Bird was one of the most gifted players in NBA history. Slow, unathletic cold blooded assassin. Infuriating to the other team. It was a privilege to be alive when Bird was playing
Unathletic is subjective...he could score with his left or right better than anyone EVER in the NBA. That's pure skill. He was more athletic than Magic by far...but no one calls Magic slow and unathletic. I don't get it. :)
@@Wraithlen Bird was fast when he attacked and when he passed.He looked slow to most as he knew what he was doing.that was his game, think,know,then whammo be it a shot or a pass it was faster than most could think. McHale and Parish would not have had such amazing carreers with the celtics if it were not for the generous amount of assist from Bird. they were both great players but you can't score a point if you do not have the ball, and larry did not have to share he just did as he was the best team player period.
Before winning the three straight mvp's, he finished second in the mvp on the previous three years. And after winning the three straight mvp's, in the next three years he came in second twice and once in third. In nine straight years: 1 third place, 5 second places, and 3 first places; imagine the competition.
Some things to think about. Has your favorite player ever... - called his shot in a live game more than one time and made that called shot? - told people he's going to play left-handed and then score 27 points left-handed, 20 points right handed and hit the game-winning shot from the corner double covered at the buzzer? - hit a shot over the backboard from behind it in a live game? - come one steal away from a quadruple double in just three quarters of play? - make a game-winning play on the last second of the last game of a finals series in at least two separate series? - play the game that was of such high caliber that (the other team) was celebrating outwardly on numerous different shots that he hit, proven by the players being fined for such? - break a bone in your face and then come back in, lead and rally your team to a comeback win, in yet another game five final? - play his entire career and in that footage never find one instance of slacking, hanging back or giving up on a play? I know that one's going to eliminate a couple real quick! I could go on, there's more. Larry Bird was just different! Few other players, maybe Jordan and couple others played with as much confidence in my opinion. The confidence he had is how all the above things happened.
@@jimai808 Did your favorite player say “That’s God disguised as Michael Jordan”? Let’s not forget those were legendary Celtic teams full of future Hall Of Famers vs bad Bulls teams. Bird was great but he was not Mike.
@@G_Demolished I didnt say he was Mike. In fact I still consider mj the GOAT. But just because you're the GOAT doesn't mean you're perfect. There can be guys out there that have your number. Eli manning got 2 superbowl rings beating Tom brady and the patriots. Doesnt mean the new york giants had a better dynasty than the patriots did.
110% Lebron would be a crybaby playing against Bird 🐦 he is today! so if Bird was playing against Lebron Larry Legend would embarrass him so much he would stop playing the game.
Bird was extremely athelotic. Thats what people misunderstand He was a gifted! They want to talk about his trash talk and his high IQ. In order to justify his greatness. They mention that he wasnt that fast and couldnt jump that high. Having the mental prowness to get to the ball. You still have to be fast enough to beat everyone to the ball and out jump everyone. He is the GOAT! LABRON JAMES is not in the same league as Bird.
Lewoke wouldn’t even be in the conversation as GOAT if he played during Birds day. He plays is a soft league that has zero heart. I hate today’s woke bullshit NBA
I was lucky to be there for so many of these games. Watched Larry and Magic save the NBA. They both loved the game, played hard, had fun and believed, above all, that it was a team sport. I miss that.
Yea one thing I’ve noticed from back in the day players had a rivalry but still showed respect to one another .. today they run down the floor pop a 3 .. no defense today
@@jerryramsey8697 it's a different game today, no doubt. I have players that I watch hightlights of because they are a joy to watch in action but I dont watch games or really follow the season anymore. I'm 60 years old and my Dad took me to my first game (ABA/Pacers courtside season tix) when I was like 8. The merger with the NBA came with a lot of challenges and the growing pains were ugly. Out of control players high as kites. Refs as bad as they come. Then came Magic and Larry. They centered the game and changed the league. We need another Larry and Magic moment to turn the game back to being a team sport. That's where great moments happen...with team play.
To answer your question... the old analog videos look fuzzy through digital. At the time, the TV picture was much clearer than it looks on these videos.
Before he hurt his back he could run and jump, with most guys his size. He was no Jordan or Dominique, but who was?! And Larry had quick hands and had quick feet in small areas. The whole "Larry was un athletic," is way over blown for effect. Even with a back injury that would retire most players, he averaged over 10 rebounds a game. An un athletic guy could not do that.
If somebody has such a high IQ and court vision everything is initiated sooner. Bird was an initiator, those all around him had to be reactors. It doesn't matter how fast you are if Bird is two steps ahead.
@@Gixsir His goofiness helped him though. People see it as a knock but think of how hard it is to guard someone doing something like that. Plus I feel like he just saved his athleticism for when it mattered. He could run and jump but if he tried to compete with most of these guys in athleticism straight out he would loose. So he said play with my rules and use selective athleticism. Now what, oh I'm making you look stupid, here let me rub it in your face more. Ruthless in every aspect of the game.
Bird was a force to be reckoned with even when he had a bad back. Bird brought 100% effort to every single game. I don't think he ever was benched due to an injury or sickness.
The context of Bird's 60-point game makes it even better. Kevin McHale set a Celtics record with 56 points the week before. Bird told McHale that he wasn't going to have the record for long. Eight or nine days later, boom! 60. No way was he going to let somebody else have the record.
One thing I think Larry Bird had more than everyone else, unrivalled, he got his whole heart in each game. Which allows him to bring everything he got every time.
@@Jon-fb8uw imagine it wasn't playing hurt for so many years he would probably have been the goat but I think when you take in longevity I go 1. M.J. 2. K.A.J. (tie) slight edge 2. L.B. (tie) 3. Magic 4. K.B.
to say he wasnt athletic is crazy..... He didnt demonstrate it with power or speed but he was clearly athletic. you cant do the stuff he did on the court without athleticism...
The Barkley story reminded me of the Bird story Tom Tolbert tells on himself. Tolbert was playing for the Warriors. The coach (Don Nelson?) starts him against Bird. Tolbert said Bird looked over at the bench & said "Are you puttin' this white boy on me?" & shook his head. Bird lit him up every chance he got. Tolbert still laughs about it.
@Bobby d There were already those gym rats back then, Larry was his own master. He ran the same route, shot at the same park and did him the rest of the time. His confidence is literally 2nd to no other player in history. And that's a BOLD statement of me to make, and it be true still 🤗
Bird grew up playing street ball with the brothers. That's where that swag & trash-talkin' was honed to high art. You imagine him just walking on the court thinking the pick-up game just got a lot easier until you hear the regulars sounding nervous. Then finding out why.
Yeah it's interesting in the clip where Dominique talks about him calling him "Holmes"... That was nothing new to Larry he like you said he was in the streets playing ball with all the black guys back in the day. He talked like they talked and he respected them. That's why Larry is clear!
Kick it in is old school for off one foot. So, he called it... from the same spot... in his face... off one foot. Larry Bird called his shot all the time. My favorite was the left-handed game.
People who didn't watch the NBA in the 80's usually don't appreciate how good Larry Bird was. He didn't look athletic, but he was a surgeon on the court. He was pretty much unstoppable. He's definitely in the GOAT conversation.
Bird was one of the most prolific trash talkers in the NBA. And he could back up what he was saying 99% of the time. That was how Larry Legend got into an opponents head. Bird was extremely court savvy and knew the mental aspects of the game mattered a lot. Thus to throw you out of your physical game he would mess up your mental game as well. Larry may not have been the physical specimen of Jordan or LBJ, but he was always a couple of steps ahead of people mentally. He saw how the action on the floor was developing before it actually happened. Jordan learned that later in his career. LeBron James will never get there.
You mentioned his street ball skills. That is where he learned his skills. As a kid he used to play with the hotel/wait staff. If you ask him, I bet he would say, those men were better than half the NBA.
That double win, was actually a triple. The true story is even more insane. He tied it with a 3 after the call off, then won on the jumper in DOT. that's 3 clutch winners.....in the same game....within 2 minutes.
There are a few other stories, "Is your mom watching"... "Who's going to come in 2nd, cause I'm winning this". When bird didn't compete in the 3pt. contest, and the winner says, "Bird knows where to find me, and Bird replies, yea at the end of the Chi. Bulls bench"... savage.
Us older guys are going to have to start trying to remember how young you fellas are. Yes that is what sports on TV looked like in the 80s. There was no high-def until more than 10 yrs after many of these highlights
I was thinking the same thing. I forget that my son has known nothing but 720p and beyond in his lifetime when it comes to broadcast television. The subpar resolution brings me back to a better time, a time before snowflakes and cancel culture. I miss the 80's and 90's so much.
@@jarrekhurdle1744 Snowflakes and cancel culture have always existed. It's just that conservatives coined a term for it, packaged it like a product and then proceeded to pretend that it only has ever happened to them. I kinda feel like it's incredibly arrogant and unrealistic to actually assume that an entire ideology is somehow immune from ubiquitous negative aspects of human nature but I guess that's what you get when you have an ideology dominated by religious thinks who believe in absolute good and evil like children.
Nah it wasnt nearly that bad. That clip you have to think was probably recorded from a vcr (possibly coppied from another tape) from the 80's later put on a CD uploaded into windows 95-xp or Mac os9-x compressed into a small enough mpeg that you could share through a 56k or if your really lucky a t1 through napster later dsl. Copied ten thousand times compressed reformatted and reformatted again and uploaded to youtube. We had static and small non hd tv's but it wasn't that bad for the avg mass resident.
The time out 3 didn't do Bird justice because what they left out was that Bird hit a 3 in regulation to send it to overtime, then hit what would have been the game winning 3 when Jones called time out, and then hit a 3rd 3 pointer off of 1 foot.
i think its funny how Bird is described as unathletic.Ive heard other pros disagree. He wasnt jumping out of the building or fast in comparsion to those that were but he was quick with hands and feet.
I grew up in New York City watching Larry Bird and Magic Johnson bring the NBA back to life, it was a great time to be a basketball fan! (yes, I’m that old)
Larry Bird taught everyone of us as we watched him play, Go all out every time you bust your ass and you play hurt no excuses I was fortunate to watch all of these games live year after year after year. I struggle watching everyone take weeks off nagging little injuries everybody used to play hurt.
At 8:00 you can see 4 members of the opposing team are on Larry at one point. His head movement, eye movement and slight body movements completely disarm defenders brains because they have no idea what he is actually going to do. They expect the fakes, but he fakes so many times in so many different ways that they just cannot comprehend.
I don't blame Julius Erving for taking a swing at Larry....imagine how pissed you'd be if you were Dr. J. and Larry Bird was outscoring you 38-6. Larry Bird was snatching souls on the court and cooking all your favorite HOF'ers when he played. He beat every HOF'er he ever played against and you will never see anything like this again.
@Ken D he is a good one. I was a big David Robinson fan myself. Not only what he did on the court but off as well. Before the NBA,during the NBA and after. He is just a great individual period. We need more people like him on this earth and Dunkan has followed in his footsteps both on and off the court. Again good call!
I just realized you are a young boy. Bird was one of the greatest ever… Wilt said so. I remember getting the Basketball college and pro mag with Bird on the cover while he was in college, the title was who can guard this guy in the nba? Nobody. I hated him as a sixers fan, but admired him… but hated him.
To me it was a circular argument. Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, and he had the trash talk to back it up, which helped make him one of the greatest players of all time. It was that intimidation factor where he would get in people's heads and get them off their game. Many of the greats have it. Jordan with the tongue sticking out. Tiger Woods with just his swagger on the course when he was in his prime. And of course the greatest trash talker in the history of sports, Muhammad Ali, who probably won some fights just by running his mouth. Sonny Liston certainly thought he was crazy, and that probably contributed to Ali beating the tar out of him.
Most of the highlights you see are past his prime. From 79 to 86, he was faster then most in the NBA for his size. He never could jump, but everything else, he was a superior athlete. Strength, agility, quickness, hand eye. If you see him 10 feet out, no one in the league could stop him. Magic said as much, to many moves.
For all of us that saw him play, he was the most clutch shooter ever! And I bleed Purple and Gold, but, Cold Blooded Assassin. Larry Joe Bird is my starting SF on my Best 5 of all time. 3 point shoot out won with warm up on, and he had to drain the last 4 to win.
That’s how TV looked back in the day 🤣. I got rebounds for ML Carr when I was 13 and he came to my school to do an anti drugs presentation. It was awesome!
Bird is my fave of all time. Magic, Kareem, Scott, Cooper, Rambis,Mchale, Parrish, DJ, Ainge, Walton, all the 80's Lakers and Celtics were the best teams ever! Great rivalry. Great stories. Everyone bags on Lebron but times are different and dynasties are not the same. Probably better that way. They are all my basketball heros! Bunch of cool dudes! Best in the world! Larry was best all around player that ever lived.
Funny thing is, Bird only took 1.9 three point shots a game. And even though he took less than two 3 point shots a game, he considered one of the best.
Great video. I used to watch all these games with my late father and my favorites were when Byrd and Barkley were on the court. Both trash talkers but man,Larry was so damn good at it.
@@josefasevilla1654 I cant remember the year but as an Atlanta fan we were ready. We had prime Dominique etc. Damn!! Boston got us. I think Cliff Levingston drove the lane and threw up a prayer that wasnt answered. I dont jump on bandwagons until my home team is eliminated. I jumped The LA wagon. Everyone I was working with talking trash and now you like LA? No. I just hate Boston now.
This is my starting 5. 1. Center - Wilt Chamberlain 2. Power Forward - Tim Duncan 3. Small Forward - Larry Bird 4. Shooting Guard - Michael Jordan 5. Point Guard - Magic Johnson
People say "unathletic" but some of the stiffness was from injury/lack of recovery. He was so loyal, I don't think he ever trashed his coach or his fellow players but he knew that most of the time they couldn't do a damned thing without him after a season or two. So he played injured (minor and major) a lot, I think. That's not all of it, he never looked particularly graceful. But did he have to?
What made Bird THAT good was his work ethic.. he practiced and practiced that's why he could count on himself and his ability cause he built himself up.
Can you even imagine how lethal Bird would've been if he never shattered his knuckle prior to beginning his NBA career! Supposedly he's said he never got his dhooting rhythm back from that injury.
Maybe the best compliment about Larry Bird I ever heard was when Coach Pat Riley said, "if I had to pick a player to take the shot to win the game I'd pick Michael Jordan." "If I had to pick a player to take the shot to save my life I'd pick Larry Bird."
He had 3 shots to win that game the first one was called off due to coach calling time out then Larry called the shot to tie it and then in double overtime he hit the game winning shot.
You know I played ball when I was a kid even scored 33 points in a rek league championship game wit my new 1994 Jordens, I love basketball in general, I was alive when Larry bird played ball and I never knew he was a s*** talker what makes Larry so great to me is that he didn't do it through athleticism he did it through Pistol Pete fundamentals. It wasn't that fuzzy live also but yeah analog doesn't play well in the digital era
The proof that I'm right may be in the comments! Because I only saw one person even mentione this person's name.. Mr Wilt Chamberlain.. I'm a bird fan I'm a curry fan and I love Jordan.. but Wilt Chamberlain was really the goat and he is so underrated! Go look at his stats sometime and try not to faint, he makes everybody else's stats look like Middle School stats! And I know it was a different time and there were less teams and less games. But it was also different time that we didn't get to see a lot of his greatness it just wasn't caught on film.
Creighton grad here. CU beat Indiana State three times by a total of 7 points in Larry's junior year. In his senior year undefeated regular season, Larry came to Omaha and went 16-16 from the field and 18-19 from the free-throw line. Got so bad, Creighton's coach slipped off his shoes and leaned back to watch the show in the second half. He said that sometimes you realize that you may never see another player that good in your lifetime, so enjoy it.
I appreciate you putting all these together!! Bird is under rated with viewers / fans but I think all the players respect him No it wasn’t that blurry live
He actually had 3 game winning shots in that one game. First 3 was a time out, he went and made another to tie and go into overtime. Then the last shot was for the win when in overtime.
Yes I have seen someone call the game winning shot, tell the opposing player/bench ahead of time, then do it. Bird did that exact thing multiple times.
Man...I couldn't stand Bird. He made me miserable as a Laker fan. I was never ever rooting for Bird. But...... he's the greatest player of all time. He's the 🐐! He had it all. But I'll plead the 5th if you tie me down.
Bird was one of the most gifted players in NBA history. Slow, unathletic cold blooded assassin. Infuriating to the other team. It was a privilege to be alive when Bird was playing
Exactly!!!! He was the reason I'm a Celtics fan. It was always fun watching him play.
Unathletic is subjective...he could score with his left or right better than anyone EVER in the NBA. That's pure skill. He was more athletic than Magic by far...but no one calls Magic slow and unathletic. I don't get it. :)
@@Wraithlen Bird was fast when he attacked and when he passed.He looked slow to most as he knew what he was doing.that was his game, think,know,then whammo be it a shot or a pass it was faster than most could think. McHale and Parish would not have had such amazing carreers with the celtics if it were not for the generous amount of assist from Bird. they were both great players but you can't score a point if you do not have the ball, and larry did not have to share he just did as he was the best team player period.
@@Wraithlen Fast is slow, slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
If he wasn't athletic then what do you call those moves nobody could stop? I'm waiting?
Dude he broke his back, mangled his hand, broke his orbital bone. Had double vision. Dude still won 3 straight mvps.
Before winning the three straight mvp's, he finished second in the mvp on the previous three years. And after winning the three straight mvp's, in the next three years he came in second twice and once in third. In nine straight years: 1 third place, 5 second places, and 3 first places; imagine the competition.
Larry Bird wasn't just a great trash talker, he was one of the best to ever play the game. Hands down.
Some things to think about. Has your favorite player ever...
- called his shot in a live game more than one time and made that called shot?
- told people he's going to play left-handed and then score 27 points left-handed, 20 points right handed and hit the game-winning shot from the corner double covered at the buzzer?
- hit a shot over the backboard from behind it in a live game?
- come one steal away from a quadruple double in just three quarters of play?
- make a game-winning play on the last second of the last game of a finals series in at least two separate series?
- play the game that was of such high caliber that (the other team) was celebrating outwardly on numerous different shots that he hit, proven by the players being fined for such?
- break a bone in your face and then come back in, lead and rally your team to a comeback win, in yet another game five final?
- play his entire career and in that footage never find one instance of slacking, hanging back or giving up on a play? I know that one's going to eliminate a couple real quick!
I could go on, there's more. Larry Bird was just different! Few other players, maybe Jordan and couple others played with as much confidence in my opinion. The confidence he had is how all the above things happened.
Also, does your favorite player have a winning record against Michael Jordan? 2-0 in the playoffs and 17-11 overall.
Facts! Sounds too good to be true. That's Larry Bird #33! "The baddest white dude to ever touch a basketball."
@@jimai808 Did your favorite player say “That’s God disguised as Michael Jordan”? Let’s not forget those were legendary Celtic teams full of future Hall Of Famers vs bad Bulls teams. Bird was great but he was not Mike.
@@G_Demolished I didnt say he was Mike. In fact I still consider mj the GOAT. But just because you're the GOAT doesn't mean you're perfect. There can be guys out there that have your number. Eli manning got 2 superbowl rings beating Tom brady and the patriots. Doesnt mean the new york giants had a better dynasty than the patriots did.
@@jimai808 6-0 in the playoffs, btw... two 3-game sweeps
Bruh.... you don't understand how dangerous Bird was.... The dude was TRULY G.O.A.T. level.
Lebron would probably flop around and cry foul if Bird talk trash to him LMFAO
110% Lebron would be a crybaby playing against Bird 🐦 he is today! so if Bird was playing against Lebron Larry Legend would embarrass him so much he would stop playing the game.
Bird was extremely athelotic. Thats what people misunderstand
He was a gifted! They want to talk about his trash talk and his high IQ. In order to justify his greatness. They mention that he wasnt that fast and couldnt jump that high. Having the mental prowness to get to the ball. You still have to be fast enough to beat everyone to the ball and out jump everyone. He is the GOAT! LABRON JAMES is not in the same league as Bird.
the game was so much rougher then. bron would be cryin
Lewoke wouldn’t even be in the conversation as GOAT if he played during Birds day. He plays is a soft league that has zero heart. I hate today’s woke bullshit NBA
HAH! No doubt. Larry Bird's words hit harder than most players physically hit people in the league today.
Larry Bird being offended when white guys guard him because its disrespectful may be the funniest NBA story I've ever heard. I'm ded. 🤣
He sure is witty.
We wish you were
He later confirmed it was Dan Majerle that he was so offended by. Majerle was an All Star.
As a white man I fell over laughing,he was the best.
Thats funny
Bird is definitely top 5 all time.
Try Top 1.
I was lucky to be there for so many of these games. Watched Larry and Magic save the NBA. They both loved the game, played hard, had fun and believed, above all, that it was a team sport. I miss that.
Yea one thing I’ve noticed from back in the day players had a rivalry but still showed respect to one another .. today they run down the floor pop a 3 .. no defense today
@@jerryramsey8697 it's a different game today, no doubt. I have players that I watch hightlights of because they are a joy to watch in action but I dont watch games or really follow the season anymore. I'm 60 years old and my Dad took me to my first game (ABA/Pacers courtside season tix) when I was like 8. The merger with the NBA came with a lot of challenges and the growing pains were ugly. Out of control players high as kites. Refs as bad as they come. Then came Magic and Larry. They centered the game and changed the league. We need another Larry and Magic moment to turn the game back to being a team sport. That's where great moments happen...with team play.
His basketball IQ and his sacrifices for the ball or his teammates is what won games...absolute excellent player.
To answer your question... the old analog videos look fuzzy through digital. At the time, the TV picture was much clearer than it looks on these videos.
Sounds about right as someone who grew up watching.
BIRD, MAGIC, RUSSEL, PETE MAVERICH, JORDAN.
Meet you on the court. Old school rules, bleed to go the line.
Bird was more “athletic” than he is given credit for. He just looked so goofy that it made it look worse.
Before he hurt his back he could run and jump, with most guys his size. He was no Jordan or Dominique, but who was?! And Larry had quick hands and had quick feet in small areas. The whole "Larry was un athletic," is way over blown for effect. Even with a back injury that would retire most players, he averaged over 10 rebounds a game. An un athletic guy could not do that.
If somebody has such a high IQ and court vision everything is initiated sooner. Bird was an initiator, those all around him had to be reactors. It doesn't matter how fast you are if Bird is two steps ahead.
“Looked so goofy” might be the best way ever of describing his athleticism. Bird the Goat tho
@@Gixsir His goofiness helped him though. People see it as a knock but think of how hard it is to guard someone doing something like that. Plus I feel like he just saved his athleticism for when it mattered. He could run and jump but if he tried to compete with most of these guys in athleticism straight out he would loose. So he said play with my rules and use selective athleticism. Now what, oh I'm making you look stupid, here let me rub it in your face more. Ruthless in every aspect of the game.
bears dont look athletic either until one ate me and my gf in alaska and all i had was a frying pan.........
Bird was a force to be reckoned with even when he had a bad back. Bird brought 100% effort to every single game. I don't think he ever was benched due to an injury or sickness.
The context of Bird's 60-point game makes it even better. Kevin McHale set a Celtics record with 56 points the week before. Bird told McHale that he wasn't going to have the record for long. Eight or nine days later, boom! 60. No way was he going to let somebody else have the record.
If you ain't got Bird in your top 5, you don't know basketball... Another banger vid bro.
One thing I think Larry Bird had more than everyone else, unrivalled, he got his whole heart in each game. Which allows him to bring everything he got every time.
respectfully not in my top five. 1. Jordan 2. Jabbar 3. Magic 4. Bryant 5. James 6. Duncan 7. West 8. Bird (IMO)
@@soyentak5076 Bird was 6-0 versus Jordan in the playoffs. Bird and Jordan are a tie for me at number 1.
@@Jon-fb8uw imagine it wasn't playing hurt for so many years he would probably have been the goat but I think when you take in longevity I go 1. M.J.
2. K.A.J. (tie) slight edge
2. L.B. (tie)
3. Magic
4. K.B.
to say he wasnt athletic is crazy..... He didnt demonstrate it with power or speed but he was clearly athletic. you cant do the stuff he did on the court without athleticism...
100%
It's so disrespectful to him when he's not mentioned in the list of the greatest to ever play.
Na its not, we know he is. It just shows the lack knowledge of these kids today.
It's not so much disrespectful, it's that youngsters see a different NBA than the one us Old Folks saw. They just don't know.
The Barkley story reminded me of the Bird story Tom Tolbert tells on himself. Tolbert was playing for the Warriors. The coach (Don Nelson?) starts him against Bird. Tolbert said Bird looked over at the bench & said "Are you puttin' this white boy on me?" & shook his head. Bird lit him up every chance he got. Tolbert still laughs about it.
Bird had one of best IQ of the game
I think he has the highest by a lot
super high basketball IQ
Larry Bird's vertical was 28", which is pretty much NBA average.
28 inch vert, won a jump ball against the Dream 😳💯
@Bobby d There were already those gym rats back then, Larry was his own master. He ran the same route, shot at the same park and did him the rest of the time. His confidence is literally 2nd to no other player in history. And that's a BOLD statement of me to make, and it be true still 🤗
Larry's dunk the REVERSE layup finishing facing CENTER . ITS my FAVORIte dunk.
You're looking at old, analog tapes. They were decent back then but look really bad on digital playback.
Bird could say anything....He backed it up!
Bird grew up playing street ball with the brothers. That's where that swag & trash-talkin' was honed to high art. You imagine him just walking on the court thinking the pick-up game just got a lot easier until you hear the regulars sounding nervous. Then finding out why.
Yeah it's interesting in the clip where Dominique talks about him calling him "Holmes"... That was nothing new to Larry he like you said he was in the streets playing ball with all the black guys back in the day. He talked like they talked and he respected them. That's why Larry is clear!
old footage looks clearer on old tvs. The way new screens work and also resolution is what makes them fuzzy. Same with old video games
Kick it in is old school for off one foot. So, he called it... from the same spot... in his face... off one foot. Larry Bird called his shot all the time. My favorite was the left-handed game.
Pg: Magic
Sg: Jordan
Sf: Bird
Pf: Duncan
C. : Chamberlain
You could easily switch out Wilt for Russell and it would still be as good a team as you have now.
I have pretty much the same lineup, but then with Kareem at C..
I’m pretty sure I love Doc Rivers. Larry Bird was a beast. And a good man. Succeeded no matter the challenge facing him. Thanks Rah.
Kareem says he’s the smartest player he ever played against.
People who didn't watch the NBA in the 80's usually don't appreciate how good Larry Bird was. He didn't look athletic, but he was a surgeon on the court. He was pretty much unstoppable. He's definitely in the GOAT conversation.
He may not have had the flashy speed or jumps but he got the job done. Add in all the rest...G.O A.T.
Bird was one of the most prolific trash talkers in the NBA. And he could back up what he was saying 99% of the time. That was how Larry Legend got into an opponents head. Bird was extremely court savvy and knew the mental aspects of the game mattered a lot. Thus to throw you out of your physical game he would mess up your mental game as well. Larry may not have been the physical specimen of Jordan or LBJ, but he was always a couple of steps ahead of people mentally. He saw how the action on the floor was developing before it actually happened. Jordan learned that later in his career. LeBron James will never get there.
You mentioned his street ball skills. That is where he learned his skills. As a kid he used to play with the hotel/wait staff. If you ask him, I bet he would say, those men were better than half the NBA.
O n l y F a n. Great platform RAH. You got it going on.
Bird would be as good now as he was in the past because of how he played. Cant say that for all athletic players
Dominique is the human highlight reel and one of my all time favorite NBA players.
That double win, was actually a triple. The true story is even more insane. He tied it with a 3 after the call off, then won on the jumper in DOT. that's 3 clutch winners.....in the same game....within 2 minutes.
There are a few other stories, "Is your mom watching"... "Who's going to come in 2nd, cause I'm winning this". When bird didn't compete in the 3pt. contest, and the winner says, "Bird knows where to find me, and Bird replies, yea at the end of the Chi. Bulls bench"... savage.
That was Craig Hodges...
It's been said many times Bird had eyes in the back of his head and he knew where everyone was on the court.
Us older guys are going to have to start trying to remember how young you fellas are. Yes that is what sports on TV looked like in the 80s. There was no high-def until more than 10 yrs after many of these highlights
Right?!
Interesting enough, high def had already been invented by the late 80s early 90s, it just wasn't used until over a decade later.
I was thinking the same thing. I forget that my son has known nothing but 720p and beyond in his lifetime when it comes to broadcast television. The subpar resolution brings me back to a better time, a time before snowflakes and cancel culture. I miss the 80's and 90's so much.
@@jarrekhurdle1744 Snowflakes and cancel culture have always existed. It's just that conservatives coined a term for it, packaged it like a product and then proceeded to pretend that it only has ever happened to them. I kinda feel like it's incredibly arrogant and unrealistic to actually assume that an entire ideology is somehow immune from ubiquitous negative aspects of human nature but I guess that's what you get when you have an ideology dominated by religious thinks who believe in absolute good and evil like children.
Nah it wasnt nearly that bad. That clip you have to think was probably recorded from a vcr (possibly coppied from another tape) from the 80's later put on a CD uploaded into windows 95-xp or Mac os9-x compressed into a small enough mpeg that you could share through a 56k or if your really lucky a t1 through napster later dsl. Copied ten thousand times compressed reformatted and reformatted again and uploaded to youtube. We had static and small non hd tv's but it wasn't that bad for the avg mass resident.
The time out 3 didn't do Bird justice because what they left out was that Bird hit a 3 in regulation to send it to overtime, then hit what would have been the game winning 3 when Jones called time out, and then hit a 3rd 3 pointer off of 1 foot.
They way Kevin McHale put it: Larry said, "I lost the game in the first 3 quarters, then won it 3 times in the forth quarter." Larry Goat
Bird , Magic and Jordan !
Then everyone else !
Most underrated……..
Mchale , Walton and Akeem !
McHale wasn't underrated by his opponents. Barkley said that Kevin was the hardest person he ever had to guard.
i think its funny how Bird is described as unathletic.Ive heard other pros disagree. He wasnt jumping out of the building or fast in comparsion to those that were but he was quick with hands and feet.
I grew up in New York City watching Larry Bird and Magic Johnson bring the NBA back to life, it was a great time to be a basketball fan! (yes, I’m that old)
Julius Irving. The gentleman and the scholar. I love that guy.
Larry Bird taught everyone of us as we watched him play, Go all out every time you bust your ass and you play hurt no excuses I was fortunate to watch all of these games live year after year after year. I struggle watching everyone take weeks off nagging little injuries everybody used to play hurt.
At 8:00 you can see 4 members of the opposing team are on Larry at one point. His head movement, eye movement and slight body movements completely disarm defenders brains because they have no idea what he is actually going to do. They expect the fakes, but he fakes so many times in so many different ways that they just cannot comprehend.
I don't blame Julius Erving for taking a swing at Larry....imagine how pissed you'd be if you were Dr. J. and Larry Bird was outscoring you 38-6. Larry Bird was snatching souls on the court and cooking all your favorite HOF'ers when he played. He beat every HOF'er he ever played against and you will never see anything like this again.
Elgin Baylor and Pistol Pete two of the most underrated ever
@Ken D he is a good one. I was a big David Robinson fan myself. Not only what he did on the court but off as well. Before the NBA,during the NBA and after. He is just a great individual period. We need more people like him on this earth and Dunkan has followed in his footsteps both on and off the court. Again good call!
If we were to make an all fun-to-watch team, Bird would definitely be on it.
😂😂😂 we didn't realize it was blurry
Barkley was so funny telling that story bout being guarded by a white guy 😂🤣😂🤣🤯
Larry my boy, he could ball better than anyone during his time
I just realized you are a young boy. Bird was one of the greatest ever… Wilt said so. I remember getting the Basketball college and pro mag with Bird on the cover while he was in college, the title was who can guard this guy in the nba? Nobody. I hated him as a sixers fan, but admired him… but hated him.
To me it was a circular argument. Larry Bird is one of the greatest players of all time, and he had the trash talk to back it up, which helped make him one of the greatest players of all time. It was that intimidation factor where he would get in people's heads and get them off their game. Many of the greats have it. Jordan with the tongue sticking out. Tiger Woods with just his swagger on the course when he was in his prime. And of course the greatest trash talker in the history of sports, Muhammad Ali, who probably won some fights just by running his mouth. Sonny Liston certainly thought he was crazy, and that probably contributed to Ali beating the tar out of him.
Larry was a natural with brains
John Stockton the most underrated player in NBA history.
Ron harper
John Stockton's story about Larry calling his own score before the game is amazing.
All time NBA assist king! One of the very toughest players ever. Oh yeah, BTW, he is ALSO the ALL TIME steals king as well.
100% facts
@@barrymorgan5104 Yep, and so sad when people don't even know the name most of the time.
The only difficulty I have choosing my top 3 is figuring out who’s coming in 2nd and 3rd. Larry Bird will always be the GOAT here.
I had Bird / Rodman, but as of recently, I been looking for a bus to throw rodman under. Seems he's off his rocker🤭
Most of the highlights you see are past his prime. From 79 to 86, he was faster then most in the NBA for his size. He never could jump, but everything else, he was a superior athlete. Strength, agility, quickness, hand eye. If you see him 10 feet out, no one in the league could stop him. Magic said as much, to many moves.
For all of us that saw him play, he was the most clutch shooter ever! And I bleed Purple and Gold, but, Cold Blooded Assassin. Larry Joe Bird is my starting SF on my Best 5 of all time. 3 point shoot out won with warm up on, and he had to drain the last 4 to win.
My top 3 (in any order) are Jordan, Magic, Bird. Kareem and Bill Russell finish out the top 5.
Even Magic and Kareem were shook when they played Bird. They still put respect on Bird's name today.
If you leave kobe out you just a fool
@@Whoshisface86 Kobe is in my top 10 just not in my top 5. He's behind Wilt, Tim Duncan and Lebron, tho. You can have whatever rankings you want.
Everybody overlooks Bill Russell. 11 NBA Championships in 13 years.
@@morethinkingneeded2112 Russell is in my Top 5
That’s how TV looked back in the day 🤣. I got rebounds for ML Carr when I was 13 and he came to my school to do an anti drugs presentation. It was awesome!
Bird is my fave of all time. Magic, Kareem, Scott, Cooper, Rambis,Mchale, Parrish, DJ, Ainge, Walton, all the 80's Lakers and Celtics were the best teams ever! Great rivalry. Great stories. Everyone bags on Lebron but times are different and dynasties are not the same. Probably better that way. They are all my basketball heros! Bunch of cool dudes! Best in the world! Larry was best all around player that ever lived.
Funny thing is, Bird only took 1.9 three point shots a game. And even though he took less than two 3 point shots a game, he considered one of the best.
Bird was the greatest player of all time bc you cannot quantify his massive heart or deny his incredible natural leadership skills.
Great video. I used to watch all these games with my late father and my favorites were when Byrd and Barkley were on the court. Both trash talkers but man,Larry was so damn good at it.
Rest in Power 2 ya pops man.. appreciate the luv 🤞🏿
When a GOAT goes to bed he looks under the bed to make sure Larry Bird isnt there.
Bird is their worst nightmare!
@@josefasevilla1654 I cant remember the year but as an Atlanta fan we were ready. We had prime Dominique etc. Damn!! Boston got us. I think Cliff Levingston drove the lane and threw up a prayer that wasnt answered. I dont jump on bandwagons until my home team is eliminated. I jumped The LA wagon. Everyone I was working with talking trash and now you like LA? No. I just hate Boston now.
Hey Tim,I've always been a Celtic fan but when Bird retired so did I from watching the NBA.
This is my starting 5.
1. Center - Wilt Chamberlain
2. Power Forward - Tim Duncan
3. Small Forward - Larry Bird
4. Shooting Guard - Michael Jordan
5. Point Guard - Magic Johnson
People say "unathletic" but some of the stiffness was from injury/lack of recovery. He was so loyal, I don't think he ever trashed his coach or his fellow players but he knew that most of the time they couldn't do a damned thing without him after a season or two. So he played injured (minor and major) a lot, I think. That's not all of it, he never looked particularly graceful. But did he have to?
@Ken D yes, and Bird did both! Too right!
What made Bird THAT good was his work ethic.. he practiced and practiced that's why he could count on himself and his ability cause he built himself up.
Can you even imagine how lethal Bird would've been if he never shattered his knuckle prior to beginning his NBA career! Supposedly he's said he never got his dhooting rhythm back from that injury.
Maybe the best compliment about Larry Bird I ever heard was when Coach Pat Riley said, "if I had to pick a player to take the shot to win the game I'd pick Michael Jordan." "If I had to pick a player to take the shot to save my life I'd pick Larry Bird."
Coach Pat Reilly once said, "If he game is on the line, I want Magic to take the shot. If my LIFE was on the line, I want Larry to take the shot. "
I thought he said MJ
No. He said Bird for his life.
He said if he wants to win the game MJ but for his life is Bird. And the best comment ever
Top 3; Michael, Larry, and Julius
13:52 when he said "fuzzy" i spit my beer out. lmao yeah man that fuzzy used to be cutting edge lol
It was cool to see you watch an old school legend and appreciate his skills. Can't wait to see more of your videos!
He had 3 shots to win that game the first one was called off due to coach calling time out then Larry called the shot to tie it and then in double overtime he hit the game winning shot.
That's absolutely true it's kind of deceiving if you watch it like on the mixtape because they cut it up but what he says exactly what happened!
You know I played ball when I was a kid even scored 33 points in a rek league championship game wit my new 1994 Jordens, I love basketball in general, I was alive when Larry bird played ball and I never knew he was a s*** talker what makes Larry so great to me is that he didn't do it through athleticism he did it through Pistol Pete fundamentals. It wasn't that fuzzy live also but yeah analog doesn't play well in the digital era
The guy you didn’t know was Herb Williams, played college at Ohio State in late 70’s early 80’s...played for knicks, pacers and couple other teams
I'm old school my favorite 2 players was bird and magic those 2 rival save the NBA. I also feel the game was played with more I love and heart
Underated players ever- John Stockton, Kevin McHale, Dennis Rodman, Mark Jackson, and Chris Mullin
Larry Bird is definitely top 3!
The goat!
The proof that I'm right may be in the comments! Because I only saw one person even mentione this person's name.. Mr Wilt Chamberlain.. I'm a bird fan I'm a curry fan and I love Jordan.. but Wilt Chamberlain was really the goat and he is so underrated! Go look at his stats sometime and try not to faint, he makes everybody else's stats look like Middle School stats! And I know it was a different time and there were less teams and less games. But it was also different time that we didn't get to see a lot of his greatness it just wasn't caught on film.
Creighton grad here. CU beat Indiana State three times by a total of 7 points in Larry's junior year. In his senior year undefeated regular season, Larry came to Omaha and went 16-16 from the field and 18-19 from the free-throw line. Got so bad, Creighton's coach slipped off his shoes and leaned back to watch the show in the second half. He said that sometimes you realize that you may never see another player that good in your lifetime, so enjoy it.
Top 5
1. Jordan
2. Bird
3. Magic
4. Kobe
5. Shaq
You couldn’t even come close to beating that starting five today!
I appreciate you putting all these together!!
Bird is under rated with viewers / fans but I think all the players respect him
No it wasn’t that blurry live
It's not fuzzy back then we can see it fine, what a time to be alive Larry Legend 🐐☘️🐐🐐☘️
Bird is the best small forward to ever play. He’s in the top 3 at any position.
I just subscribed off this video. Thank you for showing homage to my era and one of the coldest to ever do it. Definitely in my top 5 period!!!!
all time starting five:
1 Isiah Thomas
2 Michael Jordan
3 Larry Bird
4 Tim Duncan
5 Bill Russell
what a time to be alive is accurate!! my dad was a bird superfan, i watched all of this religiously
Being from New England there is no way anyone would think LB was underrated
He actually had 3 game winning shots in that one game. First 3 was a time out, he went and made another to tie and go into overtime. Then the last shot was for the win when in overtime.
1) Larry Legend
2) MJ
3) Dr. J
Yes I have seen someone call the game winning shot, tell the opposing player/bench ahead of time, then do it. Bird did that exact thing multiple times.
Man...I couldn't stand Bird. He made me miserable as a Laker fan.
I was never ever rooting for Bird.
But...... he's the greatest player of all time.
He's the 🐐! He had it all.
But I'll plead the 5th if you tie me down.
Sometimes he'd shoot left handed just for the fun of it.
I liked your review. One of my favorites ❤
Larry is definitely top 3 of all time. And the best clutch player of all time. Not even MJ comes close to him in clutch time 😍
Omg. Yes I'll be 40 this year...this was graphics for my whole childhood 😂