He wasn't very fast.... But was always a step ahead. He couldn't jump.....but always got the rebound. He wasn't very quick.....but always stole the ball.... Wow. What an awesome player.
@@jarekwajcfeld5127 I wouldn't go THAT far. Michael Jordan would still be the best of his era and still be in the conversation for GOAT because he would still be Michael Jordan.
I grew up a Lakers fan as a kid in the late 60's. Remembered Showtime in the 80's in my 20's. My bucket list was to atttend a Lakers vs Celtics game. I had that opportunity in 83. Bird lit the Lakers up in the 4th quarter and the Celtics won. I wasn't mad at all because, I witnessed greatness in Larry Bird!
Lucky!!! I wish I would have watched Larry back then. I was 8 when he started with the Celtics. But I was raised in a Lakers fan dominate family. They hated Bird and the Celtics. You knew when the Lakers were playing the Celtics. There was always this weird vibe of anger and awe. Especially when Bird was cooking the Lakers.
From Luis Alberto Ramos JR Louie Louie I like Larry Bird, because he is team player he is not selfish, today many athletics are very selfish today and Larry Bird is the most fundamental player in the NBA and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson save the NBA from bankrupty in1979 both players brought New style and excited to the NBA and many seats were full 🌝 those two player's make a Difference,the way play 🏀.
@Edward Snowden - my point is... There is only one Mount Rushmore, and Bird is on it. Bird is a basketball icon. He's literally one of the top 5 players that ever played. It would be tough to reach that level. Cheers
@Edward Snowden - the more I watch Luka Doncic the more I'm impressed by him. He definitely has some Bird in him. He can shoot and pass extremely well, and he has a high basketball IQ. From all the highlights I've seen he's unbelievable. The big question will be can he do it in the playoffs when the pressure is much greater? If he can he will go down as one of the best ever. He's like Mr Buzzer Beater. He can shoot it.
I was a Lakers fan in the 80's and HATED Larry Bird. You always knew if there were a couple seconds left on the clock and he got the final shot he would make it. Now I watch his highlight videos and just respect the hell out of how good he was.
Larry Bird, most likely the highest IQ ever seen on the basketball court to date. His moves, the way he was reading a game, precise passing, shooting... pure awesomeness.
@Jack Meoff Summer of 86 or 87 he injured his back lifting lots of heavy bags of concrete for his moms driveway. He was injured with bad back his last 7 seasons plus his achilles heel injury plus fractures and broken fingers etc. He injured his hand after college before he even started his pro NBA career! Larry would have been even better without an injured hand and broken fingers and he just kept quiet about it till 91 if I recall right when the pain became too unbearable even for this tough Indiana farm boy! If Larry was healthy he would have played another 5-10 years easy! There would be no debate about who is the GOAT at all! Lebron is a stat player but Lebron is not clutch. He had 2 game winners compared to so many big time clutch shots of Larry. I read Paul Pierce is number 1 in clutch shots MJ 2nd. Not sure where Larry is ranked but those numbers are very skewed. I saw 20 clutch shots atleast from Larry if not more! Final minute final seconds buzzer beaters etc In one game he had 3-4 clutch shots against the Bullets in double OT! Coach called TO when he hit game winner! Larry was upset! Comes back and hits the game winner again in same spot! Some times he left .5 secs or 2 secs or 3 secs or 4 secs so does that mean he was not clutch heck no! Ask MJ Pippen XMAN Kareem Magic James Worthy Barkley Isiah Dr J Ewing Moses Malone Pat Riley Michael Cooper Reggie Miller Rodman Dominique Doc Rivers Antoine Carr Spud Webb Cliff Levingston Clyde Drexler Akeem Ralph Sampson The Lakers Rockets 76ers Bulls Knicks Pistons Bucks Hawks Bullets Mavs Blazers everyone knew Larry was the best player from 84-88! Should have had 5 straight MVPS not 3! He beat everyone. The East was so much better than the West back then too! I could say plenty more! He was the best all round player ever! I love seeing these old clips of him and the Celtics! I love watching the old clips of MJ and Scottie too. I have the old games on my VHS tapes! This was real basketball back then. Every playoff team in the East was a good team while in the West there was mainly 3-4 teams LA Rockets Portland Utah Seattle and Dallas were decent.
Today’s basketball is fake No DEFENCE just hotdog offense. Back in the day a hotdog was the nastiest thing you could be called. I got 41 points in a high school game but could have scored 60 if I had hotdogged it like Jordan.
I miss this guy so much. Used to drive down to Boston from Vermont a couple times a year just to see Bird play in person back in the 1980's. I don't believe anyone came close to him when it came to 'game on the line' shot.
I'm from Vermont as well! Larry was my favorite player back in the day from the 80s-90s. Nobody had a higher play IQ than Bird. I don't think anybody got in more fights than Bird either haha. You couldn't watch him play without complete entertainment
Larry Bird's passing and shooting are truly impressive. I can't believe someone could make those shots at those angles, move the ball with that much finesse, and be this good.
Red Auerbach the president of the Celtics who signed Larry Bird said that the people who scouted him never told anybody that he could rebound. I know nothing about basketball except I watched every Celtics game from 1982 - 1990
@@AA-vn3ru Because it is all too often just one on one basketball with players standing around or attempted fast breaks that more resemble a prison break with no sense of a plan. There's very little teamwork and "uber-athletic" simply means they can travel and palm the ball now. Can you imagine if Dr. J. were allowed to travel and palm the ball at will as they are today? Wow!!!! Teamwork resulting in a better shot for a player is now just thrown by the wayside for an attempted 3 point shot. If you think the NBA is more fun to watch nowadays then you must be too young to have ever watched it in past days. I won't even get into the fact that most of these players are pussies. Imagine Dennis Rodman being his usual pain in the ass against Lebron James? I think Lebron would break down in tears. It was a good blend of physical play and skilled play in the past that is sorely missing today. Anyhow, you enjoy todays game that's your right to do so. If you don't realize what you are missing perhaps you're happier for that.
Wow! Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, rivals for well over a decade, vicious rivals, not nasty but vicious on the court, their play did the talking for them.! This was a rivalry that not only picked up a lagging NBA, and saved it, it was a competition between two great basketball players who brought their game from college into the professional lime light! Fans all of a sudden had a cause to get involved, East versus West! The rest of the NBA got caught up in this rivalry and they seemingly decided to picked up their rivalries, and all of a sudden you've got some serious B-Ball competition all over the US, that eventually would spill over to the rest of the world, through the "Dream Team" in "92". Larry Bird and Irving "Magic" Johnson developed a respect for each other, that eventually grew into a great friendship, that should stand as a model for all current and future sports competitions!
Nice collection of video. People that did not see Bird play forget he was considered the greatest non center to ever play as early as 85-86. To see how dominant Bird was, look at the MVP voting. While winning the ROY award he was also 4th in 1980 for season MVP. Then was 2nd in 81,82,83 and 88. He won MVP in 84,85,and 86 and was 3rd in 87. In his first 9 seasons he was all NBA 1st team 9 times and the Celtics in games Bird played won 534 games and lost 177 games in 711 games = a win % of 75.1 for 9 seasons = the highest win % of any NBA player ever and this was in the stronger East conference. Bird was on 3 all defensive teams ( 2nd team) and was ranked 25th all time in defensive win shares. Bird led NBA in win shares for the decade of the 80's. Bird created the 50-40-90 club and did it for 2 seasons in a row, one year averaging 29.9 points per game. He was the main reason Boston went from a 29 win team to a 61 win team his rookie season = a 32 game turn around, at that time the biggest turn around ever for an NBA team. His rebounding goes unnoticed ( he had a 28 inch vertical as a rookie) averaged 10 boards a game for his career and the only Celtic ever to post a 40 point and 20 rebound game vs Indiana in 1987. He had the court vision of a point guard and threaded the needle in traffic and threw bounce passes between the opposing team's player's legs! His passing gift was unreal and he was ambidextrous with passing and shooting. Perhaps his greatest skill was the ability to hit clutch shots and the end of games and being fearless when taking chances and the game on the line. One of a kind, don't sleep on Larry Legend!
The things more incredible about Larry Bird is that he played his career with a broken back and he destroyed the finger he used to shot before he entered in the league we could only imagine what he could be without this injuries.
He was also Coach of the Year and Manager of the Year after he retired from the Celtics and went to the Pacers. He's the only person who ever received all three awards.
All the news said that night was a legend retires. I knew right away that it was Larry. Brought tears to my eyes. Die hard Celtic fan because of Larry Legend.
i'll say the best players ever in this exact order #1 TIED chamberlain and russell #2 robertson #3 jabbar #4 jordan #5 johnson #6 bird #7 west and #8 olajuwon
@Stephen Forfer I said he's my favorite athlete of all time and didn't mention anything about race. If you were to poll every single basketball fan of all time about who was the greater player between Bird or Maravich it would, in my opinion, not even be close as Bird would easily be voted the better all around player.
@Stephen Forfer What's with all of the randomly placed BOLD words in your MESSAGES? Back to Larry vs Pete. Larry wins, all day every day. Pete was a stud for sure, but not the complete package that Larry was.
I would draft Larry Bird over any other player, period. Give me Larry Bird before the back injury any day of the week. A stone cold assassin. He had Indiana ice water running through his veins
@@HIMCULES I'd rather have Wilt...or Bill Russell. Larry's relative weakness was defense. He was a good defender, but nowhere near the level of Wilt or Bill.
@@joemarshall4226 in reality though, Wilt can't stop Larry from making the long shot, Larry can foul Wilt and send him to the line. Making buckets is king.
I lived north of Boston during the course of Bird's career, and every year when a new season started, we'd say, "Well, he can't be better than he was last year," and then . . . he was! Celtics' announcer Mike Gorman encapsulated it perfectly: "Almost every night, he was going to do something that just made your head spin around."
For fun, my buddies and I used to try to make from shots from behind and over the backboard. We would stand still and take turns and rarely ever make it. Bird did it during the full speed of an NBA game. Skill practice and grace.
Some pretty flashy passes, though.....and that shot over the backboard.....you look up "flash" in the online dictionary, and they just show that video over and over.....
I'm a Pistons fan who hated him, I say in my opinion he is the greatest of all time. He played D, rebounded, assisted, stole, blocked shots...and did I mention clutch shooting. He was the greatest clutch shooter of all time.
"That check's had my name on it for a week now" haaaa Larry fucking Legend. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to grow up with greats like Bird. Those were the days.
Larry was a team player which made him feared and the team better and real respect from his team and May be greatest all around of all time, he has my vote.
Its strange having grown up watching him battle magic hating him having that turn into respect an adoration. Now realizing the greatness of Bird and that era I feel like l missed out on watching it more and absorbing every second of it. We didn't get to watch all the games back then if it wasn't ur home city. No ESPN no computers just a score at the end of the news if you were lucky. And the game will never be that competitive again. That's just a fact.
Same here, but i was a Sixer fan. That team was stacked, but only got 1 championship. As for Magic, he was a monstrous guard. He almost looked like he was in slow mo.
It cracks me up when I see the Hawks players going nuts over bird in the game that night. It's total respect for the man's abilities on the court. Some say arrogant, I say that street trash talk. I love it. But Bird always backed it up. I die laughing Everytime I see it.
"Trash talking" used to refer to insulting the other player to get him off his game.....making fun of his looks or his family, or whatever you could to get him riled. What Larry did wasn't that kind of thing...he was just giving a gentle instruction to his opponents about the exact nature of how they were going to lose......
You're the best ever Larry! Hands down, the best anyone will ever see! Thank you and the Boston Celtics for allowing me to witness the best basketball player of all time!!
I grew up in Boston. Larry bird was the reason I never missed a celtics game. He made everything so exciting. The rivalry with the Lakers was so much fun. I really miss those days
@Jack Meoff bird + his celtics didn't get to round 4 in 06-80 while the lakers led by kareem abdul-jabbar won it all that year + he should have been the finals mvp
The shots!! The passing!!! The trash talking!!! The Olympic team!! The retirement ceremony!! The Championships!!! Magic & Bird brought the world back to basketball They were a duo like no other!!! Magic was right There will Never be another Larry Legend Hick from French Lick Bird!!! Was Blessed to see him play in person!!! My MVP!!
@Stephen Forfer There is nobody I would rather have take a clutch shot other than Bird. Mike would be about the only acceptable replacement, but when you factor in Mike's defense, you could say he was more clutch overall. Magic won 2 of their 3 Finals matchups mainly because Magic had the better teams by a bit. I have Bird 1 spot ahead of Magic on the all time list.
@Stephen Forfer Bird beat every killer in his era regular season and playoffs pistol Pete didn't play a quarter of the quality teams or opponents bird did literally just sit down
Larry was that awesome combination of absolute shooting skills, including 3-point shots, free throws (4-time league best), and the fade-away. Then there are his myriad of assists. It's one thing to simply pass the ball to the open guy, but when announcers are asking, "How did he do that?", and the ability to spot the open guy is simply unsurpassed. Add to that the rebounds, steals, and trash talk (about the game, not some comment about the other player's mother) that tended to demoralize the opposing player, and you have the guy who won 3 MVP awards IN A ROW and also came in second 3 other years. Currently in the NBA we have some fantastic shooters. Guys who make 3-point shots look easy. But can they rebound, steal, run a fast break, and be a feared defender? Nope. Some are better shots. Remember, Bird didn't start shooting 3-point shots until he got to the NBA. Some players now start shooting them in Jr. High. Small wonder the current crop is above average. Steph Curry is the closest player to Larry's caliber. Makes the tough shots, has spectacular moves, makes his teammates better, and moves extremely well without the ball. But Steph grew up in an NBA family. He was around pro players all his life, so the level of excellence was well known, and the work ethic was drummed into him at a very early age. (Same with Klay Thompson, BTW). But Larry grew up with an alcoholic father, no money, and a town of 2,000. None of those advantages. Nope, Larry is at the top of my list, along with Bill Russell as the most influential players on their respective teams. That makes them the MVP.
Very few players in basketball, could turn the game around by himself. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Julius Erving could. They would make a block or steal, then hit the fast break, take the shot or hit the open man, then follow it up. He is also a class act off the court, a rarity with these "stars" of today.
He was amazing, Hear the crowds , hear the thousands of voices cheering , euphoria , and still he looked so a simple man, I think that was his style , Cool and easy going , relaxed and lets enjoy the game, God bless him where ever he is now, I'm still right in every comment I had posted , He was my favorite in the 80's , in the 70's was Dr.J , in the 90's ? I need to clear my mind but soon I will remember, For now, Thanks for this videos. A real treasure to review once in a while 👍🕰🏀📽📭
@Rollo Tomasi No one said everyone was smart. Bird is going to get you championships out the gate. Look at the names you mentioned, then look at Bird's career and understand what you're looking at...haha.
Bird actually had a 28" vertical jump which was well above the NBA average at the time. He had a lot of awesome dunks during his career, but i guess it was more fun to say he couldn't jump. As far as I'm concerned, the best of all-time.
My first introduction to him was when I was a child playing NBA live. I randomly picked the Celtics and played my trash talking cousin. Throughout the game, I noticed he was a good.shooter. last moments of the game, I was down 2 and had him take a 3, as with some of clips, and I sunk it for the win. From then on I became a fan and started to research him. Great player!
Larry & Magic were relentless in their pursuit for victory over each other and both were the personification of “CLASS”. They were made to play at the same time together and I was extremely lucky to have witnessed it from the beginning in 1979 Indiana St vs Michigan St ❤️
The unbelievable shot over the backboard into the hoop, bird did whatever needed to be done to win. Defense, passing, left hand shots, over the backboard, and gentle explaining to his opponent on how they would lose. He did it all, he finally lost to an opponent that never let up, his Back. Certainly great for basketball, magic and bird was exciting. Many, many of his peers who weren't his teammates said he was the greatest ever.
What a great life , I’m happy for you Larry! I only hope that you are as happy in retirement! Time to enjoy the simple things , the sunshine, going for a ride, working in your yard! Enjoy your friends a dinner out ,travel a bit! Don’t invest foolishly, your already wealthy. Put your money in a secure investment with no loss! Don’t trust everyone, keep Jesus in your life and you will be ok! Good luck and thanks for making basketball wonderful to watch ! Loved the 80s , In 1980 I was 14 so I really got a good taste of what the 80s had to offer and I so miss it! Good luck Larry and I wish you good health as well as wealth!
Bird won three MVP’s while Jordan, Kareem, Magic, Moses Malone, Dr. J, Hakeem, etc. etc. etc. were playing. Let that sink in. Larry Legend indeed. The true GOAT.
@@michaelderamo1866 true true true. just like jordan should have won defensive player of the year - anually and if not for retirement wins 8 nba championships in a row
@@johnjon6159 I honestly feel the Rockets would have beaten them the 1st year if they met in the Finals in both '94 & '95. They were on the come up and the Bulls, believe it or not weren't as good in '93 as they were in either '91 or '92 IMHO even though still an outstanding team don't misunderstand me lol Then come the '95 Finals the Rockets would have felt the wrath of MJ in a revenge series like he did to Shaq and the Magic in '96 so no way as good as they were, the Rockets were beating that man a 2nd time!!!!
@@moheganson like for real. People forget McHale was a six man for a while coming off the bench. Seriously, the Lakers were so stacked with talent you could take Magic away and they still go very far, but take away Bird and Celts really have no chance. Larry is the key to all of it.
I liked what Riley said" if the game was on the line id go to jordon, if my life was on the line id go to bird!!!" Thats quiet a compliment coming from a coach whos had names such as magic, worthy, kareem under his belt! Mr Larry Bird was indeed a joy to watch. Total and complete package and unselfish as a team player.
Yes that was a buzzer beater on Pippen and Jordan! The steak against Detroit is amazing but the most amazing part is his court awareness after he steals the ball if you slow it down you can see him rise up on the balls of his feet with his heels in the air over the baseline. If he puts his heels down he’s out of bounds. The awareness to know that in that situation is unbelievable!
He wasn't very fast.... But was always a step ahead. He couldn't jump.....but always got the rebound. He wasn't very quick.....but always stole the ball.... Wow. What an awesome player.
super basketball IQ,,,maybe the highest ever
read my posted comment
If he could run and jump nobody will knew who Michael Jordan was
@@jarekwajcfeld5127 I wouldn't go THAT far. Michael Jordan would still be the best of his era and still be in the conversation for GOAT because he would still be Michael Jordan.
he won a tip on hakeem
I grew up a Lakers fan as a kid in the late 60's. Remembered Showtime in the 80's in my 20's. My bucket list was to atttend a Lakers vs Celtics game. I had that opportunity in 83. Bird lit the Lakers up in the 4th quarter and the Celtics won. I wasn't mad at all because, I witnessed greatness in Larry Bird!
You're like a hundred years old or something
What can you do rather understand this guy genius of Larry legend
@@sharonsylar8597 maths not your strong suit is it.
Lucky!!! I wish I would have watched Larry back then. I was 8 when he started with the Celtics. But I was raised in a Lakers fan dominate family. They hated Bird and the Celtics. You knew when the Lakers were playing the Celtics. There was always this weird vibe of anger and awe. Especially when Bird was cooking the Lakers.
@@ldybozz I was in the same boat only my fam were/are Celtic/Bird fans. My dad use to lose his shit when Larry bird defied physics.
Magic said it perfectly... There will never be another Larry Bird!! GOAT!!
*"Larry, I hear that you're retiring. Thank goodness. I'm glad. I'm tired of seeing your face."* _-Michael Jordan_
Couldnt beat the bird...
Canal
@@sugarnads yup boston could not beat the pistons.
From Luis Alberto Ramos JR Louie Louie I like Larry Bird, because he is team player he is not selfish, today many athletics are very selfish today and Larry Bird is the most fundamental player in the NBA and Larry Bird and Magic Johnson save the NBA from bankrupty in1979 both players brought New style and excited to the NBA and many seats were full 🌝 those two player's make a
Difference,the way play 🏀.
Larry Bird is a jack of all trades, great in defense and scoring and a great passer.
I love Magic's words at the end... there will never be another Larry Bird.
It's pretty special that those 2 started at the NCAA finals in '79 as rivals and came to be best friends.
@Edward Snowden - he's great but Bird is a god, he's a legend of legends.
@Edward Snowden - my point is... There is only one Mount Rushmore, and Bird is on it. Bird is a basketball icon. He's literally one of the top 5 players that ever played. It would be tough to reach that level. Cheers
@Edward Snowden - the more I watch Luka Doncic the more I'm impressed by him. He definitely has some Bird in him. He can shoot and pass extremely well, and he has a high basketball IQ.
From all the highlights I've seen he's unbelievable. The big question will be can he do it in the playoffs when the pressure is much greater? If he can he will go down as one of the best ever.
He's like Mr Buzzer Beater. He can shoot it.
Edward Snowden no he is nothing like bird
I was a Lakers fan in the 80's and HATED Larry Bird. You always knew if there were a couple seconds left on the clock and he got the final shot he would make it. Now I watch his highlight videos and just respect the hell out of how good he was.
Larry Bird, most likely the highest IQ ever seen on the basketball court to date. His moves, the way he was reading a game, precise passing, shooting... pure awesomeness.
This man really hit two game winners in one game
*Let that sink in*
dude was my basketball idol, as a white baller from california
Settings
@@usabro410 me too n scared of a marksman bird
the badboy
@Jack Meoff Summer of 86 or 87 he injured his back lifting lots of heavy bags of concrete for his moms driveway. He was injured with bad back his last 7 seasons plus his achilles heel injury plus fractures and broken fingers etc. He injured his hand after college before he even started his pro NBA career! Larry would have been even better without an injured hand and broken fingers and he just kept quiet about it till 91 if I recall right when the pain became too unbearable even for this tough Indiana farm boy! If Larry was healthy he would have played another 5-10 years easy! There would be no debate about who is the GOAT at all! Lebron is a stat player but Lebron is not clutch. He had 2 game winners compared to so many big time clutch shots of Larry. I read Paul Pierce is number 1 in clutch shots MJ 2nd. Not sure where Larry is ranked but those numbers are very skewed. I saw 20 clutch shots atleast from Larry if not more! Final minute final seconds buzzer beaters etc In one game he had 3-4 clutch shots against the Bullets in double OT! Coach called TO when he hit game winner! Larry was upset! Comes back and hits the game winner again in same spot! Some times he left .5 secs or 2 secs or 3 secs or 4 secs so does that mean he was not clutch heck no! Ask MJ Pippen XMAN Kareem Magic James Worthy Barkley Isiah Dr J Ewing Moses Malone Pat Riley Michael Cooper Reggie Miller Rodman Dominique Doc Rivers Antoine Carr Spud Webb Cliff Levingston Clyde Drexler Akeem Ralph Sampson The Lakers Rockets 76ers Bulls Knicks Pistons Bucks Hawks Bullets Mavs Blazers everyone knew Larry was the best player from 84-88! Should have had 5 straight MVPS not 3! He beat everyone. The East was so much better than the West back then too! I could say plenty more! He was the best all round player ever! I love seeing these old clips of him and the Celtics! I love watching the old clips of MJ and Scottie too. I have the old games on my VHS tapes! This was real basketball back then. Every playoff team in the East was a good team while in the West there was mainly 3-4 teams LA Rockets Portland Utah Seattle and Dallas were decent.
Man I wish he was still playing. Those were great times..
@MUFC bro please leave we on a basketball page 🤣🤣🤣
@MUFC Yawn
@MUFC who asked? Like seriously
@MUFC soccer not gonna be the most popular in the US though in your dreams maybe
@MUFC soccer is boring asf you know you smoking crack 😂😂
It was a blessing to watch real basketball back in the 1980's.
Today’s basketball is fake No DEFENCE just hotdog offense. Back in the day a hotdog was the nastiest thing you could be called. I got 41 points in a high school game but could have scored 60 if I had hotdogged it like Jordan.
Absolutely ❤️✊I’m now 58 and remember well 🌈Beautiful era 👀
I agree 100 percent.
I miss this guy so much. Used to drive down to Boston from Vermont a couple times a year just to see Bird play in person back in the 1980's. I don't believe anyone came close to him when it came to 'game on the line' shot.
I'm from Vermont as well! Larry was my favorite player back in the day from the 80s-90s. Nobody had a higher play IQ than Bird. I don't think anybody got in more fights than Bird either haha. You couldn't watch him play without complete entertainment
1:48 Not enough people respect that shot.. He pulled a fade away against MJ and Pippen and on top of that it was a game winner in Chicago's home.
And Michael jumped high as he could. You can see coach Phil Jackson yelling
and I like the commentator knew how the play was going to go and suggesting when to double Bird quickly.
And just came back from injury that game
I don't think I'd ever seen that shot before. Great shot.
Bird's fade was never blocked.
Larry Bird's passing and shooting are truly impressive. I can't believe someone could make those shots at those angles, move the ball with that much finesse, and be this good.
i coulden't beleive he put it in from behind the net
Sometimes I just go down rabbit holes watching clips of him do impossible things.
@@jhanlon1903 that definitely happened more than once if I'm not mistaken.
I'm from the UK and never watch Basketball but I know who Larry Bird is and he truly was "All that!!"
He was truly a devoted, unparalleled genius of basketball. The pinnacle of players.
I hated Magic back in the day, but grew to like him over the years. You can tell he likes and respects Bird. Both are legends forever.
Jealous
True story.
"Thank you Larry for all the great memories. Thank you for what you did for Boston."
Larry Bird is a man who comes once in a thousand years.
Showtime fan here, watched this dude for years. Truthfully, what impressed me the most was his rebounding. Bird was vicious on the boards.
Red Auerbach the president of the Celtics who signed Larry Bird said that the people who scouted him never told anybody that he could rebound. I know nothing about basketball except I watched every Celtics game from 1982 - 1990
The footage against the Hawks always makes me smile. What a brilliant player.
It's a shame that basketball is now unwatchable.
@@steverenom.299
Not at all...
@@steverenom.299 very 😢
@@steverenom.299 How? Honestly the nba is way more fun to watch nowadays with all the uber-athletic players and logo 3s that we see regularly
@@AA-vn3ru Because it is all too often just one on one basketball with players standing around or attempted fast breaks
that more resemble a prison break with no sense of a plan. There's very little teamwork and "uber-athletic" simply
means they can travel and palm the ball now. Can you imagine if Dr. J. were allowed to travel and palm the ball at will
as they are today? Wow!!!! Teamwork resulting in a better shot for a player is now just thrown by the wayside for an
attempted 3 point shot. If you think the NBA is more fun to watch nowadays then you must be too young to have ever
watched it in past days. I won't even get into the fact that most of these players are pussies. Imagine Dennis Rodman
being his usual pain in the ass against Lebron James? I think Lebron would break down in tears. It was a good blend
of physical play and skilled play in the past that is sorely missing today. Anyhow, you enjoy todays game that's your
right to do so. If you don't realize what you are missing perhaps you're happier for that.
Wow! Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, rivals for well over a decade, vicious rivals, not nasty but vicious on the court, their play did the talking for them.! This was a rivalry that not only picked up a lagging NBA, and saved it, it was a competition between two great basketball players who brought their game from college into the professional lime light! Fans all of a sudden had a cause to get involved, East versus West! The rest of the NBA got caught up in this rivalry and they seemingly decided to picked up their rivalries, and all of a sudden you've got some serious B-Ball competition all over the US, that eventually would spill over to the rest of the world, through the "Dream Team" in "92". Larry Bird and Irving "Magic" Johnson developed a respect for each other, that eventually grew into a great friendship, that should stand as a model for all current and future sports competitions!
Earvin. Earvin Magic Johnson.
Magic Johnson seemed like a very likeable fellow anyway. It doesn't surprise me that he and Bird would get along outside of the basketball court.
Nice collection of video. People that did not see Bird play forget he was considered the greatest non center to ever play as early as 85-86. To see how dominant Bird was, look at the MVP voting. While winning the ROY award he was also 4th in 1980 for season MVP. Then was 2nd in 81,82,83 and 88. He won MVP in 84,85,and 86 and was 3rd in 87. In his first 9 seasons he was all NBA 1st team 9 times and the Celtics in games Bird played won 534 games and lost 177 games in 711 games = a win % of 75.1 for 9 seasons = the highest win % of any NBA player ever and this was in the stronger East conference. Bird was on 3 all defensive teams ( 2nd team) and was ranked 25th all time in defensive win shares. Bird led NBA in win shares for the decade of the 80's. Bird created the 50-40-90 club and did it for 2 seasons in a row, one year averaging 29.9 points per game. He was the main reason Boston went from a 29 win team to a 61 win team his rookie season = a 32 game turn around, at that time the biggest turn around ever for an NBA team. His rebounding goes unnoticed ( he had a 28 inch vertical as a rookie) averaged 10 boards a game for his career and the only Celtic ever to post a 40 point and 20 rebound game vs Indiana in 1987. He had the court vision of a point guard and threaded the needle in traffic and threw bounce passes between the opposing team's player's legs! His passing gift was unreal and he was ambidextrous with passing and shooting. Perhaps his greatest skill was the ability to hit clutch shots and the end of games and being fearless when taking chances and the game on the line. One of a kind, don't sleep on Larry Legend!
Ditto
The things more incredible about Larry Bird is that he played his career with a broken back and he destroyed the finger he used to shot before he entered in the league we could only imagine what he could be without this injuries.
@@albertofadel253 just goes to show: Larry Bird was as tough, as a person can get!
He was also Coach of the Year and Manager of the Year after he retired from the Celtics and went to the Pacers. He's the only person who ever received all three awards.
One of the best posts about Bird I've ever read. 3 mvps in a row and then 2nd 4 times? WOW, just wow!
All the news said that night was a legend retires. I knew right away that it was Larry. Brought tears to my eyes. Die hard Celtic fan because of Larry Legend.
Watched all those games in the 80 s still love the Bird
Damnit I got choked up at the end. Saturday afternoon as a teenager I was watching Larry Bird. Phenomenal player and my fave
Bird was the king of clutch shooting and he seemed to have some super natural power.
The SOB had ice water in his veins. He just oozed confidence.. there will never be another Larry Bird
Doncic
Also Lebron too, who’s basically like bird just incredibly athletic
I lived in Boston during the 80s my son and I were blessed and privileged to see Larry GOAT the 86 team was greatest basketball team of all time!!!!
i'll say the best players ever in this exact order #1 TIED chamberlain and russell #2 robertson #3 jabbar #4 jordan #5 johnson #6 bird #7 west and #8 olajuwon
My favorite athlete of all time and there's not even a close 2nd
@Stephen Forfer I said he's my favorite athlete of all time and didn't mention anything about race. If you were to poll every single basketball fan of all time about who was the greater player between Bird or Maravich it would, in my opinion, not even be close as Bird would easily be voted the better all around player.
@Stephen Forfer What's with all of the randomly placed BOLD words in your MESSAGES? Back to Larry vs Pete. Larry wins, all day every day. Pete was a stud for sure, but not the complete package that Larry was.
Why you watching this? Watch pistol Pete highlights and shut the fuck up.
Joey Chestnut.
@@christophermullaley1597 He will win the hot dog contest again this year, lol🤣🌭🌭🌭
He’s the reason I was a Celtics fan.
still am
i somewhat like bird but i really equally love wilt chamberlain and bill russell
Me too.
my #1 favorite male athletes/jocks ever tied are + were wilt chamberlain + bill russell
Me too...
That double buzzer beater was insane. Truly a moment for the ages.
Edit: Holy shit. 4:40 is one of the best plays I’ve ever seen. Speechless.
I saw that game @4:40
My husband still has his Bird jersey from when he was just a young boy, growing up in Boston.
Bird is and always will be "poetry in motion"
My favorite moment, even as a Sonics fan, wasthe game winner over X man in Seattle. Celtics never led the game, won on that last shot. Hats off!
FUCK YOURSELF!!!!
I would draft Larry Bird over any other player, period. Give me Larry Bird before the back injury any day of the week. A stone cold assassin. He had Indiana ice water running through his veins
@Ken D Yes. His work ethic killed his career that summer
Bill Russell said he'd take Wilt first, Larry second.
@@joemarshall4226 but in a close game, would you rather have Larry Legend, in the opposing team???
@@HIMCULES I'd rather have Wilt...or Bill Russell. Larry's relative weakness was defense. He was a good defender, but nowhere near the level of Wilt or Bill.
@@joemarshall4226 in reality though, Wilt can't stop Larry from making the long shot, Larry can foul Wilt and send him to the line. Making buckets is king.
He continued with making the Celtics, along with Magic Johnson and the Lakers, one of the NBA's two most storied franchises in the 1980's.
I remember watching these games and just marveling at Larry Bird growing up!! He is the GOAT...
the goats tied are wilt chamberlain + bill russell
Bird was a pure shooter of the highest order. His jump shot was exquisite! Isaiah Thomas’ mother called Bird’s jumper “Silent Death.”
I lived north of Boston during the course of Bird's career, and every year when a new season started, we'd say, "Well, he can't be better than he was last year," and then . . . he was! Celtics' announcer Mike Gorman encapsulated it perfectly: "Almost every night, he was going to do something that just made your head spin around."
I watched all the Celtics games from 1982 -1990. Sportschannel was the cable channel. Hello from the south shore.
Bird backed up his trash talking.....it was ridiculous
a living legend of the game of basketball every time he stepped on the floor. mad mad respect.
For fun, my buddies and I used to try to make from shots from behind and over the backboard. We would stand still and take turns and rarely ever make it. Bird did it during the full speed of an NBA game. Skill practice and grace.
🐐
The Birdman: No flash, just straight cash.
Some pretty flashy passes, though.....and that shot over the backboard.....you look up "flash" in the online dictionary, and they just show that video over and over.....
5:57 the way he creates a shot with multiple dudes defending him at once. Crazy.
Larry was an will always be one of the greatest players of all time ! I am a LA Lakers fan but I admired him
Bird and Magic, never see that again, when Bball was great
In that era in my 20s, I like a retard hate on him...when I got to my 40s and looked again he and his team were baddass! (Appreciation) A Best.
I'm a Pistons fan who hated him, I say in my opinion he is the greatest of all time. He played D, rebounded, assisted, stole, blocked shots...and did I mention clutch shooting. He was the greatest clutch shooter of all time.
@@j-dog9800 - Indeed. It was dumb to Hate him in my 20s, what a fool (me). He was Baddass and no in my 50s looking back, The Best.
I can relate. I'm a lifelong Celtics fan but those great series in the 80s made me admire Magic and Kareem.
Bird is so understated.....he won 3 consecutive MVPs while in the league at the same time as Jordan, Magic, Dr. J, Kareem and so on..
"That check's had my name on it for a week now" haaaa Larry fucking Legend. I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to grow up with greats like Bird. Those were the days.
Larry was a team player which made him feared and the team better and real respect from his team and May be greatest all around of all time, he has my vote.
Bird and the shootout with Atlanta was the greatest game to watch just breathtaking
Its strange having grown up watching him battle magic hating him having that turn into respect an adoration. Now realizing the greatness of Bird and that era I feel like l missed out on watching it more and absorbing every second of it. We didn't get to watch all the games back then if it wasn't ur home city. No ESPN no computers just a score at the end of the news if you were lucky. And the game will never be that competitive again. That's just a fact.
Same here, but i was a Sixer fan. That team was stacked, but only got 1 championship. As for Magic, he was a monstrous guard. He almost looked like he was in slow mo.
I loved listening to Johnny Most and Glen Ordway broadcast those games!! Larry was the best ever, he would talk trash but he backed every word!!
Love the video man! This dude was something else
Thanks 🙏
It cracks me up when I see the Hawks players going nuts over bird in the game that night. It's total respect for the man's abilities on the court. Some say arrogant, I say that street trash talk. I love it. But Bird always backed it up. I die laughing Everytime I see it.
"Trash talking" used to refer to insulting the other player to get him off his game.....making fun of his looks or his family, or whatever you could to get him riled. What Larry did wasn't that kind of thing...he was just giving a gentle instruction to his opponents about the exact nature of how they were going to lose......
You're the best ever Larry! Hands down, the best anyone will ever see! Thank you and the Boston Celtics for allowing me to witness the best basketball player of all time!!
Funny
My favorite b ball player ever. You can completely tell he dedicated his self to basket ball, and,damn, lighting fast.
Grew up on him ,the best I can describe him ,he was better then a movie or a concert, bball not the same without ya #LB33 ❤🐦
I grew up in Boston. Larry bird was the reason I never missed a celtics game. He made everything so exciting. The rivalry with the Lakers was so much fun. I really miss those days
AWESOME. My favourite basketballer of all time :)
Had his retirement ceremony on a night with no game. Damn!
Bird was the complete player and is the best ever for that reason.
the best players ever are #1 tied wilt chamberlain + bill russell #2 oscar robertson #3 kareem abdul-jabbar #4 michael jordan #5 magic johnson
#6 larry bird #7 jerry west #8 hakeem olajuwon #9 shaquille o'neal #10 elgin baylor
@Jack Meoff tell me how u figure that
@Jack Meoff u make sense but the finals mvp is the better award than the season mvp + bird got his 1st finals mvp in 06-84
@Jack Meoff bird + his celtics didn't get to round 4 in 06-80 while the lakers led by kareem abdul-jabbar won it all that year + he should have been the finals mvp
Best player I've even seen.
You mean Jordan lol cough cough
Dave Bautista hell no, Jordan’s attitude sucks, BIRD is the goat
@@bobbywall172 No he’s not.
@@Abbad1579 yes he is
@@AA-vn3ru He's not
Love going back and watching old legends highlights I wish I could have seen Larry Bird live
The shots!! The passing!!! The trash talking!!! The Olympic team!! The retirement ceremony!! The Championships!!! Magic & Bird brought the world back to basketball They were a duo like no other!!! Magic was right There will Never be another Larry Legend Hick from French Lick Bird!!! Was Blessed to see him play in person!!! My MVP!!
Bird was NO JOKE!
Larry legend baby the greatest pure shooter ever.
Watching these legends play makes me feel so good, thank you 👏
Jerry West, John Havlicek, and Michael Jordan had the reputation as clutch players.....Bird was double clutch.
Facts
Bro wtf r u talking about lmao all those players were clutch shut up
@@Shoogie511 Bird hit 2 game winning 3 - pointers in one game.....double clutch.
@Stephen Forfer
There is nobody I would rather have take a clutch shot other than Bird. Mike would be about the only acceptable replacement, but when you factor in Mike's defense, you could say he was more clutch overall.
Magic won 2 of their 3 Finals matchups mainly because Magic had the better teams by a bit. I have Bird 1 spot ahead of Magic on the all time list.
@Stephen Forfer Bird beat every killer in his era regular season and playoffs pistol Pete didn't play a quarter of the quality teams or opponents bird did literally just sit down
Larry was that awesome combination of absolute shooting skills, including 3-point shots, free throws (4-time league best), and the fade-away. Then there are his myriad of assists. It's one thing to simply pass the ball to the open guy, but when announcers are asking, "How did he do that?", and the ability to spot the open guy is simply unsurpassed.
Add to that the rebounds, steals, and trash talk (about the game, not some comment about the other player's mother) that tended to demoralize the opposing player, and you have the guy who won 3 MVP awards IN A ROW and also came in second 3 other years.
Currently in the NBA we have some fantastic shooters. Guys who make 3-point shots look easy. But can they rebound, steal, run a fast break, and be a feared defender? Nope. Some are better shots. Remember, Bird didn't start shooting 3-point shots until he got to the NBA. Some players now start shooting them in Jr. High. Small wonder the current crop is above average.
Steph Curry is the closest player to Larry's caliber. Makes the tough shots, has spectacular moves, makes his teammates better, and moves extremely well without the ball. But Steph grew up in an NBA family. He was around pro players all his life, so the level of excellence was well known, and the work ethic was drummed into him at a very early age. (Same with Klay Thompson, BTW). But Larry grew up with an alcoholic father, no money, and a town of 2,000. None of those advantages.
Nope, Larry is at the top of my list, along with Bill Russell as the most influential players on their respective teams. That makes them the MVP.
Most people don't know that Larry usually had the highest free throw percentage in the whole league.
Very few players in basketball, could turn the game around by himself. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Julius Erving could. They would make a block or steal, then hit the fast break, take the shot or hit the open man, then follow it up. He is also a class act off the court, a rarity with these "stars" of today.
Bird’s Basketball IQ was off the charts. A true Legend of the game. My all time fave.
I guess the Jordan documentary skipped the part where bird made a game winner over jordan😂
Bcuz of course they did!
Maybe because the last dance was revolved around a specific season??
Jordan was great but what Bird did was ineradicable! He Did MJ shit b4 there was a MJ.. I look at the things he did and say NO WAY!!
They skipped those great Bucks teams also. With Terry Cummings and Sidney Moncrief. They beat MJ/Bulls first but couldn't beat the Celtics either.
Larry🐦, the 🐐, made that shot over Jordan AND Pippen.
Greatest ever!
Imagine being known for making the greatest defensive play in NBA history
He was amazing, Hear the crowds , hear the thousands of voices cheering , euphoria , and still he looked so a simple man, I think that was his style , Cool and easy going , relaxed and lets enjoy the game, God bless him where ever he is now, I'm still right in every comment I had posted , He was my favorite in the 80's , in the 70's was Dr.J , in the 90's ? I need to clear my mind but soon I will remember, For now, Thanks for this videos. A real treasure to review once in a while 👍🕰🏀📽📭
Gives me goosebumps just watching this, 2020 btw
I loved Larry...he was the greatest of all time imo....you can feel differently..
If I had 1 pick to build a franchise- I'm gonna pick that hick from French Lick 💯
@Rollo Tomasi No one said everyone was smart. Bird is going to get you championships out the gate. Look at the names you mentioned, then look at Bird's career and understand what you're looking at...haha.
@MUFC
Omg. Using a different alias....that’s ok, I’ll report this one too you TROLL!
People don't just love a winner. We love enthusiasm. Passion. Devotion. Hard work.
He was simply the Best!
Bird actually had a 28" vertical jump which was well above the NBA average at the time. He had a lot of awesome dunks during his career, but i guess it was more fun to say he couldn't jump. As far as I'm concerned, the best of all-time.
R.I.P DJ
When did DrJ die?
Howard Crowe DJ refers to Dennis Johnson.
D J died a few years ago
My first introduction to him was when I was a child playing NBA live. I randomly picked the Celtics and played my trash talking cousin. Throughout the game, I noticed he was a good.shooter. last moments of the game, I was down 2 and had him take a 3, as with some of clips, and I sunk it for the win. From then on I became a fan and started to research him. Great player!
If I was picking a basketball team of all history and I had the first pick, I'm taking Larry Bird.
Yup.
Larry & Magic were relentless in their pursuit for victory over each other and both were the personification of “CLASS”. They were made to play at the same time together and I was extremely lucky to have witnessed it from the beginning in 1979 Indiana St vs Michigan St ❤️
The Golden age of basketball - its just different today
The unbelievable shot over the backboard into the hoop, bird did whatever needed to be done to win. Defense, passing, left hand shots, over the backboard, and gentle explaining to his opponent on how they would lose. He did it all, he finally lost to an opponent that never let up, his Back. Certainly great for basketball, magic and bird was exciting. Many, many of his peers who weren't his teammates said he was the greatest ever.
What a great life , I’m happy for you Larry! I only hope that you are as happy in retirement! Time to enjoy the simple things , the sunshine, going for a ride, working in your yard! Enjoy your friends a dinner out ,travel a bit! Don’t invest foolishly, your already wealthy. Put your money in a secure investment with no loss! Don’t trust everyone, keep Jesus in your life and you will be ok! Good luck and thanks for making basketball wonderful to watch ! Loved the 80s , In 1980 I was 14 so I really got a good taste of what the 80s had to offer and I so miss it! Good luck Larry and I wish you good health as well as wealth!
He had next level hand eye coordination, he was simply amazing to watch play.
Bird won three MVP’s while Jordan, Kareem, Magic, Moses Malone, Dr. J, Hakeem, etc. etc. etc. were playing. Let that sink in. Larry Legend indeed. The true GOAT.
And arguably could have won 5 in a row b/c his raw #s were even better in '87 & '88 than the 3 yrs he actually won MVP
@@michaelderamo1866 true true true. just like jordan should have won defensive player of the year - anually and if not for retirement wins 8 nba championships in a row
@@johnjon6159 I honestly feel the Rockets would have beaten them the 1st year if they met in the Finals in both '94 & '95. They were on the come up and the Bulls, believe it or not weren't as good in '93 as they were in either '91 or '92 IMHO even though still an outstanding team don't misunderstand me lol Then come the '95 Finals the Rockets would have felt the wrath of MJ in a revenge series like he did to Shaq and the Magic in '96 so no way as good as they were, the Rockets were beating that man a 2nd time!!!!
And essentially put McHale and Parrish in the HOF
Can’t think of any other player that put 2 average teammates in the HOF
@@moheganson like for real. People forget McHale was a six man for a while coming off the bench. Seriously, the Lakers were so stacked with talent you could take Magic away and they still go very far, but take away Bird and Celts really have no chance. Larry is the key to all of it.
The most clutch player EVER!
Wow! I've never seen a player who played that good like him
I liked what Riley said" if the game was on the line id go to jordon, if my life was on the line id go to bird!!!" Thats quiet a compliment coming from a coach whos had names such as magic, worthy, kareem under his belt! Mr Larry Bird was indeed a joy to watch. Total and complete package and unselfish as a team player.
I'm pretty sure Bird is the reason they have the expression "the dagger 3."
Loved to watch the expression's on opposing team faces when Larry did his thing.
Drafted a YEAR before he got out of college !!
Every time i see larry bird highlights it makes me want to play as him in 2k
I live work in his hometown. makes me proud to be from the area
That GOAT 🐐 in my book…
Yes that was a buzzer beater on Pippen and Jordan! The steak against Detroit is amazing but the most amazing part is his court awareness after he steals the ball if you slow it down you can see him rise up on the balls of his feet with his heels in the air over the baseline. If he puts his heels down he’s out of bounds. The awareness to know that in that situation is unbelievable!
Magic really loves Larry , he lights up just talking about him . Almost every interview ive seen .