KD to GS - Pt III

[so_bored]

KD better than Larry Bird??? Am I hearing that right? LMAO. Bird is one of the most fierce competitors ever. He would literally make KD cry. Bird's way better passer, play maker, and rebounder. Their defense are just about the same. Bird also ruled the league along with Magic for almost a decade. Can you say the same about KD? He is known for being the second best or coming up short throughout his career. His peer Lebron absolutely owns him. No top 10 player ever would constantly get owned by player playing the same position as him.

Durant put up a 30 PER before which crushes Bird. Durant is an equal rebounder, much more efficient scorer and way better defender. Bird was a weak defensive player. Did you see Durant's defense in the playoffs? It embarrasses Bird's defense.

Btw there is no shame in being outplayed by LeBron, who is a top 2 player ever. LeBron would dominate Bird completely. Durant's competition is far tougher than Bird's. He's got to compete with LeBron, 67-win Spurs, 73- win Warriors etc. Bird feasted on weak ass teams like the .500 Rockets.

Lol PER and efficiency are the most overrated stats ever as you can maintain them with careful shot selection. Lebron's final year in Miami where he shot 56% from field proved that. KD is not the way better defender. KD may be the better perimeter defender due to his length, but Bird's much better post defender.

LOL, no Lebron would never dominate Bird. LOL. You must be one of those people who think athleticism means everything in basketball. BIrd was such a skilled player and his post up game was so damn good. He scored on just about everybody. Ask Jordan if he could ever guard Bird. Bird killed him on the post every damn time in regular season and playoffs. Celtics went through bad boy Pistons and Showtime Lakers. You obviously don't know anything about the 80's basketball.

[Shimso]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/750869001081802752[/tweet]

$150 for Flyknit Nike basketball shoes? As long as there's no major design flaw for wearability or durability that's a great deal compared to what's out there.

I used to exclusively wear Kobes but they're just too expensive now.

[NBAfan3024]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/KRON4WTran/status/751044303393136640[/tweet]

love it

[rmfc]

GS will be a.fun team to watch.....
... per the usual.

[Veez]

KD better than Larry Bird??? Am I hearing that right? LMAO. Bird is one of the most fierce competitors ever. He would literally make KD cry. Bird's way better passer, play maker, and rebounder. Their defense are just about the same. Bird also ruled the league along with Magic for almost a decade. Can you say the same about KD? He is known for being the second best or coming up short throughout his career. His peer Lebron absolutely owns him. No top 10 player ever would constantly get owned by player playing the same position as him.

Durant put up a 30 PER before which crushes Bird. Durant is an equal rebounder, much more efficient scorer and way better defender. Bird was a weak defensive player. Did you see Durant's defense in the playoffs? It embarrasses Bird's defense.

Btw there is no shame in being outplayed by LeBron, who is a top 2 player ever. LeBron would dominate Bird completely. Durant's competition is far tougher than Bird's. He's got to compete with LeBron, 67-win Spurs, 73- win Warriors etc. Bird feasted on weak ass teams like the .500 Rockets.

Lol PER and efficiency are the most overrated stats ever as you can maintain them with careful shot selection. Lebron's final year in Miami where he shot 56% from field proved that. KD is not the way better defender. KD may be the better perimeter defender due to his length, but Bird's much better post defender.

LOL, no Lebron would never dominate Bird. LOL. You must be one of those people who think athleticism means everything in basketball. BIrd was such a skilled player and his post up game was so damn good. He scored on just about everybody. Ask Jordan if he could ever guard Bird. Bird killed him on the post every damn time in regular season and playoffs. Celtics went through bad boy Pistons and Showtime Lakers. You obviously don't know anything about the 80's basketball.

and you must be one of those people who try to discredit athleticism. maybe you werent athletic yourself and convinced yourself of that narrative? players are drafted purely based off athleticism and minimal skill, hoping the skills comes on later. but do you see anyone with skill being drafted that doesn't have athleticism? no and there's a reason for that..lets continue though..

back to your point, lebron would actually overwhelm bird with his defense and on offense he would bully and embarass bird. and jordan is a bad example if you're trying to compare lebron. jordan? A 6'6 205 lbs guard to a 6'9 250 lbs sf/pf? ha nvm 80's basketball, do you know basketball at all? try Karl malone. ha, i would LOVE to see bird "kill" a lebron sized athlete. lets not sit here and pretend that lebron is all athleticism. he has plenty of skill to go along with that freakish athleticism. 6'9 220 lbs skilled bird with some athleticism vs a 6'9 250 lbs skilled hyper athlete? i'll take lebron any day. watch his defense on the heat to see just how effective he can be if he really wants to.

also, do you really laugh out loud that much as you're typing, or is it an immature condescending kind of thing?

[Birth of the Cool]

I'm sorry but you know nothing about basketball if you think Larry Bird would be bullied & embarrassed by LeBron or any other Forward in the history of the NBA. Yes LeBron is the better player but this idea that Bird's skill & talent would not hold a match to LeBron or even Durant speaks volumes about you.

[a8bil]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

[Litany]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

Bird was incredible. There's a reason he's called Larry Legend. The thing that will allow people to pass him going forward is the short-length of his prime.

If someone comes along...an incredible player like LeBron, they can pass Bird if they put together an awesome career.

Before we talk about Durant being at the top of any all-time list...lets let him win a championship or two. Larry has earned the right to be where he is with his overall performance and his level of play at his peak and his rings.

It's too early to start throwing Durant at the top of all-time lists. Does he have the talent? You bet. But he needs to win those rings and perform in the finals. That's whats going to be fun to watch is how this Warriors team gels. Every team will give em their best shot...they know that. Lets see how they respond.

[Veez]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

but thats the thing, so are Lebron's. His hand eye coordination is damn good. his BBIQ is documented, his freakish memory of plays that a team ran a prior season, lebron will remember instantly during a game. and hes a physical beast. And also hall of fame. as many rings as bird. he also impacts the game at so many levels if not more. bird's passing is underrated but lebron still beats him in that category too with his vision and strength which enables him to get the ball to his teammates quick and on point.

why cant a current player be better than one in a prior era when its this obvious? lebron has played as many seasons as bird already and accomplished just as much and more AND hes still going. i understand some of you may have a hard time with that because of the nostalgia that is attached to your own personal life and that era but lebron would make bird look bad if bird were defending him. whatever you're thinking, i want you to realize this; in the 80s there was noone like lebron with his power and speed and skill. so there is no visual proof of bird even attempting to guard someone like that. you can have all the IQ in the world, but if your legs and feet aren't moving fast enough, what good is it?

im not talking about accomplishments, or any of that. I'm talking, game of basketball, you can assemble your team. for SF if it was between bird or lebron, which would you take? understanding that whoever you dont pick will be on the opposing team. for me its lebron and im not even a lebron fan. he will drive on bird all game long and bird will bounce OFF of him like countless modern athletes do and on defense, he will make it very challenging for bird. in the end, after the game, my bet is that lebron will have been a bigger positive for his team

[so_bored]

Durant put up a 30 PER before which crushes Bird. Durant is an equal rebounder, much more efficient scorer and way better defender. Bird was a weak defensive player. Did you see Durant's defense in the playoffs? It embarrasses Bird's defense.

Btw there is no shame in being outplayed by LeBron, who is a top 2 player ever. LeBron would dominate Bird completely. Durant's competition is far tougher than Bird's. He's got to compete with LeBron, 67-win Spurs, 73- win Warriors etc. Bird feasted on weak ass teams like the .500 Rockets.

Lol PER and efficiency are the most overrated stats ever as you can maintain them with careful shot selection. Lebron's final year in Miami where he shot 56% from field proved that. KD is not the way better defender. KD may be the better perimeter defender due to his length, but Bird's much better post defender.

LOL, no Lebron would never dominate Bird. LOL. You must be one of those people who think athleticism means everything in basketball. BIrd was such a skilled player and his post up game was so damn good. He scored on just about everybody. Ask Jordan if he could ever guard Bird. Bird killed him on the post every damn time in regular season and playoffs. Celtics went through bad boy Pistons and Showtime Lakers. You obviously don't know anything about the 80's basketball.

and you must be one of those people who try to discredit athleticism. maybe you werent athletic yourself and convinced yourself of that narrative? players are drafted purely based off athleticism and minimal skill, hoping the skills comes on later. but do you see anyone with skill being drafted that doesn't have athleticism? no and there's a reason for that..lets continue though..

back to your point, lebron would actually overwhelm bird with his defense and on offense he would bully and embarass bird. and jordan is a bad example if you're trying to compare lebron. jordan? A 6'6 205 lbs guard to a 6'9 250 lbs sf/pf? ha nvm 80's basketball, do you know basketball at all? try Karl malone. ha, i would LOVE to see bird "kill" a lebron sized athlete. lets not sit here and pretend that lebron is all athleticism. he has plenty of skill to go along with that freakish athleticism. 6'9 220 lbs skilled bird with some athleticism vs a 6'9 250 lbs skilled hyper athlete? i'll take lebron any day. watch his defense on the heat to see just how effective he can be if he really wants to.

also, do you really laugh out loud that much as you're typing, or is it an immature condescending kind of thing?

So you're one of those people that think athleticism means everything in basketball too. People like you're one of the reason why NBA today lack players with true basketball skills. What skills does Lebron have besides using his body to bully his way to the rim? Does he have a well balanced post game? Nope. Does he have unlimited number of offensive moves like Kobe and Jordan that he can pull out of his bag? Nope.

Back to your point about lebron embarrasing or overwhelming Bird.. Did he ever embarrass and overwhelm Boris Diaw (in the Finals against spurs), or Biyambo (this years ECF), or even Curry when he was being single guarded by them all alone? Hardly. In fact, he shied away from going straight at them because he lacks offensive skills. Lebron is the better player, but he isn't going to embarrase or overwhelm bird at all.

[Nate505]

You either have to be a Durant Stan, or woefully uneducated about the history of this game to think Durant has any chance at top 10 all time status. And I say that as someone with great respect for him as a player, independent of the fact that I think he's a coward.

Are you 17 years old?

He's easily headed for top 10 all-time.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

That's good stuff.

The only thing Durant can control is his stats and the number of championships he might win. Those are tangible things. Legacy is completely subjective. And Durant going to a stacked team will hurt his legacy with most people, unless that team does something nearly superhuman. That's just how it is.

[Nate505]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/750869001081802752[/tweet]

I hope that isn't true, because if so, what a douche ****.

[Bandeazyy]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/750869001081802752[/tweet]

I hope that isn't true, because if so, what a douche ****.

How's that make him a douche? dude been charging cheap for his kicks compare to every other shoes out there. KD shoes always looked weird as hell to me though

[a8bil]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

but thats the thing, so are Lebron's. His hand eye coordination is damn good. his BBIQ is documented, his freakish memory of plays that a team ran a prior season, lebron will remember instantly during a game. and hes a physical beast. And also hall of fame. as many rings as bird. he also impacts the game at so many levels if not more. bird's passing is underrated but lebron still beats him in that category too with his vision and strength which enables him to get the ball to his teammates quick and on point.

why cant a current player be better than one in a prior era when its this obvious? i understand some of you may have a hard time with that because of the nostalgia that is attached to your own personal life and that era but lebron would make bird look bad if bird were defending him. whatever you're thinking, i want you to realize this; in the 80s there was noone like lebron with his power and speed and skill. so there is no visual proof of bird even attempting to guard someone like that. you can have all the IQ in the world, but if your legs and feet aren't moving fast enough, what good is it?

I'm not talking about accomplishments, or any of that. I'm talking, game of basketball, you can assemble your team. for SF if it was between bird or lebron, which would you take? understanding that whoever you dont pick will be on the opposing team. for me its lebron and im not even a lebron fan. he will drive on bird all game long and bird will bounce OFF of him like countless modern athletes do and on defense, he will make it very challenging for bird. in the end, after the game, my bet is that lebron will have been a bigger positive for his team

LeBron's hand eye coordination is not on Bird's level, and I don't think his BBIQ is at the same level either. If it was, LeBron would be the unquestioned best player of all time, because his overall athleticism is a once in a lifetime specimen. As a package, LeBron is amazing, but that doesn't mean he's better than everyone at everything. Bird was a much better shooter, and did many things better than LeBron does.

This isn't one on one. Bird would not be covering LeBron on a regular basis, nor would LeBron be covering Bird. But I can tell you, Bird would be picking LeBron's pockets on a regular basis. Bird played against a lot of players who could handle the ball better than LeBron. LeBron would have his share of steals, but I take Bird's hands over LeBron's every day.

And Bird would do just fine rebounding. He's a career 10 RPG player back when the league was far more physical, and on a team that already had two great rebounders in Parrish and McHale. Bird knew how to use his body to position for rebounds. He didn't need to out muscle, or out leap everyone to get to boards.

Lebron would have his advantages, no doubt, but you are dismissing the level of play of players from the past, which leads me to ask: why do you have the need to believe that what you see today is always better than things from the past?

[so_bored]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

but thats the thing, so are Lebron's. His hand eye coordination is damn good. his BBIQ is documented, his freakish memory of plays that a team ran a prior season, lebron will remember instantly during a game. and hes a physical beast. And also hall of fame. as many rings as bird. he also impacts the game at so many levels if not more. bird's passing is underrated but lebron still beats him in that category too with his vision and strength which enables him to get the ball to his teammates quick and on point.

why cant a current player be better than one in a prior era when its this obvious? i understand some of you may have a hard time with that because of the nostalgia that is attached to your own personal life and that era but lebron would make bird look bad if bird were defending him. whatever you're thinking, i want you to realize this; in the 80s there was noone like lebron with his power and speed and skill. so there is no visual proof of bird even attempting to guard someone like that. you can have all the IQ in the world, but if your legs and feet aren't moving fast enough, what good is it?

I'm not talking about accomplishments, or any of that. I'm talking, game of basketball, you can assemble your team. for SF if it was between bird or lebron, which would you take? understanding that whoever you dont pick will be on the opposing team. for me its lebron and im not even a lebron fan. he will drive on bird all game long and bird will bounce OFF of him like countless modern athletes do and on defense, he will make it very challenging for bird. in the end, after the game, my bet is that lebron will have been a bigger positive for his team

LeBron's hand eye coordination is not on Bird's level, and I don't think his BBIQ is at the same level either. If it was, LeBron would be the unquestioned best player of all time, because his overall athleticism is a once in a lifetime specimen. As a package, LeBron is amazing, but that doesn't mean he's better than everyone at everything. Bird was a much better shooter, and did many things better than LeBron does.

This isn't one on one. Bird would not be covering LeBron on a regular basis, nor would LeBron be covering Bird. But I can tell you, Bird would be picking LeBron's pockets on a regular basis. Bird played against a lot of players who could handle the ball better than LeBron. LeBron would have his share of steals, but I take Bird's hands over LeBron's every day.

And Bird would do just fine rebounding. He's a career 10 RPG player back when the league was far more physical, and on a team that already had two great rebounders in Parrish and McHale. Bird knew how to use his body to position for rebounds. He didn't need to out muscle, or out leap everyone to get to boards.

Lebron would have his advantages, no doubt, but you are dismissing the level of play of players from the past, which leads me to ask: why do you have the need to believe that what you see today is always better than things from the past?

Bird was a tremoundous rebounder for his size because he had the fundamental skills of using his body to box out and get in good positions for rebounds. He is a better rebounder than Lebron and KD. Also, let's not forget about his mental toughness. Both Lebron and KD don't even come close to matching Bird in this area.

[te887848]

You either have to be a Durant Stan, or woefully uneducated about the history of this game to think Durant has any chance at top 10 all time status. And I say that as someone with great respect for him as a player, independent of the fact that I think he's a coward.

Are you 17 years old?

He's easily headed for top 10 all-time.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

That's good stuff.

The only thing Durant can control is his stats and the number of championships he might win. Those are tangible things. Legacy is completely subjective. And Durant going to a stacked team will hurt his legacy with most people, unless that team does something nearly superhuman. That's just how it is.

What's so funny? It's the truth.

And no, legacy isn't really subjective. It's a combination of individual stats + dominance + titles.

Durant going to the most stacked team in the league doesn't hurt his legacy in the slightest, but rather it helps it tremendously because it guarantees him several titles, which is one of the key variables to the formula for an all-time great legacy.

Trust me, people whining about Durant not playing on a team they wanted to see him on has zero impact on his legacy.

[EastBayBoy]

Man, Royce Young's tweets sound like something a broken hearted ex GF might tweet after a nasty break up.

You mean like this one?

[tweet]https://twitter.com/royceyoung/status/750765584749457408[/tweet]

Sometimes the truth hurts. Young's job is to report the truth about what happened and to provide insight into Durant's personality from having covered him. I thought his ESPN piece on why Durant left was brilliant.

Young isn't a Durant PR representative. In fact, at this moment, he's probably the opposite. Given that his readership is likely heavily made up of OKC fans who aren't thrilled with Durant's decision.

I think these were some key parts of what Young wrote in his ESPN piece:

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/16791990/nba-changes-led-kevin-durant-departure-oklahoma-city-thunder

Durant repeated a phrase often: "I'm no front-runner."

...

Durant didn't want to be the leader anymore. The Warriors' "Strength In Numbers" mantra wasn't just a catchphrase. It was what he wanted.

One of the most incredible things I think I have learned from the reporting around Durant's decision is that I actually am starting to believe that Westbrook may be the more stable or grounded of the duo. At least off the court. I never would have believed that before.

exactly like after a breakup..... lets air Durant's dirty laundry after the fact. Young could have done it when Durant was still a member of the Thunder, fact is he waited till after he signed else where.

but hey, lets leave out all the other tweets from Young so it can help your straw man

[baller16]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/750869001081802752[/tweet]

Guess the old KD was just a good actor, now we are seeing the real KD.

[Nate505]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/NickDePaula/status/750869001081802752[/tweet]

I hope that isn't true, because if so, what a douche ****.

How's that make him a douche? dude been charging cheap for his kicks compare to every other shoes out there. KD shoes always looked weird as hell to me though

Putting value on your shoe like it relates to the value of you a player is a total douche move. For one, how to do the two even correlate other than the fact that the shoe company can justify charging more because they paid more for the endorsement. Would Steph Curry be less of a player if he demanded they sell the shoes he endorsed for $60? For another, does this imply before that he was always just an $88 player (whatever the hell that means) before now?

[fa2011]

LOL...the takes on Bird vs. Lebron are funny. I can only assume those knocking Bird didn't see him play. His hand-eye coordination and BBIQ were off the charts. He wasn't a physical beast that LeBron is (no one is BTW), but Bird was Hall of Fame, top 5 of all time level of great athlete. He impacted every game he played at so many levels.

Bird was incredible. There's a reason he's called Larry Legend. The thing that will allow people to pass him going forward is the short-length of his prime.

If someone comes along...an incredible player like LeBron, they can pass Bird if they put together an awesome career.

Before we talk about Durant being at the top of any all-time list...lets let him win a championship or two. Larry has earned the right to be where he is with his overall performance and his level of play at his peak and his rings.

It's too early to start throwing Durant at the top of all-time lists. Does he have the talent? You bet. But he needs to win those rings and perform in the finals. That's whats going to be fun to watch is how this Warriors team gels. Every team will give em their best shot...they know that. Lets see how they respond.

Surprisingly, I actually whole heartedly agree with your comments on this one Don't mind the screen name, I got a ban for circumventing language filter yesterday and apparently my screen name which I had from '11 ... I guess it was naughty, too




Larry's shorts game > Durant's