The 1992 Dream Team documentary is a good one, up there with Courtship of Rivals in terms of being longer but well done enough to keep it interesting. Oh, and tune Wuando into the Bird is the Word video!
Larry was the man and everyone knew it. They didn't all want to admit it. Some of them won't admit it to this day but they know. They just won't say so
Love Bird! Watching him play is like getting a master class on basketball. He has that rare ability to stay calm and wait half a beat for the other guy to make the wrong move.
Bird was rookie of the year and MVP 3 years in a row. Even after a severe back injury. He once hit the floor so hard it broke his jaw but he finished the game.
I got to the Boston area in 1980. I was a big LA Laker (Wilt) and Portland Trailblazers (Walton) fan. Didn't follow much college games. My local cable company showed the Boston Celtics games. The announcers kept talking about this rookie named Bird. Who's Bird? After a few weeks of watching him, I couldn't wait for the next Celtics. A lot of younger people might think about him being a good 3 pointer shooter or a decent passer. His game was so much more. One thing that I remember was if the other team scored, Bird tried to quickly take the ball out of bounds and fire it down court to an open teammate. Who's high fiving each other now? In the 1988-89 season, Bird had to sit out because of foot problems. The next year when he returned, Kevin McHale said something to the affect that he forgot how good basketball could be.
I recently watched a few of Bird's college games. To my surprise, he was ALREADY doing all that crazy shit that can be seen in his NBA highlight reels -- the off-balance, long-distance shots, the touch passes, behind the head passes, no-look over-the-shoulder shovel passes, etc... This guy came into the NBA as a fully-formed master of the game.
He messed up his shooting hand between just before he turned pro. It's possible he was a better shot in college. Another thing was the three point line was a new thing.
Yeah, Larry was cold. I remembered when I first watched film on him and I was shocked. He's like Dirk Nowitzki on steroids or a souped-up version of what Nowitzki wish he could have been.
At 11:11, the game winner against Detroit - when Bird saw who was guarding him (Kent Benson) he asked Isaiah Thomas if they were serious and said he's got no shot at stopping him. And Bird HATED Kent Benson - back in college when Bird first went to play at the University of Indiana, Kent Benson was the big star there and he treated Bird badly. Bird left Indiana and eventually went to play at the much smaller Indiana State but he never forgot about Benson.
I was so Lucky growing up watching Larry Bird. And he would literally do something so remarkable that you wanted to go out after the game and Practice the same moves. Larry Bird would tell the other team what he was going to do and then he does it. He did Everything hustle and hard work with using both hands.
At the 15.00 min mark, Bird steals an inbound pass without looking at the pass. This shows his court IQ, Bird knew there was an inbound pass coming, and that there were only 2 players that it could go to. You can see bird look back at the other player who was not facing the inbound ball, then he looks at the other guy, who was looking directly at where the ball was being inbounded from. He then realized that the guy was on his right, which meant the ball had to come in from his left hand. Since most passes are chest level, he extended his left arm, knocking the ball down, after that it was over.
I've seen him with 4 opponents around him and him refusing to pass the ball. Sometimes he had to prove that 4 people couldn't do that job. I'm pretty sure that's not legal. Back then players did a lot more illegal things on the court.
There is no one playing today that is as electrifying to watch as Bird. He’s my number one favorite player and no one else comes close. Thanks for all the props you give to him. More fans need to learn about how truly great he was. They have no clue.
Clutch isn't just making 1 shot. It's the 4th quarter and Bird just hit 2 in a row. Game over. When he gets in a zone, nobody can stop him. This is what gave opponents nightmares about Bird.
Completely unrelated to Bird, but all of these songs were radio songs, long before they were in cartoons… Decades before, including before me, and I’m 50.
That's the best highlight video of Bird I've seen yet. Bird is just in a class all by himself. If anyone could do everything Bird did they couldn't have done it with the injuries he played with and that's why I say Bird stands alone. He was crazy great. I appreciate your respect for Bird young man. Thanks for sharing this.
Before there was Jordan or Mamba mentality!! Bro! There was BIRD MENTALITY, REAL LANGUAGE The only thing that stop him was back issues! Yezzir! Bird was the truth, my guy! Im a MJ fan, but i can truly say in regards to Bird... Wherever you have Bird on your all-time list. He's undoubtedly higher! The guy was a 2way MONSTER, REAL LANGUAGE FAM!! Lot of people don't know Jordan and Bird were close. Bird played a huge role in molding MJ! MUCH RESPECT TO GREAT LARRY BIRD BRO 💯
I watched Bird through his career. Lucky enough to see him play twice against the Suns. Ive seen him in games shoot around 11 last second shots to tie or win games. He hit 8 of them. I think about 4 3s. Ive seen video of another 8, hitting 7, 3 3s. So, Ive seen 19 and he hit 15, including 7 threes. The shots he missed included the one in the finals, the one he missed in that epic game with Jordan, a game in 84 against the 76rs, and I cant remember the others. Imbsure therevare more.
When John stockman was a rookie he walked past Utah bench and said I feel like 43. After 3 rd . He checked himself out at 43 points. Stockton said that’s impressive!
And all the NBA players he played against will remember how The Bird would tell them exactly what he was gonna do, call where he would shoot from and then DO IT. Larry was a true Indiana born and raised talent!!
I gotta ask bro. This video showed his true talent. Do you see now why it was so hard for anyone to bring bird the business. It’s because he had the answer for whatever you were gonna try to do to win the game. Him with those teamates he had were and organized team of assassins that wre after the nba championship and would do the craziest things to make sure they would get it. They were the trained guard dogs who made sure if anyone else ever won, then they had to anything they could to beat them. These aren’t the dogs who go down easy. Larry made sure whoever won the championship, earned it.
Bird would wipe the floor with LaBron (he deserves it) and most NBA players of today. Larry was a team player, for sure, but what I mean is that he knew where his team members were, and he passed the ball like it was on rails. At least one game he had 60 points. In another, he had a bad fall, went to the locker room, but came back and played with a fractured cheekbone, which hurts with every step you take. He's the GOAT. Even Michael Jordan thinks so.
Larry Bird would shoot 500 jump shots every morning before school and wouldn't quit until he hit 99 free throws in a row. I don't care for basketball much, but his work ethic was unmatched.
I have been a Boston Celtics fan since I was eight years old in 1960 the Boston Celtics drafted John Havlicek and he became my all-time favorite player but not to sound too partial I have to say the Larry bird pound for pound is the greatest basketball player I have ever seen!!!! Talk about someone they gave you 101% every time!!! Just ask Magic Johnson he says Larry Bird is the greatest basketball player he ever saw and played against!!!
“He might be a plumber” first off, don’t disrespect plumbers, second, that’s Quinn Buckner, high school state champion, ncaa championship with an undefeated season, in the same year won the gold in the Olympics and has an nba championship. He might not be a household name, and he clearly wasn’t the star of the Celtics teams in the 80s but he deserves some respect
Larry Bird is the GOAT. Not MJ. And the following is true about Larry Bird. Larry birds timeframe played 13 seasons in the NBA and what is impressive Larry missed nearly an entire season for bone spurs in his heels and played just 105 games in his last two campaigns due to his bad back. Those last two NBA seasons, 1990-91 and 91-92, were painful to watch, as Bird had to lie on the floor at times to ease the tension on his aching back. Years later, doctors explained the lengths they had to go to just to get Larry Legend on the court, and after hearing that, you won’t believe just how painful the whole situation was for him. Larry Bird infamously hurt his back doing something perfectly on-brand for the humble Celtics superstar, building a driveway for his mother by himself in 1985. And while the back injury affected him for the last seven seasons of his career, it truly became a problem starting in 1988. By the 1990s, Bird “had lost the structural stability of his spine,” according to his orthopedic therapist, Dan Dyrek. “It would slip into abnormal positions to try and lock itself to get an artificial stability.” The pain for the Celtics star was intense. Dyrek compares his spinal issues to “getting your finger stuck in a door, and somebody’s still pushing on the door.” Despite the pain, Bird did whatever he could to play, even while wondering whether he was doing long-term damage that would affect his quality of life in retirement. But he did it because, as he learned from his father years before, “If you get paid to go to work, you gotta go to work.” So, during the last two years of Bird’s career, Dyrek and his counterparts would go to extreme measures to get Bird on the court. “What we had to do was unlock his spine, realign it, [and] do techniques that would hold that for four hours, six hours, that type of thing, and then he’d go play basketball,” Dyrek explained. And while Larry Bird now admits he “probably should have retired in ’88, ’89,” he says the competition and hopes of one more NBA Finals showdown with Magic Johnson kept him going. www.sportscasting.com/larry-bird-doctors-unlock-spine-before-games-end-career/ and Larry Bird injured his shooting hand in a bar fight during the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals www.sportscasting.com/larry-bird-involvement-bar-fight-cost-celtics-1985-nba-finals/ which shows how much heart, love and dedication Larry had for the game. And There will never ever be a player like Larry Bird again. What an insult to Larry bird, His legacy, His accomplishments and the pain he endured and still did all that he did. How a person handles Adversity and other intangibles are part of what makes greatness. And watch these two video's th-cam.com/video/NegTAHIWF70/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/kXNLtXUTRYY/w-d-xo.html
Excellent comment. I just watched a video with his high school coach telling about Bird breaking his ankle in two places and tore the ligaments in the beginning of the season. Coach said he still never missed a practice. Bird stands alone. There will never be anyone comparable. And the fact he didn't take pain killers or shots shows he knew the value of keeping a clear head. Just amazing.
MJ is the GOAT athletically, but IQ-wise Bird was able to do so many things offensively and defensively (without being fast, or able to soar like MJ), that he is the GOAT as an all-around basketball player/coach/executive. He never used the 3-point line until he hit the pros, and only averaged about 3 per game, but he used it so strategically to be the winning shot. Still, he averaged about 24 points per game, 10 boards per game, 6 assists per game, and 2 steals per game. He was the MVP 3 years IN A ROW; he WON THE FIRST THREE 3-point contests (I think Curry has lost it 5 of 7 times, but he is supposed to be the best?). BTW, Bird only did it for those 3 years so he retired the undefeated champion. He was the FIRST player to become a member of the 50-40-90 club, and he is only one of 3 who has done it multiple times, by doing it the first 2 years IN A ROW. He was Rookie of the Year; NBA All-Star 12 of his 13 years, All-Star game MVP in his third year; All-NBA First Team his first 9 SEASONS IN A ROW; All-Defensive Second Team 3 YEARS IN A ROW. The season after he won his third 3-point contest and his second 50-40-90 accomplishment, he was only able to play in six games due to Achilles tendon surgery on both heels, and he retired three years later with severe back problems. So severe, that he needed to lie on the floor when he wasn't in the game, and sometimes could barely put his uniform on. Funny how he has done so many things consecutively. Bird was the Coach of the Year with the Indiana Pacers, and Executive of the Year, as well. So, I'd say Larry Bird is THE GOAT OF BASKETBALL! Please, don't anyone take offense to anything. I'm just an old lady from Southern Indiana who is also an alum of Indiana State University Sycamores where Larry Bird starred, and was Player of the Year. I may be a little biased, but I have a very good argument to back it up.
one of my favorite moments was from that era was the 1992 Olympics USA Dream Team The first ten players for the team were selected on September 21, 1991: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, and Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers.[16] On May 12, 1992, Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers was chosen over Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons for the final professional roster spot.[8] As an acknowledgment to the previous amateur system, the U.S. basketball committee decided to include one collegiate player on the team:[17][18] Christian Laettner of Duke University was added on May 12, 1992, chosen over Louisiana State University's Shaquille O'Neal.[19]
What is weird..is I was always a Wilt Chamberlain fan..he played at Kansas…KU..and when he was in Philly…they could never get past Russell and Boston..I am from Kansas and the man who invented basketball, James Naismith, was their first coach..and is buried there in Lawrence with his wife(1939)..and the Ten Rules of Basketball..are behind glass in a building beside Allen Field House..and when Wilt joined the Lakers..with a talented cast..he won and in the ‘71-‘72 season..the Lakers won 33 straight…to set the all time recorded…after Wilt retired..at the end of the 70’s Bird arrived and he became my go to guy..along with Wilt and Bill Russell..he won 3 straight MVP’s and in the playoffs…beat Jordan every time..who did not win a ring til Bird retired..
I believe the air ball was meant to be a catch dunk in by the guy that rebounded instead...When Bird was ask what he thought about Pistol Pete Maravich...Bird said Pete was the best shooter and ball handler he ever saw...Almost every move that today's players act like it's their own got it from The Pistol...
Ok, do you see Jason Williams game in here? Do you think this is where he got inspired and maybe even never knew? JW didnt score like Bird, but pistol Pete is evident in both their games
LMAO listening to you with the and ones. Most of those plays no foul was called. That's just the way the game was then. Good hard down n dirty hoops. Now they call a foul if someone sneezes when a guy goes by them.
Maybe I'm being bias cuz I was born in 63 and lived in Boston my entire life but I have Bird at #1 best all-around player ever to play the game. Most exciting Celtic years ever! 79-92
What y’all want to see next?!?
The 1992 Dream Team documentary is a good one, up there with Courtship of Rivals in terms of being longer but well done enough to keep it interesting.
Oh, and tune Wuando into the Bird is the Word video!
Wilt Chamberlain Nobody Loves Goliath and Len Marvellous Bias
Wilt Chamberlain Ridiculous Statlines of His Career
Do a reaction vid for 1 of Bird's greatest rivals, the underrated legend Paul Pressey 🙏🏿
Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time (Re-edit w/ New Footage) was this basketball or football dafaq
I've been watching Bird highlights for months and hadn't seen this. Formidable player!
Birdman had great vision and knew where everyone was on the court even in motion.There has not ever been anyone like him since.
This is why we are such loyal fans ! He brought it every time he hit the floor.
Larry was the man and everyone knew it. They didn't all want to admit it. Some of them won't admit it to this day but they know. They just won't say so
10:00 Haha would you look at that! Have you ever seen someone score this way before? Bending their neck backwards and guiding it into the hoop.
Love Bird! Watching him play is like getting a master class on basketball. He has that rare ability to stay calm and wait half a beat for the other guy to make the wrong move.
Fun fact about 1:14
The reason bird didnt take that shot immediately is because he was litterally shouting at detroit "HEY, WHOS GUARDING ME?" 😂😂
MR.Bird in his Day from 1979 Draft. 1979 Boston till 1992 There will NEVER BE ANOUTHER LARRY BIRD.......
Bird was rookie of the year and MVP 3 years in a row. Even after a severe back injury. He once hit the floor so hard it broke his jaw but he finished the game.
Bird was just different. He truly was a special player and teammate. He made everyone on the floor play better.
You had to step up to play with him or against him. Manning up was a requirement. Step up to the plate. Go big or go home.
You certainly had to be ready for his passes. @@donolinger6904
Exactly!
I got to the Boston area in 1980. I was a big LA Laker (Wilt) and Portland Trailblazers (Walton) fan. Didn't follow much college games. My local cable company showed the Boston Celtics games. The announcers kept talking about this rookie named Bird. Who's Bird?
After a few weeks of watching him, I couldn't wait for the next Celtics. A lot of younger people might think about him being a good 3 pointer shooter or a decent passer. His game was so much more. One thing that I remember was if the other team scored, Bird tried to quickly take the ball out of bounds and fire it down court to an open teammate. Who's high fiving each other now?
In the 1988-89 season, Bird had to sit out because of foot problems. The next year when he returned, Kevin McHale said something to the affect that he forgot how good basketball could be.
I recently watched a few of Bird's college games. To my surprise, he was ALREADY doing all that crazy shit that can be seen in his NBA highlight reels -- the off-balance, long-distance shots, the touch passes, behind the head passes, no-look over-the-shoulder shovel passes, etc... This guy came into the NBA as a fully-formed master of the game.
He messed up his shooting hand between just before he turned pro. It's possible he was a better shot in college. Another thing was the three point line was a new thing.
When you pair his highlights with the trash talking stories, you quickly realize he’s a true legend.
Yeah, Larry was cold. I remembered when I first watched film on him and I was shocked. He's like Dirk Nowitzki on steroids or a souped-up version of what Nowitzki wish he could have been.
I’ve never seen this one. This one’s great thanks.
That was a fun watch. Thanks!!!
At 11:11, the game winner against Detroit - when Bird saw who was guarding him (Kent Benson) he asked Isaiah Thomas if they were serious and said he's got no shot at stopping him. And Bird HATED Kent Benson - back in college when Bird first went to play at the University of Indiana, Kent Benson was the big star there and he treated Bird badly. Bird left Indiana and eventually went to play at the much smaller Indiana State but he never forgot about Benson.
I was so Lucky growing up watching Larry Bird. And he would literally do something so remarkable that you wanted to go out after the game and Practice the same moves. Larry Bird would tell the other team what he was going to do and then he does it. He did Everything hustle and hard work with using both hands.
Larry and McHale one the best combo shooters duos in the NBA.
At the 15.00 min mark, Bird steals an inbound pass without looking at the pass. This shows his court IQ, Bird knew there was an inbound pass coming, and that there were only 2 players that it could go to. You can see bird look back at the other player who was not facing the inbound ball, then he looks at the other guy, who was looking directly at where the ball was being inbounded from. He then realized that the guy was on his right, which meant the ball had to come in from his left hand. Since most passes are chest level, he extended his left arm, knocking the ball down, after that it was over.
The guy was literally unguardable. And if you doubled him, he would find the open man with a perfect dime.
I've seen him with 4 opponents around him and him refusing to pass the ball. Sometimes he had to prove that 4 people couldn't do that job. I'm pretty sure that's not legal. Back then players did a lot more illegal things on the court.
There is no one playing today that is as electrifying to watch as Bird. He’s my number one favorite player and no one else comes close. Thanks for all the props you give to him. More fans need to learn about how truly great he was. They have no clue.
he has a whole highlight reel of those full-court assists--he would do about one of those a night.
I have seen alot of tape on
Bird,but this was all very new to me nice job.
Clutch isn't just making 1 shot. It's the 4th quarter and Bird just hit 2 in a row. Game over. When he gets in a zone, nobody can stop him. This is what gave opponents nightmares about Bird.
Completely unrelated to Bird, but all of these songs were radio songs, long before they were in cartoons… Decades before, including before me, and I’m 50.
My uncle used to play the song Wipeout by the Ventures when I was a child , and we went to visit last year and he's still playing it
That's the best highlight video of Bird I've seen yet. Bird is just in a class all by himself. If anyone could do everything Bird did they couldn't have done it with the injuries he played with and that's why I say Bird stands alone. He was crazy great. I appreciate your respect for Bird young man. Thanks for sharing this.
True.
Never saw this one. It was great. Thanks!
Maybe the best bird video ive seen WHAO !
I appreciate your knowledge of the game, well done.
😁 Thank you! I love this video. 15 minutes worth of great highlights! (and it could have included so many more.)
And such a broad variety.
Bird knew where each player was on the court and he was a team player. He didn’t hog the ball
i think it was Pat Rielly that said if the game was on the line, he'd want MJ to shoot it, if his life was in the line, he's want Larry
8:17 my man pulled the space jam double wrap around the rim, before space jam, in an actual game.
Crazy thing is he took Indiana State to the NCAA Championship game. I've never heard of them.
I know this larrys home court but the fans love him😊😊😊.
Songs: Bird is the Word by the Trashmen, Miserlou by Dick Dale, Wipeout by the Surfaris, Stranglehold by Ted Nugent
I dont EVER want to hear another person refer to Bird as, “ unathletic.” The shit he is doing is pure athleticism…not to mention an IQ off the charts.
Before there was Jordan or Mamba mentality!! Bro! There was BIRD MENTALITY, REAL LANGUAGE The only thing that stop him was back issues!
Yezzir! Bird was the truth, my guy! Im a MJ fan, but i can truly say in regards to Bird... Wherever you have Bird on your all-time list. He's undoubtedly higher! The guy was a 2way MONSTER, REAL LANGUAGE FAM!! Lot of people don't know Jordan and Bird were close. Bird played a huge role in molding MJ! MUCH RESPECT TO GREAT LARRY BIRD BRO 💯
Truth
@8:18 that ball circling the rim is epic!
YA THAT was just BEAUTIFUL'
Isn't it tho? 😁
I watched Bird through his career. Lucky enough to see him play twice against the Suns. Ive seen him in games shoot around 11 last second shots to tie or win games. He hit 8 of them. I think about 4 3s. Ive seen video of another 8, hitting 7, 3 3s. So, Ive seen 19 and he hit 15, including 7 threes. The shots he missed included the one in the finals, the one he missed in that epic game with Jordan, a game in 84 against the 76rs, and I cant remember the others. Imbsure therevare more.
When John stockman was a rookie he walked past Utah bench and said I feel like 43. After 3 rd . He checked himself out at 43 points. Stockton said that’s impressive!
And all the NBA players he played against will remember how The Bird would tell them exactly what he was gonna do, call where he would shoot from and then DO IT. Larry was a true Indiana born and raised talent!!
Larry bird
The only man ever to play basketball, football, volleyball, be in the ufc and wwe
And the worst is, he did all that in the nba 😂
I gotta ask bro. This video showed his true talent. Do you see now why it was so hard for anyone to bring bird the business. It’s because he had the answer for whatever you were gonna try to do to win the game. Him with those teamates he had were and organized team of assassins that wre after the nba championship and would do the craziest things to make sure they would get it. They were the trained guard dogs who made sure if anyone else ever won, then they had to anything they could to beat them. These aren’t the dogs who go down easy. Larry made sure whoever won the championship, earned it.
Every game with Bird, Magic and Michael was a highlight reel.
Bird was a G on the court
Surfin bird is not "from Family Guy." It was a novelty song on the radio in the early 60s.
Larry Bird just gets shit DONE.
Bird would wipe the floor with LaBron (he deserves it) and most NBA players of today. Larry was a team player, for sure, but what I mean is that he knew where his team members were, and he passed the ball like it was on rails. At least one game he had 60 points. In another, he had a bad fall, went to the locker room, but came back and played with a fractured cheekbone, which hurts with every step you take. He's the GOAT. Even Michael Jordan thinks so.
Definitely the GOAT
Larry Bird would shoot 500 jump shots every morning before school and wouldn't quit until he hit 99 free throws in a row. I don't care for basketball much, but his work ethic was unmatched.
I have been a Boston Celtics fan since I was eight years old in 1960 the Boston Celtics drafted John Havlicek and he became my all-time favorite player but not to sound too partial I have to say the Larry bird pound for pound is the greatest basketball player I have ever seen!!!! Talk about someone they gave you 101% every time!!! Just ask Magic Johnson he says Larry Bird is the greatest basketball player he ever saw and played against!!!
After Bird pump faked in mid air..."I thought Larry Bird was about to shoot that, I was about to turn the video off."🤣
The Bird IS the word ! Love it ! Noyhjng but net is called string music
If you ever needed someone to take the last shot to win a game everyone agrees you give it to Larry bird!!!
@14:57 you hit the nail on the head. It wasn't Birds "IQ" that made him great, it was his instincts!
The only GOAT
Great vid super reaction, you didn't talk over the whole video, great work.
WOW... That was AWESOME Q...
Anybody checking out Bird needs to watch this.
Larry was a team player. He didn’t hog the ball
I had to come back and watch again!
Today's player make the easy plays look hard, Larry made the hard plays look easy.
Bird the GOAT
Larry Bird said the funniest line - NBA league. Must watch
“He might be a plumber” first off, don’t disrespect plumbers, second, that’s Quinn Buckner, high school state champion, ncaa championship with an undefeated season, in the same year won the gold in the Olympics and has an nba championship. He might not be a household name, and he clearly wasn’t the star of the Celtics teams in the 80s but he deserves some respect
Dirk was one of Larry's favorite players
I’ve never seen this video. So good
Larry Bird is the GOAT. Not MJ.
And the following is true about Larry Bird.
Larry birds timeframe played 13 seasons in the NBA and what is impressive
Larry missed nearly an entire season for bone spurs in his heels and played just 105 games in his last two campaigns due to his bad back.
Those last two NBA seasons, 1990-91 and 91-92, were painful to watch, as Bird had to lie on the floor at times to ease the tension on his aching back. Years later, doctors explained the lengths they had to go to just to get Larry Legend on the court, and after hearing that, you won’t believe just how painful the whole situation was for him. Larry Bird infamously hurt his back doing something perfectly on-brand for the humble Celtics superstar, building a driveway for his mother by himself in 1985. And while the back injury affected him for the last seven seasons of his career, it truly became a problem starting in 1988. By the 1990s, Bird “had lost the structural stability of his spine,” according to his orthopedic therapist, Dan Dyrek. “It would slip into abnormal positions to try and lock itself to get an artificial stability.”
The pain for the Celtics star was intense. Dyrek compares his spinal issues to “getting your finger stuck in a door, and somebody’s still pushing on the door.”
Despite the pain, Bird did whatever he could to play, even while wondering whether he was doing long-term damage that would affect his quality of life in retirement. But he did it because, as he learned from his father years before, “If you get paid to go to work, you gotta go to work.” So, during the last two years of Bird’s career, Dyrek and his counterparts would go to extreme measures to get Bird on the court.
“What we had to do was unlock his spine, realign it, [and] do techniques that would hold that for four hours, six hours, that type of thing, and then he’d go play basketball,” Dyrek explained.
And while Larry Bird now admits he “probably should have retired in ’88, ’89,” he says the competition and hopes of one more NBA Finals showdown with Magic Johnson kept him going.
www.sportscasting.com/larry-bird-doctors-unlock-spine-before-games-end-career/
and Larry Bird injured his shooting hand in a bar fight during the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals
www.sportscasting.com/larry-bird-involvement-bar-fight-cost-celtics-1985-nba-finals/
which shows how much heart, love and dedication Larry had for the game.
And There will never ever be a player like Larry Bird again. What an insult to Larry bird, His legacy, His accomplishments and the pain he endured and still did all that he did. How a person handles Adversity and other intangibles are part of what makes greatness.
And watch these two video's
th-cam.com/video/NegTAHIWF70/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/kXNLtXUTRYY/w-d-xo.html
Excellent comment. I just watched a video with his high school coach telling about Bird breaking his ankle in two places and tore the ligaments in the beginning of the season. Coach said he still never missed a practice. Bird stands alone. There will never be anyone comparable. And the fact he didn't take pain killers or shots shows he knew the value of keeping a clear head. Just amazing.
Bird is THE GOAT.
If you want to see something insane, watch that man perform "Bird Is The Word."
Yep Larry Bird is my #1... My top 5 is Bird Magic Kareem Jordan James
MJ is the GOAT athletically, but IQ-wise Bird was able to do so many things offensively and defensively (without being fast, or able to soar like MJ), that he is the GOAT as an all-around basketball player/coach/executive. He never used the 3-point line until he hit the pros, and only averaged about 3 per game, but he used it so strategically to be the winning shot. Still, he averaged about 24 points per game, 10 boards per game, 6 assists per game, and 2 steals per game. He was the MVP 3 years IN A ROW; he WON THE FIRST THREE 3-point contests (I think Curry has lost it 5 of 7 times, but he is supposed to be the best?). BTW, Bird only did it for those 3 years so he retired the undefeated champion. He was the FIRST player to become a member of the 50-40-90 club, and he is only one of 3 who has done it multiple times, by doing it the first 2 years IN A ROW.
He was Rookie of the Year; NBA All-Star 12 of his 13 years, All-Star game MVP in his third year; All-NBA First Team his first 9 SEASONS IN A ROW; All-Defensive Second Team 3 YEARS IN A ROW.
The season after he won his third 3-point contest and his second 50-40-90 accomplishment, he was only able to play in six games due to Achilles tendon surgery on both heels, and he retired three years later with severe back problems. So severe, that he needed to lie on the floor when he wasn't in the game, and sometimes could barely put his uniform on.
Funny how he has done so many things consecutively.
Bird was the Coach of the Year with the Indiana Pacers, and Executive of the Year, as well.
So, I'd say Larry Bird is THE GOAT OF BASKETBALL!
Please, don't anyone take offense to anything. I'm just an old lady from Southern Indiana who is also an alum of Indiana State University Sycamores where Larry Bird starred, and was Player of the Year. I may be a little biased, but I have a very good argument to back it up.
Agreed
I know one thing the whole team would be suspended with todays rules
This song was about Larry Bird 🤯
No, but there IS a song about Larry Bird. It was written/performed during his time in college. _Indiana Has A New State Bird_
85% game / 15% athletic ability. Plus playing for a team, not for him🎉
Highlights don't do LB justice.
one of my favorite moments was from that era was the 1992 Olympics USA Dream Team
The first ten players for the team were selected on September 21, 1991: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen of the Chicago Bulls, John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz, Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers, Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, and Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers.[16] On May 12, 1992, Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers was chosen over Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons for the final professional roster spot.[8] As an acknowledgment to the previous amateur system, the U.S. basketball committee decided to include one collegiate player on the team:[17][18] Christian Laettner of Duke University was added on May 12, 1992, chosen over Louisiana State University's Shaquille O'Neal.[19]
What is weird..is I was always a Wilt Chamberlain fan..he played at Kansas…KU..and when he was in Philly…they could never get past Russell and Boston..I am from Kansas and the man who invented basketball, James Naismith, was their first coach..and is buried there in Lawrence with his wife(1939)..and the Ten Rules of Basketball..are behind glass in a building beside Allen Field House..and when Wilt joined the Lakers..with a talented cast..he won and in the ‘71-‘72 season..the Lakers won 33 straight…to set the all time recorded…after Wilt retired..at the end of the 70’s Bird arrived and he became my go to guy..along with Wilt and Bill Russell..he won 3 straight MVP’s and in the playoffs…beat Jordan every time..who did not win a ring til Bird retired..
And he ain't shooting over some chumps....
3:39 Quinn Buckner was not a great NBA player but he was hardly a plumber
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinn_Buckner
This song isn't from family guy, it's from the 50's
I think MJ would agree with you.
I believe the air ball was meant to be a catch dunk in by the guy that rebounded instead...When Bird was ask what he thought about Pistol Pete Maravich...Bird said Pete was the best shooter and ball handler he ever saw...Almost every move that today's players act like it's their own got it from The Pistol...
Ok, do you see Jason Williams game in here? Do you think this is where he got inspired and maybe even never knew? JW didnt score like Bird, but pistol Pete is evident in both their games
LMAO listening to you with the and ones. Most of those plays no foul was called. That's just the way the game was then. Good hard down n dirty hoops. Now they call a foul if someone sneezes when a guy goes by them.
Also watch a video on Kevin McHale. Guys couldn't defend him. He had the best moves under the basket. He would twist guys in knots.
Thanks for the fun
I choose bird over bron.
pretty impressive, the knowledge you have.
I'm surprised they didn't show the shot where he was flying out of bounds, but made the shot OVER the backboard from behind.
Good vd-good job
MJ had the dunks , But bird had the rest.
Maybe I'm being bias cuz I was born in 63 and lived in Boston my entire life but I have Bird at #1 best all-around player ever to play the game. Most exciting Celtic years ever! 79-92
Larry was 6’9”…he wasn’t small.
Most players say he was a legit 6’10”…..probably nine and a half.
That song is probably older than you are
But ain't these "old school" clips dope as "Hell", yes they are...
I think that only Laimbeer brought out that side of bird lol ❤
Bird was like Luca on that pill from Limitless. And yes I know Luca's stats are better. Bird could score 12 and completely dominate a game.
You listen some good music!!
❤