Does Dirk have a case over Bird All-Time?

[OdomFan]

Loved watching Dirk play, but no. The 2011 Finals is not enough to put him over a guy that led his team to multiple championships, not to mention played a major part in arguably the greatest rivalry in NBA history that saved the NBA from going away before Dirk could even arrive.

[ty 4191]

Do you think a decent case can be made to rank Dirk above Bird on the GOAT list?

No case.

Bird is a superior all around player.

No comparison.

Top 5 MVP Voting:

Over a 9 year stretch, Larry Bird won 3 MVPs, came in 2nd 4 times, 3rd once and 4th once. Sheer dominance.

Larry Bird: 88(2), 87(3), 86(1), 85(1), 84(1), 83(2), 82(2), 81(2), 80(4) = 9 top 5's (3 MVPs) (4 2nd places)

Dirk Nowitzki: 07(1), 06(3), 05(3) = 3 (1 MVP)

[Heej]

Back to back to back MVPs clears imo

[rk2023]

Ofc he does. Dirk has one serious PO blunder (2007) while Bird has whooping 7(!!!).

Dirk has more than that. He was terrible in the first round in 05, but his team advanced so nobody really remembers it. And in 2014 when Dallas took the Spurs to game 7 as an 8th seed in a year when the Spurs went on to win their remaining 12 playoff victories by a huge margin, Dirk was not very good and if he had been, Dallas stops what turned into an epic run by the Spurs.

Then he missed that key FT in the 06 Finals and got badly outplayed by Wade as they got backdoor swept after being up 15 in the 4th to go up 3-0.

Dirk was a great playoff performer and that run from 08 through the title doesn't get nearly enough respect. The team wasn't very good the years between the 67 wins and the title, but Dirk sure as hell was. But he has some blemishes too.

I'll give you 05, but in 2014 he was both legs past his prime,unfair to count that one. 06 was a clear rig job, should have never come to those FTs. So that's 2 vs. Bird's 7 (6 of which came in his prime and one pre-prime). I'm one of those people who value PO performance well above RS or longevity. I still have Bird above Dirk on my all-time list, but not by much. I think Bird with his blunders and short longevity has no place in top10.

Whom are some players you would then rate over him & where would you place Bird all-time?