Pat Riley: "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to win a game, I'd choose Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd take Larry Bird".
And MJ was young and on the rise, incredible era, not to mention Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons and The dream in Houston, i will take those five players and kick any other eras five players ass.
@@owensuppes1, he was a damned freak of nature!! And I loved how he worked on his craft. He didn't settle for the status quo. He perfected his craft and he was serious about his job. His IQ was phenomenal and exciting to watch.
@@owensuppes1, my 18 year-old son plays ball. When he was in the 6th grade (give or take) he told me that he didn't think LB was not a good player. Then one day, he saw a documentary on LB and Magic and he was blown away by LB! He couldn't get enough of watching footage of him. We were in Marshall's one day and he saw a cool LB/Magic t-shirt and begged me to buy it for him. Needless to say, I was one proud mama!!!!
Literally every legend in the 1980s sung the praises of Larry Bird. Black, white, green or blue. Larry Bird is one of the best to play the game. Had killer trash talk and the game to back it up.
That moment when larry retired (sold out the arena with no game) and magic came out with a Celtics shirt under his lakers warm-ups and have that speech. If you didnt cry then you ain't black - joe biden
@@Twigg4075 I hate this argument. Lebron is a drama queen, and Larry would destroy him mentally....but you clearly don't know what cramps are because you're muscles literally lock up and you can't move. Getting bad leg muscle cramps can make you collapse to the ground and unable to walk until they stop.
@@Biggiiful Larry dominated the game with a hurt back for years. Won with a broken face!!! We are also talking about playing a very physical game where you didn’t get a whistle just cuz you got hit hard. Lebron might as well be in the WNBA if Larry Legend and this subject comes up.
19:03 "That's a cold look right there." Larry squatting as he waits to be let back into the game might just be the most intimidating look I've seen in an athlete. Bear in mind, this is despite wearing a warmup jacket and short shorts. Despite being near the end of his career with crippling back pain so severe he spent the previous night in traction at the hospital. Despite cracking his head against the floor minutes earlier and surely sustaining a concussion. Despite needing to escape the team medics to return to the floor. Larry Bird walks onto that court in an elimination game with his team down with so much gravitas that you can practically feel the oppression like he's an anime character in a stare down. And, y'know what? He won the game and the series that night.
@@HSTvids357 If it wasn't for RUclips. I was 10 yrs old in 1982. DrJ was my favorite until one Sunday afternoon the 76ers played the Celtics. I barely knew of Bird at that point. He was hitting shots from everywhere. Falling down, and 1's. Couldn't run or jump, looked physically awkward as hell, but he dominated with his basketball iQ. He became my favorite player that day. He's still my favorite 39 years later. I think he's the true GOAT.
Great Bird quote. Comes into locker room before 3pt contest and asked, "So, who's coming in second?". He kept his warmup jacket on and proceeded to win.
Guys don't have the cajones to do that now. Players are afraid of offending each other and rocking the boat. The guys back then got high on trash talk.
lmao yeah I never had much of a chance to watch nba but the first time I saw that dude I really thought he was a crazy ref who put the teams colors on and then of course he started to hand everyone ass to them which I'm sorry being white i dropped a brick!!!
It's because he gets looked at for only how he was after his body started giving up on him. Remember by '92 he'd had I think two back surgeries, and surgery on both achilles. He was an athlete when healthy. He had like a 28" vert which isn't Jordan-esque obviously, but it's not below average, especially for somebody 6'9". His highest touch was listed like 11'5"-11'6", there's a short video on youtube of him dunking in traffic on multiple occasions, and putting Caldwell Jones on a poster big time. Flashing under the basket for a one handed reverse jam was a fairly common move for him. He just didn't typically try to be flashy, only seemed to dunk when it was the best shot to take, or when he had a lot of space.
When you're talking round ball...you can say "Larry" or "Bird" OR "Legend" and everyone knows who you're talking about...it's like Elvis, three times over...
Bird definitely one of the greatest. Kareem says he was the best he ever played against and that's a big statement. Kareem gets over looked but he was an absolute monster on the court, a force.
I would even say Kareem is the greatest. Most points scored, 6 rings, long career. Those Lakers in the 80s were tough, mostly cause they breezed through the west to meet with a battered Celtics team lol Basketball will never be as good as it was in the 80s. Pure gold.
@@hanknorris5642 Kareem gets overlooked BECAUSE he was so consistently a monster. You get blase I guess, when it happens every night. GOAT boils down to your preferences, MJ, Bird, Kareem, maybe a couple others (Tim Duncan was the same as Kareem, a monster every night). I guess that's the beauty of the GOAT question.
I’m not sure that I’ve seen any player who was faster mentally than Larry Bird - that was his elite skill. Watch Larry Bird highlights and compare how slowly the other players react.
I was 10 yrs old in 1982. DrJ was my favorite until one Sunday afternoon the 76ers played the Celtics. I barely knew of Bird at that point. He was hitting shots from everywhere. Falling down, and 1's. Couldn't run or jump, looked physically awkward as hell, but he dominated with his basketball iQ. He became my favorite player that day. He's still my favorite 39 years later. I think he's the true GOAT.
I was 11 in 82' & just keepin it real, Bird was the only white player my dad & uncles visibly feared & never talked sh!t about. They wanted NONE of Bird & whateva U do dont piss him off. As a kid it spoke volumes.
Larry Bird loved the game. You could see on his face that he enjoyed the hell out of every game he played. He was out there having fun, laughing the whole time.
Larry invited Magic to his house while they were young and Larry still lived with his parents. They shot basketball and around noon Larry's mom called out "lunch time!" Mother Bird had made sandwiches for the two and Magic said Larry's mom was such a sweet lady. This was when both were each other's nemesis. Lol.
Larry's ability to know where everyone was is one of the craziest things I've ever witnessed. His blind passes are insane. I have no idea what calculations his brain was doing. I would love to see a compilation of just him passing to people he literally cannot see. I've never witnessed a player that regularly does/did that other than him.
I miss this era of basketball, so many legends, my favorite thing about Bird isn't even his ridiculous shot ability, it was his crazy passing ability, which made it so you could never tell if he was gonna pass, shoot, or fake-out... and then make that 3 pointer near every time.
Your perspective on the GOAT conversation is wise. When people become obsessed with saying one player is better than another, they often times devalue players rather than appreciate their unique greatness. I find it best to just enjoy the greatness and artistry of every great player on their own terms. I have my favorites of course, but I appreciate them all.
Much respect to you bro, that’s what the game is all about, witnessing the beauty of the game by watching all these players with their unique skill set demonstrating greatness through basketball 💯💯
I watched my first NBA game in 1964 and have watched all the greats play live except Mikan and Cousy. Bird was definitely in my top 5 all-time until LeBron came along and muddied the waters. If LeBron joined the league in 1979, he would have dominated at power forward and remained there his entire career. That means fewer assists and 3-pointers. But after he grew into his body, no one in that era could have stopped or even slowed down any phase of his game. If Bird arrived in 2004 straight out of high school, he would have to grow into his body as well, even if the results would not be as imposing as those of LeBron. He still would have been a forward of some designation depending on the team. His 3-pt. attempts would have been higher as well as his ppg average, with assists maybe the same. I must admit to a decade worth of indifference to the NBA around this period, so my ability to imagine just how Larry Legend would look in baggy shorts or posting up Tim Duncan. But Larry had the GOAT basketball IQ, and when the stat-driven changes in offensive strategy led to an obsession with 3-pointers and heavily reduced low-post offensive sets, Bird would have functioned like a 6'-9" Steph Curry. Not as quick on his feet as Curry, but when did that matter to Bird's game? In short, Larry is still my top 5 forward alongside Tim Duncan. But LeBron has replaced Magic in the backcourt with Jordan on the wing. Kareem vs. Wilt is a tossup, except Wilt only won rings when he reduced his points output. Kareem never averaged less than 21 ppg until he turned 40 in the 1986-87 season, winning three rings in his first six seasons with Magic. Kareem it shall be. I lapsed into TL;DR territory because you seem to be an NBA historian and wonder if Larry belongs on your Olympus of all-time top 5, if you have one.
I feel the same way about musicians. It's like when they hit a certain level, they just enter the pantheon, each bringing their own styles and strength to what they do.
I remember watching that game he left due to bad back. Everybody was feeling like he was getting old, had a worsening back problem and had seen his better days. The fans were like bravo old fella, you did the best you could. So for him to come back out there and turn the tide to a victory was an epic gladiator moment. So much fkn heart.
I guarantee a like every time you post a Larry Legend reaction. When I think about how many of his peers praised Larry Bird...and not just idle flattery either, but high praise...for me there’s no doubt. For sheer all around ability, for leadership, for willpower, for clutch ability, for b-ball IQ, LARRY LEGEND IS MY TRUE GOAT 🐐
Bird had superior hand eye coordination without question, a lot of the game is played with your hands and wits, so he utilized that part of his game as much as he could.
Bird is without question the GOAT if the question is "who do I take to win a title right now?"... There is no doubt that Jordan and Bron had more longevity, but at their absolute primes, Bird was the GOAT. If you needed to win a title THIS SEASON, then you are taking Prime Bird over Prime Jordan or Prime Lebron. Bird was a total package cold blooded assassin in a way that Jordan and Bron never were... especially Bron... he's passed up more big shots than he's taken.
@@control_the_pet_population Oh yeah, Lebron isn't even close to Bird as far as mental ability and wits. But Bird hurt his back paving his own driveway, had he got someone else to do it, maybe he would of played longer. But I agree, no one played a well as Bird as far as the whole game, even Magic wasn't as good. But athletically of course Jordan was one of the best, and it just so happened he was way up there in virtually every other aspect of his game. I think Lebron's real uniqueness, is no one has been as tall, as strong, as fast, and as good a jumper as Lebron, its a very rare combination, he can pass pretty well too, but is a poor shooter, very bad under pressure as well.
Lebron had size to play in Bird era but mentally he soft AF and would be shaken the first time he drove to rim for a funk and instead of a player letting himself getting dunked on a player would tackle him mid air making him fall hard to floor ,. Lbj not built to take that. He would get laughed out of league trying to flop. And on otherwise if you put MJ,BirdMagic and those guys in this era and they be cooking defenses with no hand contact allowed. Bird would be best at drawing fouls
"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I'd take Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd choose Larry Bird." - Pat Riley.
@@enochgrey6392 Steph is a bonafied living legend. And yet he doesn't even have the most buzzer beaters in Warriors history.(Rick Barry has 3.) MJ and Kobe both lead the nba historically with 8 buzzer beaters respectively.(Though Kobe has way more last-second shot attempts and played 5 more years than MJ.) Bottom line - Not only did MJ have the most buzzer beaters but,when you include the fact that he's also ended games with defensive stops and drawing fouls,the debate about who'd you like to have with the ball(or guard the opposing team's best player for that matter)with the game on the line it's not even a serious debate.
@@kevinscott59 I like and I do respect your argument but your argument is for MJ, Kobe Bryant, and Rick Barry. If I read your original comment correctly, you chose Larry Bird. ???
Birds biggest asset was his competitive spirit. He was a fierce competitor every minute of every game. And by force of will power he made his teammates to be as competitive as he was. I remembered when he'd play the Pistons. It was a war, nothing like a game.
yes, he is. I saw him play When I was a teen, the cameras were not even good enough to capture his skills ! He played with a broken eye socket, fractured leg, and broken nose. He was amazing. Bird and Magic were the best of the best, when they played it was like 2 titans! watch the Larry Bird mix tape.
Larry was absolutely awesome, he could shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. He was my absolute favorite overall player. There were other players that were good at one or two moves, but Larry had it all. I have recorded games on VHS, there were those whom elevated the game. But he redefined the game. A True Legend.
I am talking about pure talent, ...the guy hans not physical body at all, killer instinct like no other, knowledge of the game, how to play like a team ... playing in the best stage of the NBA, where the teams defended to the death, not the poor current NBA, which nobody defends but in Play offs, and its dominated for individual game over the collective ....
a competitive level on the LArry Bird times was a thousand times higher than the current one .... can you imagine Larry Bird with the physical force of Lebron, or Jordan? I am talking about pure talent as a player, how he made his teammates better, ...he was 3 times in a row NBA MVP, when the competition was at its highest level ... Jordan could not dominate until Larry got old....and man, Larry was fighting with Magic and The Lakers...it was the destiny maybe, but, those Celtics could have won 9 rings in a row with out such big oponent....and finally, just check out some videos of Larry in cluch times.....oh man, its just ridiculous....shot to won games....the list is up of 30.....30 last shots to destroy the games....this is Larry Bird, the legend!!!!
Bird will always be my favorite basketball player. I can’t see anyone ever showing up again that will combine smarts, hard work and intensity the way that he did. #larrylegend
Larry will always be my favorite athlete of all-time. It was amazing watching him play when I was a kid and the older I get the more I appreciate the way he played the game. #LarryLegend
I worked in PR for the 76ers in 1987, Dr. Js last season. I am a Julius fan. However, as much as I nevewr liked the Celtics, Bird could flat out play. He was magnificent. Two hours before the last game between he and Doc in Philly, he did something I have never seen. Instead of playing 1 on 1, he played 1 on 2 against two Celtics. He beat them without a sweat knocking down shots only from 3 point land. He air balled the game winner but I will never forget his pre-game or his true exceptional skill. I will always favor Dr. J but Bird was a phenom.
Love that story. I'm a huge fan of Doc & Larry, but I'm old enough that I go back to Doc's days in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets. I was a big Kentucky Colonels fan with Artis Gilmore, Dan Isel, and the original 3-point king Louie Dampier. Larry Bird or Magic or Jordan were the kind of players you build a franchise around. Julius "Dr. J." Erving once had an entire league built around him, and anything Jordan ever did on the court I saw Doc do years earlier in the ABA. For my money, Doc's the best to ever lace them up.
Larry Bird was the best I've seen play the game. Truly the most exciting to watch. Plus, he was a true team player. Can't think of one player that you could compare him to today.
Listen to all the You Tube videos of former players who say Bird was the greatest trash talker ever. Because he could always back it up. May not be the GOAT but who really is? Hard to say. But LB was a beast
Yeah it's hard to argue who goat when people played in different eras. For my money they only one who has legit case against MJ is Kareem. He got the durability, the resume, the rings. Magic and Bird those guys right under MJ and I put Isiah Thomas right under Magic and Bird and LBJ probably in same tier as Magic and Bird which again for my money the second tierbis Magic,Bird,Kobe, Duncan,LBj,Bill Russell, next tier I put players Like Hakeem, Isiah Thomas, Moses Malone
@@jackfanning7952 wilt is not the goat, he's a top 5 all time great tho, I think wilt is the best and most dominant center ever, wilt Chamberlain would completely destroy Shaq, if I had to pick a big man on my team to win it would definitely be wilt cause nobody can stop him from scoring, he actually averaged 50 points per game for a season which is insane
19:05 I'm glad you noticed the 'cold look' in Bird's eyes...that is a game I watched live, and as a guy who hated the Celtics, that's a look I never wanted to see. I was neutral, but that was the moment I knew the Pacers were toast
Thought the same exact thing when I saw that look live was a big Celtics fan and especially a Bird fan. GOAT ? Hard to say because his career was so short but in his prime he was just as good as anyone ever
@@kennethhamilton7440 Stop writing crap. Larry Bird is the GOAT because of his individual stats and not because of how long he played professional basketball. A question ? Larry Bird played for almost 13 years and does that sound like a "short career" to you ?
As a Celtics fan from the '80s, I can tell you Larry Bird was must see TV. I MEAN EVERY GAME...Total magician with the ball and stone cold killer...great video
For what this man could do, with really no “athleticism” at all, was just phenomenal. You have your shooters, passers, rebounders all who are pretty much one dimensional. Not saying they couldn’t do all 3, but they were better at one of them. Larry could do it all every game.
I think there could have been more focus on his passing -- not even a Celtics fan but his passing was epic but there is too much positive to focus on. I don't personally believe he was the GOAT but I will believe he had basketball in his brain more than any other.
But he "was" athletic...when Bill Russell called the Celtic games he would always go out of his way to point out that Bird could jump and was quick...used to irritate him that Bird was being stereotyped.
lol athleticism... that's a completely meaningless attribute. There is no "athleticism" column in the box score. Either you produce or you don't. Bird produced.
Ppl think Larry wasn’t athletic. Sure, he couldn’t jump like Jordan or quickness like iverson, but at the end of the day you can’t be that great for that long in the nba and not be athletic. His athleticism was deceptive. It was there if you look hard enough.
Exactly, his toughness, mental quickness and technical talent are also part of the athleticism checklist. He lacked the standard athleticism, but he excelled at the game with his own tools. A once in a kind talent indeed.
I grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. I don't often brag about that, but I make an exception when it comes to this subject. Living there during the late 70s, getting to know Larry Bird before the rest of the world had even heard of him, is something I wouldn't trade for anything. And yes, we knew, we KNEW even then, even during his 1st year at ISU (after having to redshirt his Freshman season), that he was something WAY out of the ordinary. These crazy moves, eyes-in-back-of-the-head, and genius, instinctual decisions that you see in Larry's NBA highlight reels... he was already doing these on a daily basis at ISU. Saw nearly every home game plus several road games, so yeah we had a huge head-start on the rest of the world. But off the court he was really unassuming, actually kinda "shy" if you can believe that. Late '77 to mid '78 my wife and I and our first son lived in the same university apartment complex as Larry, and we'd see him on occasion. Just a normal guy who happened to tower above everyone else... oh, and who was already well on his way to becoming arguably the greatest basketball player ever.
Skill..when you watch game footage, this man's left hand was incredible. Pump fake one dribble, floater off the glass with your off hand from 18 feet???? Left hand passes, tear drops and hooks consistently with your OFF hand? Yoo..that is freaking SKILL. Underrated
I was at a catholic high school from 86-90. Bird was a legend. He was revered as a God by us kids. What a passer!! Johnny Most calling the Bird steal in 87 was a great memory!
I'm just glad to see a Larry Bird reaction video that's not a reaction to the highlight film made for his retirement ceremony. Bird had an amazing ability to know exactly where the ball was going to bounce, which is how he was such a great rebounder. On the rare occasions he would miss a field goal, it was as if the moment it left his hand he already knew that the shot was going to miss AND he knew exactly where the rebound was going to go. If you watch the famous highlight where he gets his own rebound in the corner and lays it up FROM BEHIND THE BACKBOARD while he's flying through the air falling out of bounds, it's a perfect example of it. He initially took a shot from the top of the key but while the shot was still in the air he was already running to where the rebound was going to go!
He would have 20 from the line alone. He never had the “luxury” of not getting hit during the shot. Players of today could not hang in the 80’s with the amount of physicality there was.
@@jenmaclean3774 I don't wanna sound like an old "get off my lawn" guy but I find it nearly impossible to watch basketball now. Too soft, nothing but 3's, no real defense... etc
@@jenmaclean3774 so aside from pistons and a handful, keyword handful of players, excluding the anomaly’s of clotheslining players to prevent a layup what was more physical about the game? Defense is 100 times harder today because you can’t rely on hand checks to allow you to hang with someone who’s skill and speed you can’t contain. Players like hornececk, price, and a ton of more players would be defense liabilities today. Now if we throw today’s players back in that generation the skill gap is so astronomical it’s ridiculous with the exception of post play as sadly that’s a lost art.
@@mneugent7658 harder to play defense with your feet then relying on hand checks. In this video alone there’s tons of examples of lousy ass defense being played so I don’t see how that differs from today
@@BallIsLife353332 Well to be fair this is a highlight video, so defense is going to look bad. There's no argument that the defense of today is in the same universe as the hard-nosed defense of the 80's, and more so the 90's. True, some of the defense of that era was damned near NFL style, but it was still a big factor in scoring. James Harden would never ever score at his clip back then. No chance. Bird was a very good defensive player. Fact is the league wants platers to score score score, and I get it. I never did like hand checking but I'll take the aggressiveness of that era over this ole shit any day. The game has gone too European. All 3's, no travel calls (and I'm talking 4 steps), fucking jump stops, Euro steps. That shit would get you a forearm to the neck back then. As is should.
It was a privledge to watch Larry Bird play! HD played during the golden age of the NBA. There so many great teams and players. The Bird and Magic show was special! I miss those days. I thought that kind of basketball would never end.
Glad you posted this video because I didn't realize how good he was but more importantly, I didn't realize how much he helped elevate basketball and the NBA. Very cool.
@@rodciferri9626 And all the ad money that Clayton Crowley could of made was basically stolen by someone who just re posted their video in its entirety
@@ThatCoolCookieee That doesn't seem fair. It would be great if RUclips can figure out a way that the original youtuber whose video is being reacted to by another youtuber can make money.
Great Video! I was a kid during the Magic vs Bird Rivalry and it was some of the best days I can remember! My Dad played in a softball league and we would go to practice and then home to watch the NBA Finals with the Lakers vs Celtics - Bird has always been my favorite, an awkward white dude who just understood the game and gave it all he had!! I like the way you break down your videos, you make it your own and don't act like you've never seen the content! Good job, I'm a new subscriber!!
Thanks putting this on. I saw Larry play against most of The great players of his day. I think that his sheer relentlessness is one thing not portrayed in this video. He would just grind his opponents until only the greats were left standing.
Thank you. I'm 80 years old - a grandma, not a real fan but just loved this special piece on Larry Bird. The comments wee real and appreciated. All the players were a pleasure to watch, especially Magic. and Shaq.
My great aunts LOVED Larry Bird! They lived in Terre Haute, IN and became some of his most devoted fans. They would take pictures of him with their little instamatic camera.
Ouch! They showed David Thompson (DT, Skywalker) when they mentioned the cocaine problems in the NBA. I grew up watching DT on the Denver Nuggets. The guy was phenomenal, MJ before MJ (which MJ said he actually modeled his game from Thompson). Now as far as Larry "Legend" Bird, he is definitely up in the top 10 if not top 5 players of all time. Thing about Bird is he was so court smart/savvy, he knew where everyone was at. He also had an incredible drive to win. I remember him many times playing hurt and hustling to get the ball and sacrificing his body for it. He was one tough SOB on the court. And yes, he was a trash talker and could back it up. Plus, with the game on the line you wanted the ball in his hands. I would say he was/is the best small forward to have played the game. His outside shooting wouldn't only hurt you, it would kill you. Finally, each generation of the NBA has its "GOAT". The thing was the 80's and 90's had at least 3-4 playing at the same time.
I'm from Detroit in the Bad Boy days. NO respect was given to Jordan. Small respect and love given to our local boy Magic. No connection to Bird and he cut our heart intercepting Isiah's pass but always HUGE respect to Bird. He really was the only player we "feared" coming into town and we wish he was on our team.
That 1987 game I remember so well. As a Lakers fan you hated Bird. All of my friends and myself were on our feet screaming NOOOO! at the TV, trying to will the ball to bounce of the back of the rim instead of the normal frump of the twine "nothing but net" lights out shooting of Bird.
Bird played in an NBA era were players were physical and tough.Many great players have graced the courts of the NBA.Bird is definitely the greatest small forward of all time.When I watch the game I’m truly colorblind.To me Bird wasn’t a white player.He was technical wizard that played when a real determination and fire.He could do it all and was a joy to witness.
I still think that shot should have went in. 😄 Bird is the best SF of all time. Plus, if Bird was the BEST PLAYER in the 80s, and a lot of true greats made that claim...and there isnt a decade of better players anywhere.....so, where does that put Bird all time? 🤔
Loved the reaction you had when Larry missed that paused shot! Great video thanks for the making it enjoyed it and agree with the start about GOAT's and Larry was one of the best to play along with a few others!
Yep. He went to the locker room to get examined by a doctor. He fractured a facial bone. I don't think it hurt him as much as it made him mad. I watched that game. You should have seen the crowd erupt when he came back out.
@@dvrmte He fractured his cheekbone/eye socket. Being a team player, he snuck out while the trainer's back was turned and returned to the court. With a concussion and double vision. Or so I've heard.
I played basketball in high school, but baseball was my sport...that didn’t stop me from wearing my old Larry Bird caricature t-shirt under my uniform every time I pitched, he transcended sports
I think Matthew had it right,and MJ said the same thing,there really isn't a "goat".Too many players,styles, accomplishments and the like to determine a "goat". Just enjoy the performance and the conversation.
My childhood! Growing up in New England in the 80s Larry Bird was to Basketball what Babe Ruth was to Baseball. Even if you hated sports you watched The Celtics and Larry especially if they were playing against the Lakers. I remember one year it was Celtics vs Lakers Larry vs Magic on Christmas and when the game came on Christmas stopped until the game was over. It was insane looking back on it but no one gave it a second thought at the time.
That was a cold look you said. That was a look because he was going back in with a broken cheekbone. And brought them back to won in the playoffs against the Pacers.
Yep. He's in the conversation. One of the knocks against him is simply the times were different. The game was different and the talent level was inferior by comparison to more recent times.
@@luke46219 11 Championships, 8 of them consecutive. Fewer teams, yes, but talent was less diluted. Russel's peers: Wilt Chamberlin, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry Lucas, Jerry West, Hal Greer, etc.
@@GB-ez6ge I agree talent was less diluted. In fact it was most concentrated on Russell's Celtics. They were the team of the decade in the 1960s, and Bill Russell was a big reason why, but he had plenty of talented players around him and only one or two of the other teams in the league were any match for them in a playoff series.
Russell is as good as a pick as any of the top 10. Hard to argue with the championships and lakers had great teams back then. Sometimes deluded leagues make it even harder to become an nba player
Bill Russell if you truly want to talk GREATNESS. Please don't forget his perfect 54-0 in college, with back to back National Championships ,11 NBA titles, 2 as player coach...oh yeah the MVP in the finals are called....drum roll please. The Bill Russell Award
Jim Powell here. I saw Bird play his entire career, I believe him to be the GOAT. No one could shut him down. He was hands down the best clutch shooter ever. He would tell you he was going to beat you, then do it. Ask Magic about Larry Bird. I get a kick out of these young black you tubers who are basketball fans. I watch there facial expressions when they see the videos of Bird. To you all, Bird was the GOAT.
I honestly always tear up when I hear Magic say that to him. Those guys were fierce competitors at the highest level and them amount of respect they had for each other is so admirable.
I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a 3 point line the whole time he played in college. There wasn't one in the pros, I think, until his 1st or 2nd year. You may say, so what? That's a part of the game he had never even thought about until after he turned pro.
3 pt shots were a afterthought in 80s or 90s NBA, back then they passed the ball in hopes of getting a high pct shot for the big men....bird said the game is much freer now , less grabbing and more wide open unlike the 80s halfcourt wars in the east. The rules were changed in NFL and NBA to favor offenses. He would've liked to have played now
Matthew Walker, I appreciate how you keep your face in a lower corner. In most "reactions" I watch, the subject's reviewer dominates the screen while the video is in a lower corner. THANKS!
The NBA has been many different leagues over the years due to rules changes and the level of athletes it attracted. For his time and the level of production and win/loss record, nobody was better than Larry Bird from 1981 through 1986. The guy was unstoppable before a back injury that would have put most men in a wheelchair.
Bird was known to tell the defenders what the play was and what he was going to do and they still couldn't stop him. According to Doc Rivers in a game against the Hawks, Bird called "fall away 3, off the board, and fall into your trainer on the bench" and did exactly that including ending up on the trainer's lap.
Finally!! You are very spoken, fun, obviously an educated young man. God bless 🙏. Too many people that don't even know how to properly conjugate a sentence. Makes watching n listening a pleasure. Stay up bru.
Growing up in the 80s June was always the finals month and the best ticket of prime time tv. Pat Riley also said when Bird took that shot in front of him, before it hit iron “ that shot was straight as an arrow, he did it again on us”.
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
Pat Riley: "If I had to choose a player to take a shot to win a game, I'd choose Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd take Larry Bird".
That doesn’t even make sense. If you trust Bird more, you’d choose him for both. 😂
@@jo6paq what if its 1 person per category?
@@jo6paq He was just trying to make a point that in the most extreme case he'd pick Bird to illustrate how clutch he was.
@@jo6paq sound logic, lol
@@jo6paq The mind says Jordan, the heart says Bird
Honestly bird and magic made the NBA. Without them it would've died. Greatest basketball Era ever
Best era ever and its not even close.
@@michaelgraham6269 totally true. he made his team better. plus the lakers, the pistons...like hockey its unwatchable now.
Very true
And MJ was young and on the rise, incredible era, not to mention Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons and The dream in Houston, i will take those five players and kick any other eras five players ass.
@@danzemacabre8899 I would take Kobe,Shaq,Lebron,Kd and Curry.
I'm a 51 year-old Black woman. Larry Bird is my favorite NBA player OF ALL TIME!!!
I sure miss seeing him on the court. . .
People don't know. Larry had an overall skill set that should never have existed. His passing alone. His flare and heart. Sick sick man.
@@owensuppes1, he was a damned freak of nature!! And I loved how he worked on his craft. He didn't settle for the status quo. He perfected his craft and he was serious about his job. His IQ was phenomenal and exciting to watch.
@@lb8471 I love that dude. I watch his mixtape sometimes. Gets me charged up to see his killer creativity. Good thing we have him on tape
@@owensuppes1, my 18 year-old son plays ball. When he was in the 6th grade (give or take) he told me that he didn't think LB was not a good player. Then one day, he saw a documentary on LB and Magic and he was blown away by LB! He couldn't get enough of watching footage of him. We were in Marshall's one day and he saw a cool LB/Magic t-shirt and begged me to buy it for him. Needless to say, I was one proud mama!!!!
That whole era of the sport was the GOAT.
"Larry Bird was so good, it was frightening." - Magic Johnson
Literally every legend in the 1980s sung the praises of Larry Bird. Black, white, green or blue. Larry Bird is one of the best to play the game. Had killer trash talk and the game to back it up.
Larry Bird was Water all day! I'm glad I had privilege to see him play! The ball always went in made more shots than he missed real shyt!
Bird/Magic was the Brady/Manning of basketball
That moment when larry retired (sold out the arena with no game) and magic came out with a Celtics shirt under his lakers warm-ups and have that speech. If you didnt cry then you ain't black - joe biden
He would have LeBron so emotional and frustrated he wouldn’t know where he’s at
Queen James cried and had to be carried off the court for CRAMPS. Bird would probably make him quit.
@@Twigg4075 I hate this argument. Lebron is a drama queen, and Larry would destroy him mentally....but you clearly don't know what cramps are because you're muscles literally lock up and you can't move. Getting bad leg muscle cramps can make you collapse to the ground and unable to walk until they stop.
LeFlop the GM would trade himself to the G league just to run away from Larry
@@Biggiiful Larry dominated the game with a hurt back for years. Won with a broken face!!! We are also talking about playing a very physical game where you didn’t get a whistle just cuz you got hit hard. Lebron might as well be in the WNBA if Larry Legend and this subject comes up.
Yeah like he did MJ
19:03 "That's a cold look right there."
Larry squatting as he waits to be let back into the game might just be the most intimidating look I've seen in an athlete. Bear in mind, this is despite wearing a warmup jacket and short shorts. Despite being near the end of his career with crippling back pain so severe he spent the previous night in traction at the hospital. Despite cracking his head against the floor minutes earlier and surely sustaining a concussion. Despite needing to escape the team medics to return to the floor.
Larry Bird walks onto that court in an elimination game with his team down with so much gravitas that you can practically feel the oppression like he's an anime character in a stare down. And, y'know what? He won the game and the series that night.
If he wasn't from like an hour from where I live I'd swear he doesn't even exist. Like a freakin tall tale.
@@HSTvids357
If it wasn't for RUclips.
I was 10 yrs old in 1982.
DrJ was my favorite until one Sunday afternoon the 76ers played the Celtics. I barely knew of Bird at that point. He was hitting shots from everywhere. Falling down, and 1's. Couldn't run or jump, looked physically awkward as hell, but he dominated with his basketball iQ. He became my favorite player that day. He's still my favorite 39 years later. I think he's the true GOAT.
An anime character in a stare down.
😂😂😂😂😂😂☠️👌🏼
Larry Bird is Orochimaru confirmed, scaring the shit out of people just by sheer bloodlust alone
He said he was seeing double when came back into that game...
Great Bird quote. Comes into locker room before 3pt contest and asked, "So, who's coming in second?". He kept his warmup jacket on and proceeded to win.
I think that was his 2nd or 3rd win in a row, too
Guys don't have the cajones to do that now. Players are afraid of offending each other and rocking the boat. The guys back then got high on trash talk.
Larry been looking 40 years old since he came into the league LOL
Truth, but he looks good now for being in his 60's.
We white people, ( except Brady, dudes an alien) don't age well
@TheVolourn lol
lmao yeah I never had much of a chance to watch nba but the first time I saw that dude I really thought he was a crazy ref who put the teams colors on and then of course he started to hand everyone ass to them which I'm sorry being white i dropped a brick!!!
@@brianlandyn1694 hate to tell you but if you have to hack her account, might be time to move on. Just saying, good luck😎✌️
Larry the only person that gives me chills and goosebumps.
They didn't tag him "Larry Legend" for nothing.
Bird Marciano Maldini Herbert Acuna Jr. Gretzky
And a chubby
Larry Bird's athleticism is underrated
He had incredibly quick hands on defense, which nobody ever mentions.
It's because he gets looked at for only how he was after his body started giving up on him. Remember by '92 he'd had I think two back surgeries, and surgery on both achilles. He was an athlete when healthy. He had like a 28" vert which isn't Jordan-esque obviously, but it's not below average, especially for somebody 6'9". His highest touch was listed like 11'5"-11'6", there's a short video on youtube of him dunking in traffic on multiple occasions, and putting Caldwell Jones on a poster big time. Flashing under the basket for a one handed reverse jam was a fairly common move for him. He just didn't typically try to be flashy, only seemed to dunk when it was the best shot to take, or when he had a lot of space.
@@HSTvids357 Yes, and back in those days leg and back surgeries weren't nearly as good as they are these days.
Larry had a very quick first step. Under-rated
@@neilmac123 Yes, and he could go left or right equally well.
The only athlete I'm aware of whose one name nickname is this: LEGEND
To be fair, if his name was Barry Bird he'd have a different nickname. People do love the alliterative.
but BRUNO SAMMARTINO was the ''living legend''!
@@MrMferg240 Problem is that nickname comes with an expiration date on the coroner's report.
Basketball Jesus or Basketball "Jesús"
When you're talking round ball...you can say "Larry" or "Bird" OR "Legend" and everyone knows who you're talking about...it's like Elvis, three times over...
Bird definitely one of the greatest. Kareem says he was the best he ever played against and that's a big statement. Kareem gets over looked but he was an absolute monster on the court, a force.
I would even say Kareem is the greatest. Most points scored, 6 rings, long career. Those Lakers in the 80s were tough, mostly cause they breezed through the west to meet with a battered Celtics team lol
Basketball will never be as good as it was in the 80s. Pure gold.
Magic also said he was the only man he feared on the court. I'm like, damn...I think he was great. But MJ would strike more fear in me than Bird.
@@hanknorris5642 Kareem gets overlooked BECAUSE he was so consistently a monster. You get blase I guess, when it happens every night. GOAT boils down to your preferences, MJ, Bird, Kareem, maybe a couple others (Tim Duncan was the same as Kareem, a monster every night). I guess that's the beauty of the GOAT question.
Even Chuck Nevitt said that Bird was the best he ever saw from the bench...
I'm a Swedish guy with no interest in basketball and I know half of Kareems biography.
I’m not sure that I’ve seen any player who was faster mentally than Larry Bird - that was his elite skill. Watch Larry Bird highlights and compare how slowly the other players react.
Yes, you nailed it!
“Mental quickness”.
It may have been instinct, it was so fluid and natural in no way reactionary. He just saw the whole court in a way that no other has done.
If Larry bird was an animal, what would he be? A bird?
I was 10 yrs old in 1982.
DrJ was my favorite until one Sunday afternoon the 76ers played the Celtics. I barely knew of Bird at that point. He was hitting shots from everywhere. Falling down, and 1's. Couldn't run or jump, looked physically awkward as hell, but he dominated with his basketball iQ. He became my favorite player that day. He's still my favorite 39 years later. I think he's the true GOAT.
I was 11 in 82' & just keepin it real, Bird was the only white player my dad & uncles visibly feared & never talked sh!t about. They wanted NONE of Bird & whateva U do dont piss him off. As a kid it spoke volumes.
Larry Bird loved the game. You could see on his face that he enjoyed the hell out of every game he played. He was out there having fun, laughing the whole time.
Larry invited Magic to his house while they were young and Larry still lived with his parents. They shot basketball and around noon Larry's mom called out "lunch time!" Mother Bird had made sandwiches for the two and Magic said Larry's mom was such a sweet lady. This was when both were each other's nemesis. Lol.
Wasnt that when they got together to shoot a converse commercial?
Larry's ability to know where everyone was is one of the craziest things I've ever witnessed. His blind passes are insane. I have no idea what calculations his brain was doing. I would love to see a compilation of just him passing to people he literally cannot see. I've never witnessed a player that regularly does/did that other than him.
I miss this era of basketball, so many legends, my favorite thing about Bird isn't even his ridiculous shot ability, it was his crazy passing ability, which made it so you could never tell if he was gonna pass, shoot, or fake-out... and then make that 3 pointer near every time.
I don't know if is the GOAT but any fan not allowing him in the convo isn't a fan.
Your perspective on the GOAT conversation is wise. When people become obsessed with saying one player is better than another, they often times devalue players rather than appreciate their unique greatness. I find it best to just enjoy the greatness and artistry of every great player on their own terms. I have my favorites of course, but I appreciate them all.
Much respect to you bro, that’s what the game is all about, witnessing the beauty of the game by watching all these players with their unique skill set demonstrating greatness through basketball 💯💯
I watched my first NBA game in 1964 and have watched all the greats play live except Mikan and Cousy. Bird was definitely in my top 5 all-time until LeBron came along and muddied the waters. If LeBron joined the league in 1979, he would have dominated at power forward and remained there his entire career. That means fewer assists and 3-pointers. But after he grew into his body, no one in that era could have stopped or even slowed down any phase of his game.
If Bird arrived in 2004 straight out of high school, he would have to grow into his body as well, even if the results would not be as imposing as those of LeBron. He still would have been a forward of some designation depending on the team. His 3-pt. attempts would have been higher as well as his ppg average, with assists maybe the same. I must admit to a decade worth of indifference to the NBA around this period, so my ability to imagine just how Larry Legend would look in baggy shorts or posting up Tim Duncan. But Larry had the GOAT basketball IQ, and when the stat-driven changes in offensive strategy led to an obsession with 3-pointers and heavily reduced low-post offensive sets, Bird would have functioned like a 6'-9" Steph Curry. Not as quick on his feet as Curry, but when did that matter to Bird's game?
In short, Larry is still my top 5 forward alongside Tim Duncan. But LeBron has replaced Magic in the backcourt with Jordan on the wing. Kareem vs. Wilt is a tossup, except Wilt only won rings when he reduced his points output. Kareem never averaged less than 21 ppg until he turned 40 in the 1986-87 season, winning three rings in his first six seasons with Magic. Kareem it shall be.
I lapsed into TL;DR territory because you seem to be an NBA historian and wonder if Larry belongs on your Olympus of all-time top 5, if you have one.
I feel the same way about musicians. It's like when they hit a certain level, they just enter the pantheon, each bringing their own styles and strength to what they do.
"There will never, ever, ever be another Larry Bird"
I remember watching that game he left due to bad back. Everybody was feeling like he was getting old, had a worsening back problem and had seen his better days. The fans were like bravo old fella, you did the best you could. So for him to come back out there and turn the tide to a victory was an epic gladiator moment. So much fkn heart.
I guarantee a like every time you post a Larry Legend reaction.
When I think about how many of his peers praised Larry Bird...and not just idle flattery either, but high praise...for me there’s no doubt. For sheer all around ability, for leadership, for willpower, for clutch ability, for b-ball IQ, LARRY LEGEND IS MY TRUE GOAT 🐐
I respect that 💯
Bird had superior hand eye coordination without question, a lot of the game is played with your hands and wits, so he utilized that part of his game as much as he could.
Bird is without question the GOAT if the question is "who do I take to win a title right now?"... There is no doubt that Jordan and Bron had more longevity, but at their absolute primes, Bird was the GOAT. If you needed to win a title THIS SEASON, then you are taking Prime Bird over Prime Jordan or Prime Lebron. Bird was a total package cold blooded assassin in a way that Jordan and Bron never were... especially Bron... he's passed up more big shots than he's taken.
@@control_the_pet_population Oh yeah, Lebron isn't even close to Bird as far as mental ability and wits. But Bird hurt his back paving his own driveway, had he got someone else to do it, maybe he would of played longer. But I agree, no one played a well as Bird as far as the whole game, even Magic wasn't as good. But athletically of course Jordan was one of the best, and it just so happened he was way up there in virtually every other aspect of his game. I think Lebron's real uniqueness, is no one has been as tall, as strong, as fast, and as good a jumper as Lebron, its a very rare combination, he can pass pretty well too, but is a poor shooter, very bad under pressure as well.
Lebron had size to play in Bird era but mentally he soft AF and would be shaken the first time he drove to rim for a funk and instead of a player letting himself getting dunked on a player would tackle him mid air making him fall hard to floor ,. Lbj not built to take that. He would get laughed out of league trying to flop. And on otherwise if you put MJ,BirdMagic and those guys in this era and they be cooking defenses with no hand contact allowed. Bird would be best at drawing fouls
"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game, I'd take Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life, I'd choose Larry Bird."
- Pat Riley.
I'll take Bird if it's a playoff game.
I'll take Robert Horry if it's a finals game.
I would choose Steph Curry for both
@@enochgrey6392
Steph is a bonafied living legend.
And yet he doesn't even have the most buzzer beaters in Warriors history.(Rick Barry has 3.)
MJ and Kobe both lead the nba historically with 8 buzzer beaters respectively.(Though Kobe has way more last-second shot attempts and played 5 more years than MJ.)
Bottom line - Not only did MJ have the most buzzer beaters but,when you include the fact that he's also ended games with defensive stops and drawing fouls,the debate about who'd you like to have with the ball(or guard the opposing team's best player for that matter)with the game on the line it's not even a serious debate.
@@kevinscott59 I like and I do respect your argument but your argument is for MJ, Kobe Bryant, and Rick Barry. If I read your original comment correctly, you chose Larry Bird. ???
@@enochgrey6392
You make an excellent point.
That comment was made before I took the time to satisfy my curiosity and actually do some research.👍
Birds biggest asset was his competitive spirit. He was a fierce competitor every minute of every game. And by force of will power he made his teammates to be as competitive as he was. I remembered when he'd play the Pistons. It was a war, nothing like a game.
yeah.. and when he said no more layups for the Lakers and they took them out heavy..
Greatest era in NBA history. So many great, great players. I hardly missed a game no matter who was playing! Miss it!
Me too.
That's such a strong argument: He's the greatest, because you're genuinely shocked when he doesn't do the impossible.
yes, he is. I saw him play When I was a teen, the cameras were not even good enough to capture his skills ! He played with a broken eye socket, fractured leg, and broken nose. He was amazing. Bird and Magic were the best of the best, when they played it was like 2 titans! watch the Larry Bird mix tape.
Larry was absolutely awesome, he could shoot the ball from anywhere on the court. He was my absolute favorite overall player. There were other players that were good at one or two moves, but Larry had it all. I have recorded games on VHS, there were those whom elevated the game. But he redefined the game. A True Legend.
Larry Bird, the legend, the real GOAT!!!!!
🤦♂️😂😂 come on be serious he wasn’t even better then his rival and we all know who is the goat!! 23 IN RED
@@longgirl5 I am very serious.
@@juanjocastellano2206 you actually think bird is better then Jordan and lebron 😂😂😂... what makes you think he is better??
I am talking about pure talent, ...the guy hans not physical body at all, killer instinct like no other, knowledge of the game, how to play like a team ... playing in the best stage of the NBA, where the teams defended to the death, not the poor current NBA, which nobody defends but in Play offs, and its dominated for individual game over the collective ....
a competitive level on the LArry Bird times was a thousand times higher than the current one .... can you imagine Larry Bird with the physical force of Lebron, or Jordan? I am talking about pure talent as a player, how he made his teammates better, ...he was 3 times in a row NBA MVP, when the competition was at its highest level ... Jordan could not dominate until Larry got old....and man, Larry was fighting with Magic and The Lakers...it was the destiny maybe, but, those Celtics could have won 9 rings in a row with out such big oponent....and finally, just check out some videos of Larry in cluch times.....oh man, its just ridiculous....shot to won games....the list is up of 30.....30 last shots to destroy the games....this is Larry Bird, the legend!!!!
He was the most exciting player I've ever seen!
Bird will always be my favorite basketball player. I can’t see anyone ever showing up again that will combine smarts, hard work and intensity the way that he did. #larrylegend
these were my high school years. The hype was real.
Larry will always be my favorite athlete of all-time. It was amazing watching him play when I was a kid and the older I get the more I appreciate the way he played the game. #LarryLegend
I worked in PR for the 76ers in 1987, Dr. Js last season. I am a Julius fan. However, as much as I nevewr liked the Celtics, Bird could flat out play. He was magnificent. Two hours before the last game between he and Doc in Philly, he did something I have never seen. Instead of playing 1 on 1, he played 1 on 2 against two Celtics. He beat them without a sweat knocking down shots only from 3 point land. He air balled the game winner but I will never forget his pre-game or his true exceptional skill. I will always favor Dr. J but Bird was a phenom.
Love that story. I'm a huge fan of Doc & Larry, but I'm old enough that I go back to Doc's days in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets. I was a big Kentucky Colonels fan with Artis Gilmore, Dan Isel, and the original 3-point king Louie Dampier. Larry Bird or Magic or Jordan were the kind of players you build a franchise around. Julius "Dr. J." Erving once had an entire league built around him, and anything Jordan ever did on the court I saw Doc do years earlier in the ABA. For my money, Doc's the best to ever lace them up.
Larry was one of the first people that contacted Magic when he announced he was ill. Truly friends. A great follow up story. Look at Birds childhood.
Larry Bird was the best I've seen play the game. Truly the most exciting to watch. Plus, he was a true team player. Can't think of one player that you could compare him to today.
Listen to all the You Tube videos of former players who say Bird was the greatest trash talker ever. Because he could always back it up. May not be the GOAT but who really is? Hard to say. But LB was a beast
Yeah it's hard to argue who goat when people played in different eras. For my money they only one who has legit case against MJ is Kareem. He got the durability, the resume, the rings. Magic and Bird those guys right under MJ and I put Isiah Thomas right under Magic and Bird and LBJ probably in same tier as Magic and Bird which again for my money the second tierbis Magic,Bird,Kobe, Duncan,LBj,Bill Russell, next tier I put players Like Hakeem, Isiah Thomas, Moses Malone
Wilt - GOAT
@@jackfanning7952 wilt is not the goat, he's a top 5 all time great tho, I think wilt is the best and most dominant center ever, wilt Chamberlain would completely destroy Shaq, if I had to pick a big man on my team to win it would definitely be wilt cause nobody can stop him from scoring, he actually averaged 50 points per game for a season which is insane
@@jackfanning7952 Everyone always forgets about him
@@fatboi1283 Wilt is unforgettable and unmatched.
19:05 I'm glad you noticed the 'cold look' in Bird's eyes...that is a game I watched live, and as a guy who hated the Celtics, that's a look I never wanted to see. I was neutral, but that was the moment I knew the Pacers were toast
Thought the same exact thing when I saw that look live was a big Celtics fan and especially a Bird fan. GOAT ? Hard to say because his career was so short but in his prime he was just as good as anyone ever
That cold look was because he had gotten a facial fracture earlier in the game and had to leave and that was him coming back in, looking for BLOOD....
He was fierce under that calm exterior.
@@kennethhamilton7440
Stop writing crap.
Larry Bird is the GOAT because of his individual stats and not because of how long he played professional basketball.
A question ? Larry Bird played for almost 13 years and does that sound like a "short career" to you ?
As a Celtics fan from the '80s, I can tell you Larry Bird was must see TV. I MEAN EVERY GAME...Total magician with the ball and stone cold killer...great video
In the bad boys 30 for 30 isiah said his mother in law called birds jumpshot "The silent death". Lmao
My wife would disagree. 😆 I think I gave her another reason for "the silent death".
@@LPH-11 this man talking about a legend and an NBA all time great and you’re over here talking about shittin yourself... gtfoh lol
Bird moved mountains and transformed a team...that's kinda goat worthy
For what this man could do, with really no “athleticism” at all, was just phenomenal. You have your shooters, passers, rebounders all who are pretty much one dimensional. Not saying they couldn’t do all 3, but they were better at one of them. Larry could do it all every game.
I think there could have been more focus on his passing -- not even a Celtics fan but his passing was epic but there is too much positive to focus on. I don't personally believe he was the GOAT but I will believe he had basketball in his brain more than any other.
But he "was" athletic...when Bill Russell called the Celtic games he would always go out of his way to point out that Bird could jump and was quick...used to irritate him that Bird was being stereotyped.
lol athleticism... that's a completely meaningless attribute. There is no "athleticism" column in the box score. Either you produce or you don't. Bird produced.
Ppl think Larry wasn’t athletic. Sure, he couldn’t jump like Jordan or quickness like iverson, but at the end of the day you can’t be that great for that long in the nba and not be athletic. His athleticism was deceptive. It was there if you look hard enough.
Exactly, his toughness, mental quickness and technical talent are also part of the athleticism checklist. He lacked the standard athleticism, but he excelled at the game with his own tools. A once in a kind talent indeed.
I grew up in Terre Haute, Indiana. I don't often brag about that, but I make an exception when it comes to this subject. Living there during the late 70s, getting to know Larry Bird before the rest of the world had even heard of him, is something I wouldn't trade for anything. And yes, we knew, we KNEW even then, even during his 1st year at ISU (after having to redshirt his Freshman season), that he was something WAY out of the ordinary. These crazy moves, eyes-in-back-of-the-head, and genius, instinctual decisions that you see in Larry's NBA highlight reels... he was already doing these on a daily basis at ISU. Saw nearly every home game plus several road games, so yeah we had a huge head-start on the rest of the world.
But off the court he was really unassuming, actually kinda "shy" if you can believe that. Late '77 to mid '78 my wife and I and our first son lived in the same university apartment complex as Larry, and we'd see him on occasion. Just a normal guy who happened to tower above everyone else... oh, and who was already well on his way to becoming arguably the greatest basketball player ever.
That’s wassup fr, much respect to you💯
the Hawks bench in 4th Q of the 60 point game in New Orleans is me watching this video
Skill..when you watch game footage, this man's left hand was incredible. Pump fake one dribble, floater off the glass with your off hand from 18 feet???? Left hand passes, tear drops and hooks consistently with your OFF hand? Yoo..that is freaking SKILL. Underrated
I was at a catholic high school from 86-90. Bird was a legend. He was revered as a God by us kids. What a passer!! Johnny Most calling the Bird steal in 87 was a great memory!
I'm just glad to see a Larry Bird reaction video that's not a reaction to the highlight film made for his retirement ceremony.
Bird had an amazing ability to know exactly where the ball was going to bounce, which is how he was such a great rebounder. On the rare occasions he would miss a field goal, it was as if the moment it left his hand he already knew that the shot was going to miss AND he knew exactly where the rebound was going to go. If you watch the famous highlight where he gets his own rebound in the corner and lays it up FROM BEHIND THE BACKBOARD while he's flying through the air falling out of bounds, it's a perfect example of it. He initially took a shot from the top of the key but while the shot was still in the air he was already running to where the rebound was going to go!
He'd likely be the best player in the game today. His playing style absolutely translates, except he actually played defense.
He would have 20 from the line alone. He never had the “luxury” of not getting hit during the shot. Players of today could not hang in the 80’s with the amount of physicality there was.
@@jenmaclean3774 I don't wanna sound like an old "get off my lawn" guy but I find it nearly impossible to watch basketball now. Too soft, nothing but 3's, no real defense... etc
@@jenmaclean3774 so aside from pistons and a handful, keyword handful of players, excluding the anomaly’s of clotheslining players to prevent a layup what was more physical about the game? Defense is 100 times harder today because you can’t rely on hand checks to allow you to hang with someone who’s skill and speed you can’t contain. Players like hornececk, price, and a ton of more players would be defense liabilities today. Now if we throw today’s players back in that generation the skill gap is so astronomical it’s ridiculous with the exception of post play as sadly that’s a lost art.
@@mneugent7658 harder to play defense with your feet then relying on hand checks. In this video alone there’s tons of examples of lousy ass defense being played so I don’t see how that differs from today
@@BallIsLife353332 Well to be fair this is a highlight video, so defense is going to look bad. There's no argument that the defense of today is in the same universe as the hard-nosed defense of the 80's, and more so the 90's. True, some of the defense of that era was damned near NFL style, but it was still a big factor in scoring. James Harden would never ever score at his clip back then. No chance. Bird was a very good defensive player. Fact is the league wants platers to score score score, and I get it. I never did like hand checking but I'll take the aggressiveness of that era over this ole shit any day. The game has gone too European. All 3's, no travel calls (and I'm talking 4 steps), fucking jump stops, Euro steps. That shit would get you a forearm to the neck back then. As is should.
It was a privledge to watch Larry Bird play! HD played during the golden age of the NBA. There so many great teams and players. The Bird and Magic show was special! I miss those days. I thought that kind of basketball would never end.
Imagine how great Larry Bird had to be to do the things he did against the competition he had to face. That is real talk. GOATx10
Glad you posted this video because I didn't realize how good he was but more importantly, I didn't realize how much he helped elevate basketball and the NBA. Very cool.
Glad you enjoyed this vid bro💯
This is the absolute best case I've ever heard for Larry Bird as the NBA GOAT - well done, Matthew Walker!
Matthew Walker didn't make this, he's just watching the video that someone else made.
@@bigballoftape5343 Ooops - you're right - well done, Clayton Crowley!
@@rodciferri9626 And all the ad money that Clayton Crowley could of made was basically stolen by someone who just re posted their video in its entirety
@@ThatCoolCookieee That doesn't seem fair. It would be great if RUclips can figure out a way that the original youtuber whose video is being reacted to by another youtuber can make money.
Great Video! I was a kid during the Magic vs Bird Rivalry and it was some of the best days I can remember! My Dad played in a softball league and we would go to practice and then home to watch the NBA Finals with the Lakers vs Celtics - Bird has always been my favorite, an awkward white dude who just understood the game and gave it all he had!! I like the way you break down your videos, you make it your own and don't act like you've never seen the content! Good job, I'm a
new subscriber!!
Thanks putting this on. I saw Larry play against most of The great players of his day. I think that his sheer relentlessness is one thing not portrayed in this video. He would just grind his opponents until only the greats were left standing.
Thank you. I'm 80 years old - a grandma, not a real fan but just loved this special piece on Larry Bird. The comments wee real and appreciated. All the players were a pleasure to watch, especially Magic. and Shaq.
"Pistol Pete" Maravich also worth watching.
They're all worth watching but Bird is closer to God's level
My great aunts LOVED Larry Bird! They lived in Terre Haute, IN and became some of his most devoted fans. They would take pictures of him with their little instamatic camera.
There isn't just one GOAT, there is a very small herd that are legitimately in the argument, and Larry Bird certainly is in that elite flock.
Ouch! They showed David Thompson (DT, Skywalker) when they mentioned the cocaine problems in the NBA. I grew up watching DT on the Denver Nuggets. The guy was phenomenal, MJ before MJ (which MJ said he actually modeled his game from Thompson).
Now as far as Larry "Legend" Bird, he is definitely up in the top 10 if not top 5 players of all time. Thing about Bird is he was so court smart/savvy, he knew where everyone was at. He also had an incredible drive to win. I remember him many times playing hurt and hustling to get the ball and sacrificing his body for it. He was one tough SOB on the court. And yes, he was a trash talker and could back it up. Plus, with the game on the line you wanted the ball in his hands. I would say he was/is the best small forward to have played the game. His outside shooting wouldn't only hurt you, it would kill you.
Finally, each generation of the NBA has its "GOAT". The thing was the 80's and 90's had at least 3-4 playing at the same time.
He absolutely IS The Goat 😎👍
I'm from Detroit in the Bad Boy days. NO respect was given to Jordan. Small respect and love given to our local boy Magic. No connection to Bird and he cut our heart intercepting Isiah's pass but always HUGE respect to Bird. He really was the only player we "feared" coming into town and we wish he was on our team.
Thanks for another great reaction Matt..
No problem bro, glad you enjoyed💯
That 1987 game I remember so well. As a Lakers fan you hated Bird. All of my friends and myself were on our feet screaming NOOOO! at the TV, trying to will the ball to bounce of the back of the rim instead of the normal frump of the twine "nothing but net" lights out shooting of Bird.
You need to watch the relationship between Bird and Magic. It is okay to cry at the end of the video.
Bird played in an NBA era were players were physical and tough.Many great players have graced the courts of the NBA.Bird is definitely the greatest small forward of all time.When I watch the game I’m truly colorblind.To me Bird wasn’t a white player.He was technical wizard that played when a real determination and fire.He could do it all and was a joy to witness.
I watched him during his career and he played basketball like a chess match. He was several moves ahead all the time.
He was fun to watch. I was more a Majic Johnson fan myself, but Bird was awesome and those were my favorite years of the NBA.
I still think that shot should have went in. 😄
Bird is the best SF of all time. Plus, if Bird was the BEST PLAYER in the 80s, and a lot of true greats made that claim...and there isnt a decade of better players anywhere.....so, where does that put Bird all time? 🤔
Truth.
Great friggin point!💪🏼💪🏼👊🏼🙌🏼
4th for me.
@@AnObliviousCelticsFan 4th best player ever? Could be. I have Bird #2 all time. But if you put MJ and Kareem or Bill or Wilt ahead of Bird, i get it.
@@rustydaboyrobot I put Wilt Kareem and Mj over em
Loved the reaction you had when Larry missed that paused shot! Great video thanks for the making it enjoyed it and agree with the start about GOAT's and Larry was one of the best to play along with a few others!
Great video Matt👌🏾 @ 18:54 man when he hit his head on that floor😬🙊...I bet he kept playing after that.
Preciate that Yanna, and yea fr, he got heart, I respect that heavy
Yep. He went to the locker room to get examined by a doctor. He fractured a facial bone. I don't think it hurt him as much as it made him mad. I watched that game. You should have seen the crowd erupt when he came back out.
@@dvrmte He fractured his cheekbone/eye socket. Being a team player, he snuck out while the trainer's back was turned and returned to the court. With a concussion and double vision. Or so I've heard.
I played basketball in high school, but baseball was my sport...that didn’t stop me from wearing my old Larry Bird caricature t-shirt under my uniform every time I pitched, he transcended sports
I think Matthew had it right,and MJ said the same thing,there really isn't a "goat".Too many players,styles, accomplishments and the like to determine a "goat". Just enjoy the performance and the conversation.
My childhood! Growing up in New England in the 80s Larry Bird was to Basketball what Babe Ruth was to Baseball. Even if you hated sports you watched The Celtics and Larry especially if they were playing against the Lakers. I remember one year it was Celtics vs Lakers Larry vs Magic on Christmas and when the game came on Christmas stopped until the game was over. It was insane looking back on it but no one gave it a second thought at the time.
I remember watching Bird’s retirement and being a tad bit emotional out there when Magic was talking.
That was a cold look you said. That was a look because he was going back in with a broken cheekbone. And brought them back to won in the playoffs against the Pacers.
Bill Russell played only 13 seasons too but won eleven championships.
Yep. He's in the conversation. One of the knocks against him is simply the times were different. The game was different and the talent level was inferior by comparison to more recent times.
I could be wrong but I think when Russell played there were only 8 teams.
@@luke46219 11 Championships, 8 of them consecutive. Fewer teams, yes, but talent was less diluted. Russel's peers: Wilt Chamberlin, Oscar Robertson, Elgin Baylor, Jerry Lucas, Jerry West, Hal Greer, etc.
@@GB-ez6ge I agree talent was less diluted. In fact it was most concentrated on Russell's Celtics. They were the team of the decade in the 1960s, and Bill Russell was a big reason why, but he had plenty of talented players around him and only one or two of the other teams in the league were any match for them in a playoff series.
Russell is as good as a pick as any of the top 10. Hard to argue with the championships and lakers had great teams back then.
Sometimes deluded leagues make it even harder to become an nba player
Bill Russell if you truly want to talk GREATNESS. Please don't forget his perfect 54-0 in college, with back to back National Championships ,11 NBA titles, 2 as player coach...oh yeah the MVP in the finals are called....drum roll please. The Bill Russell Award
The LEGEND. Period!
to me this was the best era of basketball so many big names so many great moments people played hurt, tired it didnt matter they wanted that W
Bernard King is so underrated! He was unstoppable before he got hurt.
How was his passing?
Bird was unstoppable AFTER he got hurt....
Jim Powell here. I saw Bird play his entire career, I believe him to be the GOAT. No one could shut him down. He was hands down the best clutch shooter ever. He would tell you he was going to beat you, then do it. Ask Magic about Larry Bird. I get a kick out of these young black you tubers who are basketball fans. I watch there facial expressions when they see the videos of Bird. To you all, Bird was the GOAT.
Bird doesn’t get the respect he deserves. Young kids don’t realize he would eat KD for lunch in a closeout game
109%
Dudes videos are well spoken to everyone. I really appreciate his gift
Magic said Larry was so good, it was frightening
I honestly always tear up when I hear Magic say that to him. Those guys were fierce competitors at the highest level and them amount of respect they had for each other is so admirable.
I could be mistaken but I'm pretty sure there wasn't a 3 point line the whole time he played in college. There wasn't one in the pros, I think, until his 1st or 2nd year. You may say, so what? That's a part of the game he had never even thought about until after he turned pro.
3 pt shots were a afterthought in 80s or 90s NBA, back then they passed the ball in hopes of getting a high pct shot for the big men....bird said the game is much freer now , less grabbing and more wide open unlike the 80s halfcourt wars in the east. The rules were changed in NFL and NBA to favor offenses. He would've liked to have played now
Matthew Walker, I appreciate how you keep your face in a lower corner. In most "reactions" I watch, the subject's reviewer dominates the screen while the video is in a lower corner. THANKS!
No problem, glad you enjoyed it💯
NBA basketball died for me when Larry and Earvin left the game. It was never the same.
Amen
@@randymeyer6482 when MJ came along it brought with it, "show boat time". that was the down fall of the NBA
The NBA has been many different leagues over the years due to rules changes and the level of athletes it attracted.
For his time and the level of production and win/loss record, nobody was better than Larry Bird from 1981 through 1986.
The guy was unstoppable before a back injury that would have put most men in a wheelchair.
He might be😳
Yup, centers aside, he might. I'd take him
Bird was known to tell the defenders what the play was and what he was going to do and they still couldn't stop him. According to Doc Rivers in a game against the Hawks, Bird called "fall away 3, off the board, and fall into your trainer on the bench" and did exactly that including ending up on the trainer's lap.
Larry Bird, the greatest imho.
Finally!! You are very spoken, fun, obviously an educated young man. God bless 🙏. Too many people that don't even know how to properly conjugate a sentence. Makes watching n listening a pleasure. Stay up bru.
Wow, I really appreciate this comment. Thank you for letting me know this honestly, much lint bro. God bless 💯🙏🏾
Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, same play, different shoes, love that dirty water...
you can add Tom Brady and TED Williams
That first clutch shot was nuts
Not the GOAT but definitely the standard bearer for which the GOAT is measured. MJ is #1
sorry but stats dont lie. FG% Bird .49 MJ .49 - 3P% Bird .37 MJ .32 - FT% bird .88 MJ .83 - RPG% BIRD 10. mj 6 - APG% BID 6 MJ 5 ONLY STAT MJ BEATS BIRD IS PPG 30/24 WHY CUZ MJ WAS A BALL HUN
Jordan isn't even top 5
Growing up in the 80s June was always the finals month and the best ticket of prime time tv. Pat Riley also said when Bird took that shot in front of him, before it hit iron “ that shot was straight as an arrow, he did it again on us”.
Bird is great top 2 best sf of all time but LeBron is number one ever since 2016
LBJ isn’t in the conversation of Bird/Magic-and Jordan was better than than them both
Bird not once left Boston chasing titles. The titles came to Bird.
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