@@hookedonreactions7649 I would personally say Michael is the GOAT of individuals that played basketball, but Bird is the GOAT of basketball (a team game) players.
They brought Larry Bird to play versus the young players to toughen the young players up for the Olympics. Bird gave Jordan a chip on his shoulder and that was the absolute best way to toughen Jordan up for Jordan's whole career.
@@tonyduncan7710 Yeah. But when someone who is so crippled that he goes into the game thinking he might come out in a wheelchair but still wins while guarded by Jordan and Pippin and that win happening after Bird’s supporting players are past their prime, it is more impressive.
@@wishingb5859 he never will be. And won't have the ability to show it because of the style I play now. You had to think a lot more in the '80s than the style of all they play now. I can't even watch that crap these days
@@tonyduncan7710 That is what I was thinking. It also niggles me a little bit that if you take Doncic’s highlight reel and take Bird’s highlight reel, Doncic gets to almost the exact same spot on the floor and does the exact behind the back pass to the exact spot on the floor that Bird passed to but without as many defenders in between. I could be wrong but it is as if he genuinely wanted Bird’s highlights.
You have to realize that Larry played in the eastern conference which was a much much tougher conference than the west. The Lakers were big time favorites every year to get to the finals while Larry had to go through the Sixers with Dr J and Moses, the Pistons with Isaiah and Laimbeer, and the Bulls with Jordan. If Larry had been in the west he would have made like 10 finals appearances.
As far as winning goes, Jordan won 6 rings to Larry's 3 but overall winning for a career, Magic is #1 at 74% and Larry is #2 at 73.6%. That mean they won essentially 3 out of every 4 games they played.
Larry Bird was a team player... all around! He was never a diva...like so many other players. Larry was also dealing with a severely injured back & numerous other injuries in 1988! Yet... the man still went out on the court and still gave it his all! ❤
Jordan led the league in win shares a record 9 times (tied with kareem for most all time). Give Jordan Larry's front court and Jordan never loses a playoff series!
@@irishgrl Right, but the question is who is the best PLAYER. No one seems to talk much about the best TEAM tbh, would be interesting to see more on that
@@AstroPatel The best player is a selfless team player that makes his team mates better and enables his team to win. That is the point of the game. Padding your own stats while your team loses is not the point of the game.
Jordan's 63 is a joke because it took Jordan 6 quarters to score that 63 and Jordan still lost so the so called god mode is nothing compared to Legend mode
I grew up watching both of these guys. I really can't pick one player as the "G.O.A.T." IMO. There are a few who qualify and they can just keep rotating into that number one spot for different reasons.
@@vexreactslive Plus, I feel like as soon as I give in and say "Ok, this guy is the one! Someone is going to start breaking records, avg 30 a game for a few years in a row, win some championships, etc and now I gotta toss him in the mix to consider...so I'm just gonna leave room for whoever and call these guys "one of the greats!" LOL
it is 1000percent correct to give Larry the real accurate respect that was his due. as far as a career it is dumb to deny jordan the goat. you want to be real? it was magic/bird together vs. jordan individual. now you know who the goat was. but why quibble when you are discussing the greatest?
BIRD would mop the league up today. I was blessed to see him about 85 times, and have seen every great player since. He is one of a kind. He's talked a lot about now, because fans are finally catching up to his level of brilliance. 😊
The back injury was in 1985, not in 1990. The injury continued to get worse year after year. So, from 1986...a MVP year...Larry had a bad back...in 1988, bone spurs....and a bad back....in 1990...the last year his back wasn't career ending.... Then Larry played 2 more years.. .with a career ending back injury...repaired achilles... broken cheek bone....etc. . And still could dominate. That's why Larry is my pick for GOAT. Wilt, MJ, Kareem, Magic are all in that discussion... But Larry is the toughest, most all around skilled player ever.
Let’s not forget that before Bird played in his first NBA game he crushed the knuckle on his shooting hand and never had the same feel for the ball again. Imagine if Larry never had that injury. He is already one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and IMO the most clutch player of all time
Young man, back in the days when they actually played defense in basketball like it was a football game Larry bird was given the name, Larry Legend… not like today’s players, where they pick what they want to be called…. Hear my words.✌🏽☮️🤲🙏
This is why MJ never talks about being the GOAT and mentions the great ball players of previous eras. He had to wait for the greats of the 80's to retire before he could become the GOAT of the 90's.
Bird was crazy intelligent! I'm starting to change my mind about his greatness! He knew his strengths and weaknesses but, MOST OF ALL...HE KNEW HOW TO WIN!
He also pretended to have weaknesses he didnt, because people said it. Bird had a 28" (Same as the The Mailman Karl Malone) vertical, but you never see him use it, unless absolutely needed to get over a guy. He saw it as a waste of energy.
You are right. You should absolutely watch the dream team 1992 documentary. But first you must watch the documentary called “ Magic and Bird a courtship of rivals“. It’s the greatest sports documentary ever and you will absolutely love it
Here’s why I don’t like using rings as an indicator of talent. Everyone on the team gets one, regardless of whether they played, theoretically someone could have more rings than Bird but average maybe 10 minutes a game, if that. Then there’s the case of Barry Sanders, I know it’s a different sport but the logic is the same. Sanders is arguably the best running back to ever play in the NFL but never made a Super Bowl.
I can’t remember what interview it was but one of Larry’s teammates said that Larry was “generous” with the ball. He would set up shots for others who hadn’t scored His passing game was phenomenal.
Birds IQ and court awareness his fundamental was off the chart, and he did go the extra mile ,and then went another extra mile hurt ,on his last leg ,the man played better with his ass on the hardwood (vid on that and birds passing is SICK !!) MR OG 50-40-90 #larrybird 🐦💚
Back in the 80s and 90s the NBA was much better. There were real rivalries where players and teams literally despised each other and you could almost feel the tension through the TV screen. It was so much fun to watch those games. Todays NBA players are all hugging and damned near kissing before every game.
@@earleverman2205 the league was softened for Jordan to protect him and Jordan did go through shïtt cause he couldn't win shit until he was saved by pippen and Phil Jackson joining the bulls which is facts and Jordan didn't save the NBA that was magic and Bird and Jordan could only jump high and far when nobody was in the lane big deal
If Michael is better, its because he was a great one-on-one defender. If Larry was better, its because he was probably the greatest team defender (sneaking into passing lanes, etc). Or because Larry, more than any other player in the NBA, made every player on his team much better… by his pass first outlook, by his tough attitude, and by his relentless effort. Jordan would berate teammates (especially Kukoc!), Larry would say something that set the tone for the team, such as "we played like sissies" (against Lakers in championship… You best believe they didn''t play like sissies after that!) IF you vote for Jordan, it's because he truly was the greatest scorer of all time. If you vote against Jordan, it's because he was the biggest ball hog until Allan Iverson came along! If you say Bird, its probably because he had the most complete game of all time: team defense, shooting, passing, ball handling, rebounding, free throw shooting, greatest crunch time shooter of all time. If you say Bird, it's because his teammates have enormous respect for him to this day, and they knew to always be expecting a pass when playing with Larry.
I’m sick & tired of this “Larry kicked the ball” nonsense. Curry Kirkpatrick was THERE, writing for Spirts Illustrated, and he SAW it go down. Larry DIDNT KICK THE BALL, HE *THREW* IT. Come on now. Larry is KNOWN to have a quarterback arm! Why would he kick the ball?!?! This is FALSE!
You are absolutely correct! Example for context:. In the Bird mixtapes, KC Jones talks about Bird going back out after timeout to the same spot and _kicking it in_ . No kicks involved. It's just a turn of phrase. Bird DIDN'T _kick_ the ball. He threw it over Jordan's head back down the court. (Logically, why would he risk hurting his foot kicking a hard basketball? Especially in a summer exhibition game!!!)
I think kicking the ball back down the court was a lesson for Jordan and the rest of the college kids that it's more than just a game. Take everything seriously, even practice.
I think people forget that Jordan didn't start in the league until '84 and the other players on the Bulls were mediocre at best. He had to do all the scoring. But it's also true that he didn't start dominating until players like Bird, Magic, Dr. J, Jabbar, Gervin, Wilkins, etc., were older and almost of them had retired by '91 or '92. It also helped that the Pistons were nearing the end of their run as well. Joe Dumars had not shizz to give. He'd lean on Jordan all day long and keep him in check. If there was one thing Jordan hated - it was defenders leaning on him and covering him like white on rice. Dumars could do that AND shoot himself. So Jordan had to work both ends of the court. He got better on defense as his career went along but in those early years he wasn't exactly All Defensive Team material.
Magic & Bird have the highest win % all time and winning is name of the game. That said when MJ got his 5th with 3 & 2 peats I admitted Jordan was the 🐐. Now that some time has passed I have it MJ 1a. Bird 1b. Wished I had seen Wilt maybe the only player who could challenge MJ 1v1.
If you ask me Larry legend put the fuel into Jordan giving him the push to be so great with that ball kick. Also in the game where Jordon scored over 60 points but lost in the end, Birds style of team play pushed Jordon to have to work so hard to score that new record. Bird made not only himself but his entire team a threat while Jordon was a bulldozer plowing through the enemy team with force. If an opposing team could manage to outscore Jordon enough they could steal the win. The Celtics did just that. Jordon needs to recieve the ball to score the ball.
Larry Bird made MJ a better overall player. He showed him that no matter what 1 person can do, a team can beat them. MJ had to learn to be a team player. Bird was the ultimate team player from day 1.
Larry Bird would wipe the floor with today's players. He was as much or more of an impact player as Michael Jordan was. Both are easily #1 and #2 on my All-Time starting 5 list.
Bruh I'm dead!! When you said dang!!! What in God's name? Telling you I'm a little bit older and I'm from Boston so I done seen Larry Bird play his whole career. He was a beast! I wonder how he would fare in today's NBA because it's a lot different now as you can see by the blood on his back you can look up old videos of him getting his fist fights with the Lakers, rockets and plenty more. In those days it wasn't nothing but someone to just throw a punch at another man and hit him! They would just give out a couple technical fouls and that's it! It was definitely a much tougher League hotter the score I believe but I also believe that today's players have more athletic talent! So I would love to see some of these greats playing the new league. Just to see how they would counter the athleticism.
You keep saying team, team, team…but Larry TOOK his team with him. His rookie season with no other changes he more than doubled the Celtic wins. He took all the players that came after him, and he made the team champions. Repeatedly. If we are to compare the two, Michael was never able to do that, nor anyone else. I love MJ. Top 3. Bird though…no doubt the greatest ever. The GOAT. Larry LEGEND Also, principle matters, but Jordan respected Bird who came before him. Current fans and players should learn from that.
This is the best comparison video Ive seen, and I dont like comparison videos usually. He made both of them the great players they are. He did just present facts, and let the viewer decide.
The point is that Larry Bird made his team, his constant rebounds and passing, created a focused team, a motivated team, even passing up a ton of easy shots and deliver assist in which created a team of brotherhood that will back and defend their Larry Legend. MJ was about himself and really had to fight his own ego and learn how to be a team player and develop his team
This got got two things grossly wrong. 1. Larry didn’t kick the ball over MJ, he threw it. 2. James Worthy said I’d much rather GUARD MJ than Larry Bird. Big difference than I’d much rather PLAY against MJ ! 🤦🏻
5 finals in 8 years with 3 rings and 3 MVPs is a great start to a career. Imagine if he didn't get so injured... It would be a different goat discussion for sure.
I know this is a bit late and all, but Larry Bird did have the wins. In the career win percentages, with people that played at least 500 games, Larry Bird is only behind Magic Johnson (most likely due to the fact that he missed all but 6 games in one of his 13 seasons for a total of 897 games). He is tied percentage wise with Kawhi Leonard, but also has over 250+ more games played than Kawhi (at the time of this comment).
All the '92 Dream Team games are here on RUclips in decent quality as well. On the Olympics channel... The best part is it's courtside audio only so you can literally hear the players call out the plays. Here is the first game against Angola... ruclips.net/video/E7SaPj-wJBo/видео.html
Bird made guys around him much better and had a better trash-talking game, too. Jordan was a better dunker, but not even close to the same class as Larry Bird--watch them compete in games. Bird hits game-winners in the face of Jordan-Pippen double teams.
no blood no foul back in the day .. almost need to put pads on those old school guys . thanks for this vid. Bird was always the white guy we wanted to be .. and never was :) cheers man
Bird didn't have DJ or Ainge or Walton or even a starting McHale (rookie) the 1st year they won the title in 1981--Bird takes bad teams to title contention, almost instantly. The Indiana State Sycamores were never even in the NCAA tournament and found themselves 33-0 in the title game with Bird in '78. Bird's college career was a 32-13-5--Jordan wasn't anywhere near that production in college--not even close.
Bird- only career all-time with 24-10-6. Bird Defensive Rating All-Time #61, Jordan #102 Bird also 1.8 stls and 0.9 blks/game. Bird beat Jordan 65% of the time and swept Jordan back-to-back in playoffs--Jordan never won one playoff game v. Bird. Bird was a better shooter, passer, rebounder, clutch, play through pain, 3-pt shooter, FT shooter, hustler. MJ was not a better scorer. Bird could give it to you any way he wanted, with either hand. Took Jordan 8 years and many retired legends to get to ECF. Bird took a BAD Celtic team to +32 wins his ROY year and won title in year 2. Jordan came to a bad Bulls team and they stayed that way until about '91. When Jordan left Bulls for a year in '94, they one 1 less regular season game.
Isiah Thomas hates MJ I'm a Larry Legend fan but I liked MJ Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons were the dirtest players in the NBA, MJ never beat Larry Legend but both of them 🐐🐐
Bird was 6-0 against Jordan in the playoffs ... Larry swept him 3X - Birds retirement season Jordan got his 1st ... Bird has the 2nd highest winning percentage ever His Rookie year as the only new player he took the Celtics from 29 wins to 61 wins he alone gave them the best record in the league He was a leader from day 1 - the best choice - the best team leader from day 1 His winning goes beyond playing He was coach of the year He was GM of the year too Magic says Bird is the best ever player Kareem says Bird is the best he ever saw Michael knows the truth - Bird dominated him completely I think because Larry is white, some folks don't like to look at him as one of the best - Larry cooked everyone ... everyone ...
MJ did NOT win the slam dunk contest. Dominique Wilkins did. Well let's put it this way. MJ was awarded the trophy but Wilkins actually won in my opinion...
@@tonyduncan7710 oh I saw it live and I agree with you, Dominique got robbed. They made a big deal about Jordan’s dunk where he took of from the foul line but Nique’s dunks were way more powerful and creative.
MJ gives Larry alot of credit, MJ has Larry in his top 5. Lots of respect from both guys for each other.
The best way I’ve heard it described is that Jordan is the greatest but Bird is the best.
@@hookedonreactions7649 I would personally say Michael is the GOAT of individuals that played basketball, but Bird is the GOAT of basketball (a team game) players.
@@nerofl89 good way to word it. I think we can all agree on who’s NOT the goat
Larry was a TEAM player. Jordan was purely physical player. Most players would rather try to guard Jordan than Bird.
larry is goat
They brought Larry Bird to play versus the young players to toughen the young players up for the Olympics. Bird gave Jordan a chip on his shoulder and that was the absolute best way to toughen Jordan up for Jordan's whole career.
Those later years, Larry was near the end with such bad injuries and Jordan was at his best and Larry was just plain smarter and craftier.
It's not a track meet. It's a game you play and whoever plays it, the wisest wins. Athleticism doesn't always win
@@tonyduncan7710 Yeah. But when someone who is so crippled that he goes into the game thinking he might come out in a wheelchair but still wins while guarded by Jordan and Pippin and that win happening after Bird’s supporting players are past their prime, it is more impressive.
@@tonyduncan7710 Someone said that Doncic is equally smart as Bird at basketball and I pause and say no way. Not yet. We will see. But not yet.
@@wishingb5859 he never will be. And won't have the ability to show it because of the style I play now. You had to think a lot more in the '80s than the style of all they play now. I can't even watch that crap these days
@@tonyduncan7710 That is what I was thinking. It also niggles me a little bit that if you take Doncic’s highlight reel and take Bird’s highlight reel, Doncic gets to almost the exact same spot on the floor and does the exact behind the back pass to the exact spot on the floor that Bird passed to but without as many defenders in between. I could be wrong but it is as if he genuinely wanted Bird’s highlights.
His effort every second of every game even though he played with one injury or another for most of his career is what inspired most of us.
He is the sole reason why the '86 Celtics were such a tremendous passing team. The best passing team in history.
!!Bird 🦅 is the Goat 🐐!!
Absolutely :)
You have to realize that Larry played in the eastern conference which was a much much tougher conference than the west. The Lakers were big time favorites every year to get to the finals while Larry had to go through the Sixers with Dr J and Moses, the Pistons with Isaiah and Laimbeer, and the Bulls with Jordan. If Larry had been in the west he would have made like 10 finals appearances.
Uh, you are forgetting something. The Celtics were not going to beat Magic and Kareem 10 times in the conference finals.
As far as winning goes, Jordan won 6 rings to Larry's 3 but overall winning for a career, Magic is #1 at 74% and Larry is #2 at 73.6%. That mean they won essentially 3 out of every 4 games they played.
Magic has a 10 game lead over Larry. Basically the number of games Magic played after coming out of retirement & retiring again.
Jordan is like 38 or 48 winning % cant remember which. Jordan was a great player but was also a very selfish player.
@@jamespotter4571 He became better after baseball when he learned it's a team sport.
Bill Russell won 11 rings to Jordan's 6 and Kareems 6 so what did that tell you
@@mraxlrose2959 not really he was still the ball hog the I must carry the team
Larry Bird was a team player... all around! He was never a diva...like so many other players. Larry was also dealing with a severely injured back & numerous other injuries in 1988! Yet... the man still went out on the court and still gave it his all! ❤
Sports Illustrated did a statistical analysis of time when LB was on the court vs. when MJ was. Bird was involved in more successes.
Jordan led the league in win shares a record 9 times (tied with kareem for most all time). Give Jordan Larry's front court and Jordan never loses a playoff series!
MJ one on one? No equals. LB running his own team? Legendary. It’s just how you decide to measure greatness.
Love this, excellent summary of the greatness of both these men.
Bball is a TEAM game, therefore give me LARRY.
@@irishgrl Right, but the question is who is the best PLAYER. No one seems to talk much about the best TEAM tbh, would be interesting to see more on that
@@AstroPatel The best player is a selfless team player that makes his team mates better and enables his team to win. That is the point of the game. Padding your own stats while your team loses is not the point of the game.
@@braemtes23 so MJ is the better player then...? Thanks for proving my point. He made his teammates better, he didn't pad stats, and he won more rings
Larry played all 5 positions every game and excelled at all of them. He is clearly THE GOAT.
Jordan's 63 is a joke because it took Jordan 6 quarters to score that 63 and Jordan still lost so the so called god mode is nothing compared to Legend mode
I grew up watching both of these guys. I really can't pick one player as the "G.O.A.T." IMO. There are a few who qualify and they can just keep rotating into that number one spot for different reasons.
@@vexreactslive Plus, I feel like as soon as I give in and say "Ok, this guy is the one! Someone is going to start breaking records, avg 30 a game for a few years in a row, win some championships, etc and now I gotta toss him in the mix to consider...so I'm just gonna leave room for whoever and call these guys "one of the greats!" LOL
it is 1000percent correct to give Larry the real accurate respect that was his due. as far as a career it is dumb to deny jordan the goat. you want to be real? it was magic/bird together vs. jordan individual. now you know who the goat was. but why quibble when you are discussing the greatest?
I've always been impressed with Bird's toughness. I wish he could play in today's game. It would be ridiculous
BIRD would mop the league up today. I was blessed to see him about 85 times, and have seen every great player since. He is one of a kind. He's talked a lot about now, because fans are finally catching up to his level of brilliance. 😊
The back injury was in 1985, not in 1990. The injury continued to get worse year after year.
So, from 1986...a MVP year...Larry had a bad back...in 1988, bone spurs....and a bad back....in 1990...the last year his back wasn't career ending....
Then Larry played 2 more years.. .with a career ending back injury...repaired achilles... broken cheek bone....etc.
.
And still could dominate.
That's why Larry is my pick for GOAT. Wilt, MJ, Kareem, Magic are all in that discussion...
But Larry is the toughest, most all around skilled player ever.
Agreed.
Let’s not forget that before Bird played in his first NBA game he crushed the knuckle on his shooting hand and never had the same feel for the ball again. Imagine if Larry never had that injury. He is already one of the greatest shooters in NBA history and IMO the most clutch player of all time
Young man, back in the days when they actually played defense in basketball like it was a football game Larry bird was given the name, Larry Legend… not like today’s players, where they pick what they want to be called…. Hear my words.✌🏽☮️🤲🙏
Michael jordan didnt win a single ring until Larry Bird was almost retired, the celtics under birds leadership were almost unbeatable
This is why MJ never talks about being the GOAT and mentions the great ball players of previous eras. He had to wait for the greats of the 80's to retire before he could become the GOAT of the 90's.
And MJ never asked to be traded after not winning a titla for his first several years
MJ was the best athlete to ever play but Bird was the best player!
Bird was crazy intelligent! I'm starting to change my mind about his greatness! He knew his strengths and weaknesses but, MOST OF ALL...HE KNEW HOW TO WIN!
He also pretended to have weaknesses he didnt, because people said it. Bird had a 28" (Same as the The Mailman Karl Malone) vertical, but you never see him use it, unless absolutely needed to get over a guy. He saw it as a waste of energy.
@@profanepersonality interesting!
Larry should be the TOP 5. Point blank!!!!!!!
Robert Parish was no scrub. And, Dominique got jobbed in the slam dunk contest.
You are right. You should absolutely watch the dream team 1992 documentary. But first you must watch the documentary called “ Magic and Bird a courtship of rivals“. It’s the greatest sports documentary ever and you will absolutely love it
Forsooth!
It is fantastic. I'd also recommend "Lakers Celtics, best of enemies".
Here’s why I don’t like using rings as an indicator of talent. Everyone on the team gets one, regardless of whether they played, theoretically someone could have more rings than Bird but average maybe 10 minutes a game, if that. Then there’s the case of Barry Sanders, I know it’s a different sport but the logic is the same. Sanders is arguably the best running back to ever play in the NFL but never made a Super Bowl.
I can’t remember what interview it was but one of Larry’s teammates said that Larry was “generous” with the ball. He would set up shots for others who hadn’t scored His passing game was phenomenal.
Larry is the greatest all around player EVER!!!!!
Birds IQ and court awareness his fundamental was off the chart, and he did go the extra mile ,and then went another extra mile hurt ,on his last leg ,the man played better with his ass on the hardwood (vid on that and birds passing is SICK !!) MR OG 50-40-90 #larrybird 🐦💚
GREAT video. The narrator sound was way too low, however.
Bird is the Goat! I watched him play all his career.
Larry won his 3rd MVP and then finished 2nd twice AFTER he broke his back.
Back in the 80s and 90s the NBA was much better. There were real rivalries where players and teams literally despised each other and you could almost feel the tension through the TV screen. It was so much fun to watch those games. Todays NBA players are all hugging and damned near kissing before every game.
There was no rivalry in the 90s Jordan didn't have a rivalry team like the lakers and celtics what crack you snorting
@@JET1970 Look at what Jordan had to go through to get to that point. If you're snorting crack, you're doing it all wrong.
@@earleverman2205 the league was softened for Jordan to protect him and Jordan did go through shïtt cause he couldn't win shit until he was saved by pippen and Phil Jackson joining the bulls which is facts and Jordan didn't save the NBA that was magic and Bird and Jordan could only jump high and far when nobody was in the lane big deal
If Michael is better, its because he was a great one-on-one defender.
If Larry was better, its because he was probably the greatest team defender (sneaking into passing lanes, etc). Or because Larry, more than any other player in the NBA, made every player on his team much better… by his pass first outlook, by his tough attitude, and by his relentless effort. Jordan would berate teammates (especially Kukoc!), Larry would say something that set the tone for the team, such as "we played like sissies" (against Lakers in championship… You best believe they didn''t play like sissies after that!)
IF you vote for Jordan, it's because he truly was the greatest scorer of all time. If you vote against Jordan, it's because he was the biggest ball hog until Allan Iverson came along!
If you say Bird, its probably because he had the most complete game of all time: team defense, shooting, passing, ball handling, rebounding, free throw shooting, greatest crunch time shooter of all time. If you say Bird, it's because his teammates have enormous respect for him to this day, and they knew to always be expecting a pass when playing with Larry.
I’m sick & tired of this “Larry kicked the ball” nonsense. Curry Kirkpatrick was THERE, writing for Spirts Illustrated, and he SAW it go down. Larry DIDNT KICK THE BALL, HE *THREW* IT. Come on now. Larry is KNOWN to have a quarterback arm! Why would he kick the ball?!?! This is FALSE!
I’m quite certain that even if they said he “kicked” it, it was an analogy or something. Not literal. You’re correct.
You are absolutely correct! Example for context:. In the Bird mixtapes, KC Jones talks about Bird going back out after timeout to the same spot and _kicking it in_ .
No kicks involved. It's just a turn of phrase.
Bird DIDN'T _kick_ the ball. He threw it over Jordan's head back down the court.
(Logically, why would he risk hurting his foot kicking a hard basketball? Especially in a summer exhibition game!!!)
I think kicking the ball back down the court was a lesson for Jordan and the rest of the college kids that it's more than just a game. Take everything seriously, even practice.
Exactly
Jordan was 0 for 6 against Bird in the playoffs. He swept Jordan twice. Jordan never got one game off Bird. Not one.
I believe Bird is one of the players who is in the GOAT conversation. But in Jordan's defense in the 80s Jordan did not teammates.
The guy defending Larry Bird that the narrator referred to was Horace Grant, one of the best defensive players in the NBA at that time!
I think people forget that Jordan didn't start in the league until '84 and the other players on the Bulls were mediocre at best. He had to do all the scoring. But it's also true that he didn't start dominating until players like Bird, Magic, Dr. J, Jabbar, Gervin, Wilkins, etc., were older and almost of them had retired by '91 or '92. It also helped that the Pistons were nearing the end of their run as well. Joe Dumars had not shizz to give. He'd lean on Jordan all day long and keep him in check. If there was one thing Jordan hated - it was defenders leaning on him and covering him like white on rice. Dumars could do that AND shoot himself. So Jordan had to work both ends of the court. He got better on defense as his career went along but in those early years he wasn't exactly All Defensive Team material.
Wrong cause the other players weren't not bad is just that Jordan never gave them a chance to take more than 8 to 10 shot in a game
Magic & Bird have the highest win % all time and winning is name of the game. That said when MJ got his 5th with 3 & 2 peats I admitted Jordan was the 🐐. Now that some time has passed I have it MJ 1a. Bird 1b. Wished I had seen Wilt maybe the only player who could challenge MJ 1v1.
If you ask me Larry legend put the fuel into Jordan giving him the push to be so great with that ball kick. Also in the game where Jordon scored over 60 points but lost in the end, Birds style of team play pushed Jordon to have to work so hard to score that new record. Bird made not only himself but his entire team a threat while Jordon was a bulldozer plowing through the enemy team with force. If an opposing team could manage to outscore Jordon enough they could steal the win. The Celtics did just that. Jordon needs to recieve the ball to score the ball.
Larry Bird made MJ a better overall player. He showed him that no matter what 1 person can do, a team can beat them. MJ had to learn to be a team player. Bird was the ultimate team player from day 1.
Larry Bird would wipe the floor with today's players. He was as much or more of an impact player as Michael Jordan was. Both are easily #1 and #2 on my All-Time starting 5 list.
Bruh I'm dead!! When you said dang!!! What in God's name? Telling you I'm a little bit older and I'm from Boston so I done seen Larry Bird play his whole career. He was a beast! I wonder how he would fare in today's NBA because it's a lot different now as you can see by the blood on his back you can look up old videos of him getting his fist fights with the Lakers, rockets and plenty more. In those days it wasn't nothing but someone to just throw a punch at another man and hit him! They would just give out a couple technical fouls and that's it! It was definitely a much tougher League hotter the score I believe but I also believe that today's players have more athletic talent! So I would love to see some of these greats playing the new league. Just to see how they would counter the athleticism.
You keep saying team, team, team…but Larry TOOK his team with him. His rookie season with no other changes he more than doubled the Celtic wins. He took all the players that came after him, and he made the team champions. Repeatedly. If we are to compare the two, Michael was never able to do that, nor anyone else. I love MJ. Top 3. Bird though…no doubt the greatest ever. The GOAT. Larry LEGEND
Also, principle matters, but Jordan respected Bird who came before him. Current fans and players should learn from that.
This is the best comparison video Ive seen, and I dont like comparison videos usually. He made both of them the great players they are. He did just present facts, and let the viewer decide.
Great Vid.
Larry was so great.
MJ got his time to shine.
Lol..Larry would whoop your ass.
6'9 260
Larry is big!?!.
It was his passing game that got my attention the best at it !
They were calling MJ the goat years before he ever won his first championship, and had only been in the league a few years!!!
Legend has it that those scratches on Larry’s neck came from the Chicago Bulls cheerleaders who tried to tire him out the night before the game!
What a silly story!
The point is that Larry Bird made his team, his constant rebounds and passing, created a focused team, a motivated team, even passing up a ton of easy shots and deliver assist in which created a team of brotherhood that will back and defend their Larry Legend.
MJ was about himself and really had to fight his own ego and learn how to be a team player and develop his team
It's nice to see young brothers thinking about this, but the GOAT argument is kinda dumb. All these guys could play.
Respect is earned, young man
As much as I love Bird, MJ was in a different category at his peak.
Yea it's called selfish individual play not team play
@@JET1970 😅😅😅
This got got two things grossly wrong.
1. Larry didn’t kick the ball over MJ, he threw it.
2. James Worthy said I’d much rather GUARD MJ than Larry Bird. Big difference than I’d much rather PLAY against MJ ! 🤦🏻
He didn’t have the most wins? He’s second all time in win percentage. Only out of first place by half a percent
I think dude with the glasses Larry handled was Horace Grant. He was no slouch.
MJ and Larry Legend are friends they respected each other!!!!!
Saying Larry is not a winner is crazy! He has the second highest winning percentage EVER in NBA behind Magic by half of a percent. 10 games.
5 finals in 8 years with 3 rings and 3 MVPs is a great start to a career. Imagine if he didn't get so injured... It would be a different goat discussion for sure.
If there had always been a 3 point line, Pistol Pete would be remembered as the greatest scorer ever
Good job,my man! God bless
Respect Larry Legend. 🏀
I know this is a bit late and all, but Larry Bird did have the wins. In the career win percentages, with people that played at least 500 games, Larry Bird is only behind Magic Johnson (most likely due to the fact that he missed all but 6 games in one of his 13 seasons for a total of 897 games). He is tied percentage wise with Kawhi Leonard, but also has over 250+ more games played than Kawhi (at the time of this comment).
If assists counted for 1/2 the point, I wonder, would Larry top all time scoring?
I'm guessing yes.
Larry
Kick M. J. Butt
All the '92 Dream Team games are here on RUclips in decent quality as well. On the Olympics channel... The best part is it's courtside audio only so you can literally hear the players call out the plays. Here is the first game against Angola... ruclips.net/video/E7SaPj-wJBo/видео.html
Larry respected opponents ... but they had to earn it .. they didn't get it for free.
PRINCIPLE! YES!!!
Remember now, LB only played 13 years compared to the others always mentioned in comparison
Bird is #2 all-time for winning percentage. Jordan is #40.
Bird wanted to fight. That’s all. That’s why he chucked that ball over Jordan’s head. Bird was a glutton for fighting
Not only was he MVP 3 years in a row, every other year of his career he was second. Excepting his last year, with the bad back and ankles, he was 4th.
Bird had a broken back(vertebrae) and achilles tendonitis in '91 and Jordan finally broke through.
Bird was 24-11 all time vs Jordan & 6-0 in the playoffs. 🎤👇
Win wise larry is the second highest win record in nba history
One small correction: Bird swept Jordon WHILE WEARING A BACK BRACE.
Dude watching the Dream Team was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters
Bird made guys around him much better and had a better trash-talking game, too. Jordan was a better dunker, but not even close to the same class as Larry Bird--watch them compete in games. Bird hits game-winners in the face of Jordan-Pippen double teams.
no blood no foul back in the day .. almost need to put pads on those old school guys . thanks for this vid. Bird was always the white guy we wanted to be .. and never was :) cheers man
10:56 the three step travel no call king
Dude, you gotta check the Dream Team out!
I was 14 that summer of the Barcelona Olympics
Bird didn't have DJ or Ainge or Walton or even a starting McHale (rookie) the 1st year they won the title in 1981--Bird takes bad teams to title contention, almost instantly. The Indiana State Sycamores were never even in the NCAA tournament and found themselves 33-0 in the title game with Bird in '78. Bird's college career was a 32-13-5--Jordan wasn't anywhere near that production in college--not even close.
Bird- only career all-time with 24-10-6. Bird Defensive Rating All-Time #61, Jordan #102 Bird also 1.8 stls and 0.9 blks/game. Bird beat Jordan 65% of the time and swept Jordan back-to-back in playoffs--Jordan never won one playoff game v. Bird. Bird was a better shooter, passer, rebounder, clutch, play through pain, 3-pt shooter, FT shooter, hustler. MJ was not a better scorer. Bird could give it to you any way he wanted, with either hand. Took Jordan 8 years and many retired legends to get to ECF. Bird took a BAD Celtic team to +32 wins his ROY year and won title in year 2. Jordan came to a bad Bulls team and they stayed that way until about '91. When Jordan left Bulls for a year in '94, they one 1 less regular season game.
That was the second time he broke his back and had surgery. The first was in1985.
I watched the game, lot of people didn't like it but MJ didn't make that shot.
Here you go no one can compare with bird's numbers. 12 years to 12 years. Not then and not now.
Great video!
7:15 "MJ sweatin it *again* "
Love MJ but if you go by rings like a lot of people do then MJ doesn’t make the top 10. Fact that’s why I don’t go by rings
u gotta do dream team lol gotta see if u did lol
You talk about winning. Going by win % Bird is # 3 all time.
MJ never beat Larry Legend
Isiah Thomas hates MJ I'm a Larry Legend fan but I liked MJ Isaiah Thomas and the Pistons were the dirtest players in the NBA, MJ never beat Larry Legend but both of them 🐐🐐
Bird was 6-0 against Jordan in the playoffs ... Larry swept him 3X - Birds retirement season Jordan got his 1st ...
Bird has the 2nd highest winning percentage ever
His Rookie year as the only new player he took the Celtics from 29 wins to 61 wins he alone gave them the best record in the league
He was a leader from day 1 - the best choice - the best team leader from day 1
His winning goes beyond playing
He was coach of the year
He was GM of the year too
Magic says Bird is the best ever player
Kareem says Bird is the best he ever saw
Michael knows the truth - Bird dominated him completely
I think because Larry is white, some folks don't like to look at him as one of the best - Larry cooked everyone ... everyone ...
Checkout Dreamtwam 2. Some say better.
Freaking amazing in their own right at the very least.
Lol bird I think is top 5 but Jordan had no players look at who bird had against Jordan bird said Jordan was god out there that says it all
And Jordan said Bird had no weaknesses
he isn't.
MJ did NOT win the slam dunk contest. Dominique Wilkins did. Well let's put it this way. MJ was awarded the trophy but Wilkins actually won in my opinion...
Actually Jordan beat Wilkins in the 88 slam dunk contest. Wilkins won in Jordan’s rookie year in 85
@@Ray1969. not if you watch the whole thing he didn't
@@Ray1969. I know that's how they voted but that's not who really won
@@tonyduncan7710 oh I saw it live and I agree with you, Dominique got robbed. They made a big deal about Jordan’s dunk where he took of from the foul line but Nique’s dunks were way more powerful and creative.
@@Ray1969. 'nique didn't even make the top all time 50. That's a real rip-off