Larry and Lebron At Age 30
- Thread starter Chuckinden
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Give me Larry Bird all day long over Lebron. Bird would tell the defense what he was going to do and they still couldn't stop him.
Bird was a badass who was owning the NBA, until injuries took a hold. There's no telling what he would have done if he stayed healthy.
Bird win 3 straight league MVPs. The 4th year of that run, he was having his best season but it ended early with injury. I'll take Bird any day of the week.
He told Xavier McDaniel the last second play they was going to run and even marked the spot he was going to score on him from. After Bird done it, he went over and told XMan, I told you so. He backed it up.
Problem is Larry's back started giving out when he was 32 and was a shell of himself at age 34. If Lebron's health maintains we'll see how it ends up Larry vs. Lebron.
Bird had a better core around him at least guys he played many years with. LBJ has taken every team and many different player to the top.
Both Great Great players no doubt. Think Lebrons starting to realize he might have used a little more of his beast mode inside a little earlier. Combination of physicality and skills maybe the best ever. Larry was just so instincitive and intense. Unathletic as can be but still did everything quicker and a step ahead of everybody else.
Even then, I remember games where Bird would have a crazy performance and he was just hobbling around. I remember the Celtics playing Portland and B
Hell, Bird took Indiana St. to the final game. Not the Hoosiers, the Sycamores . Boston went from 20 wins to 50 something in Birds rookie year. He could carry a team too.
That was Bird at his absolute peak against LeBron at the tail end of his prime. Bird averaged a career high in minutes, LeBron his fewest ever. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison. You can't go wrong with either player though.
Yes he had to drag Wade, Love, Kyrie, Marion, Shaq, Allen, Lewis, Williams, Jamison and Bosh (just to name a few of the almost 20 all stars he has played beside) kicking and screaming to the all-Star level
The biggest difference to me between the two is that LeBron came in with such huge expectations that some people overlook just how good he is. They say he's "only" won two titles. Just absurd the criticism he gets.
Now some of that is his fault with the big deal over his going to Miami and his infamous "not two, not three, etc" speech, but LeBron has taken Cleveland to the NBA finals and looks to be headed there again.
Bird is top 5 best of all time IMO. Not even debatable.
Now some of that is his fault with the big deal over his going to Miami and his infamous "not two, not three, etc" speech, but LeBron has taken Cleveland to the NBA finals and looks to be headed there again.
Bird is top 5 best of all time IMO. Not even debatable.
Larry Bird: "My era, you always think that's the greatest era. But I'm not so sure anymore."
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ys-current-era-may-be-greatest-in-nba-history
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ys-current-era-may-be-greatest-in-nba-history
It is though. Hand checking =/= better defense. In fact a lot of things were illegal in defense back then that make defenses as good they are. I bet is you asked LeBron if he'd rather play in the old NBA defense rules or today's he'd say the old defense rules every time
Are you really putting Love, Irving, Marion, washed up Shaq, Allen, Lewis, Williams, and Jamison on the same level as prime McHale, prime Parish, and prime DJ lol? It's not even the same thing.
They play defense in the playoffs
haha
Love not in prime? Kyrie washed up? Wade and bosh were over the hill?
So again, he dragged all of this guys to there pinnacle? But Bird, was just lucking.
Gotcha
Mmmmm, K
So again, he dragged all of this guys to there pinnacle? But Bird, was just lucking.
Gotcha
Mmmmm, K
Did you just say washed up Shaq, washed up Marion, washed up Lewis, Allen at the very end of his career, Mo "I disappear in the playoffs" Williams and A Jamison were good much less All Stars when they played for LeBron?Hahahahahahaha
LeBron would murder in defense back when Bird played
Love in prime? Kyrie? Bosh wasted upped? Wade over the hill?
Just stop.
You saw how Love and Kyrie performed on their own teams right? Since LeBron came back the Cavs are 4-15 when LeBron doesn't play. LeBron is also the only All-Star on his team this year. Wade wasn't prime Wade during the second half of their run. Also, LeBron won two titles with Bosh and Wade so...
Late 80s/Early 90s Detroit would beg to differ. Id love to see "King Lebron" face some of those teams.
![[roll]](http://l.yimg.com/j/assets/img/emoticons/classic/roll.r191677.gif "roll [roll]")
Ok. That doesn't mean defense is better in today's game. Yea, you have your freak athletes who are pretty good defenders. But the majority of the millionaire players take multiple possessions off on the defensive end in today's game also.
So...you proved my point. Bron has had lots of all-star caliber talent around him. Just like mike, magic, bird and so on and so on...
What point did I prove? When he went to the Heat was the first time he actually had help. Kyrie and Love can barely win games without LeBron
I think the moral of the story is all championship teams have a few great players.
Team defense is a lot better based on the rules that were back then. LeBron would much rather have hand checking than how they play him today
I don't get your point. It's not all about Lebron and what he would want lol
Hard defense doesn't equal good defense. Also LeBron would rather have defenses that had hand checking but couldn't pack the paint and teams had to play man to manLate 80s/Early 90s Detroit would beg to differ. Id love to see "King Lebron" face some of those teams.
I'm saying defensive rules back then allowed for better man to man defense but team defense was very very worse than today's NBA. Read up on that era's defense. It's overrated
No thanks, I've watched both and am pretty sure defense was much more aggressive and tough back then on EVERY possession. Just because there were a couple rules that would benefit Lebron doesn't mean anything at all...
The nba has been all about offense since the late days of Jordan/early days of Kobe.
Once again aggressive defense doesn't equal good defense. Today's defense is about scheming and game planning too. Zone defense was illegal, packing the paint was illegal, Thib's famous ICE defense was illegal, and so forth. MJs era also birthed Iso ball
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