As an old guy, I have a perspective of seeing the game differently. I appreciate seeing the game evolve, and the epitome was Bird and Magic. Magic and the Legend, both made the other better. East coast, vs west coast; small college vs big college; small town guy vs big city guy; each was a sharpening stone to the others blade. The rivalry was Supreme and that put filled seats in the stadium and put cities on the map. Every newspaper covered Boston and Los Angeles. Larry and Ervin saved the game of baseball and directly saved the NBA.
🤔 I've never seen an interview where Bird claimed to fear Magic. I've heard Magic state his fear of Bird but not Bird stating it about Magic. I've heard him say that he used Magic as inspiration to push himself harder and motivate his desire for continual improvement of his own skills. Do you have a link or reference so that I can find it?
I think the original commentor is right. There's a video somewhere and they're talking about each other saying that. Either way. Watching those two play against each other was phenominal stuff. Damn, I just felt old.
A reporter from the local Utah paper, who was there when Bird declined to go back in to get that one additional steal, was also there after the Dream Team had just won the gold medal in 1992. He reports that, in Utah, Bird had said that stats weren't why he played. The reporter said he, personally, often wondered, over the years, if Bird regretted the decision. In Barcelona, in 1992, Bird was asked about the thrilling blowout victories that the Dream Team had played to win the gold. Bird gave a wry smile and said he wished that the games had been more competitive. Reporter's conclusion: Bird didn't regret or give that decision back in Utah any thought at all. Stat padding just isn't in his DNA; Bird LOVES the game.
While thinking about stats and Bird, I know this LOOKS long but, please, hear me out: Back when Reddick, in particular, was talking about Bird and 3 pt. attempts etc. and his own formulas, I believe there's a few facts he overlooked. When watching footage of Bird, I've noticed that many times, particularly in his early career but even later on, the announcers will comment that a shot wasn't a 3 pt shot because his foot was on or over the line. Bird is NOT someone who is _unaware_ of where the lines are on the court. (the "Steal by Bird.." being a good example). Which says to me that the foot on the line is because, in that moment, THAT line _doesn't matter_ . Bird didn't have the _"Supremacy!!"_ of THAT LINE drilled into him since infancy. I think, for Bird, it mattered when it _Mattered_ . Game against Washington. Last seconds, behind by 3, Bird made a 3pt shot that got waved off because time out was called. Bird comes back after that timeout and hits another 3 pt shot off one foot from well outside the circle to tie it up. Later in that same game, last seconds again, when they only need 2 pts to Win, Bird hits the shot off one foot standing ON the circle. Same distance shot (give or take 3 inches of floor space) but the line didn't matter that time. They won the game. Bird wasn't in a stat race with Steph or Reddick. He was about winning the game THEN. Factoring in what he needed to factor to make THAT happen with his team. Reddick's hard and fast "stat" comparisons are irrelevant and just don't tell the story. His comments about defense slagging off Bird aren't really accurate either, and are surprising coming from someone who played in the NBA himself. He's obviously not watched enough film. In a recent interview, Cooper gives an interesting insight into how Bird GOT himself open. How a basketball genius MAKES what he does LOOK easy to casual observers like, obviously, Reddick and the rest of those guys. So, what do you think? Do my observations about Bird's 3pt "stats" make sense? Bird came through routinely, he just didn't care if it was credited in a stat box or not as long as his TEAM won.
That's what anyone who knows anything about basketball and Larry Bird has been saying! Bird was never about stats... he was about winning games. Reddick of course... has been back peddling ever since his idiotic comments!
Bird started things nobody had never done or tried ,the step back ,the fade away 50-40-90 he was the first ,the tap pass behind the head ,WE WERE GEEKY seeing all this for the FIRST TIME #LB33 💚🐦 WE will always love him
Right!!! As a young fan, you appreciate his game so much and what he meant to the league. His skills were just superior than most players because he works on it and his IQ!
BR.... Called Larry bird at 1 point to tell him... how proud of him he was & how much he admired his game on the court ! I know that men a lot to Larry.
Let me give you my take on the GOAT. I hate basketball, never like the sport, never cared about the game in anyway even when playing it in school. I am just not a fan, but I would watch basketball in the 80's, that's right, I hated the game but watched it anyway. The reason was because of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. These two men made the game look beautiful. Watching these two legends was like watching magic personified. The passes that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird could make were nothing short of poetry in motion. The way these players could DOMINATE the court was like nothing else. And you have to understand they did this in the era where there were on the court fights like hockey, where rushing the basket could literally get you clotheslined! Where going to the paint was paid for in bloody not metaphorically but you literally paid the toll in blood. This was an incredibly tough era of basketball and these two Legends could make the game look so beautiful to watch that people who didn't even like the game would sit down and watch them play from the east coast to the west coast. It is not easy to make a play look pretty when you are being manhandled, yet they did it. Before these two chaps stepped on the court basketball finals were not even shown live but shown on tape delay. I ask you what two players today could elevate the game so high that people who dislike the game with watch just to see the magic of these two legendry players? This is why i will always consider the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the Greatest players in NBA history because they played in the toughest era with the most stars and made the game so compelling that even people who could care less about basketball would watch REGULAR SEASON GAMES! Who can do that today?
Exacterly. This describes MY relationship with bball too. I haven’t watched bball since, and never watched it before Larry Bird. Mostly bcuz nobody else comes close imo.
I agree with you but I'm going to add that ...I think Larry would have found different ways to even shoot 3 pointers... out of boredom! Lol. Just because of the way things are played these days. Bird was all about the next challenge! Lol. If he was playing a game and it wasn't challenging... he would do the crazy things like ... I'm only gonna shoot with my left hand or let's see what the record for the most baskets was on this court. Lol. He needed those types of challenges to keep him going at times.
What is crazy is the fact that 10 minutes of to the point facts still did not do Bird justice. My father said every second Bird was in the game there was this feeling that you were watching greatness and regardless of how the game was going you knew Bird could turn it around. My father was at a bunch of his games and he said when Bird had the ball the fans of both teams just acted differently as if they knew something big was going to happen. This is coming from my father who is someone who also watched Michael Jordan play in person, he said watching Bird in person that his shooting, passing etc etc was so smooth it did not seem real.
@@ItzJustJP Not only did Larry do it two years in a row, his career percentages are 49.6% 37.6% 88.6%, damn near a triple double career average. Oh yeah, also League MVP three years in a row, won the three point contest all three years he competed, averaged double digit rebounds over his career, and on and on and on... Not only that, the man was constantly contributing to his team, always executing all the fundamentals and wearing his defenders out. Man it was great to be a Celtics fan in the '80s.
Bird was a great deep shooter as soon as he stepped into the NBA. As a rookie Bird shot 143 3 pointers and made 41%. The reason he shot so poorly percentage wise early in his career is because he took less than 1 3 pointer per game for a 4 year period. In that 4 year stretch he shot 74, 52, 77 and 73 3 pointers for each season. It is incredibly difficult to shoot a consistent percentage taking so few shots. In seasons that he shot 128 or more 3 pointers he shot below 40% twice in 7 seasons.
First off GREAT REACTION & QUALITY IN YOUR PRESENTATION ABOVE MOST REACTORS! You don't talk incessantly , make stupid over the top noises or gestures to take attention away from the video etc. You just really conduct your channel with a lot of class which I enjoy and felt I needed to let you know I appreciate! Larry was an exceptional basketball player that possessed an almost unparalleled IQ and mind and ability to execute his supreme skill set.
Thank you so much William! That really means a lot! I do love, appreciate, and respect the game very much! Thank you again for that! Yes he was! He was awesome!!
You have great basketball knowledge -- respect. Just an FYI, something not mentioned in the video, Bird played his entire career with a permanently damaged finger from a softball accident. He said he never could feel the basketball the same way again. Can you imagine...?
Great video and reaction! Bird's DNA is just different than most NBA players, especially today's players. All Bird cared about was winning.... Every single game, not just playoff games, or rival games, he wanted to win every game. He didn't take nights off because the game didn't matter for the standings or playoff seating. He played because he loved to win. Not very many players like that today. It is more about the money and long term career longevity. Bird did have a shorter than average career, but he gave everything he had in those 13 years he played.
In a lot of his videos, Bird shoots from about a foot in front of the 3 point line.and it happens quite a bit. He wasnt looking for it. Hed go behind the line when he felt it was necessary. He hit a three to win games a lot during his career. To back up the narration about how Bird had to work on the three point shot, he was in the .200s and low .300s in his early years. This really affected his career average.
While thinking about stats and Bird, I know this LOOKS long but, please, hear me out: Back when Reddick, in particular, was talking about Bird and 3 pt. attempts etc. and his own formulas, I believe there's a few facts he overlooked. When watching footage of Bird, I've noticed that many times, particularly in his early career but even later on, the announcers will comment that a shot wasn't a 3 pt shot because his foot was on or over the line. Bird is NOT someone who is _unaware_ of where the lines are on the court. (the "Steal by Bird.." being a good example). Which says to me that the foot on the line is because, in that moment, THAT line _doesn't matter_ . Bird didn't have the _"Supremacy!!"_ of THAT LINE drilled into him since infancy as players do now. I think, for Bird, it mattered when it _Mattered_ . Game against Washington. Last seconds, behind by 3, Bird made a 3pt shot that got waved off because time out was called. Bird comes back after that timeout and hits another 3 pt shot off one foot from well outside the circle to tie it up. Later in that same game, last seconds again, when they only need 2 pts to Win, Bird hits the shot off one foot standing ON the circle. Same distance shot (give or take 3 inches of floor space) but the line didn't matter that time. They won the game. Bird wasn't in a stat race with Steph or Reddick. He was about winning the game THEN. Factoring in what he needed to factor to make THAT happen with his team. Reddick's hard and fast "stat" comparisons are irrelevant and just don't tell the story. His comments about defense slagging off Bird aren't really accurate either, and are surprising coming from someone who played in the NBA himself. He's obviously not watched enough film. In a recent interview, Cooper gives an interesting insight into how Bird GOT himself open. How a basketball genius MAKES what he does LOOK easy to casual observers like, obviously, Reddick and the rest of those guys. So, what do you think? Do my observations about Bird's 3pt "stats" make sense? Bird came through routinely, he just didn't care if it was credited in a stat box or not as long as his TEAM won.
Keep it up JP (from another JP). I'm in my 50's now and remember cursing at Bird as he and the Celtics took down my Rockets in the 80's. We had the Twin Towers (Olajuwon and Sampson) but it was not enough to win it all. I had to wait until 1994 to savor the sweetness of an NBA championship. Unfortunately, it was after Jordan retired from the the NBA to pursue his other sport of Major League Baseball. I still feel that there is a shadow over the the Rockets winning two straight NBA championships while Jordan was retired. He then came back to basketball and claimed three more league championships after his return. One can't help but wonder what may have happened if Jordan never retired (or stayed retired) from the NBA.
That is a great question! Houston did had success against the Bulls. The loss of Horace Grant before Dennis Rodman sign was really significant cause the big guys couldn’t beat Hakeem, wings weren’t as tight, pretty much you would had to rely on Jordan and Pippen to do more work. I appreciate the love JP! Oh no! I feel you about 86. That was tough!
For peak he has a crazy claim, no doubt what so ever. Unfortunately, longevity is what holds him back in goat conversations. Personally I have him top-5 and it wouldn't argue with anyone saying top-4
I wouldn't go as far as to say Bird is the GOAT - that's MJ's. But I would say Bird has an argument to be ranked ahead of LeBron. I know some will say that's a crazy statement but I'm not sure people realize how great Bird was? Unfortunately he had the back injury that slowed him down some and made him retire early. Otherwise who know how many more Chips and MVPs he would have won?
For those that think Larry Bird was not as good as he really was and never had the chance to see him play this comment is for you. Remember in this comment I am just highlighting Larry's NBA accomplishments. Little know thing about Larry to those that never saw him play , he could effect the outcome of a game and never take a shot thats how devastating his passing skills were. Here is one thing that most fans (people) either don't know or try to ignore, prior to Larry joining the NBA there was no such thing as a three point line, that came in when Bird was starting his first year of his NBA career. Just think about it, what would todays game be without the three point line or if the line was one foot farther out like it was when it was first introduced. Food for thought. At that time it was not about the individuals stats it was about the win. But if you need some stats here you go: Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986); Two-time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986); Three-time NBA MVP (1984-86); 12-time NBA All-Star (1980-88, 1990-92); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1980-88); All-NBA Second Team (1990); Three-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team (1982-84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1980); NBA All-Rookie Team (1980); Three-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1986-88); Career-high in points: 60 (March 12, 1985) -- tied for franchise record with Jayson Tatum; Named NBA Coach of the Year (1998); and Named NBA Executive of the Year (2012). Larry Bird, was the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 achievement, and one of two players to achieve the feat in multiple seasons. Career averages: 24.3 points per game 10.0 rebounds per game 6.3 assists per game 88.6% free throw percentage 49.6% field goal percentage 37.6% 3-point percentage Now we can't forget that Bird famously played with two injured ankles and a notoriously cranky back that forced him to lay down on the floor during practice breaks. After season-ending foot surgery just six games into the 1988-89 season
pistol pete shot 68 without the 3 pt also avg 44 pts and scored more points than any body in college in only 3 yrs cause freshmen couldn't play varsity
Larry Bird is the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 club, the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, 3 point Champion three straight years, MVP three times straight (When competing against Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and many more), Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
Bird was great at every aspect of the game. A complete player. If he's not on your top 5 list I can guarantee you everyone on your top 5 list will have Bird on their top 5 list. He's also the undisputed GOAT trash talker of all time. That's not even debatable. He walked the walk and they couldn't stop him. In one game 3 players on the opposing team were fined 3k each for celebrating what Bird did after he told the entire bench he would do it.
Pat Riley "If I needed someone to take a game winning shot, I would pick Michael Jordan...if I needed someone to take a shot to save my life, I would pick Larry Bird"
How today's NBA continues to exist boggles the mind. I've never seen a larger group of whining multi-millionaires. If LeYawn (If I only had better teamates) is the best y'all have now you can keep him, not even it the top 15 period.
Scrappy and determined are pretty good descriptions of him. Wow. On another slightly different subject, I recently saw a video about the player Larry said was his favorite one to play with, DJ. In the video Dee Brown is talking about how DJ taught him some tricks on how to play defense. He said every player has a comfortable and uncomfortable dribble pattern. So, he would watch each of the players during the game and learn their patterns. He could then judge just when to "pick the ball off people". I think, but I may be wrong, that it was when a player was comfortable and not in defense mode, it was easier to take the ball away, so he would watch for that dribble pattern. He called it counting the dribbles. Has anyone else heard about this? It is on RUclips. I think on the NBA history channel with Michael Cooper. So when Larry Bird said they thought alike, I wonder if it had something to do with how they saw patterns in their minds.
@ItzJustJP man was never about accolades just wanted to win and would do anything to win. Heart of a lion. I still remember rushing home on nights when they would air a Celtics game to watch Bird play as a teenager
What makes the 50% from the field more amazing is he didn't dunk. Those were all shots. Could you imagine putting Larry Bird in today's game after growing up with the 3 point shot? Can't touch him? He's bucket or assist every time down the court. They couldn't stop him mugging him. You know what he would do the that matador defense of today? He was not a great 1v1 defender unless you make a mistake.
you hit a good nail tho about bball being inside and out game where they gave it to the big guy inside, guys like bird even a pistol pete hitting big shots deep out but bird really transitioned shooting. you a lebron fan thats cool but look at it bron and bird have similar FG% but heres whats impressive bird took most of his shots outside away from the rim, bron yes can hit from range, but most of his shots came at the rim. if bird took more high percentage shots that stat would be pretty ridiculous, if bird played today and he could he has the perfect style, he'd be god tier, he was the best on the court when he played, he'd be the best today in the cant touch me league. it be unfair really.
I keep hearing people referring to Bird,to today's players. Doesn't it make sense to refer to today's players to him? He did it more than 30 years ago.
Injured his back in 85? That means for 7 years of his 13 year career (more than half) He played with a massive handicap and YET, Still Jordan couldnt beat him in anything meaningful. Even when the Bulls had Pippen, Cartwright, Grant and Paxon and they had a title and were headed for a repeat , Bird, with a Broken back and multiple other ailments STILL beat MJ and the Bulls, when the faced eachother. It should really open your eyes to what greatness is rather than media driven publicity
Great job JP. I got to watch Larry play. He was always two steps ahead of everyone on the floor. Larry and Ervin Johnson saved the nba. It was so bad you have to stay up till midnight to watch the championship series.
OK STOP IT DO YOUR HOMEWORK SICK OF THIS BIRD DID THIS AND THAT TO JORDAN 😳 FIRST OFF JORDAN NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT HELP..SO LOOK AT THE HALL OF FAME TEAM BIRD PLAYED WITH AGAINST A LOTTERY PICK BULLS TEAM WITH A YOUNG JORDAN..SPEAKING OF NO HELP 😳 BUT U NEVER HEARD JORDAN COMPLAIN..GO LOOK AT THEM BULLS ROSTERS WHEN JORDAN GOT THERE#KNOW UR HISTORY 😳MJ>
All i asked is did Bird have a case? I never said BIrd wasn't the GOAT. I done my homework. I know more NBA than you ever will. Jordan never beat Bird, its that simple man. We can talk about 6-0 Finals record Jordan got, but Bird beat him 6-0. One thing Michael wished he could have beat. Red Auerbach knew his team with a pulse of what they need so stop it with your nonsense. McHale and Parish weren't hall of famers before they came to Boston. If he didn't had the team he had, Bird numbers would be up like crazy! He didn't care about the stats, fame, or anything. All Bird cared about is winning when he got to the league and knew how to make his teammates better. You must have forgot Boston was a losing team previous season before Bird came in and turned it around to a 60 win team. You must have forgot. Jordan was an individual player before becoming a winner. Who did Michael learn from in terms of trusting his teammates and winning. He wanted what Bird and Magic had cause he looked at them as Tier 1 and wants to be where they are at that time. Michael would even tell you that Bird had no weaknesses. Sucks that Bird didn't have a healthy career, but those 13 seasons he gave, resume speaks for himself. Jordan dominated the 90s for sure, but 80s no.
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As an old guy, I have a perspective of seeing the game differently. I appreciate seeing the game evolve, and the epitome was Bird and Magic. Magic and the Legend, both made the other better. East coast, vs west coast; small college vs big college; small town guy vs big city guy; each was a sharpening stone to the others blade. The rivalry was Supreme and that put filled seats in the stadium and put cities on the map. Every newspaper covered Boston and Los Angeles. Larry and Ervin saved the game of baseball and directly saved the NBA.
In separate interviews, Larry said the only player he feared was Magic, and Magic said that the only one he ever feared was Larry !
Magic also says.
Michael Jordan is the goat in the air.
Larrt Bird is the goat on the ground.
🤔 I've never seen an interview where Bird claimed to fear Magic.
I've heard Magic state his fear of Bird but not Bird stating it about Magic. I've heard him say that he used Magic as inspiration to push himself harder and motivate his desire for continual improvement of his own skills.
Do you have a link or reference so that I can find it?
I’ve not heard Larry say he ever feared ANYBODY. He did say that his main competition was Magic.
I think the original commentor is right. There's a video somewhere and they're talking about each other saying that. Either way. Watching those two play against each other was phenominal stuff. Damn, I just felt old.
In one postgame Larry called Magic the best he’d ever seen.
A reporter from the local Utah paper, who was there when Bird declined to go back in to get that one additional steal, was also there after the Dream Team had just won the gold medal in 1992. He reports that, in Utah, Bird had said that stats weren't why he played. The reporter said he, personally, often wondered, over the years, if Bird regretted the decision. In Barcelona, in 1992, Bird was asked about the thrilling blowout victories that the Dream Team had played to win the gold. Bird gave a wry smile and said he wished that the games had been more competitive. Reporter's conclusion: Bird didn't regret or give that decision back in Utah any thought at all. Stat padding just isn't in his DNA; Bird LOVES the game.
Right! That is facts!!!
While thinking about stats and Bird, I know this LOOKS long but, please, hear me out:
Back when Reddick, in particular, was talking about Bird and 3 pt. attempts etc. and his own formulas, I believe there's a few facts he overlooked.
When watching footage of Bird, I've noticed that many times, particularly in his early career but even later on, the announcers will comment that a shot wasn't a 3 pt shot because his foot was on or over the line.
Bird is NOT someone who is _unaware_ of where the lines are on the court. (the "Steal by Bird.." being a good example). Which says to me that the foot on the line is because, in that moment, THAT line _doesn't matter_ .
Bird didn't have the _"Supremacy!!"_ of THAT LINE drilled into him since infancy. I think, for Bird, it mattered when it _Mattered_ .
Game against Washington. Last seconds, behind by 3, Bird made a 3pt shot that got waved off because time out was called.
Bird comes back after that timeout and hits another 3 pt shot off one foot from well outside the circle to tie it up.
Later in that same game, last seconds again, when they only need 2 pts to Win, Bird hits the shot off one foot standing ON the circle. Same distance shot (give or take 3 inches of floor space) but the line didn't matter that time. They won the game.
Bird wasn't in a stat race with Steph or Reddick. He was about winning the game THEN. Factoring in what he needed to factor to make THAT happen with his team.
Reddick's hard and fast "stat" comparisons are irrelevant and just don't tell the story. His comments about defense slagging off Bird aren't really accurate either, and are surprising coming from someone who played in the NBA himself. He's obviously not watched enough film. In a recent interview, Cooper gives an interesting insight into how Bird GOT himself open. How a basketball genius MAKES what he does LOOK easy to casual observers like, obviously, Reddick and the rest of those guys.
So, what do you think? Do my observations about Bird's 3pt "stats" make sense?
Bird came through routinely, he just didn't care if it was credited in a stat box or not as long as his TEAM won.
That's what anyone who knows anything about basketball and Larry Bird has been saying! Bird was never about stats... he was about winning games. Reddick of course... has been back peddling ever since his idiotic comments!
Bird started things nobody had never done or tried ,the step back ,the fade away 50-40-90 he was the first ,the tap pass behind the head ,WE WERE GEEKY seeing all this for the FIRST TIME #LB33 💚🐦 WE will always love him
Right!!! As a young fan, you appreciate his game so much and what he meant to the league. His skills were just superior than most players because he works on it and his IQ!
@@ItzJustJP yeah his IQ was something else,, Bill Russell was super intelligent and bird looked up to him big time :)
BR.... Called Larry bird at 1 point to tell him... how proud of him he was & how much he admired his game on the court ! I know that men a lot to Larry.
@@Sunny-jz3dy yeah bird thought the world of Bill Russell 💚,plus they were both super intelligent
Let me give you my take on the GOAT. I hate basketball, never like the sport, never cared about the game in anyway even when playing it in school. I am just not a fan, but I would watch basketball in the 80's, that's right, I hated the game but watched it anyway. The reason was because of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. These two men made the game look beautiful. Watching these two legends was like watching magic personified. The passes that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird could make were nothing short of poetry in motion. The way these players could DOMINATE the court was like nothing else.
And you have to understand they did this in the era where there were on the court fights like hockey, where rushing the basket could literally get you clotheslined! Where going to the paint was paid for in bloody not metaphorically but you literally paid the toll in blood. This was an incredibly tough era of basketball and these two Legends could make the game look so beautiful to watch that people who didn't even like the game would sit down and watch them play from the east coast to the west coast. It is not easy to make a play look pretty when you are being manhandled, yet they did it. Before these two chaps stepped on the court basketball finals were not even shown live but shown on tape delay.
I ask you what two players today could elevate the game so high that people who dislike the game with watch just to see the magic of these two legendry players? This is why i will always consider the rivalry between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird as the Greatest players in NBA history because they played in the toughest era with the most stars and made the game so compelling that even people who could care less about basketball would watch REGULAR SEASON GAMES! Who can do that today?
Exacterly. This describes MY relationship with bball too. I haven’t watched bball since, and never watched it before Larry Bird. Mostly bcuz nobody else comes close imo.
If Larry played in a game that emphasized the 3 point shot, it's safe to say the Bird would only have gotten better and better.
Right!!!!
I agree with you but I'm going to add that ...I think Larry would have found different ways to even shoot 3 pointers... out of boredom! Lol.
Just because of the way things are played these days. Bird was all about the next challenge! Lol. If he was playing a game and it wasn't challenging... he would do the crazy things like ...
I'm only gonna shoot with my left hand or let's see what the record for the most baskets was on this court. Lol. He needed those types of challenges to keep him going at times.
What is crazy is the fact that 10 minutes of to the point facts still did not do Bird justice. My father said every second Bird was in the game there was this feeling that you were watching greatness and regardless of how the game was going you knew Bird could turn it around. My father was at a bunch of his games and he said when Bird had the ball the fans of both teams just acted differently as if they knew something big was going to happen. This is coming from my father who is someone who also watched Michael Jordan play in person, he said watching Bird in person that his shooting, passing etc etc was so smooth it did not seem real.
he was THE FIRST 50-40-90 player in history for a whole season
Unbelievable!!!! Crazy stat!!!
@@ItzJustJP Not only did Larry do it two years in a row, his career percentages are 49.6% 37.6% 88.6%, damn near a triple double career average.
Oh yeah, also League MVP three years in a row, won the three point contest all three years he competed, averaged double digit rebounds over his career, and on and on and on...
Not only that, the man was constantly contributing to his team, always executing all the fundamentals and wearing his defenders out.
Man it was great to be a Celtics fan in the '80s.
Bird was a great deep shooter as soon as he stepped into the NBA. As a rookie Bird shot 143 3 pointers and made 41%. The reason he shot so poorly percentage wise early in his career is because he took less than 1 3 pointer per game for a 4 year period. In that 4 year stretch he shot 74, 52, 77 and 73 3 pointers for each season. It is incredibly difficult to shoot a consistent percentage taking so few shots. In seasons that he shot 128 or more 3 pointers he shot below 40% twice in 7 seasons.
First off GREAT REACTION & QUALITY IN YOUR PRESENTATION ABOVE MOST REACTORS! You don't talk incessantly , make stupid over the top noises or gestures to take attention away from the video etc. You just really conduct your channel with a lot of class which I enjoy and felt I needed to let you know I appreciate! Larry was an exceptional basketball player that possessed an almost unparalleled IQ and mind and ability to execute his supreme skill set.
Thank you so much William! That really means a lot! I do love, appreciate, and respect the game very much! Thank you again for that! Yes he was! He was awesome!!
What he said! Lol.
Well said!
You have great basketball knowledge -- respect. Just an FYI, something not mentioned in the video, Bird played his entire career with a permanently damaged finger from a softball accident. He said he never could feel the basketball the same way again. Can you imagine...?
Thank you very much! I appreciate it! Which is unbelievable!!! Oh my god! I can’t imagine!
Great video and reaction! Bird's DNA is just different than most NBA players, especially today's players. All Bird cared about was winning.... Every single game, not just playoff games, or rival games, he wanted to win every game. He didn't take nights off because the game didn't matter for the standings or playoff seating. He played because he loved to win. Not very many players like that today. It is more about the money and long term career longevity. Bird did have a shorter than average career, but he gave everything he had in those 13 years he played.
Thank you! Yes that is true!
In a lot of his videos, Bird shoots from about a foot in front of the 3 point line.and it happens quite a bit. He wasnt looking for it. Hed go behind the line when he felt it was necessary. He hit a three to win games a lot during his career. To back up the narration about how Bird had to work on the three point shot, he was in the .200s and low .300s in his early years. This really affected his career average.
While thinking about stats and Bird, I know this LOOKS long but, please, hear me out:
Back when Reddick, in particular, was talking about Bird and 3 pt. attempts etc. and his own formulas, I believe there's a few facts he overlooked.
When watching footage of Bird, I've noticed that many times, particularly in his early career but even later on, the announcers will comment that a shot wasn't a 3 pt shot because his foot was on or over the line.
Bird is NOT someone who is _unaware_ of where the lines are on the court. (the "Steal by Bird.." being a good example). Which says to me that the foot on the line is because, in that moment, THAT line _doesn't matter_ .
Bird didn't have the _"Supremacy!!"_ of THAT LINE drilled into him since infancy as players do now.
I think, for Bird, it mattered when it _Mattered_ .
Game against Washington. Last seconds, behind by 3, Bird made a 3pt shot that got waved off because time out was called.
Bird comes back after that timeout and hits another 3 pt shot off one foot from well outside the circle to tie it up.
Later in that same game, last seconds again, when they only need 2 pts to Win, Bird hits the shot off one foot standing ON the circle. Same distance shot (give or take 3 inches of floor space) but the line didn't matter that time. They won the game.
Bird wasn't in a stat race with Steph or Reddick. He was about winning the game THEN. Factoring in what he needed to factor to make THAT happen with his team.
Reddick's hard and fast "stat" comparisons are irrelevant and just don't tell the story. His comments about defense slagging off Bird aren't really accurate either, and are surprising coming from someone who played in the NBA himself. He's obviously not watched enough film. In a recent interview, Cooper gives an interesting insight into how Bird GOT himself open. How a basketball genius MAKES what he does LOOK easy to casual observers like, obviously, Reddick and the rest of those guys.
So, what do you think? Do my observations about Bird's 3pt "stats" make sense?
Bird came through routinely, he just didn't care if it was credited in a stat box or not as long as his TEAM won.
Exactly! Larry bird used the 3 point line as a weapon!
Keep it up JP (from another JP). I'm in my 50's now and remember cursing at Bird as he and the Celtics took down my Rockets in the 80's. We had the Twin Towers (Olajuwon and Sampson) but it was not enough to win it all. I had to wait until 1994 to savor the sweetness of an NBA championship. Unfortunately, it was after Jordan retired from the the NBA to pursue his other sport of Major League Baseball. I still feel that there is a shadow over the the Rockets winning two straight NBA championships while Jordan was retired. He then came back to basketball and claimed three more league championships after his return. One can't help but wonder what may have happened if Jordan never retired (or stayed retired) from the NBA.
That is a great question! Houston did had success against the Bulls. The loss of Horace Grant before Dennis Rodman sign was really significant cause the big guys couldn’t beat Hakeem, wings weren’t as tight, pretty much you would had to rely on Jordan and Pippen to do more work. I appreciate the love JP! Oh no! I feel you about 86. That was tough!
legend tnks from brazil
For peak he has a crazy claim, no doubt what so ever.
Unfortunately, longevity is what holds him back in goat conversations.
Personally I have him top-5 and it wouldn't argue with anyone saying top-4
He’s no lower than #3 and he’s MY #1.
I wish we could have seen Len Bias play with Bird, that would have been interesting 😕
I know right! What if!
Peak for peak? It's hard to leave Bird out of the GOAT conversation. Great vid bro.
Thank you!! I appreciate it!! Bird does have a case!
I wouldn't go as far as to say Bird is the GOAT - that's MJ's. But I would say Bird has an argument to be ranked ahead of LeBron. I know some will say that's a crazy statement but I'm not sure people realize how great Bird was? Unfortunately he had the back injury that slowed him down some and made him retire early. Otherwise who know how many more Chips and MVPs he would have won?
I know right! If he had the longevity!
For those that think Larry Bird was not as good as he really was and never had the chance to see him play this comment is for you. Remember in this comment I am just highlighting Larry's NBA accomplishments.
Little know thing about Larry to those that never saw him play , he could effect the outcome of a game and never take a shot thats how devastating his passing skills were. Here is one thing that most fans (people) either don't know or try to ignore, prior to Larry joining the NBA there was no such thing as a three point line, that came in when Bird was starting his first year of his NBA career. Just think about it, what would todays game be without the three point line or if the line was one foot farther out like it was when it was first introduced. Food for thought.
At that time it was not about the individuals stats it was about the win. But if you need some stats here you go:
Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics:
Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986); Two-time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986); Three-time NBA MVP (1984-86); 12-time NBA All-Star (1980-88, 1990-92); Nine-time All-NBA First Team (1980-88);
All-NBA Second Team (1990); Three-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team (1982-84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1980); NBA All-Rookie Team (1980); Three-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1986-88);
Career-high in points: 60 (March 12, 1985) -- tied for franchise record with Jayson Tatum; Named NBA Coach of the Year (1998); and Named NBA Executive of the Year (2012).
Larry Bird, was the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 achievement, and one of two players to achieve the feat in multiple seasons.
Career averages:
24.3 points per game
10.0 rebounds per game
6.3 assists per game
88.6% free throw percentage
49.6% field goal percentage
37.6% 3-point percentage
Now we can't forget that Bird famously played with two injured ankles and a notoriously cranky back that forced him to lay down on the floor during practice breaks. After season-ending foot surgery just six games into the 1988-89 season
LARRY LEGEND IS A UNICORN AND THE TRUE GOAT!!! 🐐 ☘️
THE most COMPLETE player EVER,
pistol pete shot 68 without the 3 pt also avg 44 pts and scored more points than any body in college in only 3 yrs cause freshmen couldn't play varsity
Larry Bird is the first player to accomplish the 50-40-90 club, the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, 3 point Champion three straight years, MVP three times straight (When competing against Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy and many more), Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.
Larry wasn’t fast and Larry couldn’t jump……that was Gods way of keeping things fair
Bird was great at every aspect of the game. A complete player. If he's not on your top 5 list I can guarantee you everyone on your top 5 list will have Bird on their top 5 list. He's also the undisputed GOAT trash talker of all time. That's not even debatable. He walked the walk and they couldn't stop him. In one game 3 players on the opposing team were fined 3k each for celebrating what Bird did after he told the entire bench he would do it.
Great video and great review. Thx for sharing
Thank you! I appreciate it!
Pat Riley "If I needed someone to take a game winning shot, I would pick Michael Jordan...if I needed someone to take a shot to save my life, I would pick Larry Bird"
Larry was defa better three point shooter in the second half of his career. In 1983-1984, he only had 23% from 3 💀
But as was pointed out, he hadn't practiced 3pointers until he got to the NBA.
How today's NBA continues to exist boggles the mind. I've never seen a larger group of whining multi-millionaires. If LeYawn (If I only had better teamates) is the best y'all have now you can keep him, not even it the top 15 period.
LeYawn 😂😂😂
Yeah I didn’t think about how much better of a three point shooter if he had a three point line earlier. Good stuff!
Thank you bro!
Scrappy and determined are pretty good descriptions of him. Wow.
On another slightly different subject, I recently saw a video about the player Larry said was his favorite one to play with, DJ. In the video Dee Brown is talking about how DJ taught him some tricks on how to play defense. He said every player has a comfortable and uncomfortable dribble pattern. So, he would watch each of the players during the game and learn their patterns. He could then judge just when to "pick the ball off people". I think, but I may be wrong, that it was when a player was comfortable and not in defense mode, it was easier to take the ball away, so he would watch for that dribble pattern. He called it counting the dribbles. Has anyone else heard about this? It is on RUclips. I think on the NBA history channel with Michael Cooper.
So when Larry Bird said they thought alike, I wonder if it had something to do with how they saw patterns in their minds.
Interesting! I need to check it out!
That almost quadruple double came in 3 qters. He sat out the 4th
Yeah it’s crazy! He said I done enough damage lol
@ItzJustJP man was never about accolades just wanted to win and would do anything to win. Heart of a lion. I still remember rushing home on nights when they would air a Celtics game to watch Bird play as a teenager
Like your take bro....subscribed half way through.👍👍
Thank you bro! Thank you for the support!
What makes the 50% from the field more amazing is he didn't dunk. Those were all shots. Could you imagine putting Larry Bird in today's game after growing up with the 3 point shot? Can't touch him? He's bucket or assist every time down the court. They couldn't stop him mugging him. You know what he would do the that matador defense of today? He was not a great 1v1 defender unless you make a mistake.
Bird is easily Top 5 all time & arguably in the Top 3.
Amen brother
Larry Legend is at the GOAT table
🐐
Bird behind only Jordan! #2 ALL TIME!!!
Love the Hardaway Jersey. Go Tiger's!!!
Thank you!
💯
you hit a good nail tho about bball being inside and out game where they gave it to the big guy inside, guys like bird even a pistol pete hitting big shots deep out but bird really transitioned shooting.
you a lebron fan thats cool but look at it bron and bird have similar FG% but heres whats impressive bird took most of his shots outside away from the rim, bron yes can hit from range, but most of his shots came at the rim. if bird took more high percentage shots that stat would be pretty ridiculous, if bird played today and he could he has the perfect style, he'd be god tier, he was the best on the court when he played, he'd be the best today in the cant touch me league. it be unfair really.
Facts! I agree! His IQ
GOAT
I keep hearing people referring to Bird,to today's players. Doesn't it make sense to refer to today's players to him? He did it more than 30 years ago.
Just look at jokic to see kinda how Larry legend would be in today's game.
Injured his back in 85? That means for 7 years of his 13 year career (more than half) He played with a massive handicap and YET, Still Jordan couldnt beat him in anything meaningful. Even when the Bulls had Pippen, Cartwright, Grant and Paxon and they had a title and were headed for a repeat , Bird, with a Broken back and multiple other ailments STILL beat MJ and the Bulls, when the faced eachother. It should really open your eyes to what greatness is rather than media driven publicity
Facts I agree! Media will force us Jordan or Lebron. It’s all they will push when it comes to GOAT lol
BIRD PLAYED LIKE BUTTER!!! HE IS THE GOAT!
🔥🔥
Abaolutely
Great job JP. I got to watch Larry play. He was always two steps ahead of everyone on the floor. Larry and Ervin Johnson saved the nba. It was so bad you have to stay up till midnight to watch the championship series.
Appreciate it William! Facts!! They did for sure!! It was worth watching though!
Lebron says his top 3 players of all time are Jordan, Dr J and Bird.
Lebron knows Bird was cold! 🥶
He's not the greatest....that's MJ...but top five for sure
PSA…DO UR HOMEWORK..THE CELTICS AND LAKERS BEEN STACKED SINCE THE BEGINNING OF BASKETBALL 😳
Only talking about the 80s and I know that! Already done research bud!
OK STOP IT DO YOUR HOMEWORK SICK OF THIS BIRD DID THIS AND THAT TO JORDAN 😳 FIRST OFF JORDAN NEVER COMPLAINED ABOUT HELP..SO LOOK AT THE HALL OF FAME TEAM BIRD PLAYED WITH AGAINST A LOTTERY PICK BULLS TEAM WITH A YOUNG JORDAN..SPEAKING OF NO HELP 😳 BUT U NEVER HEARD JORDAN COMPLAIN..GO LOOK AT THEM BULLS ROSTERS WHEN JORDAN GOT THERE#KNOW UR HISTORY 😳MJ>
All i asked is did Bird have a case? I never said BIrd wasn't the GOAT. I done my homework. I know more NBA than you ever will. Jordan never beat Bird, its that simple man. We can talk about 6-0 Finals record Jordan got, but Bird beat him 6-0. One thing Michael wished he could have beat. Red Auerbach knew his team with a pulse of what they need so stop it with your nonsense. McHale and Parish weren't hall of famers before they came to Boston. If he didn't had the team he had, Bird numbers would be up like crazy! He didn't care about the stats, fame, or anything. All Bird cared about is winning when he got to the league and knew how to make his teammates better. You must have forgot Boston was a losing team previous season before Bird came in and turned it around to a 60 win team. You must have forgot. Jordan was an individual player before becoming a winner. Who did Michael learn from in terms of trusting his teammates and winning. He wanted what Bird and Magic had cause he looked at them as Tier 1 and wants to be where they are at that time. Michael would even tell you that Bird had no weaknesses. Sucks that Bird didn't have a healthy career, but those 13 seasons he gave, resume speaks for himself. Jordan dominated the 90s for sure, but 80s no.