How Would Larry Bird Rate Against Todays' Players?

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

He'd get badly exploited on defense. There's a reason guys like McHale were forced to guard other star SF's.

Bird couldn't guard his own shadow.

Bird played the majority of his defensive miuntes at power forward. Can you name any power foward other than Brkely that burned Bird badley one on one? Barkley burned Bird small forward style with speed. Barkey burned everybody.

Bird was not as good as Draymond, but Draymond is a top 5 all time defensive power forward. But can Draymond guard Kawhi Leonard? Draymond on switch onto Leonard is fine for a minute here or there but Draymond playing 30 minutes a game verses Kawhi Leonard does not sound good to me. I would rather have Draymond at power forward providing some help defense for whoever has to guard Kawhi.

Bird had slow feet if you view him as a small forward. If you bird as a power forward then his feet are slightly faster than average and he still is stronger than the average power forward . There's nothing wrong with birds defense if you don't pay him out of position at small forward.

[LakerLegend]

Magic was 3 years younger and his head to head finals stats blow peak bird out of the water.

Totally False.

Bird averaged 25.3/11.1/4.6 against Magic in the Finals.

Magic averaged 20.7/7.5/13.5 against Bird in the Finals.

Pull up ALL the stats. Including FG%, steals etc.

Magic's assists and FG% push him way past Bird.

[Strepbacter]

He'd get badly exploited on defense. There's a reason guys like McHale were forced to guard other star SF's.

Bird couldn't guard his own shadow.

Bird played the majority of his defensive miuntes at power forward.

... because he couldn't guard a chair. He'd be hunted and exploited in today's game.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

He'd get badly exploited on defense. There's a reason guys like McHale were forced to guard other star SF's.

Bird couldn't guard his own shadow.

Bird played the majority of his defensive miuntes at power forward.

... because he couldn't guard a chair. He'd be hunted and exploited in today's game.

Silly troll
Watchs some film
Or just be a troll

[ty 4191]

Pull up ALL the stats. Including FG%, steals etc.

Magic's assists and FG% push him way past Bird.

Bird: 25.3/11.1/4.6 on .552 TS%, 33 steals, 19 blocks, 56 TOV, 47 Fouls committed.

However, re: TS%, note: Bird took twenty four 3 point shots and made 50% of them.

Bird was also a power forward, so we wouldn't expect him to have nearly as many steals or assists as Magic (even though he nearly matched Magic in the steals category, because he was a phenomenal defender with preternatural instincts). Nor would we expect Magic to have as many blocks, of course.

Magic: 20.7/7.5/13.5 on .590 TS%, 40 steals, 8 blocks, 64 TOV, 52 fouls committed.

However, re: TS%, Magic also only took a total of five 3 point shots in those 19 games and made only 33.3% of them.

To wit: Clearly, Magic did not "totally blow Bird out of the water in the Finals", as you originally stated.

[NRSV]

He'd get badly exploited on defense. There's a reason guys like McHale were forced to guard other star SF's.

Bird couldn't guard his own shadow.

Bird played the majority of his defensive miuntes at power forward.

... because he couldn't guard a chair. He'd be hunted and exploited in today's game.

Man your bad takes are everywhere!

[LakerLegend]

Pull up ALL the stats. Including FG%, steals etc.

Magic's assists and FG% push him way past Bird.

Bird: 25.3/11.1/4.6 on .552 TS%, 33 steals, 19 blocks, 56 TOV, 47 Fouls committed.

However, re: TS%, note: Bird took twenty four 3 point shots and made 50% of them.

Bird was also a power forward, so we wouldn't expect him to have nearly as many steals or assists as Magic (even though he nearly matched Magic in the steals category, because he was a phenomenal defender with preternatural instincts). Nor would we expect Magic to have as many blocks, of course.

Magic: 20.7/7.5/13.5 on .590 TS%, 40 steals, 8 blocks, 64 TOV, 52 fouls committed.

However, re: TS%, Magic also only took a total of five 3 point shots in those 19 games and made only 33.3% of them.

To wit: Clearly, Magic did not "totally blow Bird out of the water in the Finals", as you originally stated.

He did...greater efficiency and a massive edge in assists.

Despite being 3 years younger. If it was 87, 88, 89 Magic he would probably push an even greater advantage.

[Curmudgeon]

Was Magic better after Bird hurt his back? Probably yes.

If Magic in his prime and Bird in his prime were in today's NBA, they would be the two best players in the league and there would be thread after thread on RealGM with people arguing who was better.

[SNPA]

He'd get badly exploited on defense. There's a reason guys like McHale were forced to guard other star SF's.

Bird couldn't guard his own shadow.

Bird played the majority of his defensive miuntes at power forward. Can you name any power foward other than Brkely that burned Bird badley one on one? Barkley burned Bird small forward style with speed. Barkey burned everybody.

Bird was not as good as Draymond, but Draymond is a top 5 all time defensive power forward. But can Draymond guard Kawhi Leonard? Draymond on switch onto Leonard is fine for a minute here or there but Draymond playing 30 minutes a game verses Kawhi Leonard does not sound good to me. I would rather have Draymond at power forward providing some help defense for whoever has to guard Kawhi.

Bird had slow feet if you view him as a small forward. If you bird as a power forward then his feet are slightly faster than average and he still is stronger than the average power forward . There's nothing wrong with birds defense if you don't pay him out of position at small forward.

Truth.

But you’re talking to someone that thinks Kobe was better, so…

[SNPA]

Prime Bird, pre massive back problems (1988-1989) would be the best player in today's NBA. Especially with 3 pointers being exponentially more valued and taken by today's players. Bird would be shooting .400 from three with a ton of 3's having grown up and playing in today's game, with no hard defense, spacing, and the total emphasis on shooting over paint play.

How dominant was Bird? Consider this:

I've written the years in which they placed and their positions in brackets. * denotes that they won MVP.

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(), 85(), 84(*), 83(2), 82(2), 81(2), 80(4) = 9 (3 MVPs) (4 2nd places)

It was just like today, voters are only going to go for the same guy so many times in a row.

Let they sink in, from 81-86 Bird won or was second on MVP voting. That’s clearly arguable as the greatest stretch of all time.

Simply put, Bird was the greatest player in the world for most of a full decade.

[LakerLegend]

Prime Bird, pre massive back problems (1988-1989) would be the best player in today's NBA. Especially with 3 pointers being exponentially more valued and taken by today's players. Bird would be shooting .400 from three with a ton of 3's having grown up and playing in today's game, with no hard defense, spacing, and the total emphasis on shooting over paint play.

How dominant was Bird? Consider this:

I've written the years in which they placed and their positions in brackets. * denotes that they won MVP.

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(), 85(), 84(*), 83(2), 82(2), 81(2), 80(4) = 9 (3 MVPs) (4 2nd places)

It was just like today, voters are only going to go for the same guy so many times in a row.

Let they sink in, from 81-86 Bird won or was second on MVP voting. That’s clearly arguable as the greatest stretch of all time.

Simply put, Bird was the greatest player in the world for most of a full decade.

Eh, I wouldn't bring MVP voting into this conversation because of media bias.

[ty 4191]

It was just like today, voters are only going to go for the same guy so many times in a row.

Let they sink in, from 81-86 Bird won or was second on MVP voting. That’s clearly arguable as the greatest stretch of all time.

Simply put, Bird was the greatest player in the world for most of a full decade.

Absolutely. Amazing insight, here!!!

[ty 4191]

He did...greater efficiency and a massive edge in assists.

Despite being 3 years younger. If it was 87, 88, 89 Magic he would probably push an even greater advantage.

Massive advantage in assists? Bird was a power forward/SF those years, Magic was obviously a PG. What do you expect?

Bird holds the lead in Finals WS, PER, VORP those 3 years. Overall individual player value.

Bird owned him in scoring, which is the most important thing a player can do, and his TS% in only lower because he shot 5x as many threes as Magic (who sucked at 3 point and outside shooting, especially compared to Larry Bird).

And yes, Magic was 3 years younger, which was an advantage for him, not a disadvantage, in the mid to late 80's. A big one.

[KnickMan]

I've seen plenty of Bird. "He was so far ahead of Lebron in the passing category that it should never even come up" Right.... I see you're a Celtics fan

You saw him? Live (at least when he was playing) or just youtube clips? And yes, I am a Celtics fan (over 40 years of watching them), so I've seen Bird play from his very fist game to his very last game. I've also watched countless Lebron games - and so I repeat (from first-hand obeserviation thank you), that Lebron is not even in the neighborhood of Bird when it comes to passing.

Thank you for your completely unbiased opinion.

I am not a Celtics Fan and in fact as a Knick Fan I absolutely hated that team for decades. However, Bird's court vision was a level with Magic Johnson at the SF position. It is no disrespect to Lebron to say Bird was a good if not a better passer than him. Bird was just that good.

[KnickMan]

Never been a bird fan but that highlight reel has me thinking I need to rethink my stance.

I truly could not stand him or the Celtics, but that dude is top 5 all time. Anyone who thinks differently either never saw him play or don't know they are talking about.

[SinceGatlingWasARookie]

Never been a bird fan but that highlight reel has me thinking I need to rethink my stance.

I truly could not stand him or the Celtics, but that dude is top 5 all time. Anyone who thinks differently either never saw him play or don't know they are talking about.

LeBron can't touch Bird for court vision; but to rack up assists you better have the ball and to have the ball all the time you had better be an unguardable dribbler. Bird was not fast enough to be an unguardable dribbler.

The Knicks were not good enough to hate. But damn 1984 Playoffs Bernard King was better than Bird and Magic. Nobody believes me; but it's true. Merge peak Dennis Rodman with Louis Orr and merge the best of peak Steph Curry with Ray Williams, and drop the cocaine use and then the 1984 Knicks beat the Celtics and Lakers and any other champion as well.

[KnickMan]

The comparisons to Luka and Jokic are weird.

If anything he would be the equivalent of KD.

Even though I have not seen enough Doncic, I have seen enough Doncic to know the comparison makes sense.
Even though Jokic is bigger and is carrying arround some fat in addition to being a larger framed man The Bird Jokic similarities are blatantly obvious.

These comparisons are not weird and they make more sense than a Bird Durant comparison.

Exactly. Anyone who actually watched Bird play, can easily see the similarities in his game to Doncic and was mentionedl Jokic. He is basketball IQ was off the chain as was his court vision. Bird and Durant are really nothing alike at all in terms of playing style.

[JoeBarryCarol]

Better than Lebron. Probably best player in the league

2 all time top 10 players- I would love to see prime Bird vs prime Lebron since their styles are so different. Bird would score on Lebron (or on anyone for that matter) but Lebron would probably score even more on Bird.

I think Lebron is a bit better but Bird would give him a hell of a battle.

[draftnightsuit]

In an era where athleticism means less and shooting ability means more, I think Larry Legend would be a top 5 player at worst today.

Athleticism means less? Players today are way more athletic than Bird’s era. Larry Bird was considered a top athlete in his era.

[draftnightsuit]

Speaks to how the game has changed. In the mid 2000's there was a general feeling that Bird was too unathletic and was a relic of his time. He'd get murdered by the KG's and Webbers of the day. But the game has gone away from athleticism and more towards skill, so Bird is back in favor.

I think Bird would kill it in today's league.

Steve Nash won 2 MVPs in the mid 2000s.