Interesting thing I noticed in Magic vs. Bird

tmac4real · Post #1 » by **tmac4real** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:30 am

In Bird's prime that is, he seemed to be better. Check this out:

He's won 3 MVPs in a row, only him and Bill Russell has done it. all 3 MVP's were won with Magic playing and this was the voting:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 4.html#mvp
Bird got 52 first place votes, next guy is 11, Magic is at 5. Not close

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 5.html#mvp
Bird got 73 first place votes, next guy (magic) only is at 1. That is not even remotely close.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 6.html#mvp
Bird got 73 first place votes again, Magic not even 1.

Magic won only one MVP during Bird's "prime" The other one was when bird was injured, and the third one was when he was clearly not the same player.

The other two MVP's were won when Bird's back had done him in, in 89-89, and 89-90.

I thought this was interesting and due to prime value Bird just might be better.

HINrichPolice · Post #2 » by **HINrichPolice** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:34 am

Kareem's presence probably made it hard for the media to justify voting for Magic as the most valuable player on a team.

Post #3 » by **studcrackers** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:59 am

wilt also won 3 mvp's in a row

kooldude · Post #4 » by **kooldude** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:03 am

Bird- better player

Magic-greater player

tmac4real · Post #5 » by **tmac4real** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:19 am

studcrackers wrote:wilt also won 3 mvp's in a row

ur right, I was looking at the MVP winners each year and I saw one gap that was the ABA MVp.

Post #6 » by **studcrackers** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:22 am

maybe part of it also had to do with age, i mean bird was 27,28 and 29 in his mvps and magic's 3 mvps he was 27, 29 and 30. so they peaked at the same age but bird was a couple years older then magic

Jordan23Forever · Post #7 » by **Jordan23Forever** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:33 am

kooldude wrote:Bird- better player

Magic-greater player

Basically. Bird's prime was better than Magic's prime, but Magic had a better career for several reasons.

Post #8 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sat May 31, 2008 7:05 am

tmac4real wrote:In Bird's prime that is, he seemed to be better. Check this out:

He's won 3 MVPs in a row, only him and Bill Russell has done it. all 3 MVP's were won with Magic playing and this was the voting:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 4.html#mvp
Bird got 52 first place votes, next guy is 11, Magic is at 5. Not close

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 5.html#mvp
Bird got 73 first place votes, next guy (magic) only is at 1. That is not even remotely close.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/awa ... 6.html#mvp
Bird got 73 first place votes again, Magic not even 1.

Magic won only one MVP during Bird's "prime" The other one was when bird was injured, and the third one was when he was clearly not the same player.

The other two MVP's were won when Bird's back had done him in, in 89-89, and 89-90.

I thought this was interesting and due to prime value Bird just might be better.

I'd have no problem giving Bird the nod for better peak, and think a great case can be made for Bird in general. However, Magic's my pick for the better career, mainly because I'd give him the nod as the more impressive playoff performer. I also like Magic's efficiency in general. I understand that Bird was more of a volume scorer, which makes that tougher, but it's not like Bird's efficiency was even that outstanding for his volume of scoring (Barkley kills him, and Jordan beats him even though he had even higher volume).

shawngoat23 · Post #9 » by **shawngoat23** » Sat May 31, 2008 9:42 am

kooldude wrote:Bird- better player

Magic-greater player

G35 · Post #10 » by **G35** » Sat May 31, 2008 1:31 pm

It should be noted that Bird and the Celtics had to go up vs the Sixers/Bucks/Pistons in the 80's while the Lakers went up vs ...?........

JordansBulls · Post #11 » by **JordansBulls** » Sat May 31, 2008 2:16 pm

G35 wrote:It should be noted that Bird and the Celtics had to go up vs the Sixers/Bucks/Pistons in the 80's while the Lakers went up vs ...?........

Post #12 » by **Doctor MJ** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:44 pm

G35 wrote:It should be noted that Bird and the Celtics had to go up vs the Sixers/Bucks/Pistons in the 80's while the Lakers went up vs ...?........

To win the 5 titles which puts Magic's team accomplishments clearly ahead of Bird's? Interestingly enough, the Sixers, Bucks, Pistons, and even the Celtics are in the same league as the Lakers. :wink:

KNICKS1970 · Post #13 » by **KNICKS1970** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:53 pm

That assessment is pretty much on the dot, at his peak, Bird was the better player, but Magic had the better career/resume. Pretty much, when ranking players, you have to rank one after the other.

Post #14 » by **penbeast0** » Sat May 31, 2008 6:27 pm

Make that better individual player . . . Magic may have had a greater team effect than Bird; people forget how withdrawn and isolated Kareem was before Magic arrived. He had embraced the radical Muslims in a period even more hostile to that difference than today (early 70s Black Power radicalism etc) . . . if you remember how his teammates and the league isolated Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf for refusing to stand for the national anthem you can imagine how Kareem was treated when he was housing supposed Muslim terrorists . . . until Magic came and with his personality and unselfish play pulled the talent together into a team.