They're both top five but MJ is the greatest. They're the most impactful players outside of Wilt Chamberlain to ever play the game. They played with heart and soul and gave it their all. Today's players can't be bothered 😕.
@MostafaFolukeHaven't you heard from the best defenders in the league that they would rather check MJ than Bird? Why do you think that is? Why did Magic and MJ want Bird to play on the Dream Team?
I never heard him tell that lie. They never allowed MJ to check Bird because embarrassing him offensively was too much for certain fans to accept, already.
LMAO!!! Remember the Easter Conference finals when Larry coached the Pacers? When Reggie shoved MJ. After the inbound, and hit that 3 with seconds left. The entire arena in Indiana , along with the bench were going Nutz.. Everyone except for Larry. If ever the Doc Holliday quote had a face to pin to it !!. “ Why Jonny Ringo,.. You look like someone just stepped over your grave.” That was exactly the look on Coach Larry’s face.😂
Shot a 3 to tie and missed he wasn't a good 3 point shooter. Stop kissing his ass he also missed the free throw to win on the 3 point shot he missed to win the game....
Bird deserves to be remembered as one of the best players ever especially having his career cut short by a bad back but Jordan didn’t have the chance to win this game at being fouled on a 3 pt attempt because this was not 3 free throws in a foul the rule didnt change until 1994/1995 season
Thank you so much for this video. I'm a late appreciator of Basketball. It is seen his mistakes in 86 that fuels me to succeed into what I do. Completely inspiring, Focus and obsession are the way to greatness. God blessed Mr. Jordan and all of those involved in his era.
It's also possible he needed that time away from the game and without it would have won fewer than six titles, maybe no more than three. We'll never know, but every NBA championship in history might have turned out differently if things had been different, and it's ridiculous how people regurgitate this popular talking point that the Bulls might have won eight straight if MJ hadn't retired. It's disrespectful to the Rockets championship teams of 94 and 95 that did well against the Bulls and defeated very good teams to win those titles.
Not likely, he would have burnt out, i bet that's why he retired in the first place. Well that and the gambling in games was also rumored to be why he stepped away, a soft suspension that didn't make the NBA look bad.
Bulls went to eastern finals . Si the argument bird had better team is bogus . 21 wins draft bird 61 wins . Why didn't mj do that with bulls O-6 vs bird playoffs.
@StevenWolfe-lx8js Bird’s rookie VORP = 4.8 That’s roughly 4-6 wins depending on conversion. Unless Byrd was the team doctor and the coach too.. 🏀 Jordan’s rookie VORP = 7.3 That translates to roughly: ~7-9 wins above replacement That means the low end for Jordan is higher than the high end for Byrd.
This was a magic moment in NBA history! The Celtics led the league in showcasing, not a fast or particularly athletic team, but one that played fantastic team ball, hustle and defense. There ball movement and shot selections were on a whole other level. And their passing game was simply phenomenal - I mean, how many young and exceptionally fast teams did they pass into total exhaustion?
80's and 90's NBA was so spectular, it swept around the globe and made even my home country Switzerland hold big public streetball tournaments and basketball camps and an overall excitmnet for the sport that has practically vanished since. I'd say the peak of NBA and basketball was reached in a mix of the Bulls double tripplet win and Space Jam the movie, displaying how marketable and successfull the game was in that time. Yeah Shaq and Kobe prolonged it a while, but in hindsight it was riding the already created wave to it's end, and Phil Jackson certainly was a part of the success. Rule changes and lack of calling out blatant violations during the game by refs just led to what the NBA is today. A sharpshooter contest, with sprinkles of action towards the basket, allowing offensive players to travel in order to make it look cool...Lebron taking like 4 steps without dribbling has to be a classic by now. Anyone ever playing the game around the 90's will instantly see and call out the ridiculous carrying and travelling today. And probably ponder the defensive rules...can't have one arm leaning against your appointed target while guarding the ball-bearing player to ensure he can't pass to the guy you are guarding ? Or zone defense being illegal because it's effective but not enough action for TV ? Guess i'm a old shitstain and don't know what basketball is anymore....But i do see how it became unpopular ever so more in the last 20 years....
The '86 Boston, the greatest frontline ever. kids today don't know how dominant they were. the rotations and play they did was insane! they would easily won 2 more if they were healthy and also if the Len Bias tragedy didn't happen 💔
To get any kind of positive comment out of Bird is one thing, but that kind of raving compliment about Jordan and it being the toughest game he ever played is another. He knew he had witnessed the greatest player to ever walk on the court.
Man I miss the nba from back then! Everyone was a bulls fan because of Jorden pippin Stockton luke Langley the worm so many not just good players but bad ass players!
I remembered the old school Nintendo game Jordan vs Bird damn whatever happened to the 80s I was broke as a kid growing up but I remembered that game come out Wow what an era that has and will truly never be forgotten.
Bird was the GOAT, MJ was MUCH younger and not beat up like Bird was at that point. Nobody has ever been, or will be better than Larry Bird. He was the complete, total basketball genius. MJ had more dexterity, but he was not the brain Bird was.
Another perspective is that to what extent of greatness is a player without having an opposition which is competent competition so to showcase both abilities? I mean I have watched games where the guy HAD to dribble behind his back in order to score the goal. That was so much more than the games where I have watched the guy dribble behind his back basically just showing off. - I won't call Larry the goat but I will say L3G3ND because not only HIS abilities but of the opponents' abilities which he played. I mean list the names Larry played (and usually beat) and it is a who's who starting with Dr. J and ending with MJ ... in between was Magic, Kareem-Abdul, Barkley, Isiah, and on and on.
I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again. My favorite player or all time is Larry Bird. However, I know that the greatest, and best, player of all time is undeniably Michael Jordan!
GOAT. There is no debate, and there never will be. He beat every other great player and team consistently, could score like a magician, was a defensive master, and did it all in a league where you could not travel and in a much tougher league. I say there will never be anyone better because MJ left no room for improvement in any aspect. Truly the GOAT.
Those first few years with MJ saw the Bulls as fighting to go to the playoffs and flashing brilliance during them but then getting culled by other powerhouse teams. They needed time to build a championship team around Jordan. Which, of course, they did.
...if you could meld Larry's BB IQ, passing, and tolerance for pain, with Jordan's athletic ability...or, just give Larry, Jordan's physique, and be done with it....
What are you talking about? Tell me when Jordan beat the Celtics during the Bird Era? The best statistical year Jordan ever had he went 1 and 3 against bad back and feet Bird. Larry always rose to the occasion staying in Traction for two days before those games. I am old but not that damn old. I watched those games.
@larryfryery4592I just asked him what the hell is he talking about. Obviously he wasn't around to watch Jordan get beat. Even bad back and feet Bird, Jordan didn't beat.
I'm as big an MJ fan as you will find but this wasn't the turning point for him insofar as how he was viewed in the NBA. This was a great player on a bad (30-win) team putting up 41 shots in one amazing performance on the way to getting swept by a great team. What put MJ over the hump was (finally) beating the Bad Boy Pistons and Chuck Daly's "Jordan Rules".
The 63 point game was the only game to celtics won that was by less than ten points in Boston. Every other home game , they won handily by double digits. Yes , jordan got swept twice , but even larry said the fault didn't lie with Jordan. It's the fact that he didn't have a good team around him. Larry knew what Jordan was about and vice versa. Maestroes in da house.
Legends always speak the truth🤔. First what Larry said “Nobody like’m”. Then what Mike said “one player can’t beat a great team. One play can’t. Buuuut he almost did😉.
Jordan should never of had to put that much on his shoulders. Through the years the bulls did get some weapons to place alongside Jordan, but looking at it the other way he always wanted the ball that’s what winners do. He was literally a showcase.
This is when the NBA was very competitive I love watching every minute of it as a kid now I can’t tell u who’s who I don’t watch it now lol the competitiveness just not there for me anymore
MJ and Bird are part the greatest players in history
Always felt that way as well.
MJ, but where does Bird fit in?
They're both top five but MJ is the greatest. They're the most impactful players outside of Wilt Chamberlain to ever play the game. They played with heart and soul and gave it their all. Today's players can't be bothered 😕.
@MostafaFoluke2 in my book and magic next to him even labron has bird on his top 3
@MostafaFolukeHaven't you heard from the best defenders in the league that they would rather check MJ than Bird? Why do you think that is? Why did Magic and MJ want Bird to play on the Dream Team?
Larry and Jordan had a lot of respect for each other. I've also heard Jordan say he couldn't stop Bird.
I never heard him tell that lie. They never allowed MJ to check Bird because embarrassing him offensively was too much for certain fans to accept, already.
@MostafaFolukeNo one could stop Bird. No one could stop MJ.
@MostafaFolukeyou are ridiculous.
Michael's Bulls never got past Larry's Celtics in the playoffs. It takes more than one great game to win a series.
@MostafaFolukethey rarely even guarded each other. Why would you put a 6'6" guard on a 6'10" forward?
This was when the NBA was worth watching.
AN EVENT
Now it's soft and Trash.
I agree the nba was worth watching!
For real for real…
Only 60 year olds and older say that…
This is forty years old, and you can still feel the tension.
You believe it? We are getting a bit old.
Still gives me goosebumps! Hell yeah I’m old! 😂
3 straight MVPs is nuts. Bird was that guy
That was a special era in the NBA
Best era imo.
We were so lucky to have all those games we looked forward to watching, and so many times they exceeded our expectations.
So agree.
Larry had already proved his greatness.
Larry Bird-
36 pts
12 rebs
8 assists
1 steal
2 blocks
Shot 48% from the field
*He had an off night 😂
When you get praise like that from a LEGEND like Bird, that’s SAYING something….
Bird is only a legend in hallucinative minds.
@MostafaFoluke lol what SYBAU
I agree i used to love watching basketball so much now i can't watch a whole game they done did a disservice to the game
watch jokic
I stopped watching when Jordan finally retired and all the great ones- best games ever- also retired.
I almost Cry with joy watching 80's Jordan/ Celtics NBA 🏀
Those NBA Finals were the best Lakers/Celtics
I,was born and raised in Illinois. I was in highschool when Jordan started getting crazy. I miss his art.
The Jordan hair era was magic.
Great times! I want this back so bad
I can still watch these old games as if i have never watch them
Michael Jordan was insane
Those were the days that you rushed home to watch the NBA.
LMAO!!! Remember the Easter Conference finals when Larry coached the Pacers? When Reggie shoved MJ. After the inbound, and hit that 3 with seconds left.
The entire arena in Indiana , along with the bench were going Nutz.. Everyone except for Larry.
If ever the Doc Holliday quote had a face to pin to it !!. “ Why Jonny Ringo,.. You look like someone just stepped over your grave.”
That was exactly the look on Coach Larry’s face.😂
Bird looks like Barry Gibbs!! 😂😂😂
63 points...all of' em from the paint and mid range shooting....
And people still insist on LeBron - Jordan GOAT debate.
Not even close...
Sure, not 3PT. But don't forget the 21 FTs
Shot a 3 to tie and missed he wasn't a good 3 point shooter. Stop kissing his ass he also missed the free throw to win on the 3 point shot he missed to win the game....
@M-DVD we didn’t have 3 point line when I played the game. This man was awesome..
In this game alone MJ displays more moves than lafraud did in his career.
Bird deserves to be remembered as one of the best players ever especially having his career cut short by a bad back but Jordan didn’t have the chance to win this game at being fouled on a 3 pt attempt because this was not 3 free throws in a foul the rule didnt change until 1994/1995 season
One word. GOAT
Great work
The island Larry look is simply awesome
A true sign of greatness is when it draws out the full potential of everything around it.
That’s what you call losing and winning at the same time
Thank you so much for this video. I'm a late appreciator of Basketball. It is seen his mistakes in 86 that fuels me to succeed into what I do. Completely inspiring, Focus and obsession are the way to greatness. God blessed Mr. Jordan and all of those involved in his era.
Two G.O.A.T in their own right. I miss these days.
The two goat(s), if not for larry's bad back
The star stopped rising it became a supernova❤😂
If Jordan didn't retire that first time, it's a considerable possibility he would have had 8 rings in a row.
Probably unlikely. He burned pretty hot, without the break probably Scottie leaves before the final three titles.
It's also possible he needed that time away from the game and without it would have won fewer than six titles, maybe no more than three. We'll never know, but every NBA championship in history might have turned out differently if things had been different, and it's ridiculous how people regurgitate this popular talking point that the Bulls might have won eight straight if MJ hadn't retired. It's disrespectful to the Rockets championship teams of 94 and 95 that did well against the Bulls and defeated very good teams to win those titles.
Not likely, he would have burnt out, i bet that's why he retired in the first place. Well that and the gambling in games was also rumored to be why he stepped away, a soft suspension that didn't make the NBA look bad.
Bulls went to eastern finals . Si the argument bird had better team is bogus . 21 wins draft bird 61 wins . Why didn't mj do that with bulls
O-6 vs bird playoffs.
@StevenWolfe-lx8js Bird’s rookie VORP = 4.8 That’s roughly 4-6 wins depending on conversion.
Unless Byrd was the team doctor and the coach too..
🏀 Jordan’s rookie VORP = 7.3
That translates to roughly:
~7-9 wins above replacement
That means the low end for Jordan is higher than the high end for Byrd.
This was a magic moment in NBA history! The Celtics led the league in showcasing, not a fast or particularly athletic team, but one that played fantastic team ball, hustle and defense. There ball movement and shot selections were on a whole other level. And their passing game was simply phenomenal - I mean, how many young and exceptionally fast teams did they pass into total exhaustion?
If the NBA played the mid eighties through the 90’s instead of new games I bet they would get more viewers.
This is when the "I took personal" legacy started 😂😂😂
I remember that game when Jordan got 63 points. It was sometning to remember.
Dick Stockton announcing NBA games and Tom Brookshire and Tom Madden announcing NFL games was just magical in the 1980’s
Tom or John?
That ref call was the saving grace
Yeah, wasn’t even a foul honestly.
I remember that the Mets beat the Boston Red Sox the atmosphere at the time in media. You just wanna have two teams in the championship and one city.
Legendary players.
Amazing game 2nd year Jordan against bird in his prime….
This was Jordan in his prime. He was jumping higher and running faster in the 90's.
This was the 80s...
The GOAT🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Nice story❤
Badass❤❤
Those LeCrown fans compare Jordan (with a historical night performance like that ) with LBJ and said Jordan was swept🙄
Jordan to Bird: Come, Fly wd me…
The real days the real way of the game true sportman ship
It is very good game
Greatest era of NBA ever.
You couldn't describe MJ without video.
80's and 90's NBA was so spectular, it swept around the globe and made even my home country Switzerland hold big public streetball tournaments and basketball camps and an overall excitmnet for the sport that has practically vanished since.
I'd say the peak of NBA and basketball was reached in a mix of the Bulls double tripplet win and Space Jam the movie, displaying how marketable and successfull the game was in that time.
Yeah Shaq and Kobe prolonged it a while, but in hindsight it was riding the already created wave to it's end, and Phil Jackson certainly was a part of the success.
Rule changes and lack of calling out blatant violations during the game by refs just led to what the NBA is today. A sharpshooter contest, with sprinkles of action towards the basket, allowing offensive players to travel in order to make it look cool...Lebron taking like 4 steps without dribbling has to be a classic by now.
Anyone ever playing the game around the 90's will instantly see and call out the ridiculous carrying and travelling today. And probably ponder the defensive rules...can't have one arm leaning against your appointed target while guarding the ball-bearing player to ensure he can't pass to the guy you are guarding ?
Or zone defense being illegal because it's effective but not enough action for TV ?
Guess i'm a old shitstain and don't know what basketball is anymore....But i do see how it became unpopular ever so more in the last 20 years....
The '86 Boston, the greatest frontline ever. kids today don't know how dominant they were. the rotations and play they did was insane! they would easily won 2 more if they were healthy and also if the Len Bias tragedy didn't happen 💔
...and Reggie Lewis...
Exactly!! That was so sad. Those Celtics would have been as heralded on the same level as the Bulls and Lakers
The Celtics were always protected by the refs. Anybody who is honest knows this.
@PH-rs1cb...just Mindy Rudolf....lol!
@PH-rs1cbHow do you say I'm a Laker fan without saying it?
❤I saw M J play
Thank you 🙏
M J Larry magic
Every game back then was a popcorn event, with beer, rushed toilet breaks and sleepless nights.
Real teams, really loyalty. Guys stayed with a team for their entire careers. Rivalries were real. Not the hired hun crap we have now.
That was Jordan in the 80s. He was magical.
If the three freethrow rule was in effect... that would've been a W for Chicago.
Yea I was wondering why he only shot 2 free throws seems like they got robbed how can you only shoot 2 on a 3 point shot stupid rule
To get any kind of positive comment out of Bird is one thing, but that kind of raving compliment about Jordan and it being the toughest game he ever played is another. He knew he had witnessed the greatest player to ever walk on the court.
It is amazing how Bird couldn't get over how good MJ was even when Bird was winning at the height of his career
Jordan : “WERE PLAYIN THE BOSTON CELTICS, NOT THE LAKERS’” @ 4:53
Imagine if basketball was still played like this
These were the best years of the NBA.
Man I miss the nba from back then! Everyone was a bulls fan because of Jorden pippin Stockton luke Langley the worm so many not just good players but bad ass players!
I remembered the old school Nintendo game Jordan vs Bird damn whatever happened to the 80s I was broke as a kid growing up but I remembered that game come out Wow what an era that has and will truly never be forgotten.
I had it. Jordan had his own slam dunk section and a 3 PT section for bird. I had it on megadrive
And that was when Larry Bird became a Tony Danza fan.
The sweep ❤❤❤
Larry knew this day was coming after winning against him for years ,heck he was older & many injuries ,every dog has his time .
I still think we need all MJ games restored in 4k
When NBA was a vibe
Love what bird said about Michael. “That wasn’t Jordon that was god disguised as Jordon” that says it all!
Bird was the GOAT, MJ was MUCH younger and not beat up like Bird was at that point. Nobody has ever been, or will be better than Larry Bird. He was the complete, total basketball genius. MJ had more dexterity, but he was not the brain Bird was.
Another perspective is that to what extent of greatness is a player without having an opposition which is competent competition so to showcase both abilities? I mean I have watched games where the guy HAD to dribble behind his back in order to score the goal. That was so much more than the games where I have watched the guy dribble behind his back basically just showing off. - I won't call Larry the goat but I will say L3G3ND because not only HIS abilities but of the opponents' abilities which he played. I mean list the names Larry played (and usually beat) and it is a who's who starting with Dr. J and ending with MJ ... in between was Magic, Kareem-Abdul, Barkley, Isiah, and on and on.
Tha day MJ made a huge mistake was deciding he thought it was cool to replicate Hitler’s mustache. 🤣
😂.
A little close but I dug it😂
he is the goat
I love Bird and the Celtics but Michael Jordan was magical
Larry Bird was great and I loved to watch him play. But Micheal Jordan will forever be the Goat 😊❤❤❤
I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again. My favorite player or all time is Larry Bird. However, I know that the greatest, and best, player of all time is undeniably Michael Jordan!
I watched this game with my grandpa.
scoring 63 points on a team of 5 hall of famers at 23 is crazy
He beat everybody except Bird on a playoff series, 0-6.
GOAT. There is no debate, and there never will be. He beat every other great player and team consistently, could score like a magician, was a defensive master, and did it all in a league where you could not travel and in a much tougher league. I say there will never be anyone better because MJ left no room for improvement in any aspect. Truly the GOAT.
Those first few years with MJ saw the Bulls as fighting to go to the playoffs and flashing brilliance during them but then getting culled by other powerhouse teams. They needed time to build a championship team around Jordan. Which, of course, they did.
Why only 2 free throws though ?? MJ was clearly behind the line.
And im a lifelong, die-hard Bird☘️ fan
That was the rule. Only two.
Legends know Legends. I'm happy to learn this history. MJ sharpened up to be the greatest of all time in order to beat a dynasty.
nice to have a dream...even if it's only dream
...if you could meld Larry's BB IQ, passing, and tolerance for pain, with Jordan's athletic ability...or, just give Larry, Jordan's physique, and be done with it....
What are you talking about? Tell me when Jordan beat the Celtics during the Bird Era? The best statistical year Jordan ever had he went 1 and 3 against bad back and feet Bird. Larry always rose to the occasion staying in Traction for two days before those games. I am old but not that damn old. I watched those games.
@larryfryery4592I just asked him what the hell is he talking about. Obviously he wasn't around to watch Jordan get beat. Even bad back and feet Bird, Jordan didn't beat.
I miss these days when sports were competitive & the players weren’t ass slapping opposing teams after games!
That started with a goat crybaby crying because his hand wasn't shake after a game.
I'm as big an MJ fan as you will find but this wasn't the turning point for him insofar as how he was viewed in the NBA. This was a great player on a bad (30-win) team putting up 41 shots in one amazing performance on the way to getting swept by a great team. What put MJ over the hump was (finally) beating the Bad Boy Pistons and Chuck Daly's "Jordan Rules".
That wasn’t a basketball game that was a full long war
Imagine if Len Bias hadn't died and became a part of that Celtic roster. He might've even helped Bird extend his career.
When bird was more than 1/2 broken, he still domintated.
The 63 point game was the only game to celtics won that was by less than ten points in Boston. Every other home game , they won handily by double digits.
Yes , jordan got swept twice , but even larry said the fault didn't lie with Jordan. It's the fact that he didn't have a good team around him. Larry knew what Jordan was about and vice versa. Maestroes in da house.
Bad Boys 'Jordan Rules' were needed......
The NBA needs to bring back the old rules.
not being a smart aleck what rules would those be?
@thegamedudeguyDefense… and no carrying or walking with the ball.
Legends always speak the truth🤔. First what Larry said “Nobody like’m”. Then what Mike said “one player can’t beat a great team. One play can’t. Buuuut he almost did😉.
Jordan should never of had to put that much on his shoulders.
Through the years the bulls did get some weapons to place alongside Jordan, but looking at it the other way he always wanted the ball that’s what winners do. He was literally a showcase.
It's crazy seeing Larry Bird giving these interviews, all these documentaries considering how how much he used to hate being a part of them.
This bullshit is AI.
Both are head and shoulders better than anyone in the NBA today. Yeah, I'm talking to you, Lebron.
He scored 49 in game1 and he was almost perfect in the quarter..
Michael in the zone
What awesome basketball . I cannot believe that I am now 60 years old.
Well we can pass peacefully knowing there will NEVER be another MJ and we saw it
Long Live Gen X
Brave mechanic 86
This is when the NBA was very competitive I love watching every minute of it as a kid now I can’t tell u who’s who I don’t watch it now lol the competitiveness just not there for me anymore
81 to 86 is six seasons, not 5.
Cough...Scottie Pippen...