When Kareem Disrespected Larry Bird and Instantly Regretted It (Reaction!!)
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"Michael Jordan made you look slow, but Larry Bird made you look stupid."...............James Worthy.
Facts!
That's my favorite quote. Too bad he had injury problems so soon
@@35t10b 😒
haha awesome
@@35t10bHe played 13 seasons.
What people who didn’t see him live don’t understand is that Bird controlled the TEMPO of the game.
At 6’10” he was a great rebounder and a savvy defender. Everyone knows he could shoot and pass but he was honestly like a conductor in an orchestra. He was always in the right spot on the court. Always in triple threat position. And always ready to find the open man for that persons strengths on offense. Mentally he was a full second in front of the other 9 players. Everyone has their GOAT but I was an NBA fan since DrJ and Moses Malone and I never saw anyone control games like Bird.
There may be better scorers or better defenders but not better players period.
At 6’10” he was a great rebounder and a savvy defender.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yes, he was.,
Note that Larry Bird was 6'9".
Perfectly said
C'mon? @TwoFourFixate guy makes a great case, well said about Larry Legend. And you give him trouble for being an inch off on his height? Petty
Dennis Johnson was a serious baller with Star talent. He took a backseat to Bird and McHale and racked up some rings. Total terror on defense. Underrated player.
DJ complimented Bird’s game style so well. The passes between them were game changers. And if he did what all the great players of that time did, he showed up with the Defense! Something that’s lost with today’s players.
DJ was special. Super clutch. If I remember right he was big the year the Super Sonics won the championship, with Jack Sikma and couple of other dudes. Don't think the X man was with them yet? @@damnitman3170
Dennis Johnson is a great player.
I love that highlight of the Pistons (?) game...when Bird steals the ball and Johnson comes flying in....and wins the game!
Bird said Dennis Johnson was the best player he ever played with.
The quote of Larry Bird that will always stay with me is from Pat Riley "With a game on the line I want Micheal Jordan taking the shot, with my life on the line I want Larry Bird". Highest praise I've ever heard a coach give especially for so many years he probably designed games around stopping Bird.
The best!!!
Could Bird play in this Era? Absolutely he would have excelled. In his day defenders grabbed and clawed to keep Bird contained but Jordan got it right. Larry was unstoppable.
Bird was the Best "Complete" player, he did everything great !!! 👍 🏀
If Lebron played in the 80's, he would've been guarded by Bird and McHale and Parrish and Walton. That's just the Celtics. Lebron wouldn't have the physical advantage he has now over most of the NBA even at his age.
@@TimWong49152 He would cry and roll all over the court trying to draw Fouls !!! 😆 It was a very hard game then with Everyone school in the "Fundamentals & Toughness". I try to explain this to people under 45 yrs they just don't get it and the same goes for Hockey and Football !!! 🏀🏒🏈
@timothywong8963 You are right. The game changed. Go inside in the 80's was dangerous.
Bird would average 50 in today's game. Hell he could've averaged 50 back then if he wanted to. NOBODY could stop him.
This is the game after LA beat the Celtics and Larry Bird said he and his team were playing like a bunch of sissies. Kevin McHale tackling Kurt Rambis was his response to Bird's challenge. After that happened the Lakers were taken out of their game and were fighting as much as playing; which played right into the Celtics hands. This is also the game when Magic, after throwing the ball away down the stretch and missing two key free throws, was called "Tragic Johnson" by Cedric Maxwell of the Celtics. As for Bird playing in today's game, If Doncic and Jokic can excel, so could Larry Bird, who was as quick or quicker than them both, taller than Doncic and almost as tall as Jokic. Bird was always listed as 6'9" but many players said he was definitely 6'10". Magic Johnson is listed at 6'9" and look at them side by side and you can see Larry Bird is taller. Add to a Larry Bird of today three decades worth of nutrition, health, and physical training improvements, and you have a Monster. Isaiah Thomas said, "if Larry Bird played today, he'd still be winning MVPs and his team would still be winning championships." And no doubt Larry Bird would still be destroying his opponents mentally, just as long as he could do it quietly in today's softer league where refs frown upon that kind of gamesmanship.
Thanks a lot for the deets.. Well said Brent (;
Tragic Johnson lmao 😂
Well said.
Same thing can be said for Dennis Rodman if he played in today's soft era game where referee calls the fouls, I know rodman is the type of player to play hard, play defense, rebound, get foul troubles, flagrant fouls, ejections, hustlings, I'm pretty sure that rodman and Draymond Greene would hate each other more than respect each other during live game and not just podcasts.
Bird would DOMINATE this era more than he did in his, which was the best
Dennis Johnson was one of the all time greats. He and Bird were spiritually connected.
I love DJ. He was so great!
dj was birds left hand.........most bird shots were from his right outside perfect basket..........whenever he wanted to use left hand dj was it//////////////dj was a part of bird...........
"Back when men were playing" is the most true thing I have heard in a while.
As Magic once said, "Larry Bird was so good...it was frightening."
God those two teams were absolutely stacked with Hall of Famers.
Yes they were, we didn't know how good we had it watching back then
I hated both of them so much..diehard Sixer fan..they would of won 5 championships but Boston and LA were too good..but we had 1983
@@carminemalanga4353 same here, sixers fan.....bird drove me insane. Looking back though, he was incredible
If you want to see how much heart Bird had, look up the video about his back injuries... That he played through. He used to spend hours in traction before a game just so he could suit up and play. In a lot of his later games, his back was so bad that he couldn't even sit on the bench, he had to lie on the sidelines in front of the bench.
Bird's greatness isn't in his highlights, it's in all the average stuff his did to perfection. Playing the passing lane, cheating off his man to provide help defense, blocking out on the boards. The little stuff made Larry Legend.
As a tall kid from Southern Indiana, Larry was the inspiration.
Did he talk trash? Like a boss. He also backed it up like a champ. He will forever be known as one of the greats as long as footage of him playing remain.
As a fellow hoosier, he is an absolute legend.
Larry Bird was fuuuuun to watch. Always did something incredible in a game. You could just tell he was smarter than everyone on the court. Maybe not the most athletic but definitely the smartest.
Really enjoyed your take. Your LeBron comments, especially were spot on. When Larry hit those two free throws and you said LeBron would've definitely missed one of them, I laughed out loud. Exactly my take on the guy. A great player, but something was always missing about him when compared to somebody like Bird. I can't even tell you what it is. The comment that sent me over the edge was about if LeBron had a father, he would've been as clutch as Jordan. Again, I gotta say you are spot on. The year that LeBron went to the Heat, him and his buddies came in to my recording studio to do a rap song. Along with him came Kevin Durant. I could tell immediately, listening to LeBron rap, and tell his story that there was something inside of him that was missing by not having a father. I'm not making fun of the guy, I feel for him. I think LeBron is a great human being, and one of the best to ever play the game. But there is this afraid of failure factor that guys like Jordan and Bird never displayed. It was, "give me the fucking ball and get out of my way. " it's the mentality of, I can handle failure easier than I can handle not being in control. LeBron was probably a better father than Jordan or Bird, but not a better basketball player. Everything you said in this video was just so spot on, I had to comment.
Very well said!
The problem with LeBron was he was too soon compared to Jordan. Look what happened to Harold Miner. LeBron is better than Miner, yes, but sometimes those too early comparisons wear a person down.
Those were the early years. Since, I can't stand him because he talks too much about things outside of basketball he doesn't fully understand and comes off as ignorant.
Bro I was a kid in the 80s watching these games and my father is from Boston so my house was a Celtics house. I can say the players back then did NOT want to team up together. They wanted to each have their own team and beat the heck out of each other. It was amazing.
Bird, Johnson, and McHale could dominate a 3v3 against modern players no problem. Bird himself was so damn intelligent he could not only play in today's league, he'd still find new ways to impress us.
Larry calling out his moves to his defenders and making them , HOLY COW amazing and Larry Bird was probably the best clutch dude of his era .
Bird couldn’t do naturally what other great athletes could physically, but his basketball mind and instinct was off the charts. He took what he had available in him, honed it to perfection through countless hours of work, and through sheer force of will made victory happen. Bird, Magic, and those great players back then all drove each other to perform beyond their limits and revived a struggling NBA. I have zero qualifications to name any G.O.A.T., I just enjoy watching different players do the impossible using their own unique skill set and exceptional willpower.
If today’s game is a 3-point contest, how can you bet against a prime Bird?
the man who walked into the locker room before the three point contest, looked around, said "I'm just trying to figure out which one of you is going to finish second", and backed it up? Yeah me neither
Bird played like butter!!! HE'S THE GOAT!!! I would like to watch more Bird vids!!
I agree with you. Back then, you score, then you D up. Today, you score, you flex in the camera, yell to the crowd, make sure everyone knows you scored. Down 50 dude hits a 3 and stares at the camera holding up his personal 3 ball sign. You nailed it calling them 'Hollywood"
Enjoy your very realistic commentary! Since you like the competition of the 80's BB this is a great one to watch. 1981 ECF, Celtics vs 76's w/ Dr. J & Moses Malone. Celtics came back from being down 1-3 game series to win. Pure determination from both teams to get the WIN! Competition at it's finest!
"The Best Larry Bird UNDERDOG Story Ever Told".
Yeah, one thing I always noted was how Magic and Larry both won titles right away in their careers. I know they didn't have the draft lottery yet, or how they determined draft order but that's just another way things were different in that era. However, there was a similar occurrence with Tim Duncan, because David Robinson was injured nearly the whole season and they were able to get Tim Duncan and he also won pretty much right away, also probably the last superstar to attend college 4 years before going pro.
Moses Malone played for the Rockets until 1982. He was on the Western conference champs that the Celtics beat in the finals.
That 81 ECF was the most gut wrenching series I ever saw.
Bird was listed as 6'9" 220 lbs. You mentioned his shot. Watch his release. Its actually behind his head making it almost impossible to block without going through his body.
The great ones (Magic, MJ, Bird, Pistol Pete, Dr. J., etc.) could play in ANY era!
There was a story behind the hard fouls, it had a psychological effect. Instead of playing the Lakers started fighting and it took them out of their game. 1984 finals
"LeBron definitely would have missed one of those." Hahahaha 🤣 soooo true
I'd say both 2 of 3 times.
Yah, but in fairness Shaq would have went to the line to shoot two and miss three. Only NBA player with a negative FT%....
It's preposterous to think any of the greats couldn't play in this era.
I can’t get enough of watching Larry play- more! And I enjoy your informed commentary!
Larry has been my favorite since he started playing. I was a Celtics fan when Cousey and Russell played. After Larry arrived the anticipation of those games was electric. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to see those games. I live in Ohio but I subscribed to the Boston Globe so I could read their coverage. Kurt Rambis was a hitman. He did a lot of damage with those elbows. The same with Bill Lambier on the Pistons. I truly disliked those two. Anyway, thanks for the reaction.
Bird would absolutely dominate the NBA today. Just like he did then but even more so.
NBA today is jv next to Bird and Magic in the 80s
I was today years old when I realized Kareem and magic were on the same team. Like that right there. The fact that this was a rivalry makes bird easily top 5 all time
This was when basketball was great! I remember watching from Memphis Tennessee at my grandma's house. I was actually a huge Kareem fan and I was only nine or ten years old and was in glasses by the time I was five or six. I would always think if I played basketball at have to wear the glasses like Kareem! 😂 But man you hit the nail on the head, the competitive games where incredible to watch. No glitz and glam. I would love to watch and hear what you think about some of the specials where you can actually hear the players saying what Larry Bird was saying to them. That man should not only teach classes on sports, but on confidence because he was someone who exuded it. I don't remember which year it was but it was early 80s and they were in the playoffs. It came down to the very last game. LA Lakers won, and I was happy about that. But seeing the Celtics players so upset, I remember crying for them because they played so well. This is when my love for basketball began. It's definitely not the same with the soft calls now. There was something a little gangster about how they played back then 😂 I'd love to see more of these videos.
‘Who’s wearing the purse today’ 😂😂
POLO - you're a good man. Great commentary. The old games are the only thing worth watching. LARRY LEGEND !!!!
Polo, you have to stream these series between the Celtics and the Lakers. They are breathtaking. This is my era. I couldn't sleep for 2 hours after the games were over.
Well done.
You are an old soul with respects to your overall philosophy, beliefs, understanding, and opinions of NBA Basketball, combined with a profound take on its history as well as its current nuances, trends, challenges, and how the present differences compare to and contrast with the teams and players of yesteryear. I lost track of how many times I concurred with what you commented on throughout your video. I really appreciate your insightful, intelligent, and meaningful comments. Can't thank you enough
Best of luck to you and keep up the excellent work..
I think you're absolutely right about peoples' preferences. For me, and past the highlight tapes, is how Bird completely changed the Celtics his first year (as a rookie) and then after that. Boston went from 10th in the Eastern Conference in 78-79, the year before Bird arriving (29-53 record), to 1st in the Eastern Conference in 79-80 (61-21 record). The only other rookies on the team Bird's rookie year were Rick Roby and Gerald Henderson. He not only made everyone else around him better, unlike most others, but Bird was an unparalleled competitor. BTW: I think Kareem is a top-ten all-time best NBA player. (I saw this game live on TV).
Great reaction, if you want to dive deeper, watch more games of Bird era Celtic’s. Watch games where Bird is matched up against Lakers, Wilkins, Jordan, etc. It’s not just the quality of players from that great era. It’s how all of them played the game ! It was NBA’s true zenith.
This is a very good point. Surprised we haven't seen the damage footage yet. When Bird comes out like a boss. After being injured...
Larry played when the game was physical against a dozen other hall of fame players! He would destroy the prima Donna’s of today. He was an overall, team player! You knew he would get the ball in clutch situations but his passing was incredible! What mattered was winning! Not being the center of attention!
A lot of truth was preached in this reaction brother!
Nothing better than the Celtics and Lakers ole' school! They worked to earn their paycheck.
Bird was clearly better than Magic, but the NBA will always list him higher, because the Lakers won 5 to the Celtics 3, forgetting that Kareem was the star of the team for the 1st 2 championships!!
Plausible.👍
I agree
Lakers had a far easier run in the conference finals. By the time the celtics got there theyd been bashed senseless.
I would say Kareem was the star for the first 3, 80, 82 and 85
@@Bundandong of course.
He was the captain. And for all ppl say bird had help...magic had kareem and james worthy and michael cooper.
Watch more Larry Byrd. The kids now are too sensitive to play with Larry.
powder puff ball for powder puff kids
Bird was so pure his shots rarely hit the rim, all net
All your takes were spot on man, would love to hear you analyze more games
Kareem, who has to be a front runner for the GOAT title, said to sportscasters said no one compared to Kareem's benchmarks! When the news guys tried to compare anyone to Kareem, they finally asked Kareem what he though. He just said 'as far as skills, Larry Bird could do anything,' at which, he rolled his eyes and looked upward!
Here’s something to think about when comparing Magic’s 5 championships to Bird’s 3. I was a 76’ers fan and loved Dr.J. Those early 80’s Sixer teams were stacked. The Lakers were stacked. In fact, the eastern conference had several teams that were stacked. The Bucks, Hawks, Knicks, were loaded with young talent and veterans. Yet, Bird won the championship in ‘81 with M.L. Carr, Cornbread Maxwell, and Tiny Archibald. The Celtics, had a BRUTAL path to the finals every year. When they DID make it to the finals they were involved in 5 or 6 or 7 game series just to get there. The Lakers, on the other hand, waltzed easily to the finals almost every year and would often sweep 4-0 to the Finals. I hated Bird and hated The Lakers because I was a 76er fan but Bird could’ve had atleast one or more had it not been so tough year after year. Not to mention the tragic death of Len Bias completely changed the destiny of the franchise and shortened Bird’s career/titles run. I respect Bird now. I like him now. But I hated him for decades.
If Luka can avg 35ppg then Bird would avg 40 if he wanted to
All those missed Laker freethrows shows how Bird can get in the heads of opposing players
I loved this. Yes, more of these old school NBA reactions please
I am so with you, Polo. I got to live this growing up. I'm just a touch older than Bird. It's so nice to see some full games in decent resolution to take me back. Now that I'm retired and have the time, I'm saddened by the state of the NBA in this ERA. That and the fact that my team got sold to Oklahoma. If you have the time and inclination, I would enjoy watching some playoff games with you.
Competition and a tight team . The fierce desire to win . That was excitement to watch. ☮️
Bird was cold-blooded assassin. Most clutch I've ever seen. As Laker Head Coach Pat Riley once said, "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I’d choose Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I’d take Larry Bird."
Respect the fact you decide to look at things with your own eyes.
Bird had mad skills. He set the tempo for the game and moved at his own pace.
This era of the NBA is the one I remember the most. as time went on, I found myself drifting further away from organized sports. now I look upon it with distain, because it is a shadow of it's former self... It's just not the same.
I’m loving watching these videos, and your comments. Having grown up in Hollywood in those years, I wish I’d taken more of an interest at the time. My brother & father were always glued to it, but I know for sure, they didn’t like Larry Bird😂. (At this point I love both teams & their Captains, but I must admit, Larry’s got the edge for me now!).
I remember when I was in Marine Corps boot camp in 1985. When I was in "formation platoon", basically a zero week for us, we had a drill instructor from Boston and one from LA. They made us watch the Celtics and Lakers. They would argue to the point we thought we would have to break it up. Good times and memories. Unfortunately, sports are not like they used to be.
Definitely do more of these. Another great bird era rivalry was with the Detroit Pistons.
Hell yeah. It was like gang warfare.
Bro
I totally agree the NBA today has been destroyed by social media - I can’t watch it - but Jordan, Johnson, Bird, Isiah - I could watch reruns of those dudes ALL DAY LONG!
This is the “Tragic “ Johnson game. People called him Tragic after he missed those free throws and didn’t play well down the stretch.
You need to watch any and all Bird trash talking videos. Bird is faster than Luka and the Joker and he could dominant in any era.
Also the Video The Greatets Passer Ever. Larry Bird the re-edit. 15 or so minutes of Bird just passing the ball. Absolutely beautiful to watch
He did have his best defender on him. Michael Cooper was as good a defender as anyone ever.
You made so many great points. The one i think is most important, you said "the will to win"! Great reaction!!
I would highly suggest watching Magic and Bird: A Courtship of Rivals. Arguably one of the best sports documentary's ever. Most reactors do it in 5 segments with a few running the full special. It delves into their backgrounds, their rivalry and one of the best friendships in sports history. Would love to see your reaction to this. Plus, since I learned you love trash talkers you should also check out the videos with NBA greats telling their stories of Larry's trash talking. It's very funny and jaw dropping really.
You can fine this Whole Game here on YT, You should check it out It's a WOW one. Bird has said a few times That Cooper was the Hardest Defender He had to go against & Watching the wholes game with these two You'll See why, Cooper was On Bird like a Tick.
'Back in my day sports were better'. LMAO so true bro!!
I remember this playoff game. My son would tape these playoff games so I could watch them when I got home from work.
Those Lakers and Celtics were both such exceptional "teams." The NBA was pure during this era.
I love watching your reactions to all kinds of music , I come from the City myself and because of friends was into the rap scene back in the day , NWO , Epmd , Big daddy cane etc, but my family was into Elvis and country , and different groups different types, so I have a real Eclectic music background, so good seeing simeone realize there is great music in all different styles , I crack up to your reactions like to Phil Collins ,when he jumped on the drums, or you saw the Soul in Elvis , not the joke they made of him later , Keep up the great work Joe Starratt , Boston Ma
Loved your reaction to the game highlights, would enjoy seeing more! As a kid in the 80s, Magic was my favorite with Bird and Jordan right behind. Game was so much more physical and it was teams v teams mostly, not just oo let's watch this one star player. (my perception) Always got me out there on the court even if the only thing my friends usually wanted to play was HORSE XD
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POLO, here's a story about Larry and Dominic Wilkins going to game 7. *"Larry told everyone that the Hawks don't have a chance to beat us now. They should have done it in Game 6!!"*
th-cam.com/video/1b4B-G3MFRk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=iltbWj0AFd1e-deF
Airplane! (1980) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
th-cam.com/video/iSi6iF9kVBs/w-d-xo.html
One of the funniest movies (jokes pr min)
You saw that Magic was the first to get to Kurt when he got put on the deck.. Magic put his forearm into Rambis to stop a brawl.. magic great team and situational awareness.
He could play in any time period. If he played today he would be the best 3 point shooter.
Excellent choice of highlights! I was around in those days. Los Angeles, my city, and Boston. It was mayhem. Kurt Rambis would run up through the stands to keep a ball in play. Court side seats were risky. It was rowdy and dangerous. These men were fearless. They were not gentlemen.
First basketball video game I ever played was Lakers vs Celtics back in 1991 on my Sega Genesis. So many kids would pack my house wanting to play. Winner stayed and we had a sign up list for next game. It really sucked losing since you went back to the bottom of the list. Good times!
Bird butted Cooper out of the way because Cooper was messing with him on the inbounds, not letting Bird get across the line. Once again, Bird answers.
Really like your take on the competitiveness of the game vs watching a bunch of superstars being all about themselves. Just bring your best game and leave it all on the court.
Larry Bird said Michael Cooper was the best Defender against him. Facts. Cooper should be in the HoF.
The back story is this was the first Laker Celtics finals series in a long time. LA was 0 forever against the Celtics and wanted to run them out of the gym. Tied 1-1, game LA made Boston look like a high school team, ran them out of the gym. Bird was embarrassed and said it's not happening again. Game 4 LA started doing the same thing, and the Bird said, "Somebody do something." McHale did by close lining Rambis, and this completely shook LA. Boston, from then on out, took control and called LA the Fakers. The Lakers were beaten mentally and physically. They learned from this and returned the favor in 85'.
So so so happy i got to see this game when it happened, They left blood sweat and tears on that court.
The game where Rambis is knocked down, that was the No lay-ups allowed game. Tough game unhinged the Lakers, who were up 3-1 in the playoffs. Celtics came back to beat them 4-3. Celtics played ball Lakers wanted to fight. Beat before they figured out what had happened. These guys were all in their 20’s. This game is on TH-cam
Celtics/Lakers back then were probably the greatest series in the history of the NBA. But Celtics/Sixers series of that era were almost as good ! (absolute wars) The Celts always had to get through The Sixers, The Pistons, and The Bulls to get to the Finals ( all GREAT series), but the Lakers usually had a cakewalk to the Finals. If you can find entire games from any of those series give them a watch. They were the best basketball I've ever seen.
I'm here for any Larry Bird stories you react to. 🎉
Watched that live. Awesome. LA/BOSTON was always a FIGHT. I'll never forget that Rambis Clothesline.... professionals playing like we did on the playground. FAFO. It was personal.
In 82, the cells lost to the 76'ers, who would face LA in the finals. With 5 minutes left, the Boston fans started chanting, "beat LA." Thats how huge the rivalry was. Every game with LA was WAR. Both sides embraced that.
As an old fart,, I miss that. I miss the short and mid game. I miss pretending that anyone that thought they could drive the lane against Detroits Bad boys, would come out alive...
I'm old. My a$$ would have been sent to the end of the bench if we played like today's game. Time may have passed me by, but that 80's game was just as much about the violent will to WIN. That's bigger than superstars. Its personal.
The thing about Bird is that he was 100% basketball! He didn't care about personal "stats", he only cared about winning the game. Race? Larry wasn't white, wasn't black. Larry was CLEAR! Dennis Rodman gave him a huge insult that became the talk of sports. Larry shrugged it off and said: "I don't understand why people are making a big deal out of this. It is a distraction from the game, that's all! If I don't care about it, why does anybody else care?" Larry was pure basketball!
Totally agree with you about the powderpuff playing these days…
I also heard Bird in a little interview say; Free Throws Can Be a Reason For a Team To Win It OR Loose It & That It's Very Important That Players Practice Them. It Was For Sure In This Game. Also I Think The Player Has To watch It Because Of The Pressure In Those Moments Too.And That's Just a Different Kind Of Thing They Have To Be Able To Handle/Mentally.
I grew up in LA, but was one who loved BIRD and the Celtics over Lakers. Larry Legend was just a cold killer on the court and I loved that rivalry in the 80-90’s. Best time in the NBA. Real basketball played….
Everything you are saying is so correct. It was so good to have watched back then.
Watch more reelz NOBODY could ever cover Bird. He is the best there is, was, or ever will be❤
There were so many superstar players on both teams and that is how good Bird was. He was going against Hall of Fame players. Some of these guys were older like Kareem and Bob, who was a scoring machine in his younger days. Larry could play in any era. He would average 35 points a game in todays game! Macadoo
The only weakness in Bird's game was he couldn't play good man-to-man defense.That's why either Cornbread Maxwell or McHale guarded the other teams best scorers: Like James Worthy,Wilkins,etc,etc,..
@@kerry-j4m Bird did get three years second team all defense. Was that before he hurt his back?
@@x00p3 2nd team aii defense for 3 yrs ??? It was problably for steals,because his man-to-man defense was horrible.That's why Cedric Maxwell and Kevin McHale guarded Bernard King,Wilkins,James Worthy,etc,... When the Celtics played the Lakers Bird guarded Kirt Rambis. LOL.
This is a great reaction to this iconic matchup. I grew up during this time period and I don’t care who you were you at very least watched the sports on the news so you could catch highlights of the Celtics and lakers. I was not a big fan of the NBA. I loved college basketball, living on Tobacco Road between The Tar Heels,blue devils,Wolfpack and wake forest. Everyone around here loved basketball. However I did watch the nba finals and I was a laker fan back then. Worthy was my favorite. But Larry Bird was unbelievable. Just like in this game everything he threw up just went in. You mentioned the competitiveness of the sport now vs then. And the premadonnas of today. Well this bunch along with Jordan crested that also. There was so much competition back then it took the NBA to top of sports. The jerseys at the mall,the shoes! Wow all the shoes, they were awesome. I had the yellow and purple worthy new balance. And I got done air Jordan’s. These players marketed their talent but they earned the right to do so. I think players today come into the league with a hint that they are automatically given this status. You go out and make a few great shots and look at me! That ain’t what kareem,Magic,Larry,Parrish,Worthy mchale did. They were fighting tooth and nail earning their money and giving fans what they wanted. Truly a great time to love basketball. I only wish that I had paid more attention back then to what was going on.
I like you,every time I see Bird highlights move him up in my all-time greatest lst. A complete player, with one of the best "heads" for the game ever. Relentless competitor.
If Larry remained healthy and injury free he would annually rank top 4 in MVP votes today just like he did in the eighties.
Bird was the dominant player in his time. Bird was so clutch, he wanted the ball when the game was on the line. Who else has put up better numbers in the last 2 minutes of the game. Jordan lost 6 straight playoff games to Bird, never beat Bird. Listen to James Worthy or Michael Cooper both said Bird was just as dangerous without the ball or without scoring, he rebounded, passed, set picks he was involved some how, not just standing around. Both said they would rather guard Jordan as Bird.
Larry’s career was a thirteen year highlight film!
I’m a piston fan and hate the Celtics but watching Bird play and all he did made me a BIG Bird fan. He is a top 5 goat nominee for me
Dude these are excellent and your delivery is fantastic to watch. Keep these coming.
If you look closely, it was McHale's forearm that hit Kareem in the face from a step away, not Bird. It was a case of mistaken identiy, as Jabbar thought it was Larry who hit him.