Dirk does ONE thing as good as Larry, and thats shoot!...Hes not on Larrys level in terms of overall scoring, and he isnt 1/10th the playmaker,passer,rebounder or leader that Bird was....The comparisons are LIGHT YEARS apart
BIRD and dirk discussion? cmon now guys, pick someone else to compare to dirk. he is nowhere near LARRY LEGEND... who ever started this is simply stupid, same as to the discussion between MJ and "that guy from LA". its blasphemous to compare mere mortals to the GODS of basketball. move along...
@DrmrGuy1979 I know that there is a tendency to compare every white player who can shoot to Bird but in this particular instance I think there are viable comparisons to be made. They both shoot exceptionally well, free throws and three pointers. They are complete gym rats who obsessively work on their game. They are both slow players who have to compensate in other ways. And yes, they are the very few white players who - for a while - were or are the best players in the game.
@omnivorous65 I think it is good to make comparisons as people don't always see things the same way and opposing views can help enlighten. I don't mean to bash Dirk - he's a great player but I put Bird at a higher level. Bird had a superb all around game. Few people realize how good his defense was - great hands, anticipation and will to win. Bird's passing could be breath-taking, thread the needle, deceptive, touch passes, between opponents legs + Dirk?Bird avg 10 Rebs/game + 69 trip-doubles!
If you want the to just put up the library of the smoothest, most dominating and fight-to-win lineup in NBA history, just put up all the vids of this starting five: Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. They had a 2-3 year run that's never been matched.
Bird had very fast hands & terrific eye to hand coordination. His high IQ & ability to see plays happen before they actually did gave him a big advantage. He was mentally & physcially tough with more desire than any other player I'd ever seen. His uncanny ability to make huge defensive plays often proved to be the difference in big games. Possibly the best shooter of all time and an amazing passer/rebounder. And clutch, the man was clutch as they come! Possibly the best all around player ever!
Look at the shots Bird hits in the 3rd quarter--guys guarding him are in his face and he still hits everything!! Not only was he unstoppable as a shooter but he also totally set up the other no name celtics for easy dunks and layups. Lohaus and Acres never looked so good.
the dunk did not feature high in offensive repertoire but he could dunk and in traffic. He was a much better athelte than he was given credit for. he probably liked that perception.
@tw69hands2 Malone was never considered a leaper neither. But your point holds up. Bird was very decent athlete. And reducing athletic ability to running and jumping seems a bit one-dimensional for basketball. Hand-Eye coordination, change of direction, processing speed, all those are "abilities" that have to be taken into consideration. Even IQ. How many good athletes are there who just don't get it. They simply do not understand high end basketball, which is in fact confusingly complex.
Great decision on leaving the video unedited, Fatal. When Bird is on fire it's best to let his brilliance speak for itself without any trickery. Good post. I like the moment at the end when they announce his triple-dub: "Ten assists for Larry Bird, and the triple-double". Like they were waiting for it because they knew it was gonna happen. Monster.
Fatal, you have an unrivaled selection of videos highlighting my favorite as well one of the best basketball players of the post-Russell era, and not just within the Celtics franchise. Bird personified hustle and hard work and was, as evidenced by your videos, a continual triple double threat. He possessed great anticipation and was an accurate shooter who scored his points in the rhythm of the game--always when they seemed to count. Brilliant passer.
Great Rebounder. Mastered the Boxing Out Skill like very few despiste his lack of leaping ability. His strength is underrated and his Post Game aswell.
@Ariamaluum Throw in a little Pistol Pete. I was amazed when I finally got to see some Pistol Pete videos. Watching them, I couldn't help but believe Bird wa influenced by him. The passing similarities and some of the shot selection similarities - shots Bird shot early in his career (spinning in a circle and shooting it) - are uncanny.
@saturndual32 Actually, Larry Bird himself was pleased with that comparison. Who are you to knock it? Let's put aside colour and you find a lot of similarities. They are two of the best shooters ever. They are both versatile shooters. They are both incredible work ethics to compensate for lack of speed and leaping ability. And they defense against Dirk is fierce, better than what Bird had to face. Bird had two HOFs in their prime playing alongside. A luxury Dirk never enjoyed.
@omnivorous65 I have to say that i respect Dirk a lot more than back when i made that comment. But stiil, i think Bird brought more to the table than Dirk does.
@saturndual32 I agree with you. Bird was the better player. His ballhandling, passing, hustling, play-making ability was superior to Dirk's. And Bird had always these high-destiny guts. He would not have folded in 2006 like Dirk did. But our perception is ultimately affected by championship. What would we have said about Bird if the cunning of Auerbach had not brought Parish and McHale to Boston? If he had won no title? But then, the great ones win titles. Eventually.
@omnivorous65 This Dirk Nowitzki / Bird talk is just stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Dirk Nowitzki's no Larry Bird. He's just popular right now. Dirk's a great player, but Bird was a great player every time out and people were talking about him his whole damn career, not just when he won a championship. Stop the stupid talk already.
@mckennal1851 It is not stupid. If you compare their career statistics they are quite similiar. Dirk is a better free throw and 3p shooter, Bird has a slightly better field goal %. They were both franchise player without their teams could not function. They both dedicated themselves completely to the game. They both have a freakish pain tolerance. Bird was a SF and a much better passer, Dirk is a PF. If Dirk wins one more title they are on equal terms. Bird played with McHale, Parish, DJ.
@omnivorous65 Bird and Oscar are the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in ppg,rpg,apg,FT%, spg for at least 95% of their careers. Put that into perspective. Bird, Oscar, West, Jabbar,Havlicek are the ONLY 5 players in history to have at least 20,000pts, 10,000rebounds, and 5,000 assists...Some have just above or way above these numbers. Bird has the shortest career on that list by 6 years..and it speaks better for Bird outdid all of those HOFers with those stats.
@omnivorous65 Bird was 84th all time defensive rating..Bird: 84th Bryant 241,MJ 133, Pippen 90, Magic 221, Lebron 117, Dirk 156...the media didn't recognize bird's D...to me b/c Bird led the celtics loaded w/ HOfers in ppg,rpg,apg,FT%, spg for the first 11 of 12 healthy seasons....thats INSANE. I'm one of those crazy people who counts defense as well as offense...and passing and rebounding. Bird was the leader of the celts...Jason Kidd is the leader of the Mavs.
@saturndual32 Of course, Dirk comes close and Bird was one of the people acknowledging it. Dirk won with far less talented team mates than Bird. Johnson, McHale, Parish those are hall of famers. The only HOF other than Dirk is a very old Kidd. Dirk is unstoppable, even the best defenders are without a chance. He shoots the ball better than anyone, actually better than Bird. Bird was the better player, passing and ball handling were off the scale. But the comparison is not that off.
@omnivorous65 way off. dirk doesn't make his team better nearly as well as bird. i don't think anybody did, even jordan. there's a reason bird's still the only 20/10/5 guy in NBA history; dirk isn't even close to that. appalling for someone i think is much more athletic and taller than bird not to avg > 10 RPG.
he may have won, but his team wasn't nearly as good as bird's '86 team that went 40-1 at home, and the competition today isn't nearly as good as in bird's day.
@saturndual32 It's habit I think. But I think now, maybe finally, people have begun to realize there will never be another Larry Bird. Never. White, black, Asian, hispanic, whatever. It won't happen.
All-Time Enigma Team
PG-Magic
SG-Maravich
SF-Larry Bird
PF-Barkley
C-Ralph Sampson (for those few years he was healthy)
The above mentioned will never be closely duplicated.
Dirk does ONE thing as good as Larry, and thats shoot!...Hes not on Larrys level in terms of overall scoring, and he isnt 1/10th the playmaker,passer,rebounder or leader that Bird was....The comparisons are LIGHT YEARS apart
nujrz4lyfe 1 month ago
That one at 4:18 is ridiculous. He liked to do that.
CLewey44 4 months ago
BIRD and dirk discussion? cmon now guys, pick someone else to compare to dirk. he is nowhere near LARRY LEGEND... who ever started this is simply stupid, same as to the discussion between MJ and "that guy from LA". its blasphemous to compare mere mortals to the GODS of basketball. move along...
wornoutshoes11 5 months ago
Comment removed
wornoutshoes11 5 months ago
@DrmrGuy1979 I know that there is a tendency to compare every white player who can shoot to Bird but in this particular instance I think there are viable comparisons to be made. They both shoot exceptionally well, free throws and three pointers. They are complete gym rats who obsessively work on their game. They are both slow players who have to compensate in other ways. And yes, they are the very few white players who - for a while - were or are the best players in the game.
omnivorous65 6 months ago
@omnivorous65 I think it is good to make comparisons as people don't always see things the same way and opposing views can help enlighten. I don't mean to bash Dirk - he's a great player but I put Bird at a higher level. Bird had a superb all around game. Few people realize how good his defense was - great hands, anticipation and will to win. Bird's passing could be breath-taking, thread the needle, deceptive, touch passes, between opponents legs + Dirk?Bird avg 10 Rebs/game + 69 trip-doubles!
mrho4speed 3 months ago
You can tell that Bird was fit and had spring in his step that night. He was dunking all over the place. He was quick on all of his moves.
FavreianVengeance 7 months ago
If you want the to just put up the library of the smoothest, most dominating and fight-to-win lineup in NBA history, just put up all the vids of this starting five: Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale. They had a 2-3 year run that's never been matched.
mckennal1851 7 months ago
Bird had very fast hands & terrific eye to hand coordination. His high IQ & ability to see plays happen before they actually did gave him a big advantage. He was mentally & physcially tough with more desire than any other player I'd ever seen. His uncanny ability to make huge defensive plays often proved to be the difference in big games. Possibly the best shooter of all time and an amazing passer/rebounder. And clutch, the man was clutch as they come! Possibly the best all around player ever!
BigTimePride 10 months ago
I hated when Bird got hot. U knew that your team was done. Bird was just awesome to watch.
JellyBean2144 1 year ago 3
Look at the shots Bird hits in the 3rd quarter--guys guarding him are in his face and he still hits everything!! Not only was he unstoppable as a shooter but he also totally set up the other no name celtics for easy dunks and layups. Lohaus and Acres never looked so good.
mrho4speed 1 year ago 4
I'm wondering if it gets frustrating to guard larry bird
YawningBoy 1 year ago
yeah, what was the deal with lohaus, acres....how did they end up drafting those stiffs?
agirard77 2 years ago
lohaus and bird 2 dunks each!!!
ClearedForTakeOf 2 years ago
I don't know that Bird ever dunked twice in a game...Much less in someone's face; twice.
CLewey44 2 years ago
Then you don't know much do you
MerkinMuffly 2 years ago
actually i do.
CLewey44 2 years ago
the dunk did not feature high in offensive repertoire but he could dunk and in traffic. He was a much better athelte than he was given credit for. he probably liked that perception.
omnivorous65 2 years ago 3
@omnivorous65:
Bird and Malone recorded the same standing vertical jump 28 inches...So when people say that Bird couldn't jump, you can give them that statistic.
tw69hands2 8 months ago
@tw69hands2 Malone was never considered a leaper neither. But your point holds up. Bird was very decent athlete. And reducing athletic ability to running and jumping seems a bit one-dimensional for basketball. Hand-Eye coordination, change of direction, processing speed, all those are "abilities" that have to be taken into consideration. Even IQ. How many good athletes are there who just don't get it. They simply do not understand high end basketball, which is in fact confusingly complex.
omnivorous65 8 months ago
Great decision on leaving the video unedited, Fatal. When Bird is on fire it's best to let his brilliance speak for itself without any trickery. Good post. I like the moment at the end when they announce his triple-dub: "Ten assists for Larry Bird, and the triple-double". Like they were waiting for it because they knew it was gonna happen. Monster.
phishhead11 2 years ago
Lohaus and Acres, no wonder Bird had bad achilles at the end of 88.
MerkinMuffly 2 years ago
1:03 A rare 3 point make by DJ, he was a terrible 3 point shooter, but should be in the HOF.
MerkinMuffly 2 years ago 2
Comment removed
MerkinMuffly 2 years ago
best team leader in nba history, in my opinion
123magoosh 2 years ago
phishead11..I agree with larry bird one of the finest basketball player ever..
sappywater7 2 years ago
Fatal, you have an unrivaled selection of videos highlighting my favorite as well one of the best basketball players of the post-Russell era, and not just within the Celtics franchise. Bird personified hustle and hard work and was, as evidenced by your videos, a continual triple double threat. He possessed great anticipation and was an accurate shooter who scored his points in the rhythm of the game--always when they seemed to count. Brilliant passer.
phishhead11 2 years ago
Great Rebounder. Mastered the Boxing Out Skill like very few despiste his lack of leaping ability. His strength is underrated and his Post Game aswell.
AceroySangre 2 years ago
he was playing chess and everybody else was playing checkers
phishhead11 2 years ago 13
Bird is incomparable, i cant believe how the media calls any big white guy who can shoot well, "the next Larry Bird".
This man brought so much to the game, no one comes close, Dirk?, dont make me laugh.
saturndual32 2 years ago 19
@saturndual32. Dave Cowens described him as Rick Barry and Dave Debusschere in one.
Ariamaluum 1 year ago 2
@Ariamaluum Throw in a little Pistol Pete. I was amazed when I finally got to see some Pistol Pete videos. Watching them, I couldn't help but believe Bird wa influenced by him. The passing similarities and some of the shot selection similarities - shots Bird shot early in his career (spinning in a circle and shooting it) - are uncanny.
mckennal1851 7 months ago
@saturndual32 Actually, Larry Bird himself was pleased with that comparison. Who are you to knock it? Let's put aside colour and you find a lot of similarities. They are two of the best shooters ever. They are both versatile shooters. They are both incredible work ethics to compensate for lack of speed and leaping ability. And they defense against Dirk is fierce, better than what Bird had to face. Bird had two HOFs in their prime playing alongside. A luxury Dirk never enjoyed.
omnivorous65 8 months ago
@omnivorous65 I have to say that i respect Dirk a lot more than back when i made that comment. But stiil, i think Bird brought more to the table than Dirk does.
saturndual32 8 months ago
@saturndual32 I agree with you. Bird was the better player. His ballhandling, passing, hustling, play-making ability was superior to Dirk's. And Bird had always these high-destiny guts. He would not have folded in 2006 like Dirk did. But our perception is ultimately affected by championship. What would we have said about Bird if the cunning of Auerbach had not brought Parish and McHale to Boston? If he had won no title? But then, the great ones win titles. Eventually.
omnivorous65 8 months ago
@omnivorous65 Dirk is the latest-Bird was the greatest.
pretorious700 8 months ago
@omnivorous65 This Dirk Nowitzki / Bird talk is just stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Dirk Nowitzki's no Larry Bird. He's just popular right now. Dirk's a great player, but Bird was a great player every time out and people were talking about him his whole damn career, not just when he won a championship. Stop the stupid talk already.
mckennal1851 7 months ago
@mckennal1851 It is not stupid. If you compare their career statistics they are quite similiar. Dirk is a better free throw and 3p shooter, Bird has a slightly better field goal %. They were both franchise player without their teams could not function. They both dedicated themselves completely to the game. They both have a freakish pain tolerance. Bird was a SF and a much better passer, Dirk is a PF. If Dirk wins one more title they are on equal terms. Bird played with McHale, Parish, DJ.
omnivorous65 7 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@omnivorous65 Bird and Oscar are the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in ppg,rpg,apg,FT%, spg for at least 95% of their careers. Put that into perspective. Bird, Oscar, West, Jabbar,Havlicek are the ONLY 5 players in history to have at least 20,000pts, 10,000rebounds, and 5,000 assists...Some have just above or way above these numbers. Bird has the shortest career on that list by 6 years..and it speaks better for Bird outdid all of those HOFers with those stats.
usnate1 7 months ago
@omnivorous65 Bird was 84th all time defensive rating..Bird: 84th Bryant 241,MJ 133, Pippen 90, Magic 221, Lebron 117, Dirk 156...the media didn't recognize bird's D...to me b/c Bird led the celtics loaded w/ HOfers in ppg,rpg,apg,FT%, spg for the first 11 of 12 healthy seasons....thats INSANE. I'm one of those crazy people who counts defense as well as offense...and passing and rebounding. Bird was the leader of the celts...Jason Kidd is the leader of the Mavs.
usnate1 7 months ago
@saturndual32
i agree with you 100% but i think ppl compare dirk with bird just based on their shooting
VagMan123 7 months ago
@saturndual32 Of course, Dirk comes close and Bird was one of the people acknowledging it. Dirk won with far less talented team mates than Bird. Johnson, McHale, Parish those are hall of famers. The only HOF other than Dirk is a very old Kidd. Dirk is unstoppable, even the best defenders are without a chance. He shoots the ball better than anyone, actually better than Bird. Bird was the better player, passing and ball handling were off the scale. But the comparison is not that off.
omnivorous65 6 months ago
@omnivorous65 way off. dirk doesn't make his team better nearly as well as bird. i don't think anybody did, even jordan. there's a reason bird's still the only 20/10/5 guy in NBA history; dirk isn't even close to that. appalling for someone i think is much more athletic and taller than bird not to avg > 10 RPG.
he may have won, but his team wasn't nearly as good as bird's '86 team that went 40-1 at home, and the competition today isn't nearly as good as in bird's day.
oldfrend 3 months ago
Comment removed
FavreianVengeance 5 months ago
@saturndual32 It's habit I think. But I think now, maybe finally, people have begun to realize there will never be another Larry Bird. Never. White, black, Asian, hispanic, whatever. It won't happen.
All-Time Enigma Team
PG-Magic
SG-Maravich
SF-Larry Bird
PF-Barkley
C-Ralph Sampson (for those few years he was healthy)
The above mentioned will never be closely duplicated.
CLewey44 4 months ago
damn larry was killin fools back in the day
flavur 2 years ago 3