I love watching Bird at this point in his career - by the late 80s, before the back problems, he had figured out 4-5 ways to score which involved minimal effort and which he could just hit up all night long- the result were these sort of 40pt games where it looks like he's barely even awake or trying. But what I love about these clips is how bird's positioning changes when the bulls switch Jordan onto him to try and stop the perimeter scoring- immediately Bird starts taking MJ into the low post where his height and strength can overpower him, and after a few easy scores Chicago have to switch back to taller defenders who can't stop birds perimeter shot. I think it's no coincidence Jordan worked so hard to develop a lethal mid range jumper and strong low post game in the late 80s- he saw what Bird used to do to teams and realized that if he added those skills he'd be unstoppable.
This video should be required viewing for anyone who wants to argue that Bird shouldn't even be in the conversation for "best ever". It's sad that some people think that Bird was just some hype. Bird was a monster. In every phase of the game.
Thanks for the stats in the description. They confirm what I have come to believe over time that Larry Bird was truly the greatest over all basketball player ever, all things considered.
@mikjord Bird was compared to Dr J his rookie year and without Bird on the team and nearly the exact same team, they were the 2nd worst team in the NBA in 79. Bird's team had the best record in the NBA his rookie year without Parish, McHale, DJ, Ainge and Walton. It's all about who was the better team player.
Exacterly. Playground ball, with its emphasis on standout players instead of team play, really took bball in a bad direction imo. Team sports need to remain team sports & all this glorification of one supreme player is detrimental to the whole sport as far as I’m concerned.
They were but, still Bulls ruled 90's. I agree, though, Boston, LA had to contend with strong teams in Philly, San Anton, Detroit and Milwaukee. Denver and Portland weren't bad at all, either.
+trha2222 Meh, the greatness of the 80's is overstated. Sure, the Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, and (later) Pistons were great, but the quality falls off the cliff after that. That Knicks team the Celtics beat to get to the 84 Finals was a joke, for example. Ewing's Knicks were easily better.
+Spitshine Tommy Sure. You did name the truly outstanding teams. Others were next level, simply good. Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Milwaukee. Still, it was the most competitive era with more powerhouses than any other era.
The early 90s was good with mj's bulls ruling, pistons and lakers were still relevant the first few years, blazers was stacked, the cavs was stacked too, philly with charles, phoenix was good, utah was good, spurs with robinson, the warriors are pretty good, the knicks had ewing. The 90s had more parity compared to 80s juggernauts like the lakers, celtics, philly(early 80s),pistons(late 80s) and there's a few good teams like the bucks, hawks, nuggets, rockets and blazers then the rest are bad teams. You won't win in the 80s when guys like Ben Pouquette and Brad Sellers is starting on your team and playing big minutes.
@mikjord The Lakers were a winning organization when Magic came there, the Celtics were not, they were in a hole, they were the 2nd worst team in the NBA in 79 and only won 32 games in 78, nice try though to downplay Bird's impact on the Celtics. When Bird left the Celtics, they went back to their losing ways, the 12 years Bird played on the Celtics, they averaged 59 wins per year. The 12 years after he retired, they averaged 33 wins per year, 25 wins, that's how valuable Bird was.
Another great post, thanks fatal! Love when MJ decides he's going to guard Bird and shut him down - WRONG!! Bird wisely uses his height and weight to post and abuse MJ. Many forget what great moves Bird had in the post using his left hand because his all around game was superior to anyone else's. Look at the shooting and the beautiful passes setting up his teammates. Great video just to show MJ was not a god, just human.
Does anyone else realize that bird is playing with the bench. McHale is playing with a broken foot, Parrish is down with a high ankle sprain, and Walton in done for the season. So how is Bird playing all hof's?
@THE Rattler The "stacked team" argument all of you ignorant Bird detractors still attempt to use in 2019 was debunked YEARS ago. But I guess they only wake you up for the "important" meetings. Indiana State? Bird took an undefeated 33-0 team full of scrubs to the NCAA Finals in 1979. His rookie year he ALONE took one of the worst Celtics teams in history from the previous year to a 1st place record. A team that posted a RECORD +32 win differential. NO Mchale, NO Parrish, NO DJ, NO Ainge. NO semblance of a decent bench! DJ, Mchale and Parrish are ALL on record stating that they wouldn't be ANYWHERE NEAR the HOF Players they turned out to be without Bird's BB IQ, his toughness, his leadership skills, his selflessness and his UNMATCHED ability to make them all BETTER players. And unlike the bullshit FABRICATED SUPER TEAMS that were formed in today's NBA era? Lebron? KD? We're ALL lookin right at ya! That great Celtics team was formed organically...all due to Red Auerbach's brilliance! Not because some pussy ass BETA MALE BITCHES were so incredibly mentally weak that they decided to sign with FABRICATED Super Teams just so they could easily win chips. LOL. Larry Bird is a TOP 3 player of all time. Get the fuck over it and maybe do some more homework about the man. Or don't...and continue to post your dumbass opinions.
@THE Rattler Wow...uh re-reading my comment I don't really see how you could have felt any kind of insulted by anything I said. That said...I'll never apologize to a person that reeks of being overly sensitive. Anyways... Your arguments attempting to deny the importance of Larry Bird's impact on his ISU team and his Celtic's teammates aren't very objective because you don't realize that solely using stats isn't nearly enough to make your argument valid. How much you attempt to denounce the incredible impact Bird had on his Celtics teammates and ignorantly inflate the relevance of his teammates' individual successes and stats during Bird's injuries or AFTER playing with Bird? Pretty glaring holes there. You're allowing your obvious negative bias towards Larry Bird attempt to strengthen your narrative by choosing to not objectively tell the whole story. Let's start with Bird's incredible impact he had playing the 3 years at Indiana State. Some of the stats you posted....I guess you didn't realize how much they really WEAKEN your argument.. You attempting to debate that ISU posting a 16-11 record the year after Bird left as being some kind of positive achievement is beyond head shaking to say the least. Let's get back to you completely over inflating the talent and impact of Carl Nicks in college and in the NBA. Which teammate do you think helped Carl Nicks drastically improve his college game the most? Hmmm....I wonder. Nicks went from averaging 2.2 pts, 1.1 rpg and a .370 fga a game in 76/77 to 19.3 pts, 2.2 rpg and a .464 fga a game in 78/79. How could his game have possibly improved THAT much over 1 season? Could his sudden drastic improvement have possibly happened because Larry Bird was one of his teammates? Hmmm....The same Larry Bird? The incredibly selfless unbelievably talented basketball mind that was known throughout his HOF career for being THE BEST EVER at making ALL of his teammates greater players? And Nick's posting even BETTER numbers IN 79/80 after Bird left strengthens MY argument a lot more than yours. That goes for EVERY SINGLE ONE of his Celtics teammates as well. You not adding ANY KIND of weight to Bird's impact on his teammates improving and posting better stats AFTER playing with Bird? But this is last I'm going to use stats (Even though I posted 2 well known stats In my previous comment. I didn't think I'd also have to explain that a player's impact cannot be measured by solely using stats!)...so I guess I'll have to explain this now. I'm quite perplexed how you could be so incredibly obtuse enough that you're completely blinded from realizing the. infectious impact of Larry Bird's influence on his teammates. Just how incredibly strong and immeasurable his impact was. It's NOT going to always show up on anyone's stat lines! Every single one of Bird's intangibles were infectious to his teammates... from his high school days playing for Spring Valley High to his last beyond painful, back crippling season playing for the 92 Celtics. His selflessness, his unmatched work ethic, his mental toughness, his leadership, his BB IQ,, the way he meticulously prepared for every single game he played! you're just NOT getting it! He was an INSPIRATION to every teammate that was lucky enough to play with him. Of course some of his teammates would post better stats when he's not on the floor! Because those same teammates year after year became better players BECAUSE of playing with Larry Bird. That's not a solid argument. You can post ALL the stats you want attempting to claim that Larry Bird wasn't as IMPACTFUL as his fans make him out to be. I watched all of it happen...from Bird's ISU day's, from his rookie year til his retirement. You attempting to solely use stats to argue against it shows your lack of understanding just how much Larry Bird's intangibles not only inspired his teammates but also changed the way basketball should be played. There are parts of ANY HOF players' impact that simply cannot be measured by stats alone. What Larry Bird's teammates, his opponents and his coaches have all gone on record explaining just how amazing his impact on the game was will ALWAYS carry more weight than any stat line.
@Barry White Know a lot about basketball, do you? Mchale was unstoppable in the low post...and Parrish has always been underrated....which is to take nothing away from Pippen and Rodman. Pippen I would want on a real basketball team....Rodman and Jordan? Not so much.
@Barry White I've got ( healthy ) Bird at GOAT, followed very closely by Magic and Jordan, but I think I'd trade either Pippen or Rodman for McHale. It's tough as Pippen and Rodman are great, but Jordan-McHale would be very interesting - pass to McHale if double-teamed on the mid-range shot, or triple teamed after penetrating. Parrish for Rodman or Pippen is also worth considering depending on who the other three guys are.
@@ScotchIrishTarheel i was around during the heyday of the 1980s celtics and I can attest that while the Chief was respected, he received far less attention than several other Celtics as well as players below his caliber on other teams.
Bird had MUCH MUCH better teammates, and APG was 6.3. Jordan's was 5.2. Bird was a brilliant passer, but let's not pretend he was Magic Johnson/John Stockton unselfish. He most certainly wasn't.
+Spitshine Tommy Well, maybe since as a forward he didn't handle the ball as much (or as well). But for pure passing, he wasn't far off. If if weren't for excellent distributors in Tiny and then D.J., who knows what his totals may have been.
+Spitshine Tommy Yeah much better teammates especially in this game - I know Greg Kite, Darren Daye etc were future HOF's. Not. In this game Bird's shooting accuracy trumped MJ. And for the rest of the game was no doubt making the plays to get a TEAM win.
Larry Bird could do it all, Shoot, dunk, pass, steal, guard, who the heck started the rumors about his no athletic abilities. Larry Bird was Legendary and that's why he is called "Larry Legend " nobody was better before his injuries, and was still better than most players during his playing his final years.
by far I Am not a celtics fan but the reason they were great is because they were the only NBA team to play real fundamental basketball at the time on both ends of the court especially on defense
86 celtics were too good though unfair for mj who put a valiant effort. Celtics were poetry in motion, they were demolishing everyone with their passing skills . Not even lebron could take even 1 game from them
lol, I must have totally missed the block Bird had on MJ when I did my video a few years back. Very rarely did Bird get his shot blocked, he could see the blind side defenders coming with his great court vision.
You have to listen to McHale interview Bird. McHale asks what was going through Bird’s mind during games. Bird said of course he knew the plays but once he was on the court playing his mind was elsewhere. He said he’d be thinking about what his Grandma was doing that day. Wtf? hey Jordan...while Bird was lighting it up against you and the Bulls Bird may have been thinking of his Grandma’s brownies. Hmmmmmm.....brownies. No joke. This is what the legend said. Someone go tell Jordan Bird was thinking about other things during game time. LOL. It doesn’t get better than this folks.
Bird was better than Jordan...not a dig at Jordan who I think the world of but Bird was better...could do more...did everything...need rebounds against Malone in the finals? No problem - 21 boards...need to score in the 4th to out-duel 'Nique...20 in 4th Celtics win...need 3's...He's $...Need passing...greatest passing forward ever...for me Jordan is a top 3 player...but he was not God...Bird owned him...in his prime Bird was as good or better in almost every category...as far as being winners and clutch and leaders they are 1 and 1 -a...but the common fan thinking Jordan was so much greater than Bird or Magic or Oscar or Wilt...he wasn't...if you put Jordan in Bird's body you get Chris Mullin...if you put Bird in Jordan's you get God. IMO Bird was GOAT...Russell Wilt Jordan LeBron Kareem Oscar West are in the conversation.
I literally don't recall seeing a highlight of Jordan stopping Bird in the post. I'm sure it happened once or twice, but Bird owned Jordan in the post. All these Jordan jockers saying he'd beat him one on one have no clue.
Taller players have the advantage in one-on-one games. All they have to do is back in to the basket and shoot/dunk. As an example, I would take Jabbar over Jordan any time one-on-one.
I don't think Bird fans need any help to "feel good" about him as a player. His career speaks for itself. Had he not injured his back (permanently) in '85, he would've had an even better career. Had Len Bias not died, Bird (and the Celts) would have more than likely won a few more rings. . .Jordan didn't start winning until Bird & Magic, not to mention Detroit were old or retired. He won in a water downed league. He had no other true superstar in their prime to compete against.
The Coach (Collins) just told a story about the time he started Ben Poquette on Larry Bird and Bird took it personally and torched him. From Bill Simmons
@THE Rattler They were HOFers because of Boston team philosophy and Bird being the great team player he was. Look at Parrish numbers before Boston (at Golden State) vs. at Boston. Like someone waved a magic wand over him. Jordan was awesome, no doubt, but he ran the offense through himself more than Bird ever did.
@THE Rattler His field goal percentage which went up by 6%. That's quite substantial. Yes, Auerbach was a basketball genius. Maybe the best ever. Scoring isn't the only metric to go by to determine his performance or contributions.
@THE Rattler Parish's avg. FGP was only 49% at GSW. Those are poor numbers for a 7 foot center. Parish was unheard of before Boston and certainly nobody would have guessed him for the HOF. His scoring efficiency went up tremendously after coming to Boston. McHale was allowed to shine more because he played with team-first Bird who took fewer shots and passed more than most other superstars. Bird could have put up way higher personal numbers but that didn't facilitate winning. Bird wanted to get his teammates scoring because he knew he could get his pretty much any time. Yes, DJ was an excellent player. You have a valid point there. As I'm pretty sure you're aware Bird played for the NCAA finals and he had all no-names for a supporting cast. Magic had two other NBA players in Kelser and Vincent. In Birds first year with Boston he mostly had guys who were past their prime or total has-beens like Archibald, Maravich, Cowens, not much to work with but yet he played for ECF that year.
@THE Rattler I didn't realize Bird had a future pro player with him at ISU - good point on your part (I wasn't downplaying that fact, I just didn't know. Additionally, you are well informed with your arguments) but isn't it common for the tournament of 64 to have future pro players on their teams? That's where large numbers of NBA players come from. For Bird to have one on his team isn't that exceptional, after all, Magic had two playing with him as just one example. Regarding Archibald and Cowens in Bird's first year. They might have still been better than average (although not by much) but I don't think they were at their former HOF levels they had been in their primes. I just learned Tiny missed the whole previous year because of a severe Achilles injury. I have to believe he was nowhere near what he had been in his prime. Cowens relied on his foot speed and quickness to be effective as a center at 6' 9", at 31 he must have been starting to lose those advantages he had over the taller centers. As everyone knows there was the single season turn-around. Not enough by itself to point to Bird's greatness but more evidence to make a case for it. I see when he was out in 88-89 the team did poorly but when he came back - voila! - their records improve significantly and they're winning the Atlantic Division regularly, again. A pattern has developed. Parish was putting up good numbers at GSW, I'll concede that but going from 51% (good) to 55% (elite) (in one year even!) and basically staying there the whole time he was at Boston says more about who he was playing with and the organization's strong emphasis of team play. There is synergy from team play. Parish's 57%, 19/12 (without Bird as you noted) were awesome numbers, I agree and an excellent point you make. He had help from great teammates and he learned how to play the game better, too, by this time. You consistently say Bird had help but I think he helped his teammates as much as they helped him and they all were allowed to shine from strong team play.
@escobar60099 Celtics in '79 - 29 wins, second worst record in league Celtics in '80 - 61 wins, best record in league...only major addition from '79 was Bird how many titles they won in early 70s and 60s is irrelevant. fact is the Celtics were one of the worst teams in the league when Bird was drafted there and in just once season his presence made them into a contender.
Bird had some good games against the Bulls. They really had nobody that could guard him and Bird knew that. He would usually elevate his game when there was a "superstar" on the other team. In 28 regular season games Birds Celtics won 17 games. Jordan averaged 33 PPG and Bird 27. In back to back playoff appearances the Celtics swept the Bulls 3-0 twice. But who can forget in Jordan in the 86 playoffs. He had 49 and 63 respectively in the Boston Garden. Bird said "that was God disguised as Michael Jordan". Bird always had the utmost respect for MJ.
Joel Villarreal Hmmm I was born just north of where MJ grew up. Have been a huge UNC fan since the 60s. So MJ is a sentimental favorite. I saw Bird play a bunch of games, EVERY one during his 3 league MVP season. And then saw him live when he set his career high and Celtics single game scoring record with 60 points vs Atlanta. Comparing these 2 is like comparing steak vs lobster, both great just different. But IF I had to pick one Id give a slight advantage to Bird. He was taller, smarter, a better shooter, better rebounder and better passer. And that's pretty phenomenal considering he was a forward and MJ the guard. If Bird had been given MJs natural athleticism, jumping ability, speed etc, then Bird would hands down the best NBA player ever. In picking my ALL Time starting five I would start with Bird n MJ, put Magic at PG, Jabbar at center, and then put Wilt Chamberlain at PF. Not his natural position but Wilt was BY FAR the best athlete to ever play in the NBA. And the could drop 50 - 60 points on anyone like it was nothing.
2:53 Jordan gets posted up and scored on, and he gives the traveling sign...LOL. Bird beat Jordan 23-11 in head to head matchups. No other player dominated Jordan in that way.
I'm not talking about draft classes, I'm talking about how good the best teams were. The best 80s teams would obliterate the best 90s teams because the rosters were just much higher quality.
I love Jordan. With that said, Birds record vs MJ is 23-11. It's a team game. It's undeniable, the Celtics were much better than the Bulls back then. Overall, there's no doubt from an individual standpoint that Jordan is the GOAT but Bird is definitely a close contender and the best team player of all time, in my humble opinion. Jordan was king of the 90's but he never won a championship in the heavily stacked 80's.
Courtney White, because Bird can score in a variety of ways instead of dunk, dunk, dunk, which is all Jordan did. It's a team game and Bird the ultimate team player and Jordan the ultimate selfish ball hog.
@FavreianVengeance CONTD Bird turned a 29 win team into a 60 win juggernaut and he was going to do that no matter where he went. Jordan came into the league and ball hogged and had 3 losing seasons.
I really agree. Michael Jordan's 63 points in game 2 of the 1st playoff match against Bird's Celtics was what stuck to every basketball fan's memory. That mark made MJ the greatest basketball player of all time. It was NBA's marketing that made MJ the greatest of all. Just recently, MJ said he don't consider himself greatest unless he competed against some of the greats of the past Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and others. But I'm sure MJ will never compare the achievement of his Bulls team against some greatest teams of the past and decades. The 1990s was a weak decade in the NBA.
Bird was Beethoven- an innovator and an architect. Beyond the confines of the platitudes of racial divides, he is respected by both the best black and white players of his time. There were multiple times when the news media sought to trap him in the chains of the race debate, but he always rose above it. Greatness cannot be confined by the boundaries of the narrow-minded.
I feel like that number would be more balanced if jordan had good players on his team, like most of jordans teamates were ass, jordan was obviously the only one on the team to give it his all every night. I can repsect bird for his impact on the celtics and in addition being a great individual player, but im tired of bird fans thinking jordan could not compete with bird, it was a team effort and bird didnt need to always shoot or drive to the basket to win a game against the bulls, he had a great cast who did their roles very well. Its the same with the lakers, jordan knew it was up to him to make crucial plays cause the whole team was doing cocaine, especially Orlando Woodridge, the 2nd best player on the team. His teammates didnt have the same drive as jordan to win, lets not forget how incredibly unstoppable jordan was in the playoffs against the celtics, he would make difficult plays look easy and so would bird, but bird could rely on machale to get key rebounds and post up, same with parish and Angie to make good shots and passes. Also the celtics bench wasnt too bad, they could play well enough to let the starters rest. Im just saying bird beat jordan alot of the time cause bird was a great team player and had a better cast. Jordan couldnt get his teamates to be at that caliber.
From what I hear about this game, Bird asked Chicago coach Doug Collins who was gonna check him this game and they chose Ben Poquette (a white dude). Apparently, Bird said " Ben Poquette? Are you fucking kidding me?" He went on to drop 33 in the first half
Games like this prove that Jordan, as great as he was, couldn’t do all by himself. One amazing talent wasn’t enough to beat the Celtics in their prime.
Jordan never had a winning season in all 5 years w/o Pippen. My point about the Bulls offense is that Jordan's net result on offense is definitely over-stated. Yes, he's obviously a gifted individual offensive player though. And the 90's NBA was watered down with expansion with the 80's B+/A- stars resuming the reigns. Not only that, you throw in the Stern card and everything was set for Jordan.
@fatal9ish this owner named John Y. took over and made bad trades and ruined the chemistry of the team. Satch Sanders was the coach but was fired and Dave Cowens became player-coach. Only when Red Auerbach threatened to leave(to go to the Knicks) is when John Y and the rest of ownership left the GM decisions to him. During that tumultuous period(77-79), the Celts did make a few good moves in getting Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell and trading for Nate"Tiny"Archibald.
They added six expansion teams. Do I need to explain the watering down from there? Jordan was a proficient scorer in the eighties? Not sure if that really means anything. The Bulls avg'd 110 before he got there. He didn't add much to their overall offense. He was encouraged to ball hog for ticket sales while the team performed at mediocre levels. Jordan achieved some level of greatness. What do you want me to say?
Barkley said it best, I think. Jordan and Kobe could physically overpower you; Bird could not. But "Larry beat you with his mind, his determination to win. He willed himself to win and he willed his team to win." Says it all.
Bird was a brilliant player. Knew he didn’t have the feet to go one on one with Jordan, so he let it alone. That made him two steps ahead on a fast break
MerkinMuffly i would never downplay Bird`s impact on the Celtics. Bird was the Celtics. I`m a huge Bird`s fan. Without him the Celtics were an average team. He was the embodyment of the Celtics Pride. Larry Bird was Basketball. I`ve suffered a lot in 85 and 87 when the Lakers beat them (specially in 85 when Bird was injured and trhe Lakers waltzed in the parquet). But the thing is that The Celts had tradidion, championships banners. They had Auberbach, the Bulls didn`t have any winning ways.
@reddwarfposse they were terrible becuz they had a ballhog SG taking shots away from everyone else. Bird would have had that team with a 55+ win record.
@escobar60099 I'd have to disagree with you...the Celtics had a 12 year drought before Bird revived them. He was the only X factor...nothing else changed in '81 other than him.
1:46 OMG Kite 🙄 the defender was frozen and only hoping to draw a charge yet Kite STILL manages to get his shot blocked. A scarecrow could defend Kite. Probably steal the ball from him then posterize him.
Bird loved to torture the big and athletic scorers: Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King and to some point Jordan. Bird always knew who Jordan would be. Bird would always elevate is game against them and dominate them. To compare Bird and Jordan to that point in their careers we need to compare both teams. The Celtics were an elite team, the Bulls were not even close. In fact, without MJ they would be one of the worst teams in the league
The biggest differnce between Bird, Magic and Jordan greatness is that the latter turned a losing organization into an historical one. The Lakers since Magic has won 4 titles, the Celts without Bird have won one and the Bulls without Jordan zero. Before Magic and Bird had come to the league both Celtics were part of the winning lore of the game The Bulls on the other hand were on the opposite side of the coin.
The Celtics won a championships in '76 and '74. In '77 they made it to the Conference Finals. The next few years they doped off because for one they were missing Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White and John Havlicek, Cedric Maxwell etc. missed alot of games and they year before Bird was drafted they only won 29 games but hall of famer Tiny Nate and Dave Cowens along with Jo Jo White missed a combined 62 games and besides that most of their key players were gone
You can't say the Celtics weren't a winning franchise before Bird because in the 60's they won 11 titles in 13 years and in the 70's won 2 titles and were contenders every year except '78 and '79. Bird's first year he was a great addition but Maxwell and Archibald were back and Cowens was still there. Not to mention they also had Pete Maravich. The next year they added hall of famers Robert Parish and Kevin McHale and won a championship.
Bird is amazing, arguably the best player ever, but comparing him and MJ makes no sense. They rarely guarded each other and Bird's Celts team was vastly superior to those 80s Bulls teams. Apples and oranges, Fatal9ish.
To those that say MJ didnt have a complete team yet I have one thing to say. "Seasting to Bird" ". To be fair, Celtics players all had very high basketball IQs, DJ, McChale, Parish, Walton. Im sorry to crap on MJ so much lately, but he got through the east after all the other teams fizzled out by age and when the Bulls beat the Lakers their entire team got hurt in finals.
I don't know if I'd say that the cumulative talent level declined so drastically from the 80's to the 90's. But it was noticeable and their was more dynasty level competition in the 80's.
I never get tired of watching Larry Bird.
Few guys in the history of the game have a game as beautiful as Birds. Its a pleasure to watch this guy play.
Thanks for the video.
hell yeah
I LOVE WATCHING LARRY BIRD SHOOT THE BALL even on FREE THROWS.
Gay
I love watching Bird at this point in his career - by the late 80s, before the back problems, he had figured out 4-5 ways to score which involved minimal effort and which he could just hit up all night long- the result were these sort of 40pt games where it looks like he's barely even awake or trying.
But what I love about these clips is how bird's positioning changes when the bulls switch Jordan onto him to try and stop the perimeter scoring- immediately Bird starts taking MJ into the low post where his height and strength can overpower him, and after a few easy scores Chicago have to switch back to taller defenders who can't stop birds perimeter shot.
I think it's no coincidence Jordan worked so hard to develop a lethal mid range jumper and strong low post game in the late 80s- he saw what Bird used to do to teams and realized that if he added those skills he'd be unstoppable.
Yep you are correct MJ looked up to Larry
This video should be required viewing for anyone who wants to argue that Bird shouldn't even be in the conversation for "best ever". It's sad that some people think that Bird was just some hype. Bird was a monster. In every phase of the game.
Thanks for the stats in the description. They confirm what I have come to believe over time that Larry Bird was truly the greatest over all basketball player ever, all things considered.
Best. Shooter. Ever.
most clutch shooter... along with jerry west. Jordan is one small notch below them... with maybe pistol pete and Magic just below him.
Amidat Magic wasn’t much of a shooter but he was a great player
Way more than just the greatest shooter. Double-digit bounds and the greatest passing forward; maybe the greatest passer ever.
@@Amidat clutch shooters...john havlicek was pretty damn good too
@mikjord Bird was compared to Dr J his rookie year and without Bird on the team and nearly the exact same team, they were the 2nd worst team in the NBA in 79. Bird's team had the best record in the NBA his rookie year without Parish, McHale, DJ, Ainge and Walton. It's all about who was the better team player.
Exacterly. Playground ball, with its emphasis on standout players instead of team play, really took bball in a bad direction imo. Team sports need to remain team sports & all this glorification of one supreme player is detrimental to the whole sport as far as I’m concerned.
larry the best all-round nba player i have ever seen. no bullshit
Jordan very happy when Larry Legend retired. Yes, NBA in the 80"s was the toughest. Jordan lucky he came around just a little later.
Agree
that bastard bird Beat my rockets I couldn't stand larry but he was the Most Cold blooded Scorer i've ever scene
Back when Jordan was waiting for all the legends to get old and retire so he could finally win one. The 90's were weak compared to the 80's.
They were but, still Bulls ruled 90's. I agree, though, Boston, LA had to contend with strong teams in Philly, San Anton, Detroit and Milwaukee. Denver and Portland weren't bad at all, either.
trha2222 No dispute.
+trha2222 Meh, the greatness of the 80's is overstated. Sure, the Lakers, Celtics, Sixers, and (later) Pistons were great, but the quality falls off the cliff after that. That Knicks team the Celtics beat to get to the 84 Finals was a joke, for example. Ewing's Knicks were easily better.
+Spitshine Tommy Sure. You did name the truly outstanding teams. Others were next level, simply good. Dallas, Phoenix, Denver, Milwaukee. Still, it was the most competitive era with more powerhouses than any other era.
The early 90s was good with mj's bulls ruling, pistons and lakers were still relevant the first few years, blazers was stacked, the cavs was stacked too, philly with charles, phoenix was good, utah was good, spurs with robinson, the warriors are pretty good, the knicks had ewing. The 90s had more parity compared to 80s juggernauts like the lakers, celtics, philly(early 80s),pistons(late 80s) and there's a few good teams like the bucks, hawks, nuggets, rockets and blazers then the rest are bad teams. You won't win in the 80s when guys like Ben Pouquette and Brad Sellers is starting on your team and playing big minutes.
Wow. Jordan was completely helpless, guarding Bird in the post. This is a must watch for all Jordan jockers.
Yes, with a large supply of Kleenex 😂
@@irishgrl And a large supply of toilet paper.
hell yeah
can't argue with what you see here. no comparison.
Any Jordan "jocker" is well aware how good Bird was. Once he got going, he was pretty much unstoppable.
@mikjord The Lakers were a winning organization when Magic came there, the Celtics were not, they were in a hole, they were the 2nd worst team in the NBA in 79 and only won 32 games in 78, nice try though to downplay Bird's impact on the Celtics. When Bird left the Celtics, they went back to their losing ways, the 12 years Bird played on the Celtics, they averaged 59 wins per year. The 12 years after he retired, they averaged 33 wins per year, 25 wins, that's how valuable Bird was.
Larry Bird was the best basketball player in NBA history.
Bird was the best all-around player in NBA and Boston Celtics history.
Bird was even able to make Greg Kite score LOL his playmaking skillks were just unbelievable
No kidding. Hell, Rick Barry used to get Clifford Ray easy slams and Magic even got Kurt Rambis a few hoops. That takes skill too.
hell yeah
Even mj couldnt stop larry legend bird
Another great post, thanks fatal! Love when MJ decides he's going to guard Bird and shut him down - WRONG!! Bird wisely uses his height and weight to post and abuse MJ. Many forget what great moves Bird had in the post using his left hand because his all around game was superior to anyone else's. Look at the shooting and the beautiful passes setting up his teammates. Great video just to show MJ was not a god, just human.
hell yeah
Bird makes Jordan look like a youngsta.
Does anyone else realize that bird is playing with the bench. McHale is playing with a broken foot, Parrish is down with a high ankle sprain, and Walton in done for the season. So how is Bird playing all hof's?
@THE Rattler
The "stacked team" argument all of you ignorant Bird detractors still attempt to use in 2019 was debunked YEARS ago. But I guess they only wake you up for the "important" meetings.
Indiana State? Bird took an undefeated 33-0 team full of scrubs to the NCAA Finals in 1979.
His rookie year he ALONE took one of the worst Celtics teams in history from the previous year to a 1st place record. A team that posted a RECORD +32 win differential.
NO Mchale, NO Parrish, NO DJ, NO Ainge. NO semblance of a decent bench!
DJ, Mchale and Parrish are ALL on record stating that they wouldn't be ANYWHERE NEAR the HOF Players they turned out to be without Bird's BB IQ, his toughness, his leadership skills, his selflessness and his UNMATCHED ability to make them all BETTER players.
And unlike the bullshit FABRICATED SUPER TEAMS that were formed in today's NBA era? Lebron? KD? We're ALL lookin right at ya! That great Celtics team was formed organically...all due to Red Auerbach's brilliance! Not because some pussy ass BETA MALE BITCHES were so incredibly mentally weak that they decided to sign with FABRICATED Super Teams just so they could easily win chips. LOL.
Larry Bird is a TOP 3 player of all time. Get the fuck over it and maybe do some more homework about the man. Or don't...and continue to post your dumbass opinions.
@THE Rattler
Wow...uh re-reading my comment I don't really see how you could have felt any kind of insulted by anything I said. That said...I'll never apologize to a person that reeks of being overly sensitive.
Anyways...
Your arguments attempting to deny the importance of Larry Bird's impact on his ISU team and his Celtic's teammates aren't very objective because you don't realize that solely using stats isn't nearly enough to make your argument valid.
How much you attempt to denounce the incredible impact Bird had on his Celtics teammates and ignorantly inflate the relevance of his teammates' individual successes and stats during Bird's injuries or AFTER playing with Bird? Pretty glaring holes there. You're allowing your obvious negative bias towards Larry Bird attempt to strengthen your narrative by choosing to not objectively tell the whole story.
Let's start with Bird's incredible impact he had playing the 3 years at Indiana State.
Some of the stats you posted....I guess you didn't realize how much they really WEAKEN your argument..
You attempting to debate that ISU posting a 16-11 record the year after Bird left as being some kind of positive achievement is beyond head shaking to say the least.
Let's get back to you completely over inflating the talent and impact of Carl Nicks in college and in the NBA.
Which teammate do you think helped Carl Nicks drastically improve his college game the most? Hmmm....I wonder. Nicks went from averaging 2.2 pts, 1.1 rpg and a .370 fga a game in 76/77 to 19.3 pts, 2.2 rpg and a .464 fga a game in 78/79.
How could his game have possibly improved THAT much over 1 season? Could his sudden drastic improvement have possibly happened because Larry Bird was one of his teammates?
Hmmm....The same Larry Bird? The incredibly selfless unbelievably talented basketball mind that was known throughout his HOF career for being THE BEST EVER at making ALL of his teammates greater players?
And Nick's posting even BETTER numbers IN 79/80 after Bird left strengthens MY argument a lot more than yours.
That goes for EVERY SINGLE ONE of his Celtics teammates as well.
You not adding ANY KIND of weight to Bird's impact on his teammates improving and posting better stats AFTER playing with Bird?
But this is last I'm going to use stats (Even though I posted 2 well known stats In my previous comment. I didn't think I'd also have to explain that a player's impact cannot be measured by solely using stats!)...so I guess I'll have to explain this now.
I'm quite perplexed how you could be so incredibly obtuse enough that you're completely blinded from realizing the. infectious impact of Larry Bird's influence on his teammates. Just how incredibly strong and immeasurable his impact was. It's NOT going to always show up on anyone's stat lines!
Every single one of Bird's intangibles were infectious to his teammates... from his high school days playing for Spring Valley High to his last beyond painful, back crippling season playing for the 92 Celtics.
His selflessness, his unmatched work ethic, his mental toughness, his leadership, his BB IQ,, the way he meticulously prepared for every single game he played! you're just NOT getting it! He was an INSPIRATION to every teammate that was lucky enough to play with him.
Of course some of his teammates would post better stats when he's not on the floor! Because those same teammates year after year became better players BECAUSE of playing with Larry Bird. That's not a solid argument.
You can post ALL the stats you want attempting to claim that Larry Bird wasn't as IMPACTFUL as his fans make him out to be. I watched all of it happen...from Bird's ISU day's, from his rookie year til his retirement.
You attempting to solely use stats to argue against it shows your lack of understanding just how much Larry Bird's intangibles not only inspired his teammates but also changed the way basketball should be played.
There are parts of ANY HOF players' impact that simply cannot be measured by stats alone.
What Larry Bird's teammates, his opponents and his coaches have all gone on record explaining just how amazing his impact on the game was will ALWAYS carry more weight than any stat line.
@Barry White Know a lot about basketball, do you? Mchale was unstoppable in the low post...and Parrish has always been underrated....which is to take nothing away from Pippen and Rodman. Pippen I would want on a real basketball team....Rodman and Jordan? Not so much.
@Barry White I've got ( healthy ) Bird at GOAT, followed very closely by Magic and Jordan, but I think I'd trade either Pippen or Rodman for McHale. It's tough as Pippen and Rodman are great, but Jordan-McHale would be very interesting - pass to McHale if double-teamed on the mid-range shot, or triple teamed after penetrating. Parrish for Rodman or Pippen is also worth considering depending on who the other three guys are.
@@ScotchIrishTarheel i was around during the heyday of the 1980s celtics and I can attest that while the Chief was respected, he received far less attention than several other Celtics as well as players below his caliber on other teams.
I used to hate Bird but it seems when he was healthy he was damned near unstoppable.
Jordan was a BALL HOG.
THAT is why it seemed like he "had to do everything.
Bird was smart enough to pass to teammates, when double teamed.
Bird had MUCH MUCH better teammates, and APG was 6.3. Jordan's was 5.2. Bird was a brilliant passer, but let's not pretend he was Magic Johnson/John Stockton unselfish. He most certainly wasn't.
+Samuel Hain Love em' both. But Jordan had a lot of garbage on the Bulls first 3-4 yrs.
+Spitshine Tommy Well, maybe since as a forward he didn't handle the ball as much (or as well). But for pure passing, he wasn't far off. If if weren't for excellent distributors in Tiny and then D.J., who knows what his totals may have been.
+Spitshine Tommy Yeah much better teammates especially in this game - I know Greg Kite, Darren Daye etc were future HOF's. Not. In this game Bird's shooting accuracy trumped MJ. And for the rest of the game was no doubt making the plays to get a TEAM win.
Amen, brother. Let us not forget Colter, Oldham, Banks and Sellers either. Yeah, team of all stars. Just like LA and Boston. Stop, enough.
Larry Bird could do it all, Shoot, dunk, pass, steal, guard, who the heck started the rumors about his no athletic abilities. Larry Bird was Legendary and that's why he is called "Larry Legend " nobody was better before his injuries, and was still better than most players during his playing his final years.
by far I Am not a celtics fan but the reason they were great is because they were the only NBA team to play real fundamental basketball at the time on both ends of the court especially on defense
Agreed. And it started with Larry Legend.
I think this was the year the Micheal Jordan got swept in the series! MJ got swept twice actually by Larry Bird
Yep 86&87 playoffs 6-0
86 celtics were too good though unfair for mj who put a valiant effort. Celtics were poetry in motion, they were demolishing everyone with their passing skills . Not even lebron could take even 1 game from them
Bird is the real goat
People don't pay attention, swept the
They're left field
2:53 Jordan trying to calling a travel on Bird. Oh the irony.
fatal, I'm very impressed with your breakdown of each game they played in during their primes. Good job. :)
Bird made Kite score
That’s how great he was
lol, I must have totally missed the block Bird had on MJ when I did my video a few years back. Very rarely did Bird get his shot blocked, he could see the blind side defenders coming with his great court vision.
You have to listen to McHale interview Bird. McHale asks what was going through Bird’s mind during games. Bird said of course he knew the plays but once he was on the court playing his mind was elsewhere. He said he’d be thinking about what his Grandma was doing that day. Wtf? hey Jordan...while Bird was lighting it up against you and the Bulls Bird may have been thinking of his Grandma’s brownies. Hmmmmmm.....brownies. No joke. This is what the legend said. Someone go tell Jordan Bird was thinking about other things during game time. LOL. It doesn’t get better than this folks.
Love it!!
Bird was better than Jordan...not a dig at Jordan who I think the world of but Bird was better...could do more...did everything...need rebounds against Malone in the finals? No problem - 21 boards...need to score in the 4th to out-duel 'Nique...20 in 4th Celtics win...need 3's...He's $...Need passing...greatest passing forward ever...for me Jordan is a top 3 player...but he was not God...Bird owned him...in his prime Bird was as good or better in almost every category...as far as being winners and clutch and leaders they are 1 and 1 -a...but the common fan thinking Jordan was so much greater than Bird or Magic or Oscar or Wilt...he wasn't...if you put Jordan in Bird's body you get Chris Mullin...if you put Bird in Jordan's you get God. IMO Bird was GOAT...Russell Wilt Jordan LeBron Kareem Oscar West are in the conversation.
I love seeing bird kill Jordan. Birds only comp was Magic. And they both were better than Jordan.
Good points
Facts!!!
Great points and your right
I literally don't recall seeing a highlight of Jordan stopping Bird in the post. I'm sure it happened once or twice, but Bird owned Jordan in the post. All these Jordan jockers saying he'd beat him one on one have no clue.
Taller players have the advantage in one-on-one games. All they have to do is back in to the basket and shoot/dunk. As an example, I would take Jabbar over Jordan any time one-on-one.
I don't think Bird fans need any help to "feel good" about him as a player. His career speaks for itself. Had he not injured his back (permanently) in '85, he would've had an even better career. Had Len Bias not died, Bird (and the Celts) would have more than likely won a few more rings. . .Jordan didn't start winning until Bird & Magic, not to mention Detroit were old or retired. He won in a water downed league. He had no other true superstar in their prime to compete against.
The Coach (Collins) just told a story about the time he started Ben Poquette on Larry Bird and Bird took it personally and torched him. From Bill Simmons
True GOAT
Jordan gets burned by Bird at 2:55 and tries to pretend Bird traveled...real funny MJ
Plus they said the foul was prior to the shot.
@THE Rattler They were HOFers because of Boston team philosophy and Bird being the great team player he was. Look at Parrish numbers before Boston (at Golden State) vs. at Boston. Like someone waved a magic wand over him. Jordan was awesome, no doubt, but he ran the offense through himself more than Bird ever did.
@THE Rattler His field goal percentage which went up by 6%. That's quite substantial. Yes, Auerbach was a basketball genius. Maybe the best ever. Scoring isn't the only metric to go by to determine his performance or contributions.
@THE Rattler Parish's avg. FGP was only 49% at GSW. Those are poor numbers for a 7 foot center. Parish was unheard of before Boston and certainly nobody would have guessed him for the HOF. His scoring efficiency went up tremendously after coming to Boston. McHale was allowed to shine more because he played with team-first Bird who took fewer shots and passed more than most other superstars. Bird could have put up way higher personal numbers but that didn't facilitate winning. Bird wanted to get his teammates scoring because he knew he could get his pretty much any time. Yes, DJ was an excellent player. You have a valid point there. As I'm pretty sure you're aware Bird played for the NCAA finals and he had all no-names for a supporting cast. Magic had two other NBA players in Kelser and Vincent. In Birds first year with Boston he mostly had guys who were past their prime or total has-beens like Archibald, Maravich, Cowens, not much to work with but yet he played for ECF that year.
@THE Rattler I didn't realize Bird had a future pro player with him at ISU - good point on your part (I wasn't downplaying that fact, I just didn't know. Additionally, you are well informed with your arguments) but isn't it common for the tournament of 64 to have future pro players on their teams? That's where large numbers of NBA players come from. For Bird to have one on his team isn't that exceptional, after all, Magic had two playing with him as just one example. Regarding Archibald and Cowens in Bird's first year. They might have still been better than average (although not by much) but I don't think they were at their former HOF levels they had been in their primes. I just learned Tiny missed the whole previous year because of a severe Achilles injury. I have to believe he was nowhere near what he had been in his prime. Cowens relied on his foot speed and quickness to be effective as a center at 6' 9", at 31 he must have been starting to lose those advantages he had over the taller centers. As everyone knows there was the single season turn-around. Not enough by itself to point to Bird's greatness but more evidence to make a case for it. I see when he was out in 88-89 the team did poorly but when he came back - voila! - their records improve significantly and they're winning the Atlantic Division regularly, again. A pattern has developed. Parish was putting up good numbers at GSW, I'll concede that but going from 51% (good) to 55% (elite) (in one year even!) and basically staying there the whole time he was at Boston says more about who he was playing with and the organization's strong emphasis of team play. There is synergy from team play. Parish's 57%, 19/12 (without Bird as you noted) were awesome numbers, I agree and an excellent point you make. He had help from great teammates and he learned how to play the game better, too, by this time. You consistently say Bird had help but I think he helped his teammates as much as they helped him and they all were allowed to shine from strong team play.
Best to ever lace them up. Arguably! ❤🏀birdistheword
This game shows why Bird is the best of all time. MJ was the best at dunking but that is about it.
That a fucking lie larry bird is #7 on my all time list
And MJ is #1 bitch
Makuac Putting Bird at 7 proves you take it up the ass.
Maximus Wolfe who are you I don’t know
Bird isn't mentioned enough in the goat convo but dont disrespect mj by making him seem one-dimensional smh
@escobar60099
Celtics in '79 - 29 wins, second worst record in league
Celtics in '80 - 61 wins, best record in league...only major addition from '79 was Bird
how many titles they won in early 70s and 60s is irrelevant. fact is the Celtics were one of the worst teams in the league when Bird was drafted there and in just once season his presence made them into a contender.
Bird had some good games against the Bulls. They really had nobody that could guard him and Bird knew that. He would usually elevate his game when there was a "superstar" on the other team. In 28 regular season games Birds Celtics won 17 games. Jordan averaged 33 PPG and Bird 27. In back to back playoff appearances the Celtics swept the Bulls 3-0 twice. But who can forget in Jordan in the 86 playoffs. He had 49 and 63 respectively in the Boston Garden. Bird said "that was God disguised as Michael Jordan". Bird always had the utmost respect for MJ.
Joel Villarreal Hmmm I was born just north of where MJ grew up. Have been a huge UNC fan since the 60s. So MJ is a sentimental favorite. I saw Bird play a bunch of games, EVERY one during his 3 league MVP season. And then saw him live when he set his career high and Celtics single game scoring record with 60 points vs Atlanta.
Comparing these 2 is like comparing steak vs lobster, both great just different.
But IF I had to pick one Id give a slight advantage to Bird. He was taller, smarter, a better shooter, better rebounder and better passer. And that's pretty phenomenal considering he was a forward and MJ the guard. If Bird had been given MJs natural athleticism, jumping ability, speed etc, then Bird would hands down the best NBA player ever. In picking my ALL Time starting five I would start with Bird n MJ, put Magic at PG, Jabbar at center, and then put Wilt Chamberlain at PF. Not his natural position but Wilt was BY FAR the best athlete to ever play in the NBA. And the could drop 50 - 60 points on anyone like it was nothing.
MJ was making shots the Celtic defense was waiting for
@4:04 a signature defensive move by Bird on Jordan.
2:53 Jordan gets posted up and scored on, and he gives the traveling sign...LOL. Bird beat Jordan 23-11 in head to head matchups. No other player dominated Jordan in that way.
Love Bird, but it was far more than He vs MJ.
acorn sucks he never got the better of Hakeem either
I'm not talking about draft classes, I'm talking about how good the best teams were. The best 80s teams would obliterate the best 90s teams because the rosters were just much higher quality.
Bird was theBesT' Right Fan's
We love Larry cuz he never stopped his excellence.
Bird and the Celtics ALWAYS dominated Jordans Bulls. It was never even close.
I love Jordan. With that said, Birds record vs MJ is 23-11. It's a team game. It's undeniable, the Celtics were much better than the Bulls back then. Overall, there's no doubt from an individual standpoint that Jordan is the GOAT but Bird is definitely a close contender and the best team player of all time, in my humble opinion. Jordan was king of the 90's but he never won a championship in the heavily stacked 80's.
Agree Rattler. Like saying Russell dominated Wilt or vice versa. Neither was the case.
Exactly Dig gr8ness. About MJ and Larry both.
Why are they showing Bird score
Courtney White, because Bird can score in a variety of ways instead of dunk, dunk, dunk, which is all Jordan did. It's a team game and Bird the ultimate team player and Jordan the ultimate selfish ball hog.
Can you imagine Bird's career if he had stayed healthy.....?
@FavreianVengeance CONTD Bird turned a 29 win team into a 60 win juggernaut and he was going to do that no matter where he went. Jordan came into the league and ball hogged and had 3 losing seasons.
I really agree. Michael Jordan's 63 points in game 2 of the 1st playoff match against Bird's Celtics was what stuck to every basketball fan's memory. That mark made MJ the greatest basketball player of all time. It was NBA's marketing that made MJ the greatest of all. Just recently, MJ said he don't consider himself greatest unless he competed against some of the greats of the past Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Oscar Robertson and others. But I'm sure MJ will never compare the achievement of his Bulls team against some greatest teams of the past and decades. The 1990s was a weak decade in the NBA.
Haven't you heard? I said the bird bird Bird is the word
33 in the 1st Half for Larry Legend
Bird was Beethoven- an innovator and an architect. Beyond the confines of the platitudes of racial divides, he is respected by both the best black and white players of his time. There were multiple times when the news media sought to trap him in the chains of the race debate, but he always rose above it. Greatness cannot be confined by the boundaries of the narrow-minded.
Havlicek ...west..maravich .and Barry were respected by both black and white players of their times too..even if Barry was a total jerk
Does this guy ever hit the rim?
FUN FACT: LARRY BIRD IS 17-11 against jordan in head to head regular season matchups
23-11 Bird'
get it RIGHT FUN FACT'
@@TheMimetolithman he said regular season. You're adding the playoffs in the total.
Larry Legend 🐐
I feel like that number would be more balanced if jordan had good players on his team, like most of jordans teamates were ass, jordan was obviously the only one on the team to give it his all every night. I can repsect bird for his impact on the celtics and in addition being a great individual player, but im tired of bird fans thinking jordan could not compete with bird, it was a team effort and bird didnt need to always shoot or drive to the basket to win a game against the bulls, he had a great cast who did their roles very well. Its the same with the lakers, jordan knew it was up to him to make crucial plays cause the whole team was doing cocaine, especially Orlando Woodridge, the 2nd best player on the team. His teammates didnt have the same drive as jordan to win, lets not forget how incredibly unstoppable jordan was in the playoffs against the celtics, he would make difficult plays look easy and so would bird, but bird could rely on machale to get key rebounds and post up, same with parish and Angie to make good shots and passes. Also the celtics bench wasnt too bad, they could play well enough to let the starters rest. Im just saying bird beat jordan alot of the time cause bird was a great team player and had a better cast. Jordan couldnt get his teamates to be at that caliber.
Yup. This is how bird played against jordan... demolished him
2:30 Larry makes Michael look like a baby
Thank you for uploading this!
:D
Bird is machine..
Bird being the GOAT, nothing new tbh
From what I hear about this game, Bird asked Chicago coach Doug Collins who was gonna check him this game and they chose Ben Poquette (a white dude). Apparently, Bird said " Ben Poquette? Are you fucking kidding me?"
He went on to drop 33 in the first half
This is when Bird was in the league for 8 years too and with all the injuries that those years of the NBA wars brought him.
Ok, Jordan kiddo, learn how daddy Bird is playing. Watch and Learn my lovely jordan kiddo.
The Real Goat!
Games like this prove that Jordan, as great as he was, couldn’t do all by himself. One amazing talent wasn’t enough to beat the Celtics in their prime.
Well said!
@1:39 Bird’s assist to Kite for 2 should be worth 1.5 assists all day.
Never Gets Old.
Mj getting schooled by the 🐐
He shoots so pure
its 2023....Bird could comeback today and be a 60 year old GOAT
"Ben Poquette? Are you f---ckin' kidding me?"
Oh ya the manimal. Dude was scary intense.
Cooper Flagg is coming oh my will see
Jordan never had a winning season in all 5 years w/o Pippen. My point about the Bulls offense is that Jordan's net result on offense is definitely over-stated. Yes, he's obviously a gifted individual offensive player though. And the 90's NBA was watered down with expansion with the 80's B+/A- stars resuming the reigns. Not only that, you throw in the Stern card and everything was set for Jordan.
@fatal9ish this owner named John Y. took over and made bad trades and ruined the chemistry of the team. Satch Sanders was the coach but was fired and Dave Cowens became player-coach. Only when Red Auerbach threatened to leave(to go to the Knicks) is when John Y and the rest of ownership left the GM decisions to him. During that tumultuous period(77-79), the Celts did make a few good moves in getting Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell and trading for Nate"Tiny"Archibald.
bird swished nothing but net shots more than any other player in history.
They added six expansion teams. Do I need to explain the watering down from there?
Jordan was a proficient scorer in the eighties? Not sure if that really means anything. The Bulls avg'd 110 before he got there. He didn't add much to their overall offense. He was encouraged to ball hog for ticket sales while the team performed at mediocre levels.
Jordan achieved some level of greatness. What do you want me to say?
Looks like 9 Michael Jordan fans disliked lol
Is this the game where Bird hit a three-quarter court shot at the end of the third that didn't count?
The Cherry on top is that the game is in Chicago ! 😁👊
Jordan cant guard Bird, they should let Oakley guard him
Larry Bird making a fool out of Jordan. Hilarious.
Barkley said it best, I think. Jordan and Kobe could physically overpower you; Bird could not. But "Larry beat you with his mind, his determination to win. He willed himself to win and he willed his team to win." Says it all.
Except he could overpower smaller forwards with his size and strength. Last time I checked those are physical properties.
Bird is GOAT and everyone knows it, jordan knows it the best.
Did Bulls #40 at 0:33 get an assist?
Bird was a brilliant player. Knew he didn’t have the feet to go one on one with Jordan, so he let it alone. That made him two steps ahead on a fast break
MJ was 0-6 against bird
MerkinMuffly i would never downplay Bird`s impact on the Celtics. Bird was the Celtics. I`m a huge Bird`s fan. Without him the Celtics were an average team. He was the embodyment of the Celtics Pride. Larry Bird was Basketball. I`ve suffered a lot in 85 and 87 when the Lakers beat them (specially in 85 when Bird was injured and trhe Lakers waltzed in the parquet). But the thing is that The Celts had tradidion, championships banners. They had Auberbach, the Bulls didn`t have any winning ways.
@reddwarfposse they were terrible becuz they had a ballhog SG taking shots away from everyone else. Bird would have had that team with a 55+ win record.
They are great friends to this day
@escobar60099 I'd have to disagree with you...the Celtics had a 12 year drought before Bird revived them. He was the only X factor...nothing else changed in '81 other than him.
1:46
OMG Kite 🙄 the defender was frozen and only hoping to draw a charge yet Kite STILL manages to get his shot blocked.
A scarecrow could defend Kite. Probably steal the ball from him then posterize him.
If you want to know how good Larry Bird was just remember it was in the McDonald's commercial with Michael Jordan. Charles Barkley doesn't count.
Bird loved to torture the big and athletic scorers: Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King and to some point Jordan. Bird always knew who Jordan would be. Bird would always elevate is game against them and dominate them. To compare Bird and Jordan to that point in their careers we need to compare both teams. The Celtics were an elite team, the Bulls were not even close. In fact, without MJ they would be one of the worst teams in the league
So Larry broke Wilts first half scoring record against the Bulls. 👍
The biggest differnce between Bird, Magic and Jordan greatness is that the latter turned a losing organization into an historical one. The Lakers since Magic has won 4 titles, the Celts without Bird have won one and the Bulls without Jordan zero. Before Magic and Bird had come to the league both Celtics were part of the winning lore of the game The Bulls on the other hand were on the opposite side of the coin.
This is how good bird is I'm Kobe top 5
The Celtics won a championships in '76 and '74. In '77 they made it to the Conference Finals. The next few years they doped off because for one they were missing Dave Cowens, Jo Jo White and John Havlicek, Cedric Maxwell etc. missed alot of games and they year before Bird was drafted they only won 29 games but hall of famer Tiny Nate and Dave Cowens along with Jo Jo White missed a combined 62 games and besides that most of their key players were gone
You can't say the Celtics weren't a winning franchise before Bird because in the 60's they won 11 titles in 13 years and in the 70's won 2 titles and were contenders every year except '78 and '79.
Bird's first year he was a great addition but Maxwell and Archibald were back and Cowens was still there. Not to mention they also had Pete Maravich.
The next year they added hall of famers Robert Parish and Kevin McHale and won a championship.
Bird is amazing, arguably the best player ever, but comparing him and MJ makes no sense. They rarely guarded each other and Bird's Celts team was vastly superior to those 80s Bulls teams. Apples and oranges, Fatal9ish.
To those that say MJ didnt have a complete team yet I have one thing to say. "Seasting to Bird" ". To be fair, Celtics players all had very high basketball IQs, DJ, McChale, Parish, Walton. Im sorry to crap on MJ so much lately, but he got through the east after all the other teams fizzled out by age and when the Bulls beat the Lakers their entire team got hurt in finals.
I don't know if I'd say that the cumulative talent level declined so drastically from the 80's to the 90's. But it was noticeable and their was more dynasty level competition in the 80's.
Like how Paxson knew to draw Bird's defender to him before he passed.
0ops... I meant Seichting!