Worthy also said that given a choice between playing against Bird or Jordan, he would rather play Jordan because with Bird you had to deal with a complete player.
@@JG-zt5vr When Jordan came into the league, he was a one man show. He got better it time, but it took him time to round out his skills and I don’t feel he ever became a team player on the level of Bird or Magic. But he didn’t need that many times because he was such a good individual player - until he faced teams like the ones led by Bird and Magic. Glad I could hand over this “breaking news” for you though! Or maybe you have a better explanation for what James Worthy was speaking of - I would be happy to hear it because he kind of said exactly what I wrote. Maybe you know what it was like playing against Bird vs playing against Jordan better than James Worthy does.
Sir Charles is straight up fearless with his honesty and he don't pull punches.....that statement shows Barkleys character and integrity...and he is one funny mfer!!!
I don't think Bird having great speed and leaping would have changed his game much at all. His game was so different and transcendent over such things that they didn't matter. Think about it -- he's "slow" and "unathletic", and he would tell the other team what he was going to do -- and they still couldn't stop him. Bird (and Magic) flew in ways Michael I-Can-Fly Jordan could never dream of.
The Worm! Walked AWAY from a wedding w Carmen Electra, Madonna showed up w a jacuzzi in a limo to whisk him away after a game, showed up in a dress and married HIMSELF... OH, and he's actual friends w Kim-Jong Un, headbutted a ref, and kicked a camera man & got SHOE DEAL out of it w a broken camera lens @ the bottom & a message that SAID "Kick the Camera Man!" 🤣💀💀💀 📸📹🗯🦵🏾🎬
Bird would destroy todays soft cupcake NBA. Multiple MVPs and chips. While staying with the same team without colluding with other superstars to create a super team.
Magic and Larry saved the NbA and made the game popular to watch in America. Jordan made the world watch the NBA. Lebronda ruined the league and it will never be the same
@@stevejette2329 Absolutely. She's also elevating team members like Bird did. Hell she's starting to turn bench players into HoFers. Bird did that with McHale, CC is doing that with Hull. Some players can be so good that they get things done by themselves instead of by the team. Great players work with the team.
I heard a good one from when Bird was on the Dream Team. Bird, Magic and Jordan were sitting at a table eating lunch and Patrick Ewing came over to sit down. But Bird told him, "You can't sit here. This table is reserved for people with championship rings." Day-ummm...
Young man welcome :) NOTHING is as hard as admitting you were wrong, and may you always have the passion to look back at the greatness that paved the way. If you can keep that be it in music, movies, sports, philosophy, and life you will have many many glorious days. Keep doing this we need more real fandom and fans voicing their opinions.
As someone who grew up watching these games, my Grandma worshipped Larry lol, my favorite Larry stories aren't told here. Second best story: everybody knows about Larry breaking his cheek and then coming back into the game to win against the Pacers. Did you know his back was so bad he spent the night before in the hospital in traction just to play? Favorite Larry story: the back injury that ended his career started from repaving his mother's driveway. He could have paid someone else to do the job, but that was HIS mother's driveway. #33 forever
I cried the first time when watching the game of him hitting the floor with his face. Years later when the announcer says and here comes Larry Bird I always cry watching it on replay.
He also had some pretty ridiculous arm strength. There are clips floating around of him shooting three pointers or making full court passes while already in the air, purely off arm strength. That's well beyond normal levels of strength, even amongst NBA players.
he did not need lebron so called athleticism, all bird needed was to not have hurt his spine in 86, that made him play injured for the rest of his career
Arguably, the two greatest players ever were Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Each of them said that if they were going to start an all-time great team, they would pick each other first, then they would pick Larry Bird second.
They are definitely not the best players ever. Hakeem beats them he won two championships without Allstars players around him. By the time a Clyde Drexler joined the Rockets he was on a decline and was not an Allstar.
@@sagittariusemperor9692 Ask the people who played against them. Then compare the record books. Anyone else have 11 championship rings? How many other players have over 118 games with over 50 points (hint: the next closest player only has 31)? There was an interview with Kobe, after he got 80, asking him what it would have taken to get to 100. He couldn't answer.
some context to John Stocktons story. that game Larry bird was 1 steal away from a quadruple double at the end of the 3rd quarter and sat out the entire 4th quarter. so he ended with 43 and 1 steal away from a quadruple double after 3 quarters and wouldnt go back in because he "did enough damage to them already"
Larry talk trash not to hurt someone’s feelings, but to let everybody know I’m good too, and I’m about to show you! His confidence in his ability, his mindset to beat you on the court was way above a whole lot of others! And he was a constant team player. He made everybody around him better, they trust him to do so. There’s a reason why he’s called Larry. Legend, there’s no other legend called that.☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
The Legend had tremendous court " vision " and anticipation. Part of why he was so brash and confident. One of the all time great passers in NBA history. No question about it.
I remember watching the most famous basketball game of all time, 1979 NCAA Championship between Michigan State and Indiana State...I am not even a fan of the sport, but I am a fan of both Magic and Larry, since watching that game.
You know what bro, it's so refreshing to see a young man who is so open to learning and giving props to great players other than Jordan, Kobe or Lebron. Keep on being real and having an open mind. You're going to do great things with that attitude.
That video of Bird talkin' to em, shootin' and landing on the trainer on the bench as the ball cooked the net and the entire Hawks bench about come unwelded laughin' so hard. That clip is embedded in my brain. Hot Damn, that is still funny today. There's was only one Larry Bird.
In many ways larry served as the blue print to many other nba players on how they wanted to be. He did it all. He played at a level that set the bar for many to follow. If you wanted to be a true mvp player at the highest level then you had to match or surpass him. That is why jordan himself improved a lot over his rookie years thanks to watching how bird played. When you look at him before and since playing against bird you see a big change in his overall playstyle.
Charles Barkley said it best. Larry Bird couldn't jump high. That was God's of keeping it fair. If Bird had the medical and fitness assistance like LeBron has. He would have played 10 years more. And would've smoked everyone.
MJ profited because Magic got AIDS and retired and Bird injured his back and had problems with his feet While Bird was playing, MJ didn't see the NBA Finals It would have been a completely different 90s if the two of them had stayed on for a few more years
I believe that night with “I’m feeling like … 43 tonight,” was also the night where he was 1 steal away from a *quadruple* double, was asked why he checked himself out for the 4th quarter, and said “Nah, I did enough damage.”
IamTeeski, Rodman's nickname was "The Worm" those were Rodman worms...btw Rodman was torched and trash talked by by Larry Legend constantly, he can't hack it is his problem, Bird was merciless lol
I became a Celtic fan because of Larry Bird, and I live in Missouri. Larry was the best all-round player the league has ever known. He was dangerous from anywhere on the court including behind the glass. He influenced the game with his insane passing, assists and rebounds. In the clutch there was nobody better than Bird. If I had to pick a player to save a game, I'd chose Jordan or Magic, If I had to pick a player to save me life, I'd pick Bird.
All Larry would have had to do was hire someone to shovel the gravel for his Mother. Everything else would have fallen in place. He only played 12 full seasons with only 6 games when he was injured. He wasn't the same when he came back, of course, but could still play at a high level. Larry had the green light to bust any play. KC said it himself, "hey, it's Larry, if he wants the ball he wants the ball". This is why they got rid of Fitch and got K.C. in the 1st place. He knew the deal. He wasn't there to coach Larry, he was there to coach the rest of the team to play with Larry.
Athleticism and heart are 2 things that you can’t compare. NO ONE has ever played the game with more heart than LB. I feel lucky to have grown up in Boston during his heyday. An absolute living legend.
He had an infected foot that took a 2.5-inch cut between his toes and still played that night. He plays with infection for a long time. Birdman is a strong-willed man.
I liked watching Bird when he came into the league. I was a Knicks fan at the time and when I started watching Bird playing I started taping Celtics games.
I'll be 66 next week, haven't watched the NBA in many years, and it was so great to watch this video and see players I recognize (even though my fave Celtics era was the Cowens-Havlicek-Nelson years).😊
Prime Bird could NOT be stopped... If he gave any shit about Stats, he could have easily Averaged Triple Doubles every year.. Had his back not got injured The GOAT talks would seriously be Different, as he could have played 4 or 5 more years easily and remember, he spent & seasons with a worsening back injury
Craig Ehlo of the Cavaliers tells a story where he held Bird to 0 - 10 shooting in the first half. In the old Cleveland Arena, both teams went out the same tunnel. So, as they were running to the locker rooms at the half, Ehlo puffed his chest a bit. Got in Bird's face and asked him, "How bout that D, Larry?" He said, "Bird just scoffed at me. We came out for the 2nd half and Bird drops 10 in a row on me, the last two with his left hand! As we're running back up the court, he asked me, "Hey Craig, is your mom watching?" That man was a SAVAGE.
Bird already started his career with a hand injury. He broke the knuckles on his hand before debuting. And his hand no longer gave him the same sensations. In a league much tougher than the current one, he played with pain, and gave everything, hurting himself to the limit, in competition, or in bar fights, or doing yard work. It was a different time... But if you had rescued Bird, before his debut, and made him debut ten years ago, the current stars would have nothing to do against him.
After watching documentaries about the lives of Larry Bird and Elvis Presley, it's striking, despite how different their careers and personalities were, the similarity between their childhoods.
People who claim that any given former great couldn't play in this day and age miss the fact that, if those guys were playing now, they would have benefited from all the same advances in coaching, nutrition, analytics, sports medicine, and everything else that makes players today more athletic. If those great players from the 80s were just coming up now, they would be just as great as they were back in the day.
If LB had Lebron's athleticism you would have to consider he would have been like everyone else as far as how he would play...but since he didn't invented a new way of being dominant...his game wouldn't be the same if he had that athletisims because he wouldn't have adapted the skills he had...people are going on him being the same player with Lebron's athleticism which wouldn't be the case.
This is exactly what I was thinking. In a similar sense it’s what also makes MJ the GOAT because he had the athleticism but he also had everything else to go along with it. And though early on in his career he fell short of the finals, once he got there he didn’t ever not get there again (obviously leaving out the wizard years). TBH given his age and the team he was playing with, though many see those years with Washington as a stain on his career; I would say he did damn well (all things considered).
That's a very good point. LB had an all-round game with a lot of tricks up his sleeve . He wouldn't have evolved that way if he could dunk from the free throw line.
Remember Larry Bird was a man competing at the highest level in his sport, against the best players in the world, and decided one night he was going to go out an play left handed, and still scored almost 50 points.
I subscribed young man ~~ because you are giving a look at Larry Byrd•• because I like him And I also think your dialogue before the video was excellent
The entire second half of Bird's career he suffered with terrible back pain. I have chronic back pain, (3 surgeries) and I cannot imagine playing with a bad back.
Those of us on the "outside", those of us that never played competitively at NBA level, can only marvel when Larry's professional peers and colleagues tell these stories. To his credit, I don't think Larry ever dismissed the talent of today's players; in fact, he complemented it. Only a fool would deny NBA history is replete with exceptional talent. That said, the psychological TORTURE Larry put his opponents through is something very few NBA players have had the opportunity, and have yet, to experience.
Bird's success just shows that "athleticism" is only one of many attributes that can make up a good player. Hand-eye coordination, court vision, intuitive game sense and other factors can compensate for a 15" vert.
makes me wish I had watched him live instead of football at the time! but Grandpa liked football and baseball so that is what we watched. As and 49ers.
Never denying the Athleticism of the past and present players but the mindset tipped the scale. Tell Jordan he can’t win, tell Kobe to not give his all, tell Magic to not be so smooth, tell Larry it’s just a game, tell Rodman to not be a warrior… Lebron and his Athleticism in that era and brought up with that mindset, different conversation… good insights brother 🙏✌️
Rodman's journey to the NBA was WILD. 25 year old rookie! He didn't go to college after HS and worked as a janitor. Then sometime AFTER HS he went from 5'11 to 6'8. That got local colleges interested in him. He performed very well due to his dominant trait of tenacity. Then finally, at 25 he was ready for the NBA.
remember when they mention his scoring numbers, Larry's career game average, 3 point attempts, was under 3 attempts a game(only 3 seasons, was his 3 pnt attempt average, 3 or slightly above), so those scoring numbers, were achieved, shooting mostly 2's...
I was blessed to watch Larrys career run. He is the GOAT but is to humble to say it. Thanks for the memories, Young OG. Watched all his games with my dad, who is now passed away.
Enjoyed your reaction 😊 For me Larry Bird's trash talking, either broke a player down, or forced an opponent to be a better player, & it was the strength of the player, which way they were affected.......that was just a part of who Bird was 😊
Bonnett's cool, you wear it well! Anyway, as a fan of and someone who watched all the 80's/90's basketball games. As a Pistons fan we had Hella good games against Chicago, Boston, LA, and the majority of the other teams all had good players. It was a great time, great to see young people getting to know these players. Check out Isaih Thomas sometime!
I enjoyed a lot of those comments -- especially Magic's mostly because of how he and Larry started out as bitter rivals but became friendly, yet fierce, competitors. In the end, though, I think I respected The Glove's (Gary Payton's) opinion the most because he was perhaps the best defensive player ever, knowing what it takes to guard great players. If Gary says someone is great, you can take it to the bank.
If you get a chance watch Celtics vs Indiana. Bird received a concussion after headbutting the floor going for a loose ball. He then returns from the locker room to finish the game!
I don’t even know if “lack of athleticism” is even the right description. The way he could float, hustle for the rebounds, facilitate a scoring play, attack the basket off the dribble. He was “athletic” imo, he just didn’t have a 36+ inch vertical lol
I love Bird talk, nobody talks about any other player the way they talk about Bird, he’s got to be a top five or six player of all time, he’s gotta be better than LBJ that injury really robbed him of a lot of years.
Jordan made you look slow. Bird made you look stupid.
- James Worthy
Worthy also said that given a choice between playing against Bird or Jordan, he would rather play Jordan because with Bird you had to deal with a complete player.
@tattoodude8946 Jordan wasn't a complete player? That is definitely breaking news...
@@JG-zt5vr When Jordan came into the league, he was a one man show. He got better it time, but it took him time to round out his skills and I don’t feel he ever became a team player on the level of Bird or Magic. But he didn’t need that many times because he was such a good individual player - until he faced teams like the ones led by Bird and Magic. Glad I could hand over this “breaking news” for you though!
Or maybe you have a better explanation for what James Worthy was speaking of - I would be happy to hear it because he kind of said exactly what I wrote. Maybe you know what it was like playing against Bird vs playing against Jordan better than James Worthy does.
@@JG-zt5vr Just an opinion!
@@tattoodude8946early in mj's career, I would agree w you. Mj was a 1 man show. But during the 2 threepeats, mj was a much more complete player
They weren't terrified because he could talk trash. They were terrified because he could back it up.
Because he made folks look stupid, like Worthy said.
True dat 💙😎👍
I think Barkley said "Bird's lack of athleticism was God's way of leveling the playing field".
Sir Charles is straight up fearless with his honesty and he don't pull punches.....that statement shows Barkleys character and integrity...and he is one funny mfer!!!
Ya. I heard that loooooong time ago.
Could you imagine Bird if he had Jordan's althetics
I don't think Bird having great speed and leaping would have changed his game much at all. His game was so different and transcendent over such things that they didn't matter.
Think about it -- he's "slow" and "unathletic", and he would tell the other team what he was going to do -- and they still couldn't stop him.
Bird (and Magic) flew in ways Michael I-Can-Fly Jordan could never dream of.
Larry Bird couldn't run, Larry Bird couldn't jump, but that was God's way of making the game even.
Rodman was called the Worm... Those were worms
lol, thats right! I hadn't heard that about him in years.....I think "The What" would have been a better moniker
The Worm! Walked AWAY from a wedding w Carmen Electra, Madonna showed up w a jacuzzi in a limo to whisk him away after a game, showed up in a dress and married HIMSELF...
OH, and he's actual friends w Kim-Jong Un, headbutted a ref, and kicked a camera man & got SHOE DEAL out of it w a broken camera lens @ the bottom & a message that SAID "Kick the Camera Man!" 🤣💀💀💀
📸📹🗯🦵🏾🎬
Worms with pacifiers.
Bird would destroy todays soft cupcake NBA. Multiple MVPs and chips. While staying with the same team without colluding with other superstars to create a super team.
Red Auerbach was a genius when it came to trades and drafting. No need for collusion between players when you had Red.
Get your information right the talent Bird had were more than LeBron ever played with...
Caitlin Clark is the female bird, doing the same. And they can't stand it lol
Bird did have a super team.
@@margraveofgadsden8997 Without Bird that team doesn't win jack sh*t...
I'm glad to see young fans see how intense and spectactular the NBA was in the 80's and 90's
Magic and Larry saved the NbA and made the game popular to watch in America. Jordan made the world watch the NBA. Lebronda ruined the league and it will never be the same
Facts! As someone who lives abroad (not from the USA) you have no idea how embarrassing is LBJ for the NBA on an international level.
Not really. It was Magic, Kareem and Bird, before MJ who made the NBA known to the world, or, at least, Europe.
And now Kaitlin Clark is doing some saving on the women's side. With Bird style court vision, scoring and assists.
@@stevejette2329 Absolutely. She's also elevating team members like Bird did. Hell she's starting to turn bench players into HoFers. Bird did that with McHale, CC is doing that with Hull. Some players can be so good that they get things done by themselves instead of by the team. Great players work with the team.
@@TheMule71 Jordan also. A great player makes teammates better. Maybe.
I heard a good one from when Bird was on the Dream Team. Bird, Magic and Jordan were sitting at a table eating lunch and Patrick Ewing came over to sit down. But Bird told him, "You can't sit here. This table is reserved for people with championship rings." Day-ummm...
😂😂
Young man welcome :) NOTHING is as hard as admitting you were wrong, and may you always have the passion to look back at the greatness that paved the way. If you can keep that be it in music, movies, sports, philosophy, and life you will have many many glorious days. Keep doing this we need more real fandom and fans voicing their opinions.
Look back to look forward, always.
As someone who grew up watching these games, my Grandma worshipped Larry lol, my favorite Larry stories aren't told here.
Second best story: everybody knows about Larry breaking his cheek and then coming back into the game to win against the Pacers. Did you know his back was so bad he spent the night before in the hospital in traction just to play?
Favorite Larry story: the back injury that ended his career started from repaving his mother's driveway. He could have paid someone else to do the job, but that was HIS mother's driveway.
#33 forever
I cried the first time when watching the game of him hitting the floor with his face.
Years later when the announcer says and here comes Larry Bird I always cry watching it on replay.
Rodman as nicknamed THE WORM. Funny thing is...... BIRDs eat Worms.
EXCELLENT reply- The Bird owns the worm
Lmfao and he did!!!
And Larry had quite the beak on him..
When people say he wasn't an athlete they mean in comparison to Jordan and LeBron and Kobe, not normal people.
Well obviously.😂
He had an insane stamina too
@@deihorus7927 He wasn’t a sprinter. But he’d run miles training his stamina.
He also had some pretty ridiculous arm strength. There are clips floating around of him shooting three pointers or making full court passes while already in the air, purely off arm strength. That's well beyond normal levels of strength, even amongst NBA players.
Larry was slow and meticulous 🙃👍
The great thing about Larry`s "trash talking" was never vulgar. It was always just about taking care of business.
That's something that few mention. And it speaks to his mindset.
Yes, that was my favorite thing about him. It wasn't personal Yo Momma stuff. He said it, he did it, he moved on😂
@@aking8134 Well he did ask at least one defender if their Mom was watching them get embarrassed. LMAO
@@dvrmte lol true! Not quite the same as the trash talk about having sex with someone's mom or insulting her, but momma probably was a little sad!
he did not need lebron so called athleticism, all bird needed was to not have hurt his spine in 86, that made him play injured for the rest of his career
Arguably, the two greatest players ever were Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Each of them said that if they were going to start an all-time great team, they would pick each other first, then they would pick Larry Bird second.
They are definitely not the best players ever. Hakeem beats them he won two championships without Allstars players around him. By the time a Clyde Drexler joined the Rockets he was on a decline and was not an Allstar.
@@sagittariusemperor9692 Ask the people who played against them. Then compare the record books. Anyone else have 11 championship rings? How many other players have over 118 games with over 50 points (hint: the next closest player only has 31)? There was an interview with Kobe, after he got 80, asking him what it would have taken to get to 100. He couldn't answer.
some context to John Stocktons story. that game Larry bird was 1 steal away from a quadruple double at the end of the 3rd quarter and sat out the entire 4th quarter. so he ended with 43 and 1 steal away from a quadruple double after 3 quarters and wouldnt go back in because he "did enough damage to them already"
Insane.
I didn't know it was that game. Larry Legend
1 steal away from a quadruple double......... at the end of the third.
Insane.
@@MrT67 Shows he did not give a damn about stats, jst wins... Imagine if he DID care about numbers
@@bigmike2464 Absolutely. That makes me like the guy more.
Larry talk trash not to hurt someone’s feelings, but to let everybody know I’m good too, and I’m about to show you! His confidence in his ability, his mindset to beat you on the court was way above a whole lot of others! And he was a constant team player. He made everybody around him better, they trust him to do so. There’s a reason why he’s called Larry. Legend, there’s no other legend called that.☘️☘️☘️☘️☘️
The Legend had tremendous court " vision " and anticipation. Part of why he was so brash and confident. One of the all time great passers in NBA history. No question about it.
hes got the name "Larry Legend" for a damn good reason.
💯
New fam here and congratulations on 12K 🎉🎉
If Birds not on your starting 5 all time you don’t know the game.
This was a great video tribute to one of my favorite players of all time. I always enjoyed watching Larry play.
I remember watching the most famous basketball game of all time, 1979 NCAA Championship between Michigan State and Indiana State...I am not even a fan of the sport, but I am a fan of both Magic and Larry, since watching that game.
I was a fan before the NCAA tournament game, it just made the game a lot better.
You know what bro, it's so refreshing to see a young man who is so open to learning and giving props to great players other than Jordan, Kobe or Lebron. Keep on being real and having an open mind. You're going to do great things with that attitude.
Earned an upvote for this comment, "Then I'd have to go tell the story..." I like to see that in people. Giving that respect when someone schools you.
Gary Payton’s stories say it all!!!! If the GLOVE calls Larry the goat 🐐 then who am I to disagree!!!!! Seriously!!!!! So says Austin Tx!!😎🍸
💯
I always enjoy the videos in which other players talked about Larry Bird. There are also a lot of great comments that accompany the videos.
His ability to deliver the game-winning shot. He also was cruel in waiting until defenders were a step away before shooting a three in their face.
I remember watching these games and I was always amazed at Bird's ability and his savvy.
Malone story always gets me ot the one about the whole hawks bench getting fined for celebrating one of his shots 😂😂😂. You got my sub bro gj fam
That video of Bird talkin' to em, shootin' and landing on the trainer on the bench as the ball cooked the net and the entire Hawks bench about come unwelded laughin' so hard. That clip is embedded in my brain. Hot Damn, that is still funny today. There's was only one Larry Bird.
In many ways larry served as the blue print to many other nba players on how they wanted to be. He did it all. He played at a level that set the bar for many to follow. If you wanted to be a true mvp player at the highest level then you had to match or surpass him. That is why jordan himself improved a lot over his rookie years thanks to watching how bird played. When you look at him before and since playing against bird you see a big change in his overall playstyle.
Charles Barkley said it best. Larry Bird couldn't jump high. That was God's of keeping it fair. If Bird had the medical and fitness assistance like LeBron has. He would have played 10 years more. And would've smoked everyone.
LB wouldn't need LeBron's athleticism if injuries hadn't occurred.
MJ profited because Magic got AIDS and retired and Bird injured his back and had problems with his feet
While Bird was playing, MJ didn't see the NBA Finals
It would have been a completely different 90s if the two of them had stayed on for a few more years
...and for 6 YEARS AFTER his major injury - his BACK - He DIDN'T...! Bird was GREAT... and tough...! DOUBLE TOUGH.
I believe that night with “I’m feeling like … 43 tonight,” was also the night where he was 1 steal away from a *quadruple* double, was asked why he checked himself out for the 4th quarter, and said “Nah, I did enough damage.”
What's a quad double?
Regards, an uneducated Australian.
Just think about this for a second: for every season that Bird played, he had a 25% chance of winning a ring.
IamTeeski, Rodman's nickname was "The Worm" those were Rodman worms...btw Rodman was torched and trash talked by by Larry Legend constantly, he can't hack it is his problem, Bird was merciless lol
I became a Celtic fan because of Larry Bird, and I live in Missouri. Larry was the best all-round player the league has ever known. He was dangerous from anywhere on the court including behind the glass. He influenced the game with his insane passing, assists and rebounds. In the clutch there was nobody better than Bird. If I had to pick a player to save a game, I'd chose Jordan or Magic, If I had to pick a player to save me life, I'd pick Bird.
Well said!! 🍀💚💚💚
Some of the best games I watched as a Lakers fan from back in the Magic Johnson era was against the Celtics and Larry Bird.
Same here. There was nothing like “Show Time” vs Celtic Magic.
8:55 those are cartoon worms. Dennis Rodman's nickname on the Piston's was "The Worm"
All Larry would have had to do was hire someone to shovel the gravel for his Mother. Everything else would have fallen in place. He only played 12 full seasons with only 6 games when he was injured. He wasn't the same when he came back, of course, but could still play at a high level.
Larry had the green light to bust any play. KC said it himself, "hey, it's Larry, if he wants the ball he wants the ball". This is why they got rid of Fitch and got K.C. in the 1st place. He knew the deal. He wasn't there to coach Larry, he was there to coach the rest of the team to play with Larry.
I remmeber black people would get mad if said a white player was great because he was smart or a black player was great because he was athletic.
Athleticism and heart are 2 things that you can’t compare. NO ONE has ever played the game with more heart than LB. I feel lucky to have grown up in Boston during his heyday. An absolute living legend.
He had an infected foot that took a 2.5-inch cut between his toes and still played that night. He plays with infection for a long time. Birdman is a strong-willed man.
I liked watching Bird when he came into the league. I was a Knicks fan at the time and when I started watching Bird playing I started taping Celtics games.
When he told Dominique "I don't know why they got u guarding me HOMES" Im dead with that😂😂
I'll be 66 next week, haven't watched the NBA in many years, and it was so great to watch this video and see players I recognize (even though my fave Celtics era was the Cowens-Havlicek-Nelson years).😊
How people forget this legend amazes me. I have watched video after video of young people amazed when they find bird.
Prime Bird could NOT be stopped... If he gave any shit about Stats, he could have easily Averaged Triple Doubles every year.. Had his back not got injured The GOAT talks would seriously be Different, as he could have played 4 or 5 more years easily and remember, he spent & seasons with a worsening back injury
He played so many years without Len Bias too.
@@MrNaturalSez that was such a senseless and tragic loss!
Bill Russell defense, Larry Bird creativity, and Wilt power and strenth, omg this will be unstoppable.
Larry wasn't just a student of the game... he was a student of every players game
Craig Ehlo of the Cavaliers tells a story where he held Bird to 0 - 10 shooting in the first half. In the old Cleveland Arena, both teams went out the same tunnel. So, as they were running to the locker rooms at the half, Ehlo puffed his chest a bit. Got in Bird's face and asked him, "How bout that D, Larry?" He said, "Bird just scoffed at me. We came out for the 2nd half and Bird drops 10 in a row on me, the last two with his left hand! As we're running back up the court, he asked me, "Hey Craig, is your mom watching?"
That man was a SAVAGE.
Bird already started his career with a hand injury. He broke the knuckles on his hand before debuting. And his hand no longer gave him the same sensations. In a league much tougher than the current one, he played with pain, and gave everything, hurting himself to the limit, in competition, or in bar fights, or doing yard work. It was a different time... But if you had rescued Bird, before his debut, and made him debut ten years ago, the current stars would have nothing to do against him.
After watching documentaries about the lives of Larry Bird and Elvis Presley, it's striking, despite how different their careers and personalities were, the similarity between their childhoods.
OMG… I love that McHale mentioned Al Bianchi. He was a good friend of mine when I lived in Phoenix. He passed away in 2019. 😢
They probably didn't believe him the first time, lol. But they got on that train pretty quickly. Lol
Larry played an entire game left-handed, just for the hell of it.
Thank you! A great video! I grew up watching Bird kill my Cavaliers in the playoffs when they were on their way to championships!
Yup Caitlin Clark is the Larry Bird of the WNBA with out the shit talking!
Yeah, she takes the shit talking from everyone else. And still shines.
If Bird got assaulted/blind sided like Caitlin did he'd come right back at them swinging.
@@x00p3 different era.
No she's not and who cares? The wnba is worthless
on Larry Bird last game of his career -- he said I'm right handed - but tonight I'm going to shoot left handed all night long ....
and he did ....
I liked all the stories in this video and I loved watching Larry Bird play! I wish I could watched him in the arena just once instead of on TV.
I remember when he told an opponent he would dribble and shoot left handed all night and still score 30 points or something and he did.
People who claim that any given former great couldn't play in this day and age miss the fact that, if those guys were playing now, they would have benefited from all the same advances in coaching, nutrition, analytics, sports medicine, and everything else that makes players today more athletic. If those great players from the 80s were just coming up now, they would be just as great as they were back in the day.
If LB had Lebron's athleticism you would have to consider he would have been like everyone else as far as how he would play...but since he didn't invented a new way of being dominant...his game wouldn't be the same if he had that athletisims because he wouldn't have adapted the skills he had...people are going on him being the same player with Lebron's athleticism which wouldn't be the case.
This is exactly what I was thinking.
In a similar sense it’s what also makes MJ the GOAT because he had the athleticism but he also had everything else to go along with it. And though early on in his career he fell short of the finals, once he got there he didn’t ever not get there again (obviously leaving out the wizard years).
TBH given his age and the team he was playing with, though many see those years with Washington as a stain on his career; I would say he did damn well (all things considered).
That's a very good point. LB had an all-round game with a lot of tricks up his sleeve . He wouldn't have evolved that way if he could dunk from the free throw line.
Those were worms (Rodman's nickname). Great reaction, thank you!! Please do one of Larry's "Passing highlights" vids. He was phenomenal!! 🍀
Just pressed the button. Good vid, I enjoyed it!
I appreciate it!
Remember Larry Bird was a man competing at the highest level in his sport, against the best players in the world, and decided one night he was going to go out an play left handed, and still scored almost 50 points.
I subscribed young man ~~ because you are giving a look at Larry Byrd•• because I like him
And I also think your dialogue before the video was excellent
Larry was everyone's worst nightmare.
I went to high school with David Robinson. He didn't even play HS basket ball until his senior year. Very nice guy.
When you can will your team to victory and it be said you lacked the abilities like other great players…tells me you earned that name Larry Legend!
That’s a great lesson for anybody doing anything: WILL yourself to be successful 💪🏼
The entire second half of Bird's career he suffered with terrible back pain. I have chronic back pain, (3 surgeries) and I cannot imagine playing with a bad back.
He’s a soldier
Those of us on the "outside", those of us that never played competitively at NBA level, can only marvel when Larry's professional peers and colleagues tell these stories.
To his credit, I don't think Larry ever dismissed the talent of today's players; in fact, he complemented it.
Only a fool would deny NBA history is replete with exceptional talent.
That said, the psychological TORTURE Larry put his opponents through is something very few NBA players have had the opportunity, and have yet, to experience.
Man I looked at the time when he said "leave me alone it's 7am." It's a little past 7am where I'm at 11 days later.😂😂😂😂
😂😂
Bird's success just shows that "athleticism" is only one of many attributes that can make up a good player. Hand-eye coordination, court vision, intuitive game sense and other factors can compensate for a 15" vert.
makes me wish I had watched him live instead of football at the time! but Grandpa liked football and baseball so that is what we watched. As and 49ers.
I subscribed...work hard youngblood,grind and earn your numbers....God bless
Appreciate you og
i love watching people discover mj clips.....but even more than that i love people discovering what bird was.
Never denying the Athleticism of the past and present players but the mindset tipped the scale. Tell Jordan he can’t win, tell Kobe to not give his all, tell Magic to not be so smooth, tell Larry it’s just a game, tell Rodman to not be a warrior… Lebron and his Athleticism in that era and brought up with that mindset, different conversation… good insights brother 🙏✌️
Rodman's journey to the NBA was WILD. 25 year old rookie! He didn't go to college after HS and worked as a janitor. Then sometime AFTER HS he went from 5'11 to 6'8. That got local colleges interested in him. He performed very well due to his dominant trait of tenacity. Then finally, at 25 he was ready for the NBA.
He might have been the biggest trash talker but would back it up every time. That right there was why he was the most feared
remember when they mention his scoring numbers, Larry's career game average, 3 point attempts, was under 3 attempts a game(only 3 seasons, was his 3 pnt attempt average, 3 or slightly above), so those scoring numbers, were achieved, shooting mostly 2's...
I was blessed to watch Larrys career run. He is the GOAT but is to humble to say it. Thanks for the memories, Young OG. Watched all his games with my dad, who is now passed away.
Enjoyed your reaction 😊 For me Larry Bird's trash talking, either broke a player down, or forced an opponent to be a better player, & it was the strength of the player, which way they were affected.......that was just a part of who Bird was 😊
Will Chamberlain would be my number one pick. But if my life depended on it, I want Larry Bird taking the deciding shot. No one else.
I have heard many of these stories and I will continue to listen to them over and over. Not only Larry, but all of the greats
Dude you did a great job putting the video together!!!
Rodman's nickname was "The Worm" 9:20
That’s a true statement bro. If Bird had Lebron’s athleticism….nobody would know who Jordan was.
Bonnett's cool, you wear it well! Anyway, as a fan of and someone who watched all the 80's/90's basketball games. As a Pistons fan we had Hella good games against Chicago, Boston, LA, and the majority of the other teams all had good players. It was a great time, great to see young people getting to know these players. Check out Isaih Thomas sometime!
I enjoyed a lot of those comments -- especially Magic's mostly because of how he and Larry started out as bitter rivals but became friendly, yet fierce, competitors. In the end, though, I think I respected The Glove's (Gary Payton's) opinion the most because he was perhaps the best defensive player ever, knowing what it takes to guard great players. If Gary says someone is great, you can take it to the bank.
I watched Larry Bird play and witnessed his crazy way of playing and was astonished at how he did the things he did.
It wasn't just that he talked trash, it was that he actually did whatever he said he was gonna do.
it means the worm. Dennis Rodman was known as the worm, because he was so slick and slippery
Anyone who thinks Bird couldn’t play in today’s game has apparently never seen Nikola Jokić
Larry was the best player I've ever seen in 50 yrs of watching basketball.
“If the game is on the line, I'd want Jordan to take the shot. If my life was on the line, I'd want Bird to take it” - Pay Riley
If you get a chance watch Celtics vs Indiana. Bird received a concussion after headbutting the floor going for a loose ball. He then returns from the locker room to finish the game!
I don’t even know if “lack of athleticism” is even the right description. The way he could float, hustle for the rebounds, facilitate a scoring play, attack the basket off the dribble. He was “athletic” imo, he just didn’t have a 36+ inch vertical lol
Hey that’s a sick black chefs hat ! 😂😂😂😂
Other players weren't afraid of his trash talk, they were afraid of his superior skill.
I love Bird talk, nobody talks about any other player the way they talk about Bird, he’s got to be a top five or six player of all time, he’s gotta be better than LBJ that injury really robbed him of a lot of years.