Bird - 6.3apg
LBJ - 7.2apg
7.2>6.3
But hey, these are only factual numbers they don't matter to some folks these days.
Happy Birthday Larry Bird...the GOAT imo.
- Thread starter Chuckinden
- Start date
LBJ - 7.2apg
7.2>6.3
But hey, these are only factual numbers they don't matter to some folks these days.
I find Bird and LeBron remarkably similar. Both instinctively great passers, and if I’m making a list of great basketball IQs, theirs are the first 2 names. Bird is obviously a better shooter, James the clearly superior athlete. But at their core they look a lot a like. Which was the irony early on when people were trying to make LeBron the next Jordan, and his game is more Magic and Bird.
His IQ is higher than Jordan’s, and his athleticism is likely Jordan’s equal (albeit a different kind, it’s hard to compare the 2). What separates them is Jordan’s insanity, the borderline diagnosable desire to kill that Jordan had and no one else matches. Plus, basketball is the one sport where ring counting has a rightful place in these kinds of debates. For now anyway Jordan is still #1.
Jordan
LeBron
Kareem
Bird
Magic
Russell
Wilt
Oscar
West
Duncan
Kobe
Shaq
Akeem
His IQ is higher than Jordan’s, and his athleticism is likely Jordan’s equal (albeit a different kind, it’s hard to compare the 2). What separates them is Jordan’s insanity, the borderline diagnosable desire to kill that Jordan had and no one else matches. Plus, basketball is the one sport where ring counting has a rightful place in these kinds of debates. For now anyway Jordan is still #1.
Jordan
LeBron
Kareem
Bird
Magic
Russell
Wilt
Oscar
West
Duncan
Kobe
Shaq
Akeem
Larry Bird is a top 5 NBA great, ask the players that played against him, he made other players better and was always in the top 10 in free throw shooting, rebounding, steals, 3 point shooting and percentage and assists and did it with average athletic ability and less than average jumping ability with little quickness He did a have a great first step and used the head fake really good and was an exceptional shooter. To accomplish what he did with little physical gifts besides being 6 foot 9 was exceptional.
Because that's how nostalgia works. But it flies directly in the face of everything we know about growth and progress and evolution and development.
Preferring something because you have fond memories of it from when you were ten doesn't mean it's objectively better. It's why those discussions always devolve into intangible things and why no one in the "older" generation ever changes their mind about it.
Bird had different gifts than those guys had.
It's why I don't like the way these discussions are framed. It's presented as LeBron as a superhero with a basketball who just hit the genetic lottery and walked onto the court while Larry Bird is the guy across the street and they ended up close in the all-time discussion.
Larry Bird is 6'9 with ridiculous balance, supernatural hand-eye coordination, mythological shooting ability, and the instinct to destroy everything in his path.
There's nothing normal or average about that dude. Just because he doesn't run as fast or jump as high doesn't mean he's a commoner. Just like LeBron having a 40'' vertical doesn't mean he didn't work insanely hard, isn't skilled, or doesn't have a high IQ.
You can't be an all-time great in any sport, especially basketball, without both.
Thats just the nostalgia talking. I dont know about Coke or tobacco but cars are made better today. They're safer, more reliable, more comfortable, and have much better radios and speakers. So are the vast majority of everything else.
There were great players in the 60's, 70,s, and 80's but great players of today like Lebron and KD would be dominant and sometimes unstoppable in that era.
Also, I can easily say that my generation and under thinks theirs is the best due to ignorance of a better time. They dont know enough and younger people always think new means better. It doesnt.
Just saying, a lot was better about those times. Good chance basketball was too, I think it was.
But damn Lebron last night, lol. Dude is wild.
Joe B recruited Larry....Bird said if Joe B could beat him at horse then he would visit UK...Joe B didnt get that visit.
For what it's worth:
Celtics record 1978-79: 29-53
Bird joins
Celtics record 1979-80: 61-21
From that season until 1988, the Celtics' averaged 61 wins.
Bird played only the first six games in the 1988-89 season. The Celtics dropped to 42 wins.
There was a lot of debate on who should win the 1989 MVP. Magic won. Some thought Bird should have.
Celtics record 1978-79: 29-53
Bird joins
Celtics record 1979-80: 61-21
From that season until 1988, the Celtics' averaged 61 wins.
Bird played only the first six games in the 1988-89 season. The Celtics dropped to 42 wins.
There was a lot of debate on who should win the 1989 MVP. Magic won. Some thought Bird should have.
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Larry's not white. Larry's clear.
IMO.....Kobe was simply a poor man's Jordan. A good imitation, but just an imitation nonetheless. And for 3 of his 5 titles, he was Robin to Shaq's Batman. Jordan was always The Man, not just on his own team, but for the entire free world (and certain parts of Communist China, too). heh......
Where's the joke? Lerbron is better at almost everything than Jordan. The season Lebron is having now compared to Jordan at the same age isn't even close. Lebron seems to be getting better while Jordan at the same age was almost at the end of his career.
Lebron is so much more durable than Bird. Bird’s body was falling apart at Bron’s age now. Lebron has been in his prime for about 10 years now and keeps adding to his game. If Bird had the focus and will power to take better care of his body he could have had a much longer and better career, but he was weak from that perspective.
Larry Bird is the reason I love basketball. I was a 7 yr old girl in Terre Haute when Larry transferred from IU to play for Bob King at Indiana State. My dad was his major professor for a year (Mr. Bird uses some foul language, sweetheart, so just dont pay attention to anything he says). I always got dragged to every ISU athletic function, but that year CHANGED MY LIFE
I'm guessing you just don't have the cognitive ability to examine the facts for yourself.
To say that Lebron will be "way better than Jordan" and it "won't even be close" is crazy man, come on.
He is better than him now, has at least 5 more years left, and seems to only be getting better. Jordan was great, he's the 2nd best of all time, but come on man. Stop using your biased memories and examine the facts.
Did you get to see Jordan play live? If not, please youtube him asap. The man refused to lose ballgames. The debate you should consider is if Lebron is even better than Kobe; I do not think so. Lebron could not score 81 in a game in my opinion like Kobe. Also, he is not nearly as clutch as Kobe, or even half the defender he was.
Yeah I watched him live and he lost a lot of games so not sure what the heck you are even talking about. Now your talking Kobe? He's not even in the same conversation.
Uh if LeBron wanted to he could score 81, but he actually shares the ball. That would be a novel concept for Kobe. It took Kobe a LOT of shots to get his points. Dude was a straight ball hog, and I like Kobe.
No, a ball hog is when a guy takes 47 shots in a regulation game when there is another legitimate star beside of him. DO you know who that guy is? Westbrook; he is an example of a true ball hog. Other than him, you could go down the list and say any nba star is a ball hog because they all put up a lot of shots. The greats are always gonna get a lot of attempts and rightfully so. So you think Lebron just chooses to never even get close to 81 huh? Interesting.
LMAO...Kobe not in the same conversation? Now I just think you are being disagreeable because you can. I love talking about stuff like this but if you are not even gonna be serious than lets just stop.
Someone said Kobe? Lol. He doesn’t even occupy the same air as MJ and LeBron. Those guys are top 5 players of all time. Kobe is further down the list in the top 15. Certainly nothing to sneeze at, but not among the greats of the greats.
Lol, yea. I don't care how cute a pass looks if it doesn't lead to an assist. I don't care about and1 mixtape dribbles and passes that lead to nothing but a couple guys saying ohhhh in the stands. And if you wanna go off of who throws fancy passes Lebron wins that too. I care about results, they matter. The only thing/stat Bird has over Lebron is shooting 3pt & ft%, and even that is surprisingly close considering Bird is supposed to be known for his shooting.
You wanna talk about a ball hog? Look no further than Moses Malone...a whopping 4264 turnovers (second all-time) and a meager 1936 assists...the only major league player (counting NBA and ABA) I know off who has more than twice as many turnovers as assists, which works out to a 0.45 A/T ratio. Yikes!
Patrick Ewing is probably a close second in terms of ball hogging in the statistical sense 3537 turnovers and 2215 assists...0.63 A/T ratio.
I sure hope none of our UK players were anywhere near this pathetic in terms of ball selfishness!!
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