOAT . To put it in perspective. There have only been 4 Quadruple doubles in NBA history , Birds career stat line is less rare than a Quadruple double .

The boys today sit out for a broken toe nail. They couldn't play back then. Larry broke his cheek bone against the Pacers, came back out and won the game. LeCrybaby doesn't have heart. He'd never return from that. I'd put the original dream team up against any team with LeCrybaby, Kobe, etc, the original dream team would win

Players back then didnt do all this load management.Anthony"Street clothes"Davis would have been cut.Dude stays injured!!

"Lebron Fans" Basically anyone born after the 90's then. Anyone alive to watch Bird or MJ, etc... Knows LeBron could never be the GOAT

Bird is top 3 because he won the most clutch games... he did everything well...to the young brother who didn't think bird played great defense...he was 2nd team defense multiple times and being slow don't make you a bad defender...anticipation is what need to be a good defender and rebounder ...Bird had that in spades...don't get caught up by the new age because they don't play hard enough to compare with guys like Bird and Jordan and Kobe...they were killers...keep doing the research 👌...peace and blessings 🙏

Why bother watching the video if you're just going to talk over it? Not subscribing to your channel.

Bird is so much better than Luka. No disrespect to Luka. He's a great player. Bird is definitely top 5 alltime. Maybe top 3. He was ridiculous to watch. Every time he came to town you knew it was going to be a tough game.

Say what you want about Jordan, and truly he was incredible, if I was a GM today and there was a draft with all NBA players available, I would choose Bird first pick and it would be an easy choice.

Top 5 by position if you want to win assuming everyone in prime. 1 Magic, 2 Jordon, 3. Bird, 4. Hakeem, 5 Kareem

The Larry vs Magic and how they became friends video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-axbIoHqFaa8.html

Bird is in Jordan's top 5 and he's in LeBron's top 3. You'll be hard pressed to find anyone who played against him who didn't think he was one of the toughest opponents they ever faced. He might not be the goat, but he's earned his place in the discussion.

you can’t put LeBron in there as a clutch player. Go watch the Michael Jordan analytics comparison against LeBron you’ll be shocked at how poor LeBron is in the clutch

Pat Riley (?) said that if he needed a basket to win the game? Michael Jordan. If he needed a basket to save his life? Larry Bird, all day long.