Post#29 » by tsherkin » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:39 pm
Jordan was most certainly an underrated passer but I am still given to believe Bird was better. I think that MJ would have managed a good 27 ppg if he was consistently trying to average 6-8 apg, which is a little more than what Bird managed on average (Bird did have a 28 and 7.6 season, though, as well as 28.7/6.6 and 29.9/6.1).
Bird was the better shooter than Jordan (though by the end of Jordan's career, the difference was more in three-point shooting than anything else because MJ's 22-foot and shorter J was just nasty) and a more developed post scorer. MJ was a great post scorer for a guard but he had a lot more athleticism to exploit, so he often relied on bump-and-fades and quick step-ins and stuff that Bird was athletically incapable of matching. So Bird's repertoire was more skill-based ITO creating space and degree-of-difficulty on his shots.
I think, however, that saying Bird was a more "complete" offensive player is an exaggeration. MJ could do some of everything that Bird could do except for consistently hit the full NBA three. He wasn't as good a rebounder, 3pt shooter, FT shooter or passer (IMO) but he was also an absolutely staggering athlete and he played a very smart game, knew how to use all of his gifts and really worked on every aspect of his game, and really stayed within his style of play (which is perhaps the best compliment to be handed out).
Who was better for pure offense?
ITO volume scoring, you can't possibly say anything other than MJ; he drew FTAs at a considerably higher rate, the production of which Bird couldn't match because he was not an especially prolific three-point shooter for most of his career because he too understood how to stay within his game.
Ultimately, you're looking at pure skill versus skill and athleticism here.
I really want to take Bird here, but I can't find a compelling reason to do so. Jordan was always more than capable as a distributor when he trusted his teammates and was put in position to be a dominant distributor. He wasn't as good as Magic or Bird as a passer (especially not Magic) but he was capable of doing things on the floor (and, more importantly, above it) that neither Magic nor Bird could replicate and that opened doors for him where maybe his weaker technical skill could be overcome.
Plus, in terms of shot selection, he had a broader variety of opportunities.
I think ultimately you HAVE to take Jordan here, regardless of Bird's superior passing or, IMO, his better clutch shooting.
Jordan simply had too many options open to him because of his athleticism and his very clear array of skills. About the ONLY thing he couldn't do was consistently knock down NBA threes and that wasn't a huge weakness for him, especially once the 90s rolled around, because by then he was hitting foot-on-the-line 23-footers and stuff that made him dangerous enough at or just inside the three-point line that you had to respect him anyway.
I like Larry Bird, he's my second-favorite player behind Magic, but I don't think you can help taking Jordan here. Bird was a better teammate, a comparable competitor, a really brutal player to have to face in the clutch, a better rebounder, a better passer, a better overall shooter...
But man, the scariest thing in the league, especially from 84-85 to 92-93, had to be MJ on the wing with a live dribble.
