LeBron got carried off the court for muscle cramps. Larry had someone distract the team doctor so he could go out and play with a broken cheek bone and a concussion.
Larry’s retirement ceremony was held at the Boston Garden on a off night, no game scheduled. You notice the arena was sold out, packed, just for Larry’s goodbye, respect
George: glad you led the comments with this. What a great tribute. I'm 71 and remember seeing Cousy and Russel at the old garden, with a few dead "boards" on the floor. A definite advantage, worth at least a point or two! lol
I was lucky. I was in the crowd that night. They never show everything, like the tribute to Red Auerbach or Johnny Most that they did that night. I still remember the music they played when Larry left the garden. I still have all the swag, which included a bag and a felt copy of the banner that retired his number. That banner would later come to have Parish, McHale, Maxwell, Lewis, Pierce, and Garnett on it.
Larry is right up there with Jordan. I’m a Jordan fan but there is no denying Larry’s talent. Dude broke his face came back out and won the game. Legend.
@@roscoepcoltrane23 there you go, MJ even said he learned something new every time played Bird, they were alike that way, always practicing and learning to get better...I am a Larry Legend guy, who won right off, and that is what I respect the most about Jordan- it took him 7 years to win a title, but you could see every year he got better and better, all around his efficiency- lethal..
“If I had to choose a player to take a final shot to win a game I'd choose (Michael) Jordan, but if I could pick one to shoot to save my life I would pick Bird.” - Pat Riley 9x NBA Champion / 3x NBA Coach of the Year
Bird made ever player he played with better. Dennis Johnson, Parrish, Ainge, McCale, even roll players like Schiting and Wedman, all played their best basketball playing along side Bird! On the other hand, I can’t think of any player who played their best ball as one of Lebrons teammates?!
I'd pick Larry any day any era over LeBron because he's a fiercer competitor, a smarter player, he can shoot way better, rebound better, pass just as well, and he's tougher. But mostly the drive to win. Bron gives up too easily when things don't go his way and gets huffy when teammates don't meet his expectations. Larry led by example.
@@trhansen3244lol sure he would. He’d definitely take Kobe who’s 4th on the all time NBA points list and his 44% career FG% over LeBron who’s 3rd and soon to be #1 point scorer in league history with a 50% career FG%. Whatever you say boss. Kobe isn’t top 5. And anyone that puts him top 5 isn’t objective about past eras. Kobe and Shaq are both somewhere in the 9-12 range. Neither are ahead of Tim Duncan that’s for sure.
@@LtFrankDrebin100 all those LBJ over career stats mean nothing. If Bird or Jordan would had played so many seasons... Guess who would held much more than 72 records, if he didnt played NBA Basketball for only 12 years and NBA would had counted blocks before '73: Exactly: Wilt Chamberlain. it's a shame, you all didnt even mention him in the GOAT conversation. Most consecutive games averaging 40 ppg over a stretch: Wilt Chamberlain - 515 Elgin Baylor - 33 Kobe Bryant - 23 Rick Barry - 22 James Harden - 20 30-30 Games: Wilt Chamberlain -128 All other NBA Players ever combined - 31 40 Points Games: Wilt Chamberlain - 271 Michael Jordan - 173 Kobe Bryant - 122 James Harden - 89 100 pts in a game, 50+ ppg Season, 55 rebounds vs Bill Russel - just to mention the most impressive stats.
To be fair, I completely agree they would average 40+ nowadays… AS LONG AS they could stay on the court. The 80’s and 90’s guys were straight up warriors out there. They’d struggle not fouling out in this soft ass league we have now.
Larry, Magic, Mike and those guys were smart enough to adapt to the rules they are playing now. TBH they might have scored more today, they had to actually fight through picks and defenses were getting away with all kinds of contact.
@@Adiscretefirm There is an excellent case to make that they'd score more points now. They'd shoot 3's all day and live at the FT line. And with the lack of shot-blocking centers, the lane would be Michael's all day, and Bird would get 7-8 putback layups per game. Just saying that for all of the advantages, none of them would have been able to play with the intensity they had in the 80's, since they'd get thrown out of 30 games per season if they did.
My doubts are only on the longevity. He said he likes todays game (that makes old fans like me cringe). He likes the changes and feels he would have played a lot longer if he wasn't beaten up, shirt held, tripped etc. I like the 80's game, but I get Larry would have been able to do more in todays game. Heck, He won 3 3 point shooting contests when the line was further out.
You want to know how incredible Larry 'Legend' Bird really was? In 1985 (the Summer after he won league MVP) he was helping his mother pave her driveway, and while shoveling gravel he sustained a devastating back injury. It is the type of injury that almost immediately ends a person's sports career. Well, Larry went on to win the NBA MVP that following season, plus the following season. He won 3 consecutive league MVPs, including the season where he just sustained the back injury in the Summer. Anyway, he played outstanding basketball in the last 7 years of his career while suffering the effects of that career-ending back injury. THAT'S how great Larry Legend was, bro.
He was in so much pain, he had to have his back realigned before every game and STILL won titles, MVPs, shot 50/40/90(twice) and won 3 point contests. Meanwhile Lebron comes out the game with cramps...
@@mikerobinson6969 he should’ve took time off which he never did..that’s just a fact. It WOULD HAVE extended his career. MJ could’ve come back sooner from the broken ankle but he didn’t and that was the best thing MJ could’ve done. No ankle problem again
He put his body on the line every game. He played his ass off till he physically couldn't do it anymore. Guy absolutely deserves the title of Larry Legend. He won 3 straight MVP's when Jordan was in the league. If Larry and Jordan had more time in the league together, no doubt Larry would make it difficult for Jordan to go win chips. Jordan came to the garden and dropped 60 and still lost.
Agree ! BIRD would have his way with Lebron , just like he did everyone he played ! Including names like JORDAN , BARKLEY, KARREM, DOMINIQUE, LEWIS, DR J , MAGIC , THOMAS , LAIMBEER, RODMAN, COOPER and so many more. JAMES might not have been so Great competing in this ERA !
@@slappyslapstick4045 Hard to say. They can certainly get away with a lot more today than they could during Bird's time. They are not better shooters. Though they take many more long distance shots. The midrange shooter has mostly disappeared. I think they are more athletic simply because of medical advancements. That is true in every sport. But the fundamentals of the game are much worse today. Lebron is not a very fundamentally sound player and he never will be because he learned what he could get away with. And he did. But it's ugly basketball.
Ahmad, keep in mind that the physicality and aggression in the NBA then compared to now is a whole different world. You can barely touch anybody now. You go through the paint, you paid a price in bruises and blood no matter who you were. You had to be a MAN to do the stuff that MJ, Larry and the lot would do on the regular. Today's coddled, taking games off, "don't touch me or I cry" could not hack it then. Imagine Bird or MJ now when they cannot get touched and there isn't really a price to pay? If they had space? Just chew on that a bit. Love your reactions to music and other things, keep it up and your enthusiasm is contagious.
Great reaction. A lot of this generation's fans think Larry Bird was overrated. You made a great point that he was playing in a talent rich era in which co tact was allowed. Larry Bird shot over a Pippen/Jordan double team to win one game. He got the best of Kareem, Worthy and Magic.
So much has changed now...you just done see plays or players life that anymore....the physicality of it all....the crowds just going nuts....wow! I live in Massachusetts and remember that championship game and his send off even though I was young. LARRY WAS A BEAST.
On top of everything else... Larry's hustle was mad respectable. Diving for balls, playing hurt, ect. Players today are pretty much premadonnas. Larry was fearless. 👊
To get a quick run down of Bird's stats and rings/accomplishments over the course of his career I would suggest doing a reaction to "Making the Case- Larry Bird" by Clayton Crowley. Lots of other reactors do that video as well so you should be ok doing it too.
You should also watch a video on Bird's trash talking. Bird and Johnson saved basketball. If not for them you wouldn't have the NBA as it is today. Also, Bird in his prime would destroy the NBA today.
Magic & Larry, resurrected the game of basketball......My dad loved basketball, but stopped watching, until the competition between Johnson & Bird was highlighted......What my Dad used to say, about Larry's game, is that it reminded him of someone, who was not only playing basketball, but also, volleyball, dodgeball, hockey, baseball, track & Field, soccer, & strategic chess, all at the same time, and was what made him so great 😊He certainly was one of the most unique and gifted players, I have ever watched!
When Larry fell and smacked his face on the floor, he fractured his right cheek bone, had a concussion and double vision - but he saw chuck person and the pistons taking over the game and against the doctors advice Larry snuck back out when the doctor wasnt watching and helped his team come back and win the game. Its stories like this and so many others that earned him the name Larry Legend. He also played half his career with a very bad back and had two achilles surgeries, but he kept getting back adjustments, would not take painkillers and still managed to win three championships and play on the dream team in the olympics. If you watch enough videos you'll see Larry laying on the floor more than sitting on the bench. Then after all this, check his stats for only 13 years he played and the trash talk stories - forget about it definitely one of the GOATS.
He also broke a finger on his shooting hand playing softball during the summer before he went to the NBA. He said he thinks he shot way better before he broke it.
I must've watched every Larry Bird video on UA-cam because I'm trying to make up for how stupid I was when I went to the Garden in the late 80s and early 90s to watch a few of these games and we knew he was a fantastic player but only now do I understand his level of skill in historical context. What the reactors may not realize is that when young guys and particularly black young men respond to these videos the way so many of them seem to react, it gives them huge credibility. They are not talking about him being good "for a white guy ". Most seem like the more they watch Bird, the less likely they are to automatically assume today's game is more evolved and more difficult. They are seeing his talent through the eyes of people who understand the game thoroughly and also have the opportunity to compare him with 40 years of players that came after him. That was a luxury we did not have back then.
Larry is the TOP 5, he did it all. Michael Jordan was a ball hog his 1st 4 or 5 seasons and then somewhat later on as well. in'79, or maybe it was '80. when the Celtics drafted him only won 20 games or a little more. In Larry's rookie season which I think was '81 they won 60 or more. Anyone else had an impact like that?????? Pat Riley said it best, the Lakers coach, If I had to choose a player to shoot a shot to win a game it would be Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to shoot a shot to save MY LIFE it would be Larry Bird. Magic Johnson even admitted he was the GREATEST basketball player ever!!!!!!
@@genebeamon4898 Look, I give Larry his props, he is a Top 5 all time guy. I love Larry Legend, however, nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever been better than MJ at basketball.
Saying "Bird, Jordan, and probably Magic could play today" is correct to a point. Take out the "probably" and you're spot on. Even Larry himself has made it known how great he thought Magic was.
larry bounces his face off the floor gets a fracture walks to the locker room unassisted, while in 2014 LBJ gets a leg cramp and is carried away like a baby lol
And bron would still dominate Bird, let's be real. Rose colored glasses off. He is too slow, and too unathletic for today's game. You could probably cut his career averages in half and that's being generous.
@@samicuspdawg was Dominique slow? Was Pippen? Was Jordan? Was Drexler? Marques Johnson? Michael Cooper? Dennis Rodman? James Worthy? Mark Aguire? You’re crazy dude. If you watch Courtship of rivals all the doubters sound just like all the black players that didn’t believe Magic on how good Bird was. Cornbread Maxwell says it himself: Black players assumed he wasn’t good because he was white. Then they played against him and said yeah we were wrong.
Have to say, my two favorite basketball players are Larry and Magic. They are both incredible players, but more than that, they really had a great rivalry, competitive to the max, but also great friends. Really great guys all around.
He has 3 rings but his back injury may have costed him a couple more. If you couldn't touch Bird he'd average 40 a game. I think he's better than Lebron cause he's way more clutch imo.
70% Shooting in the last 2 minutes of a game. Highest in NBA history. That is how clutch Larry Bird is. He defines what it means. For the record, the next closet is 56%...and it is Olajawon. (Bryant was 43%, Lebron is 52% and Jordan is 52%, Magic 53%). Bird's Celtics...second highest winning percentage ever, only behind the Showtime Lakers and it is a .5% deference or about 10 total games. And one has to remember that the Lakers had an easier route to the Finals every year than the Celtics did. Bird had to go through... Atlanta - Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis and Spud Webb New York Knicks - Bernard King and Patrick Ewing Chicago Bulls - Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen Detroit Pistons - Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley and Rick Mahorn. Indiana Pacers - Chuck Person and Reggie Miller Cleveland Cavaliers - Mark Price and Brad Daugherty Milwaukee Bucks - Syndey Monchrieve(sp?) Philadelphia 76ers - Julius Erving and Charles Barkley And Magic Johnson's Lakers.... Houston Rockets - Hakeem Olajawon and Ralph Sampson Portland Trailblazers - Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey Golden State Warriors - Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond (Mitch split time with the Warriors and Kings in different years during the 80's and 90's, finished with the Lakers). Utah Jazz - Karl Malone and John Stockton As no other Western Conference team was consistent in that time period. Denver might be good, Dallas might be good, Seattle might be good, but they also were bad a lot. The Clippers, Kings and Suns were garbage most of the time. (A few good players, but no depth).
Writers say Larry’s, McHale’s and Parish’s injuries in late ‘80’s helped Magic’s Lakers win 5 titles. Bird and the Celtics only won 3. All true. But this never gets mentioned. In 1984 the Boston Celtics traded starting point guard and budding star Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics for a 1986 1st round draft pick. Boston had just won he NBA title June 8th in ‘86. Nine days later they had the #2 pick (lottery balls) in the 1st round of the NBA draft. That pick turned out to be Len Bias. Bias was a phenom superstar in Maryland - every every bit the equal to Jordan. UA-cam his highlights and you’ll see what I mean. He could jump out of the building. Could hit the open jumper, score down low, rebound and play ‘D.’ But two days after being drafted that year Bias overdosed on cocaine and died. By all accounts he almost never did cocaine but was talked into celebrating being picked by Boston with cocaine by some friends from the ‘hood that night. I’m from Boston and I still remember where I was, who I was with and what I was doing when I heard the news that Bias died the same way I remember JFK’s assassination. My heart was broken. I was depressed for weeks. I still haven’t got over it. When I remember it I want to cry. A young Len Bias playing alongside an older Larry would have been too much fun to watch. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the NBA. Then he died. And a lot of dreams died with him. It robbed Boston of at least two more titles which would have tied them with Magic’s 5. It all seemed surreal to me because Bias was truly that good. I was salivating thinking of him him here with older but still great Celtics healed from their current injuries and Bird throwing him sky high alley oops for monster jams several times a game. But it wasn’t meant to be. People forget this. It never gets mentioned. And Bird never used it for an excuse saying on David Letterman one night in 2002 that Magic was a better player than him because he had more championships. God bless ‘ya Larry. So cool. Larry Legend.
I really appreciate your very respectful reaction. Your knowledge of old basketball is very good. I would recommend a video on Bill Walton sometime. He had a shorter career due to injury but no one picked themselves up more and got back out there than Bill.
I am going to subscribe in hopes you react to more Larry.... the Goat in my opinion! Once you learn about his health problems and he still dominated you will have an even deeper respect for his game and hustle!!!!
I’ve watched a million of this same video and this was one of the best. There is some serious respect here even if you may think someone else is better. Keep em coming!!
Larry Bird is easily top 5 for anyone who knows basketball. The greatest players all agree. I can think of 4 more UA-cam videos that you could watch that would seal him in your top 5.
Look, LeBron is good, I'll say that, but I'll deny his abilities against Bird any day of the week. Bird had old school hardness that Lebron just doesn't have. Bird broke the front of his skull, and still put 16pts over Chuck Person's head. LeBron stubs his toe, and needs an air lift out of the arena. Bird played in a very physical era that Lebron would have trouble playing in if he were suddenly brought back in time to the 80s. Bird would have no problem putting 20+ points on him. Aside from that, today's game is too dependent on 3 pointers. They drive the ball in, and instead of shooting in close when they have a chance, they pass it back out for a 3. LeBron and whatever center from today you pick, would get trashed inside the 3 pt line. Bird and Magic just wanted to score, and each could make more total points by cramming an inside 2 down someone's throat, vs Steph Curry or whoever else with their 3 pointers. I'm strongly convinced of that. Another thing, is loyalty. Bird would have NEVER left the Celtics even if offered double the money. LeBron will go from the Cavaliers, to the Lakers, to anyone who will pay him more. To me, loyalty to a team matters. *Watch "Making the Case- Larry Bird" for a great analysis of stats and plays.* You won't be disappointed.
Larry in an interview about Lebron: "I think everyone should just sit back and enjoy this guy" -- said LBJ was head and shoulders above the league now.
@@jpecci4832 LeBron also mentioned that he looked up to Bird and molded his small forward game partly around him. They respect each other, so it's saying something about both.
dbsti - You make many great points that I agree with. I grew up in the Bird/Magic era too and the game is much less enjoyable to me now. But I don't get all the hate on LeBron. The league is different these days. Players have much more autonomy now so I don't begrudge a player for not staying "loyal" to teams who repeatedly demonstrate that they have no loyalty to players. I can understand why fans get upset about it but, at the end of the day, it's a business and hard decisions have to be made all the time on both sides.
@@ContrarianCorner Well, I don't hate LeBron. He's a fantastic small forward. I have no problem acknowledging that. I was just posting the contrast between the way he is and the way Bird was at their position. It's not meant as an insult, it's just my way of contrasting. Bird was tougher mentally. LeBron gets injured and sits out. Perhaps he wants to conserve his physical health, but LeBron is watching his team lose while sitting on the bench. Bird wasn't gonna play that. He had heart to help his team win. He played injured and just got his surgeries during the off season. Winning was first at all costs...even considering that his career was shorter than LeBrons will be due to injuries.
Larry BIrd was a winner, and he did it all from his drive, rather than pure athletic ability. Great to see him in action again, thanks for the awesome reaction video! I would love to see you react to a Shawn Kemp highlight reel. His talent burned as bright as anyone in the league, just not for as long, so he doesn't go down as a legend, even though his impact at his height was as powerful as anyone. Would also like to see you react to Pistol Pete! Peace!
We all have out own opinion and that is what is great about these debates. I love them, but Larry LEGEND is wayyyy more clutch than your dude. Larry; like Michael always wanted that last shot and 9 out of 10 delivered...... H e is mentally tougher than James and definitely a better leader. He never quits on HIS team like James does...
Thing I like about Larry Bird was that while he was always sinking buckets, he was also an awesome playmaker and he made the entire team better. Thats always worth more than one superstar imo
Larry Bird & Magic Johnson were bitter rivals on the court, but ended up being best friends off the court. Bird won 3 titles with the Celtics, and also won 3 consecutive MVP of the year awards.
My young friend, you brought tears to my eyes in your admiration of Bird and Magic.,From the bottom of my heart, I wish you could have been alive to watch the rivalry. It was the greatest quality of basketball to watch.
To DutchMastah07: Writers say Larry’s, McHale’s and Parish’s injuries in late ‘80’s helped Magic’s Lakers win 5 titles. Bird and the Celtics only won 3. All true. But this never gets mentioned. In 1984 the Boston Celtics traded starting point guard and budding star Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics for a 1986 1st round draft pick. Boston had just won he NBA title June 8th in ‘86. Nine days later they had the #2 pick (lottery balls) in the 1st round of the NBA draft. That pick turned out to be Len Bias. Bias was a phenom superstar in Maryland - every every bit the equal to Jordan. UA-cam his highlights and you’ll see what I mean. He could jump out of the building. Could hit the open jumper, score down low, rebound and play ‘D.’ But two days after being drafted that year Bias overdosed on cocaine and died. By all accounts he almost never did cocaine but was talked into celebrating being picked by Boston with cocaine by some friends from the ‘hood that night. I’m from Boston and I still remember where I was, who I was with and what I was doing when I heard the news that Bias died the same way I remember JFK’s assassination. My heart was broken. I was depressed for weeks. I still haven’t got over it. When I remember it I want to cry. A young Len Bias playing alongside an older Larry would have been too much fun to watch. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the NBA. Then he died. And a lot of dreams died with him. It robbed Boston of at least two more titles which would have tied them with Magic’s 5. It all seemed surreal to me because Bias was truly that good. I was salivating thinking of him him here with older but still great Celtics healed from their current injuries and Bird throwing him sky high alley oops for monster jams several times a game. But it wasn’t meant to be. People forget this. It never gets mentioned. And Bird never used it for an excuse saying on David Letterman one night in 2002 that Magic was a better player than him because he had more championships. God bless ‘ya Larry. So cool. Larry Legend.
I don’t understand those putting LEBRON, MAGIC , KARREM, RUSSELL as their GOAT ! These same guys already said LARRY is the GOAT ! What’s to debate when your favorite player has Larry Bird as their greatest player ?
Lots of people don’t bring Bird in the goat conversation because he wasn’t as quick as Jordan and not as good a defender and he is white. I’d take Bird on my team before Lebron any day of the week.
This is a myth Brian. I’m from Boston and love Larry second to none. But the 1960’s and ‘70’s were dynamic decades in the NBA for true NBA fans who knew the game. True they didn’t get the TV ratings that came later but that was just the Johnnie -come-lately fans who were tuning in because of the black/white, East Coast/West Cost, blue collar half-court game Boston Celtics vs. the run ‘n gun showtime L.A. Lakers rivalry thing that boosted TV rating sky high in the ‘80’s. But true NBA fans remember these great NBA champs from the ‘’70’s and the great number of classic playoffs series they all played in: Knicks in ‘71, Bucks in ‘72, Lakers in 73, Celtics in ‘74, Warriors in ‘75, Celtics in ‘76, Portland in ‘77, Bullets in ‘78 and Seattle in ‘79. Not to mention the Celtics and the Bill Russel Celtics dynasty in the 1960’s. Pleas don’t tell me these were boring years in the NBA and that Larry and Magic “saved” the NBA. This isn’t fair to Larry and Magic who were fabulous because this is truly the biggest piece of crap ever perpetuated on the NBA rumor mill. Die-hard NBA fans from those days who are still around know exactly what I’m talking about. We didn’t need no stinking TV ratings to recognize great B-ball homies.
Younger people have to understand: 1.) That the ABSOLUTE BEST & HARDEST era’s of NBA Basketball was 1st in the 80’s 2nd the 60’s, next the 90’s & then 2000’s-now. 2.) That the primary REASON why the NBA now could NEVER be better than the past, is because of NBA expansion: See, with MORE teams, they had to find players to FILL those teams. So in the past, like the 60’s, the NBA was MUCH denser because there weren’t as many teams & only the ABSOLUTE BEST made it to the league. But NOWADAYS, not only do they HAVE TO to fill these roster spots with BUM ASS players who’s BEST asset & attribute is that they’re tall, the NBA ALSO had to modify the rules of the game so the HORRIBLE players wouldn’t look so horrible.🥴🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️😝
Jordan, Bird, Magic, Chamberlain, Olajuwon are the greatest to ever play the game, and a serious case could be made for any one of them to be the GOAT.
The concept of time traveling an 18yr old Larry Bird to today, giving him modern training and the green light to yack up 10+ 3s a game is terrifying. Imagine a 2 inches taller, better passing and WAY more efficient Luka Doncic. 🐐 MJ LeBron Bill Russell (11 rings is 11 rings) Kareem 5a Magic (and I’m a hardcore Celtics fan who has been religiously watching basketball since 1984) 5b Larry
Here's my 2 cents. Lebron flops and fakes injuries. Larry fakes being healthy. When he fell (around 9:30) and broke a facial bone, and got a concussion, the team doc said he had to sit out the rest of the game. He agreed, just to get the doctor out of the locker room. Soon as he could, he laced up, and was back out on the court, with a fractured bone, concussion, and double vision. GOAT ain't just about numbers, they can be misleading. Bird played TEAM ball, making sure EVERYONE was involved, the Win was all that counted. If that meant lower numbers for Bird, so be it. Basketball is a team sport. Bird was 1 steal away from a quadruple double, in the 3rd quarter, and took himself out of the game because the Celtics were winning by a large margin. When Coach told him to go back in to get a quadruple double, he refused, the Celts had a guarantee win. It wasn't about personal glory, it's about team glory. No divas, no me me me attitude, just pure greatness!
Lebron himself called Larry the goat haha Top 3 : Michael Air Jordan, Earvin Magic Johnson and Larry Legend Bird, if it wasnt for Bird and Magic there would be no NBA today, they saved the league back then, Larry is being underrated because he is an unathletic white guy, but he was still dropping 30 points on the most athletic players so.... Larry in his prime would destroy NBA today :) Great reaction bro, you should check out the video about Bird and Magic friendship, thats awesome :)
Imagine him playing nowadays where he would get the superstar treatment. Get the 30 shots a game and get to the line 15 times. They didn't call fouls so tick tack back then. Lebron and other small forwards get the green light there entire career. Offenses centered around them. Bird on some nights would be 3rd option depending on who was hot. But Bird has the rings in a tougher era.
3 things about Bird. 1. Broke a knuckle on the index finger of his shooting hand between college and the NBA, never repaired. 2. Read about his back injury while building his mom's driveway. 3. MOST of all, watch Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals.
Great reaction! If you're wondering what Bird would have done today look at Luka and what he does and then realize that Bird was 10x the shooter that Luka is. Bird was one of the best shooters ever, but only took 2 three pointers per game cause that was the game back then. Bird won 3 straight MVPs while Jordan, Magic, Isaiah, Dominique etc were all in the league.
In an open floor, LeBron could take Bird. But in the halfcourt on both ends of the floor, Bird would torch him just because of the way he could create for himself/others and shoot from anywhere on the court while being three steps mentally of his opponent on the defensive side. He may not have been the highest jumper on fastest player, but his basketball IQ, court vision, passing ability, ability to jump passing lanes, his heart and will to win was unmatched by other small forwards even LeBron.
3 Rings, he won the first 3 Three point contests, 3 back to back to back MVP’s (no one else has ever won 3 in a row, and that was during Magic, Jordan, Thomas, Drexler, and Wilkins in the league at the same time) , 2 final MVP’s, later received NBA coach of the year award, and then went on to win NBA executive of the year award. His basketball IQ was an is insane and off the charts. He was the biggest trash talker in the history of the game, He remains the most clutch ever player in the game’s history. He was the first to ever record 50/40/90 season, 50% shot percentage, 40% 3 point shot percentage, and 90% from the free throw line…only 8 other players have ever done that, and only bird and Jon Stockton have had multiple 50/40/90 seasons. Bird is easily the greatest SF ever. My top all time 1) Jordan, 2) Bird, 3) Russell, 4) Robertson, and 5) Kareem.
Three of Wilt's four MVPs were won consecutively (66, 67 and 68) and three of Russell's five MVPs were won consecutively (61, 62 and 63). Bird is the only forward (and the only other player) to win 3 straight NBA MVPs The Doctor won three straight MVPs in the ABA (74, 75 and the final ABA award in 76), although he shared the 75 award with George McGinnis.
@@bd001217 good call, Wilt was a beast as well. Dr.J was as you said ABA, before the merge. Bringing up Dr. J. Just reminds me of the time Bird trash talked him so bad just saying the amount of points he had and the number of points of Dr. J had to the point when it got to (bird says 38-6) 42 and 6, that Dr. J got in a fist fight with him. McHale, also said he thought he heard Bird tell Dr. J he should retire. Savage.
Top NBA career combined stats per game (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk) additional career fg%,tp%,ft% 1. Jordan 44.7 -50-33-84 2. Lebron 44.4 -51-35-73 3. Bird 43.1 -50-38-89 4. Kareem 42.9 -56-06-72 5. Durant 40.8 -50-38-88 A bunch of guys in the 40’s
Down one or two with 20 seconds to go. With LeBron, you lose 90% of those games when he takes the shot. With Larry, you win. And everyone knew he was getting the ball. Often, he told the opposing team the play and where he was gonna shoot from. 50-40-90 club twice. Impacted the team and the league from season one. Rookie of the year.
Dude, you gotta check out the “Magic & Bird: a Courtship of Rivals” documentary (it’s on UA-cam)!!! I think you’d love it! Goes into how these men went from hating each other to being deep friends. Even watching the movie is worth it for seeing history of the NBA in the 80s, as well as how it shows what make Magic and Larry so groundbreaking for their time.
Larry bird is the last great white American basketball 🏀 player ever.mark price and john Stockton was really good.but 🐦 bird is on another level.word up son
While I agree with the mark price and John Stockton sentiments, but Dirk Nowitzki would like to have a word about Larry Legend being the last one to be great lol
I saw two players help Lebron off the court because he had a sprain... I saw Bird shake of a broken eye socket from hitting his head on the court and come back playing with double vision the rest of the game. In their prime Bird would have run over Lebron.
Legendary Larry Bird 🙏🏾. Simply one of the Greats in NBA history. Ps. I love your NBA video's reaction and commentaries. To me they bring back so many great memories when i watched basketbal way back in the days. Love and ✌🏾 to you all. Goosebumps👉🏾 13:08. Thank you Larry for everything. It was indeed a blast watching you play the game.
Sir, I love M. Jordan, however, Jordan was 0-6 in the playoffs against L. Bird. L. James said Larry was the goat. Listen to the greats of the game in that era then make your mind up. You just got a new subscriber. Thank you.
You are right champion Bird,Jordan ,Magic and a lot of them from 80s,90,s would kick ass today cause they were very intelegant,talents and very tough,the hardest defences were back then as well
I get the Lebron hate but your statement is stupid lol. Whether you like it or not Lebron is one of the greatest players to play the game, so no he isn't half of Bird that's foolish to say
You can said what ever you want lebron is not in the same class as Larry Bird, Bird is way superior player than lebron ever will be. lebron is not even better then Kobe.
Comments like this are supposed to come across as insightful and profound, but it's just nonsense. Jordan passed out of a double team to Kerr for the game winner in 97. The best players look to make the best play - most of the time that's them taking the shot, but others it isnt. LeBron has the most "clutch" shots in playoff history but he 'shies' away. Stupid statement.
@@JoeHardacre Not meant to be insightful. The truth doesn't have to be insightful. The greatest basketball players don't flop or feign injury....soccer players and LeBron do.
I appreciate your respect for Larry. I appreciate your willingness to watch the greats. He's the whole reason I watched basketball. I was a young girl flipping through the channels & there he was. I had never watched a game. Larry, Magic, Jordan became my sh#t. #33 has been my favorite number my whole life now. Well done young man.
Yeah. Larry is a lot better than 'Bron. His BBALL IQ is one of the greatest ever, maybe just behind Bill Russell a smidge. And his mental game...well, the Lebron's of the NBA would wither like flowers on a bbq. And then there's his Clutch shooting. MJ is awesome, but Bird would tell the other team and coach the play....and then do it. To win the game. That's tough. And after 1985, Bird played with a debilitating back injury. Let that sink in. 😉
Bird was a beast, a machine and a Mountain all combined into one big obstacle on the basketball Court if you were on the opposing team and had to play against this dude. ✌🏾
Larry and Magic literally revived the NBA and brought it back from the brink, it was in the tank and fans just didnt care because of players on drugs, lack of skilled talent, and unlike the past the Celtics themselves had become one of the most losing teams in the league who couldnt even win a home game and NBA games at the highest playoff and championship levels were being tape delayed for old TV reruns and games didnt come on TV until late at night. In short the NBA almost ceased to exist far as the fans were concerned. The Magic and Bird Rivalry got fans interested in basketball again like never before, the Rivalry showed how great the game could be when its got great players and great coaches. Now stadiums no longer had empty seats but were again packed to the rafters with supporting fans and you could not get a ticket. The Larry bird retirement ceremony was actually held on a night when there wasnt even a game scheduled, normally it was held on a game night but the house was still packed to see this legend off - thats just how important and how popular Larry Bird was. Same with Magic, his showtime Lakers were the hottest team of the west coast as Larry and the Celtics were the east coast top dog rivals. It was one of THE best and most entertaining era's in NBA history and given todays strict rules we will never see the likes of it again.
I’m TELLING y’all, #LarryBird was BETTER than #LeBron & #MagicJohnson. The young folks & the naive, SHOULD or NEED to know & understand by now, that: 1.) Magic is promoted as being “better” is because he was a LOT more flashier player than others, with his passing the ball. 2.) The ONLY reason the media started PROMOTING LeBron as the GOAT, is because David Stern, the NBA & their TV Network partners needed & wanted another player & storyline to CARRY the NBA into the future after Jordan left & as the current players were getting older. 3.) Larry Bird doesn’t PROPERLY get his props & status for pretty much the SAME reason that Eminem doesn’t his proper & accurate ranking in HipHop. It’s solely & primarily because he’s white, point blank/period. As far as playing the game of basketball goes, WHENEVER you see Larry Bird shoot a shot, ALWAYS LOOK 👀 at where the ball lands. *NOTHING BUT NET, just about EVERY GD time!!!*🥴🤨😅😜
I agree Larry is a somewhat better player than Magic, but Magic is one of the top players all time for more than just his passing. Like Larry he was a complete player, was very clutch, and consistently delivered the goods. Larry thinks he and Jordan are probably the two best all around players. Just look at Magic's stats and accomplishments and accolades: they're very very similar to Larry's and in certain cases are better. Magic led the Michigan State team that beat Larry's Indiana State team for the championship, and he led the Lakers to beat the Celtics in the NBA finals 2 out of 3 times. He also led the Lakers to 8 (EIGHT) NBA finals in the 80s, winning 5 of them, including during his rookie year, when he was named Finals MVP. That means he's one of the top players, right there next to Larry and Jordan, in my opinion.
Larry Bird my basketball idol growing up.i read his biography too. He was so clutch. I didn't even start watching him until 1990. Bird was a true leader and champion.
Three straight MVP's in the greatest decade in the NBA,(80's). I am 58 years old and watched Bird when he first came to the NBA. He would mentally, "break" the players today.
Larry Bird had a work ethic like no other player and he played his entire career with injury. Before he ever played a single game for Boston he sustained an injury to his shooting hand playing baseball where his knuckles on that hand were badly damaged and it changed his shooting motion for the rest of his career. Then in 1985 during the off season he hurt his back working at his mothers home shoveling gravel for her new driveway and he played the rest of his career with constant back pain and you saw how he played a very physical game so he was continually aggravating his back causing pain. He retired for the simple fact that if he did not stop playing the deterioration of his back was going to put him in a wheel chair. There is a video out on UA-cam titled "Making the Case" where a guy goes over all of his career stats and what Larry Bird brought to the game and what he did for the NBA. He makes quite a compelling argument for Larry Bird to be called the GOAT.
You're right that their friendship goes back a long way, but not as far back as their rivalry. In the early days they hated each other, up until they shot a commercial together and found out once they got to know each other off the court, they actually liked one another. When Magic was diagnosed with HIV and had to retire, Larry was devastated because he (and most of the world, really) thought it meant Magic would die. Back in those days, people didn't used to last long with HIV, but thankfully the science had begun to advance just in time to save Magic's life. Had it been a few years earlier, he wouldn't have made it.
Bird is the best in my opinion. He just wasn't as flashy as Jordan. Bird was the more complete player. They all have different games but Bird, Magic, then Jordan is my order. Jordan didn't do much until Larry and Magic were on there last legs. Yet all three were on the dream team and were amazing. Larry was the smartest guy on the court and heart. He would have had better stats but back issues hampered his career.
LeBron got carried off the court for muscle cramps. Larry had someone distract the team doctor so he could go out and play with a broken cheek bone and a concussion.
Separates the Men from the boys. MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY .
True story
Lebron still better
@@hassanromulus1476 LOL nope
@@hassanromulus1476 Better at crying
Finally, a reaction video host who knows when to talk, when to let what's playing play without interrupting. Rare skill. Good job.
Larry’s retirement ceremony was held at the Boston Garden on a off night, no game scheduled. You notice the arena was sold out, packed, just for Larry’s goodbye, respect
George: glad you led the comments with this. What a great tribute.
I'm 71 and remember seeing Cousy and Russel at the old garden, with a few dead "boards" on the floor. A definite advantage, worth at least a point or two! lol
I was lucky. I was in the crowd that night. They never show everything, like the tribute to Red Auerbach or Johnny Most that they did that night. I still remember the music they played when Larry left the garden. I still have all the swag, which included a bag and a felt copy of the banner that retired his number. That banner would later come to have Parish, McHale, Maxwell, Lewis, Pierce, and Garnett on it.
And Earvin “Magic” Johnson declared Bird the best, ever, at that ceremony.
@@edwardx.winston5744 It's a brotherly bond of love.
Thanks for that information, I was kind of wondering if it was on a game night. Well they really loved him in Boston! And you can see why…
Larry is right up there with Jordan. I’m a Jordan fan but there is no denying Larry’s talent. Dude broke his face came back out and won the game. Legend.
@@roscoepcoltrane23 there you go, MJ even said he learned something new every time played Bird, they were alike that way, always practicing and learning to get better...I am a Larry Legend guy, who won right off, and that is what I respect the most about Jordan- it took him 7 years to win a title, but you could see every year he got better and better, all around his efficiency- lethal..
Larry bird is a better player than Lebron James.word up son
FACTS
SPOT ON!!
Tru Dat !
I see no lies. Larry Bird is top 3 of all time and Lebron isn’t in that convo.
True. He played most of his career hurt too
“If I had to choose a player to take a final shot to win a game I'd choose (Michael) Jordan, but if I could pick one to shoot to save my life I would pick Bird.” - Pat Riley 9x NBA Champion / 3x NBA Coach of the Year
Me as a M🐐J fanatic after reading your comment 👉🏾 Wow 😳.
Also me after two seconds thinking about your comment 👉🏾 Can't argue your point😐. ✌🏾
one of the all time great compliments....
Even with LeBron's athleticism and even if LeBron didn't have his arrogant attitude, I would take Larry Bird every day of the week
Basketball is a team sport and Bird was the consummate team player.
Bird made ever player he played with better. Dennis Johnson, Parrish, Ainge, McCale, even roll players like Schiting and Wedman, all played their best basketball playing along side Bird! On the other hand, I can’t think of any player who played their best ball as one of Lebrons teammates?!
Listen to what the fuck you’re saying. You don’t think LARRY BIRD is arrogant??? If you’re not racist, you’re stupid.
Every day of the week and twice on Sunday
Bird ALLLLLLLLLLL DAMN DAY
Also, Bird in his prime could score whatever he wanted to. He liked to share the ball, to give the team the biggest advantage.
I've said it before, but Paige Bueckers game reminds me a lot of Larry Bird.
I'd pick Larry any day any era over LeBron because he's a fiercer competitor, a smarter player, he can shoot way better, rebound better, pass just as well, and he's tougher. But mostly the drive to win. Bron gives up too easily when things don't go his way and gets huffy when teammates don't meet his expectations. Larry led by example.
Lebron tries to mimic leadership. Bird didn't have to.
Larry would disagree. LeBron is #2.
And I watched basically every televised Celtics game from 1984-present.
@@LtFrankDrebin100 Larry would have Kobe over Lebron. No question. That pushes Lebron at the very least to #3. And that's just for starters.
@@trhansen3244lol sure he would.
He’d definitely take Kobe who’s 4th on the all time NBA points list and his 44% career FG% over LeBron who’s 3rd and soon to be #1 point scorer in league history with a 50% career FG%.
Whatever you say boss.
Kobe isn’t top 5. And anyone that puts him top 5 isn’t objective about past eras.
Kobe and Shaq are both somewhere in the 9-12 range. Neither are ahead of Tim Duncan that’s for sure.
@@LtFrankDrebin100 all those LBJ over career stats mean nothing. If Bird or Jordan would had played so many seasons... Guess who would held much more than 72 records, if he didnt played NBA Basketball for only 12 years and NBA would had counted blocks before '73: Exactly: Wilt Chamberlain. it's a shame, you all didnt even mention him in the GOAT conversation.
Most consecutive games averaging 40 ppg over a stretch:
Wilt Chamberlain - 515
Elgin Baylor - 33
Kobe Bryant - 23
Rick Barry - 22
James Harden - 20
30-30 Games:
Wilt Chamberlain -128
All other NBA Players ever combined - 31
40 Points Games:
Wilt Chamberlain - 271
Michael Jordan - 173
Kobe Bryant - 122
James Harden - 89
100 pts in a game, 50+ ppg Season, 55 rebounds vs Bill Russel - just to mention the most impressive stats.
To be fair, I completely agree they would average 40+ nowadays… AS LONG AS they could stay on the court. The 80’s and 90’s guys were straight up warriors out there. They’d struggle not fouling out in this soft ass league we have now.
Yes. Bird would foul out a lot, he'd also get a ton of techs, ejections and suspensions for trash-talking and fighting.
Larry, Magic, Mike and those guys were smart enough to adapt to the rules they are playing now. TBH they might have scored more today, they had to actually fight through picks and defenses were getting away with all kinds of contact.
@@Adiscretefirm There is an excellent case to make that they'd score more points now. They'd shoot 3's all day and live at the FT line. And with the lack of shot-blocking centers, the lane would be Michael's all day, and Bird would get 7-8 putback layups per game. Just saying that for all of the advantages, none of them would have been able to play with the intensity they had in the 80's, since they'd get thrown out of 30 games per season if they did.
@@SteveGellerMusic a 23 year old Magic in the league today might average a triple double, how could you stop him if you aren't allowed to touch him?
Good points
I'm a black man in Boston. Larry Bird is the Greatest Of All Time. Period 👍🙏🍾
My doubts are only on the longevity. He said he likes todays game (that makes old fans like me cringe). He likes the changes and feels he would have played a lot longer if he wasn't beaten up, shirt held, tripped etc. I like the 80's game, but I get Larry would have been able to do more in todays game. Heck, He won 3 3 point shooting contests when the line was further out.
What in the fuck does being Black have to do with this discussion?
Thank you for speaking the truth
@@theblacksheep5226 Lol🤡
@@theblacksheep5226 word up
The Larry/Magic rivalry is one of the greatest stories of friendship I've ever seen. True legends
You want to know how incredible Larry 'Legend' Bird really was? In 1985 (the Summer after he won league MVP) he was helping his mother pave her driveway, and while shoveling gravel he sustained a devastating back injury. It is the type of injury that almost immediately ends a person's sports career. Well, Larry went on to win the NBA MVP that following season, plus the following season. He won 3 consecutive league MVPs, including the season where he just sustained the back injury in the Summer.
Anyway, he played outstanding basketball in the last 7 years of his career while suffering the effects of that career-ending back injury. THAT'S how great Larry Legend was, bro.
He was in so much pain, he had to have his back realigned before every game and STILL won titles, MVPs, shot 50/40/90(twice) and won 3 point contests. Meanwhile Lebron comes out the game with cramps...
Facts
Don’t overstate his injury…it got worse because he didn’t take time off to get it right.
@@mannyneva1760 he had surgeries and they didnt help..if anything him playing with that injury is understated especially in todays load management era
@@mikerobinson6969 he should’ve took time off which he never did..that’s just a fact. It WOULD HAVE extended his career. MJ could’ve come back sooner from the broken ankle but he didn’t and that was the best thing MJ could’ve done. No ankle problem again
He put his body on the line every game. He played his ass off till he physically couldn't do it anymore. Guy absolutely deserves the title of Larry Legend. He won 3 straight MVP's when Jordan was in the league. If Larry and Jordan had more time in the league together, no doubt Larry would make it difficult for Jordan to go win chips. Jordan came to the garden and dropped 60 and still lost.
Dude, watch Courtship of Rivals…the history of Bird and Magic.
Jordan was happy to see Legend retire. " Maybe we can win a game now".
King of the 3 pointer
FACTS!
PO'ME COLORBLIND
Larry had so much heart. His shooting was insane and his court vision was out of this world
I appreciate your being open-minded. A lot of young dudes only want to clown and diminish players from earlier eras.
I respect bron but bird would eat his cookies every game. He would be sending bron home with a broom every 1st round
Lol, no.
Agree ! BIRD would have his way
with Lebron , just like he did
everyone he played ! Including
names like JORDAN , BARKLEY,
KARREM, DOMINIQUE, LEWIS,
DR J , MAGIC , THOMAS , LAIMBEER,
RODMAN, COOPER and so many more.
JAMES might not have been so Great
competing in this ERA !
@@rgreen1107 So basketball players have gotten worse over the last 40 years?
@@slappyslapstick4045 yes without a doubt. Wimps.
@@slappyslapstick4045 Hard to say. They can certainly get away with a lot more today than they could during Bird's time. They are not better shooters. Though they take many more long distance shots. The midrange shooter has mostly disappeared. I think they are more athletic simply because of medical advancements. That is true in every sport. But the fundamentals of the game are much worse today. Lebron is not a very fundamentally sound player and he never will be because he learned what he could get away with. And he did. But it's ugly basketball.
Ahmad, keep in mind that the physicality and aggression in the NBA then compared to now is a whole different world. You can barely touch anybody now. You go through the paint, you paid a price in bruises and blood no matter who you were. You had to be a MAN to do the stuff that MJ, Larry and the lot would do on the regular. Today's coddled, taking games off, "don't touch me or I cry" could not hack it then. Imagine Bird or MJ now when they cannot get touched and there isn't really a price to pay? If they had space? Just chew on that a bit. Love your reactions to music and other things, keep it up and your enthusiasm is contagious.
Bird is in the goat conversation when talking to the pro players and everyone over 35 it’s just the younger generations that denying the greatness
Great reaction. A lot of this generation's fans think Larry Bird was overrated. You made a great point that he was playing in a talent rich era in which co tact was allowed. Larry Bird shot over a Pippen/Jordan double team to win one game. He got the best of Kareem, Worthy and Magic.
Bird : “Don’t take this ass whipping personal”
So much has changed now...you just done see plays or players life that anymore....the physicality of it all....the crowds just going nuts....wow! I live in Massachusetts and remember that championship game and his send off even though I was young. LARRY WAS A BEAST.
Greatest small forward of all time. Luv the respect Bird's getting from the younger gen
On top of everything else... Larry's hustle was mad respectable. Diving for balls, playing hurt, ect. Players today are pretty much premadonnas. Larry was fearless. 👊
To get a quick run down of Bird's stats and rings/accomplishments over the course of his career I would suggest doing a reaction to "Making the Case- Larry Bird" by Clayton Crowley. Lots of other reactors do that video as well so you should be ok doing it too.
That's an excellent video.
That’s my favorite Larry B video. 💚
You should also watch a video on Bird's trash talking. Bird and Johnson saved basketball. If not for them you wouldn't have the NBA as it is today. Also, Bird in his prime would destroy the NBA today.
Magic & Larry, resurrected the game of basketball......My dad loved basketball, but stopped watching, until the competition between Johnson & Bird was highlighted......What my Dad used to say, about Larry's game, is that it reminded him of someone, who was not only playing basketball, but also, volleyball, dodgeball, hockey, baseball, track & Field, soccer, & strategic chess, all at the same time, and was what made him so great 😊He certainly was one of the most unique and gifted players, I have ever watched!
When Larry fell and smacked his face on the floor, he fractured his right cheek bone, had a concussion and double vision - but he saw chuck person and the pistons taking over the game and against the doctors advice Larry snuck back out when the doctor wasnt watching and helped his team come back and win the game. Its stories like this and so many others that earned him the name Larry Legend. He also played half his career with a very bad back and had two achilles surgeries, but he kept getting back adjustments, would not take painkillers and still managed to win three championships and play on the dream team in the olympics. If you watch enough videos you'll see Larry laying on the floor more than sitting on the bench. Then after all this, check his stats for only 13 years he played and the trash talk stories - forget about it definitely one of the GOATS.
He also broke a finger on his shooting hand playing softball during the summer before he went to the NBA. He said he thinks he shot way better before he broke it.
Pacers.
I must've watched every Larry Bird video on UA-cam because I'm trying to make up for how stupid I was when I went to the Garden in the late 80s and early 90s to watch a few of these games and we knew he was a fantastic player but only now do I understand his level of skill in historical context. What the reactors may not realize is that when young guys and particularly black young men respond to these videos the way so many of them seem to react, it gives them huge credibility. They are not talking about him being good "for a white guy ". Most seem like the more they watch Bird, the less likely they are to automatically assume today's game is more evolved and more difficult. They are seeing his talent through the eyes of people who understand the game thoroughly and also have the opportunity to compare him with 40 years of players that came after him. That was a luxury we did not have back then.
I'm not going to say who is the best small forward of all time, but Larry is a Top 5 all time guy, regardless of position. He's on that level.
Thank you king
Larry and LeBron are the best small forwards in my opinion.
I'll say it. Larry is the best small forward ever. I have him in top 2 players ever.
Larry is the TOP 5, he did it all. Michael Jordan was a ball hog his 1st 4 or 5 seasons and then somewhat later on as well. in'79, or maybe it was '80. when the Celtics drafted him only won 20 games or a little more. In Larry's rookie season which I think was '81 they won 60 or more. Anyone else had an impact like that?????? Pat Riley said it best, the Lakers coach, If I had to choose a player to shoot a shot to win a game it would be Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to shoot a shot to save MY LIFE it would be Larry Bird. Magic Johnson even admitted he was the GREATEST basketball player ever!!!!!!
@@genebeamon4898 Look, I give Larry his props, he is a Top 5 all time guy. I love Larry Legend, however, nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever been better than MJ at basketball.
Saying "Bird, Jordan, and probably Magic could play today" is correct to a point. Take out the "probably" and you're spot on. Even Larry himself has made it known how great he thought Magic was.
larry bounces his face off the floor gets a fracture walks to the locker room unassisted, while in 2014 LBJ gets a leg cramp and is carried away like a baby lol
You damn Skippy. Larry was all heart and drive to win or at bare minimum...play the game.
@@MrSchmaaz eh?
@@chikitoborroko6597 lol, "you damn Skippy" means "you're absolutely correct" in Southern!
And bron would still dominate Bird, let's be real. Rose colored glasses off. He is too slow, and too unathletic for today's game. You could probably cut his career averages in half and that's being generous.
@@samicuspdawg was Dominique slow? Was Pippen? Was Jordan? Was Drexler? Marques Johnson? Michael Cooper? Dennis Rodman? James Worthy? Mark Aguire? You’re crazy dude. If you watch Courtship of rivals all the doubters sound just like all the black players that didn’t believe Magic on how good Bird was. Cornbread Maxwell says it himself: Black players assumed he wasn’t good because he was white. Then they played against him and said yeah we were wrong.
Have to say, my two favorite basketball players are Larry and Magic. They are both incredible players, but more than that, they really had a great rivalry, competitive to the max, but also great friends. Really great guys all around.
He has 3 rings but his back injury may have costed him a couple more. If you couldn't touch Bird he'd average 40 a game. I think he's better than Lebron cause he's way more clutch imo.
Bird is arguably the GOAT.
70% Shooting in the last 2 minutes of a game. Highest in NBA history. That is how clutch Larry Bird is. He defines what it means.
For the record, the next closet is 56%...and it is Olajawon.
(Bryant was 43%, Lebron is 52% and Jordan is 52%, Magic 53%).
Bird's Celtics...second highest winning percentage ever, only behind the Showtime Lakers and it is a .5% deference or about 10 total games.
And one has to remember that the Lakers had an easier route to the Finals every year than the Celtics did.
Bird had to go through...
Atlanta - Dominique Wilkins, Kevin Willis and Spud Webb
New York Knicks - Bernard King and Patrick Ewing
Chicago Bulls - Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
Detroit Pistons - Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, John Salley and Rick Mahorn.
Indiana Pacers - Chuck Person and Reggie Miller
Cleveland Cavaliers - Mark Price and Brad Daugherty
Milwaukee Bucks - Syndey Monchrieve(sp?)
Philadelphia 76ers - Julius Erving and Charles Barkley
And Magic Johnson's Lakers....
Houston Rockets - Hakeem Olajawon and Ralph Sampson
Portland Trailblazers - Clyde Drexler, Jerome Kersey
Golden State Warriors - Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond (Mitch split time with the Warriors and Kings in different years during the 80's and 90's, finished with the Lakers).
Utah Jazz - Karl Malone and John Stockton
As no other Western Conference team was consistent in that time period. Denver might be good, Dallas might be good, Seattle might be good, but they also were bad a lot. The Clippers, Kings and Suns were garbage most of the time. (A few good players, but no depth).
@@WolfsDE where.do you get those stats from
Writers say Larry’s, McHale’s and Parish’s injuries in late ‘80’s helped Magic’s Lakers win 5 titles. Bird and the Celtics only won 3. All true. But this never gets mentioned. In 1984 the Boston Celtics traded starting point guard and budding star Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics for a 1986 1st round draft pick. Boston had just won he NBA title June 8th in ‘86. Nine days later they had the #2 pick (lottery balls) in the 1st round of the NBA draft. That pick turned out to be Len Bias. Bias was a phenom superstar in Maryland - every every bit the equal to Jordan. UA-cam his highlights and you’ll see what I mean. He could jump out of the building. Could hit the open jumper, score down low, rebound and play ‘D.’ But two days after being drafted that year Bias overdosed on cocaine and died. By all accounts he almost never did cocaine but was talked into celebrating being picked by Boston with cocaine by some friends from the ‘hood that night. I’m from Boston and I still remember where I was, who I was with and what I was doing when I heard the news that Bias died the same way I remember JFK’s assassination. My heart was broken. I was depressed for weeks. I still haven’t got over it. When I remember it I want to cry. A young Len Bias playing alongside an older Larry would have been too much fun to watch. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the NBA. Then he died. And a lot of dreams died with him. It robbed Boston of at least two more titles which would have tied them with Magic’s 5. It all seemed surreal to me because Bias was truly that good. I was salivating thinking of him him here with older but still great Celtics healed from their current injuries and Bird throwing him sky high alley oops for monster jams several times a game. But it wasn’t meant to be. People forget this. It never gets mentioned. And Bird never used it for an excuse saying on David Letterman one night in 2002 that Magic was a better player than him because he had more championships. God bless ‘ya Larry. So cool. Larry Legend.
I really appreciate your very respectful reaction. Your knowledge of old basketball is very good. I would recommend a video on Bill Walton sometime. He had a shorter career due to injury but no one picked themselves up more and got back out there than Bill.
All-around player..... NO ONE is better. 🐐
I am going to subscribe in hopes you react to more Larry.... the Goat in my opinion! Once you learn about his health problems and he still dominated you will have an even deeper respect for his game and hustle!!!!
I always thought that Larry Bird looked like he had trained with the Harlem Globetrotters. Love the respect you showed this! 🌎✌️
He reminded me of them too! I thought something was familiar, Bird was probably a fan of theirs.
I’ve watched a million of this same video and this was one of the best. There is some serious respect here even if you may think someone else is better. Keep em coming!!
Larry Bird is easily top 5 for anyone who knows basketball. The greatest players all agree. I can think of 4 more UA-cam videos that you could watch that would seal him in your top 5.
TRUTH
Better than that watch a few of his games from back in the day. He dominated in every aspect of the game.
Bird, Magic, Jordan add your last two.. Unstoppable
@@coreyhan8719 Bird, Magic, Jordan, Chamberlain, and Tim Duncan are my all time starting 5.
@@cirrustate8674 I dunno man. Add Duncan and I think Rodman would wreck your whole team 😂
Been waiting for you to get to Larry Legend
Look, LeBron is good, I'll say that, but I'll deny his abilities against Bird any day of the week. Bird had old school hardness that Lebron just doesn't have. Bird broke the front of his skull, and still put 16pts over Chuck Person's head. LeBron stubs his toe, and needs an air lift out of the arena. Bird played in a very physical era that Lebron would have trouble playing in if he were suddenly brought back in time to the 80s. Bird would have no problem putting 20+ points on him. Aside from that, today's game is too dependent on 3 pointers. They drive the ball in, and instead of shooting in close when they have a chance, they pass it back out for a 3. LeBron and whatever center from today you pick, would get trashed inside the 3 pt line. Bird and Magic just wanted to score, and each could make more total points by cramming an inside 2 down someone's throat, vs Steph Curry or whoever else with their 3 pointers. I'm strongly convinced of that. Another thing, is loyalty. Bird would have NEVER left the Celtics even if offered double the money. LeBron will go from the Cavaliers, to the Lakers, to anyone who will pay him more. To me, loyalty to a team matters.
*Watch "Making the Case- Larry Bird" for a great analysis of stats and plays.* You won't be disappointed.
Larry in an interview about Lebron: "I think everyone should just sit back and enjoy this guy" -- said LBJ was head and shoulders above the league now.
@@jpecci4832 LeBron also mentioned that he looked up to Bird and molded his small forward game partly around him. They respect each other, so it's saying something about both.
dbsti - You make many great points that I agree with. I grew up in the Bird/Magic era too and the game is much less enjoyable to me now. But I don't get all the hate on LeBron. The league is different these days. Players have much more autonomy now so I don't begrudge a player for not staying "loyal" to teams who repeatedly demonstrate that they have no loyalty to players. I can understand why fans get upset about it but, at the end of the day, it's a business and hard decisions have to be made all the time on both sides.
@@ContrarianCorner Well, I don't hate LeBron. He's a fantastic small forward. I have no problem acknowledging that. I was just posting the contrast between the way he is and the way Bird was at their position. It's not meant as an insult, it's just my way of contrasting. Bird was tougher mentally. LeBron gets injured and sits out. Perhaps he wants to conserve his physical health, but LeBron is watching his team lose while sitting on the bench. Bird wasn't gonna play that. He had heart to help his team win. He played injured and just got his surgeries during the off season. Winning was first at all costs...even considering that his career was shorter than LeBrons will be due to injuries.
Larry BIrd was a winner, and he did it all from his drive, rather than pure athletic ability. Great to see him in action again, thanks for the awesome reaction video! I would love to see you react to a Shawn Kemp highlight reel. His talent burned as bright as anyone in the league, just not for as long, so he doesn't go down as a legend, even though his impact at his height was as powerful as anyone. Would also like to see you react to Pistol Pete! Peace!
We all have out own opinion and that is what is great about these debates. I love them, but Larry LEGEND is wayyyy more clutch than your dude. Larry; like Michael always wanted that last shot and 9 out of 10 delivered...... H e is mentally tougher than James and definitely a better leader. He never quits on HIS team like James does...
Thing I like about Larry Bird was that while he was always sinking buckets, he was also an awesome playmaker and he made the entire team better. Thats always worth more than one superstar imo
Larry Bird & Magic Johnson were bitter rivals on the court, but ended up being best friends off the court. Bird won 3 titles with the Celtics, and also won 3 consecutive MVP of the year awards.
My young friend, you brought tears to my eyes in your admiration of Bird and Magic.,From the bottom of my heart, I wish you could have been alive to watch the rivalry. It was the greatest quality of basketball to watch.
Bird was a break-your-heart shooter.
Bird's retirement was on a-day that they didn't have a game but they sold out the Boston Garden for Bird's retirement
Larry won 3 titles, and 3 straight MVP’s
To DutchMastah07:
Writers say Larry’s, McHale’s and Parish’s injuries in late ‘80’s helped Magic’s Lakers win 5 titles. Bird and the Celtics only won 3. All true. But this never gets mentioned. In 1984 the Boston Celtics traded starting point guard and budding star Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics for a 1986 1st round draft pick. Boston had just won he NBA title June 8th in ‘86. Nine days later they had the #2 pick (lottery balls) in the 1st round of the NBA draft. That pick turned out to be Len Bias. Bias was a phenom superstar in Maryland - every every bit the equal to Jordan. UA-cam his highlights and you’ll see what I mean. He could jump out of the building. Could hit the open jumper, score down low, rebound and play ‘D.’ But two days after being drafted that year Bias overdosed on cocaine and died. By all accounts he almost never did cocaine but was talked into celebrating being picked by Boston with cocaine by some friends from the ‘hood that night. I’m from Boston and I still remember where I was, who I was with and what I was doing when I heard the news that Bias died the same way I remember JFK’s assassination. My heart was broken. I was depressed for weeks. I still haven’t got over it. When I remember it I want to cry. A young Len Bias playing alongside an older Larry would have been too much fun to watch. It wasn’t fair to the rest of the NBA. Then he died. And a lot of dreams died with him. It robbed Boston of at least two more titles which would have tied them with Magic’s 5. It all seemed surreal to me because Bias was truly that good. I was salivating thinking of him him here with older but still great Celtics healed from their current injuries and Bird throwing him sky high alley oops for monster jams several times a game. But it wasn’t meant to be. People forget this. It never gets mentioned. And Bird never used it for an excuse saying on David Letterman one night in 2002 that Magic was a better player than him because he had more championships. God bless ‘ya Larry. So cool. Larry Legend.
Larry Bird was clutch and an all around great player. Magic was extremely graceful! A joy to watch both men.
I don’t understand those putting
LEBRON, MAGIC , KARREM, RUSSELL
as their GOAT ! These same guys
already said LARRY is the GOAT !
What’s to debate when your favorite
player has Larry Bird as their greatest
player ?
Watched his last game as a kid. Still brings a tear to my eye seeing Bird and Magic together again.
Lots of people don’t bring Bird in the goat conversation because he wasn’t as quick as Jordan and not as good a defender and he is white. I’d take Bird on my team before Lebron any day of the week.
It’s not even questionable
if it wasn't for Magic and Bird, the NBA would be dead. greatest player rivalry to get the game back on its feet
This is a myth Brian. I’m from Boston and love Larry second to none. But the 1960’s and ‘70’s were dynamic decades in the NBA for true NBA fans who knew the game. True they didn’t get the TV ratings that came later but that was just the Johnnie -come-lately fans who were tuning in because of the black/white, East Coast/West Cost, blue collar half-court game Boston Celtics vs. the run ‘n gun showtime L.A. Lakers rivalry thing that boosted TV rating sky high in the ‘80’s. But true NBA fans remember these great NBA champs from the ‘’70’s and the great number of classic playoffs series they all played in: Knicks in ‘71, Bucks in ‘72, Lakers in 73, Celtics in ‘74, Warriors in ‘75, Celtics in ‘76, Portland in ‘77, Bullets in ‘78 and Seattle in ‘79. Not to mention the Celtics and the Bill Russel Celtics dynasty in the 1960’s. Pleas don’t tell me these were boring years in the NBA and that Larry and Magic “saved” the NBA. This isn’t fair to Larry and Magic who were fabulous because this is truly the biggest piece of crap ever perpetuated on the NBA rumor mill. Die-hard NBA fans from those days who are still around know exactly what I’m talking about. We didn’t need no stinking TV ratings to recognize great B-ball homies.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saved basketball. In the late 70's the NBA Finals were being showed tape delayed.
Younger people have to understand:
1.) That the ABSOLUTE BEST & HARDEST era’s of NBA Basketball was 1st in the 80’s 2nd the 60’s, next the 90’s & then 2000’s-now.
2.) That the primary REASON why the NBA now could NEVER be better than the past, is because of NBA expansion:
See, with MORE teams, they had to find players to FILL those teams. So in the past, like the 60’s, the NBA was MUCH denser because there weren’t as many teams & only the ABSOLUTE BEST made it to the league. But NOWADAYS, not only do they HAVE TO to fill these roster spots with BUM ASS players who’s BEST asset & attribute is that they’re tall, the NBA ALSO had to modify the rules of the game so the HORRIBLE players wouldn’t look so horrible.🥴🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️😝
60’s is the worse era of hoop period..era of segregation etc etc..by far the worse
Jordan, Bird, Magic, Chamberlain, Olajuwon are the greatest to ever play the game, and a serious case could be made for any one of them to be the GOAT.
The concept of time traveling an 18yr old
Larry Bird to today, giving him modern training and the green light to yack up 10+ 3s a game is terrifying.
Imagine a 2 inches taller, better passing and WAY more efficient Luka Doncic.
🐐 MJ
LeBron
Bill Russell (11 rings is 11 rings)
Kareem
5a Magic (and I’m a hardcore Celtics fan who has been religiously watching basketball since 1984)
5b Larry
Here's my 2 cents. Lebron flops and fakes injuries.
Larry fakes being healthy. When he fell (around 9:30) and broke a facial bone, and got a concussion, the team doc said he had to sit out the rest of the game. He agreed, just to get the doctor out of the locker room. Soon as he could, he laced up, and was back out on the court, with a fractured bone, concussion, and double vision.
GOAT ain't just about numbers, they can be misleading. Bird played TEAM ball, making sure EVERYONE was involved, the Win was all that counted. If that meant lower numbers for Bird, so be it. Basketball is a team sport.
Bird was 1 steal away from a quadruple double, in the 3rd quarter, and took himself out of the game because the Celtics were winning by a large margin.
When Coach told him to go back in to get a quadruple double, he refused, the Celts had a guarantee win.
It wasn't about personal glory, it's about team glory.
No divas, no me me me attitude, just pure greatness!
Lebron himself called Larry the goat haha Top 3 : Michael Air Jordan, Earvin Magic Johnson and Larry Legend Bird, if it wasnt for Bird and Magic there would be no NBA today, they saved the league back then, Larry is being underrated because he is an unathletic white guy, but he was still dropping 30 points on the most athletic players so.... Larry in his prime would destroy NBA today :) Great reaction bro, you should check out the video about Bird and Magic friendship, thats awesome :)
They saved the NBA from being irrelevant as a sport in the 1980's god knows what it would be if not for the rivalry and greatness of magic and bird.
@@jeffrichards1537 Let's not forget the Doctor.
Good points
@@jeffrichards1537 they were awesome but the NBA would have survived without them
@@senseichess8688 Nope it would've died.
Oh, also look for those videos where Bird and Magic played together in the college invitational.
Imagine him playing nowadays where he would get the superstar treatment. Get the 30 shots a game and get to the line 15 times. They didn't call fouls so tick tack back then. Lebron and other small forwards get the green light there entire career. Offenses centered around them. Bird on some nights would be 3rd option depending on who was hot. But Bird has the rings in a tougher era.
great free throw shooter as well as 3 point shooter. Under pressure.
3 things about Bird.
1. Broke a knuckle on the index finger of his shooting hand between college and the NBA, never repaired.
2. Read about his back injury while building his mom's driveway.
3. MOST of all, watch Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals.
Great reaction! If you're wondering what Bird would have done today look at Luka and what he does and then realize that Bird was 10x the shooter that Luka is. Bird was one of the best shooters ever, but only took 2 three pointers per game cause that was the game back then. Bird won 3 straight MVPs while Jordan, Magic, Isaiah, Dominique etc were all in the league.
Larry Bird always comes up in G.O.A.T. convo's. And I'm SoCal.
In an open floor, LeBron could take Bird. But in the halfcourt on both ends of the floor, Bird would torch him just because of the way he could create for himself/others and shoot from anywhere on the court while being three steps mentally of his opponent on the defensive side. He may not have been the highest jumper on fastest player, but his basketball IQ, court vision, passing ability, ability to jump passing lanes, his heart and will to win was unmatched by other small forwards even LeBron.
No
with todays rules? maybe, if he survives Larrys trash talk and psychological terrorism which Im not very convinced he would.
@@F1rstWorldNomaD this is stupid.
Jordan said, "Bird is, by far, the best small forward to ever play the game."
@@artvandelay19 Jordan also drafted Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison.
3 Rings, he won the first 3 Three point contests, 3 back to back to back MVP’s (no one else has ever won 3 in a row, and that was during Magic, Jordan, Thomas, Drexler, and Wilkins in the league at the same time) , 2 final MVP’s, later received NBA coach of the year award, and then went on to win NBA executive of the year award. His basketball IQ was an is insane and off the charts.
He was the biggest trash talker in the history of the game,
He remains the most clutch ever player in the game’s history.
He was the first to ever record 50/40/90 season, 50% shot percentage, 40% 3 point shot percentage, and 90% from the free throw line…only 8 other players have ever done that, and only bird and Jon Stockton have had multiple 50/40/90 seasons.
Bird is easily the greatest SF ever.
My top all time 1) Jordan, 2) Bird, 3) Russell, 4) Robertson, and 5) Kareem.
Three of Wilt's four MVPs were won consecutively (66, 67 and 68) and three of Russell's five MVPs were won consecutively (61, 62 and 63).
Bird is the only forward (and the only other player) to win 3 straight NBA MVPs
The Doctor won three straight MVPs in the ABA (74, 75 and the final ABA award in 76), although he shared the 75 award with George McGinnis.
@@bd001217 good call, Wilt was a beast as well. Dr.J was as you said ABA, before the merge.
Bringing up Dr. J. Just reminds me of the time Bird trash talked him so bad just saying the amount of points he had and the number of points of Dr. J had to the point when it got to (bird says 38-6) 42 and 6, that Dr. J got in a fist fight with him. McHale, also said he thought he heard Bird tell Dr. J he should retire. Savage.
From 1981-1988 Larry Bird finished either first or second in MVP voting, winning three in a row 1984-86.
Top NBA career combined stats per game (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk) additional career fg%,tp%,ft%
1. Jordan 44.7 -50-33-84
2. Lebron 44.4 -51-35-73
3. Bird 43.1 -50-38-89
4. Kareem 42.9 -56-06-72
5. Durant 40.8 -50-38-88
A bunch of guys in the 40’s
Shawn kemp highlights the reign man.word up son
Down one or two with 20 seconds to go. With LeBron, you lose 90% of those games when he takes the shot. With Larry, you win. And everyone knew he was getting the ball. Often, he told the opposing team the play and where he was gonna shoot from. 50-40-90 club twice. Impacted the team and the league from season one. Rookie of the year.
Dude, you gotta check out the “Magic & Bird: a Courtship of Rivals” documentary (it’s on UA-cam)!!! I think you’d love it! Goes into how these men went from hating each other to being deep friends. Even watching the movie is worth it for seeing history of the NBA in the 80s, as well as how it shows what make Magic and Larry so groundbreaking for their time.
Magic Johnson played for Mich. St. and Larry Bird played for Indiana St. They met for the NCAA championship. Mich. St. won.
No need to compare to Bron.
We all need heroes now & again.
Larry was mine and never let me down.
Finally someone doing a review and listening to what others had to say about him instead of talking through the whole video. Good video man.
Larry bird is the last great white American basketball 🏀 player ever.mark price and john Stockton was really good.but 🐦 bird is on another level.word up son
Mark price man I haven’t heard that name in a minute!
Larry Bird was not white. Larry Bird was Clear.
Nice shout out to Mark Price, as a Cavs fan he was great to watch. Very good player, nice to see he was noticed.
While I agree with the mark price and John Stockton sentiments, but Dirk Nowitzki would like to have a word about Larry Legend being the last one to be great lol
@@keithdean9149 blank is the word you are looking for. @Kevin Exline: "white American"...
Larry/Magic there wouldn't be a NBA without them Period
If you watch all the old hoopers it will make you also Understand MJ Legacy better.
Hey man, you did a great job on this video! I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I saw two players help Lebron off the court because he had a sprain...
I saw Bird shake of a broken eye socket from hitting his head on the court and come back playing with double vision the rest of the game. In their prime Bird would have run over Lebron.
Legendary Larry Bird 🙏🏾. Simply one of the Greats in NBA history.
Ps. I love your NBA video's reaction and commentaries. To me they bring back so many great memories when i watched basketbal way back in the days. Love and ✌🏾 to you all.
Goosebumps👉🏾 13:08. Thank you Larry for everything. It was indeed a blast watching you play the game.
Sir, I love M. Jordan, however, Jordan was 0-6 in the playoffs against L. Bird. L. James said Larry was the goat. Listen to the greats of the game in that era then make your mind up. You just got a new subscriber. Thank you.
Loved your commentary! I can sense it came from the head and the heart.
As a small forward, Bird was the greatest small forward. The only thing LeBron has over Bird is athleticism and his power.
You are right champion Bird,Jordan ,Magic and a lot of them from 80s,90,s would kick ass today cause they were very intelegant,talents and very tough,the hardest defences were back then as well
lebron is not half of player that Larry Bird was.
I get the Lebron hate but your statement is stupid lol. Whether you like it or not Lebron is one of the greatest players to play the game, so no he isn't half of Bird that's foolish to say
I’m in between both you guys !
Lebron is a great player but
He is no Larry Bird …..
You can said what ever you want lebron is not in the same class as Larry Bird, Bird is way superior player than lebron ever will be. lebron is not even better then Kobe.
I attended Larry Bird's lat NBA game May 17, 1992 at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
MJ and Bird wanted to take, and took, the shots that mattered. LeBron prefers to be a "facilitator." In other words, he shies away at crunch time.
Comments like this are supposed to come across as insightful and profound, but it's just nonsense. Jordan passed out of a double team to Kerr for the game winner in 97. The best players look to make the best play - most of the time that's them taking the shot, but others it isnt. LeBron has the most "clutch" shots in playoff history but he 'shies' away. Stupid statement.
@@JoeHardacre Not meant to be insightful. The truth doesn't have to be insightful. The greatest basketball players don't flop or feign injury....soccer players and LeBron do.
I appreciate your respect for Larry. I appreciate your willingness to watch the greats. He's the whole reason I watched basketball. I was a young girl flipping through the channels & there he was. I had never watched a game. Larry, Magic, Jordan became my sh#t. #33 has been my favorite number my whole life now. Well done young man.
Very few people would call Larry the GOAT. But everyone has him in their top 10 of all time, if not the top 5.
What ? Are you reading the comments?
Everyone is calling him the GOAT !
What planet you on ?
Here’s another saying it !
Larry is the GOAT !
@@rgreen1107 OK, Google top 10 basketball players of all time. Show me one major sporting website that has Larry as #1. Seriously, do it.
@@finkelmana really can’t take you seriously !
I really loved this reaction! Great job.
Yeah. Larry is a lot better than 'Bron. His BBALL IQ is one of the greatest ever, maybe just behind Bill Russell a smidge. And his mental game...well, the Lebron's of the NBA would wither like flowers on a bbq.
And then there's his Clutch shooting. MJ is awesome, but Bird would tell the other team and coach the play....and then do it. To win the game.
That's tough.
And after 1985, Bird played with a debilitating back injury.
Let that sink in. 😉
Bird was a beast, a machine and a Mountain all combined into one big obstacle on the basketball Court if you were on the opposing team and had to play against this dude. ✌🏾
Larry and Magic literally revived the NBA and brought it back from the brink, it was in the tank and fans just didnt care because of players on drugs, lack of skilled talent, and unlike the past the Celtics themselves had become one of the most losing teams in the league who couldnt even win a home game and NBA games at the highest playoff and championship levels were being tape delayed for old TV reruns and games didnt come on TV until late at night. In short the NBA almost ceased to exist far as the fans were concerned. The Magic and Bird Rivalry got fans interested in basketball again like never before, the Rivalry showed how great the game could be when its got great players and great coaches. Now stadiums no longer had empty seats but were again packed to the rafters with supporting fans and you could not get a ticket. The Larry bird retirement ceremony was actually held on a night when there wasnt even a game scheduled, normally it was held on a game night but the house was still packed to see this legend off - thats just how important and how popular Larry Bird was. Same with Magic, his showtime Lakers were the hottest team of the west coast as Larry and the Celtics were the east coast top dog rivals. It was one of THE best and most entertaining era's in NBA history and given todays strict rules we will never see the likes of it again.
I’m TELLING y’all, #LarryBird was BETTER than #LeBron & #MagicJohnson.
The young folks & the naive, SHOULD or NEED to know & understand by now, that:
1.) Magic is promoted as being “better” is because he was a LOT more flashier player than others, with his passing the ball.
2.) The ONLY reason the media started PROMOTING LeBron as the GOAT, is because David Stern, the NBA & their TV Network partners needed & wanted another player & storyline to CARRY the NBA into the future after Jordan left & as the current players were getting older.
3.) Larry Bird doesn’t PROPERLY get his props & status for pretty much the SAME reason that Eminem doesn’t his proper & accurate ranking in HipHop. It’s solely & primarily because he’s white, point blank/period. As far as playing the game of basketball goes, WHENEVER you see Larry Bird shoot a shot, ALWAYS LOOK 👀 at where the ball lands. *NOTHING BUT NET, just about EVERY GD time!!!*🥴🤨😅😜
I agree Larry is a somewhat better player than Magic, but Magic is one of the top players all time for more than just his passing. Like Larry he was a complete player, was very clutch, and consistently delivered the goods. Larry thinks he and Jordan are probably the two best all around players.
Just look at Magic's stats and accomplishments and accolades: they're very very similar to Larry's and in certain cases are better. Magic led the Michigan State team that beat Larry's Indiana State team for the championship, and he led the Lakers to beat the Celtics in the NBA finals 2 out of 3 times. He also led the Lakers to 8 (EIGHT) NBA finals in the 80s, winning 5 of them, including during his rookie year, when he was named Finals MVP.
That means he's one of the top players, right there next to Larry and Jordan, in my opinion.
No, not really @@jimmyboy131 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
I loved your reaction my friend. You are one smart guy.
Thank you for your reaction...
Larry Bird my basketball idol growing up.i read his biography too. He was so clutch. I didn't even start watching him until 1990. Bird was a true leader and champion.
Three straight MVP's in the greatest decade in the NBA,(80's). I am 58 years old and watched Bird when he first came to the NBA. He would mentally, "break" the players today.
Larry Bird had a work ethic like no other player and he played his entire career with injury. Before he ever played a single game for Boston he sustained an injury to his shooting hand playing baseball where his knuckles on that hand were badly damaged and it changed his shooting motion for the rest of his career. Then in 1985 during the off season he hurt his back working at his mothers home shoveling gravel for her new driveway and he played the rest of his career with constant back pain and you saw how he played a very physical game so he was continually aggravating his back causing pain. He retired for the simple fact that if he did not stop playing the deterioration of his back was going to put him in a wheel chair.
There is a video out on UA-cam titled "Making the Case" where a guy goes over all of his career stats and what Larry Bird brought to the game and what he did for the NBA. He makes quite a compelling argument for Larry Bird to be called the GOAT.
You're right that their friendship goes back a long way, but not as far back as their rivalry. In the early days they hated each other, up until they shot a commercial together and found out once they got to know each other off the court, they actually liked one another. When Magic was diagnosed with HIV and had to retire, Larry was devastated because he (and most of the world, really) thought it meant Magic would die. Back in those days, people didn't used to last long with HIV, but thankfully the science had begun to advance just in time to save Magic's life. Had it been a few years earlier, he wouldn't have made it.
Bird is the best in my opinion. He just wasn't as flashy as Jordan. Bird was the more complete player. They all have different games but Bird, Magic, then Jordan is my order. Jordan didn't do much until Larry and Magic were on there last legs. Yet all three were on the dream team and were amazing. Larry was the smartest guy on the court and heart. He would have had better stats but back issues hampered his career.