FIRST TIME WATCHING | LARRY BIRD ULTIMATE MIXTAPE REACTION!
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If Larry played now he'd send half the NBA into early retirement.
They would go sit on the bench and cry because he offended them with trash talking!!.. A bunch of crybaby sissies!!!
You have to watch Larry Bird, " greatest passer of all time, with re-edit "... Prepare to be mind blown!
Yea, that is a mind blowing video.
Yes!
There's legit 7 minutes of just rebound and inbound full court passes...
definitely this one...Bird has more full court dimes than most people have regular assists!
You should watch "A Courtship of Rivals" a documentary about Larry and Magic.
As b ball fans you should know why Barkley says they are the two most important figures in NBA history.
A Courtship of Rivals about Magic and Bird is the greatest sports documentary ever made, They saved the game
Yes!!! This is a must, it is sooo good! Insight into basketball of the 80s, both men’s characters, and why they respect each other to this day….unlike Pippen and M.J.
Magic and Bird were so so similar in how they treated their team mates, they wanted the whole team to win and to do well, I think that’s why their team mates still respect them too.
Without question, the best basketball documentary ever.
Larry Bird
3 championships
2 Finals MVP
3 consecutive League MVP
3 consecutive 3pt contest winner
All-star MVP
Sports Illustrated Best All-Around player
Rookie of the year.
50/40/90 average 4 years straight
2 All defense teams
2nd All time win percentage
Coach of the year
Executive of the year.
Gold Medal-92 Dream Team
First ever in the 50/40/90 Club
Those three consecutive MVPs... he's the last player to have done that. Not Magic, not Jordan, not LeBron.
Also, he was the first 40/50/90 member
Only player in NBA history to retire with a 20ppg 10rpg 5apg stat line too
Larry's basketball IQ was off the charts.
Too true. Also off the charts-- his toughness. If y'all think he's tough after watching this, you gotta react to 5 Times Larry Bird Was Injured and REFUSED to Quit.
Among other things you'll hear that will floor you is that Bird did not take any pain meds-- no pills, no shots, no nothing.
You guys talked right over it : Larry came back into that game against the Pacers and dominated - with a fractured right cheek ! (He also had a concussion and was seeing double, had to GUESS “which basket to shoot at”… and still put his team on his back and carried them to victory!) #LarryLegend
That always drives me crazy when people miss that!
You gotta watch making the case Larry Bird, Larry is my GOAT
Bird=the best all-around player ever in my opinion. Bird had no weaknesses, and he had all the intangibles.
Brian Scalabrini was better.
@@watchmanonthewall14 Who's that?
@@cygnus62 It's a joke. Look him up. He played in the NBA for several years.
@THEHBKSHOW.
I'm an old man now. I saw most of these games live on TV. There is something most people don't consider when they talk about Larry Bird being slow. They assume that just because he's not moving the fastest on the court, that he really is slow.
First thing.
Bird ran all the time. I've never seen a player with more endurance than Bird. Visiting teams would come to Boston and practice on their court before a game, and Bird would be running up in the nose bleeds, in an unairconditioned arena, where the temperature was 90 on the court, and 110-120 where Bird would be running the stairs all the way up top. That endurance meant Bird played both defense and offense. People think Bird didn't play defense. Bullshit. Bird was selected to the All Defensive 3 times. He led the League in defensive win shares four times. Only about five or six players have more, and only Hakeem is tied with him. In most games, halfway through the third quarter Bird was the fastest guy on the court. Which leads me to my next point.
Second thing.
Bird had a very quick first step, and a third gear he didn't show until late in a game. Bird was much faster than most people realize, and I've watched him chase down players and stop fast breaks.
Finally, my third thing.
People think that just because Bird wasn't running flat out all the time that he couldn't. It never crosses their mind that the reason Bird knew where everyone was at all times is he played just fast enough to take it all in, understand exactly what everyone was doing on the court, and then implement the precise play that was going to embarrass his opponents the most, including everyone on the opposing roster, just by dominating whoever got in front of him.
Larry wasn't slow. No one, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE, EVER, thought the game quicker than Larry did.
That makes Larry the fastest player ever in NBA history.
Adding...
He ran marathons DURING the season. That game with the Hawks jumping up?? He RAN a 5k before he boarded the plane to New Orleans. His bench backup, Scott Wedman, ran it too and both were so stiff going into that game...Then he loosened up and well, made Dominque Wilkins, Doc Rivers, Spud Webb look silly and scored his career high of 60 points!! He's often play 38 to 45 minutes of a game, 82 games during the regular season. He had to be forced to sit out games.
Not fast, but always running. He had Endurance. I'd bet that Jokic and Luka are endurance athletes.
Wilt chamberlain had legendary endurance on top of his insane athleticism
Facts, today's players are hitting the gym to bulk up, Larry Legend would be running circles around these guys with how slow and how many stops there are in today's NBA.
As a young boy, I spent many an evening in that hot ass Boston Garden arena cheering on my Celtics and, yeah, I don’t know how Larry was able to run laps around the building like he did, because I’m pretty sure I would’ve dehydrated long before the game even began if it’d been me.
@@thewab1974, I'm so jealous you got to see him in person.
You want to know how the likes of Bird, Magic and Jordon would do in today's game? They loved the game for the game, they didn't quit when they stubbed a toe, they didn't move from team to team to team. They would wipe the floor with the kids playing today.
When Larry was young, he used to play with black players who worked at a hotel. I can only imagine how proud they are of him today.
Larry Bird Stories That Prove He's the Best Trash Talker is probably the best trash talk compilation IMO.
Converse wanted Magic and Larry to do commercials together but Larry didn't want to so they arranged Magic to meet Larry in his home town (French Lick, Indiana) to get to know each other. Larry's mother made them lunch and during this lunch Larry's mother told Magic he was her favorite basketball player. hahahaha
When Magic went to Larry’s home in French Lick, it was TO shoot the first shared commercial. They began really talking and getting to know each other during the breaks between takes, and even more so when Larry’s lovely mama Georgia laid out one heck of a spread for lunch.
They shot in French Lick because Larry flat-out refused to film in LA - he said “Nope, if you want this commercial, you have to come to my house !” Fortunately, he’d already had a regulation-sized basketball court installed at the home he had built for his mom (he’d stay with her there during the off-season, and live that country life he knew best) - weather permitting, he usually did all his off-season practicing right there.
Great reaction, men! You both MUST watch "Magic & Bird, a courtship of rivals". Best sport documentary EVER, made by HBO...
Watch the Jamal mashburn story about Larry when he came to play them for the dream team practice... Not just a great basketball story but one of the great sport stories of all time IMHO
Yup- 'He's a legit 6' 10" '...
I agree, the best trash talking story ever.
I love Luka and Jokic, they are two of my favorites in the game today, but Larry Bird is literally just a better slightly different version than both those players. He would terrorize the league today just like he did in the 80s, just like Magic and Mike would.
this is exactly it. doncic and jokic are both proof that bird would still dominate today.
@@trashcandy. Also, let's not forget that Bird did it first...and if these guys are students of the game like most NBA players are, they learned from watching/studying their players who preceded them, including (and in their case, especially) Bird.
NBA Legends tell Bird trash talk stories
I’m 62 so I got to see the Bird,Magic,Jordan era. People forget how many future Hall of Fame players (and stars) were the competition back then. Jabbar,Worrhy,Isiah Thomas,Dantley,Gervin,Dr.J,Barkley,Moses Malone,Karl Malone,Stockton,Olajuwon,Ralph Sampson,Drexler,Wilkins,Bernard King the list goes on. Bird was doing this facing those guys nightly with back and heel problems while wearing Converse. His back was so bad he couldn’t sit on the bench and had to lay on the floor when he wasn’t in.
I'm 60. Spot on!!
Thank you for posting this video guys! I am 55, I was a 1980's teen, My self living in the Chicago Area got to see MJ and great athletes of all sports also! The NHL's Gretzky had that high IQ Like as these young gentleman say Larry Bird has. I do not know if this is the same as IQ but ANTICIPATION seems to be part of BIRD, Jokic, Doncic, and NHL's Gretzky. It's like they are a second 1/2 ahead of everyone almost "PSYCHIC" The way the see the game. Larry comes from that Indiana High School basketball style "fundamentally sound" packaged with that IQ , VISION, ANTICIPATION or whatever you want to call that....I guess,... we can call that "IT"? Where it makes the game look too easy for these players like they are not trying. It's crazy.
The Best video you can watch is that HBO Documentary Called Magic and Bird :Courtship Of Rivals it goes so deep into their Characters.
Larrys passing was phenomenal. He passed between the legs of more opponents than a rockstar through groupies. 🤭
the doc Magic x larry A coutship off rivals = masterpiece , please try
THIS!!!
Always my GOAT Larry BIRD
Those ankle breakers look silly, like how did they fall like that? Easy answer. The defenders never knew what Larry was going to do. They were trying to guard like 20 possibilities. He might fake a shot, pretend to pass, then end up shooting. He might just pass. He might just shoot. He was unpredictable which made his defenders look stupid
Tall as a bitch too 6'10 Steph not a slower KD. Playing smart basketball on top of being an elite scorer. Bird was also an elite team defender too tho that's why he's my #3 all time behind MJ and Wilt.
THANK YOU-- you just saved me having to write exactly that. Some younger fans figure it out right away, because they really know the game, and have played it seriously and have had good coaches. Others just assume great basketball didn't exist until they got themselves born, and dismiss Bird's Hall of Fame NBA opponents as a bunch of clods and idiots (often with the implication that the young reactors would do a way better job of shutting Bird down, which makes me laugh and shake my head in wonder at the same time).
Couple comments, haven't watched it all yet... Larry dropping guys was in a big part because he was so good at everything he had people so confused defending him that he could just drop guys... Also interesting note in the left handed game he dropped 27 left-handed that forgot to tell you he dropped 20 right-handed and then hit the game winning shot!
I'm subscribed for more Larry Bird content!
There is so much to know about Bird.
This is gonna be a LAP(Long Ass Post)
First - Bird started his NBA career injured. After finishing college and before joining the Celtics Bird shattered a knuckle on his shooting hand and never had the same feel for the ball after that.
The year before Bird joined the Celtics, the Celtics record was 29-53. In Bird's 1st year without McHale, Parrish, Ainge or DJ, Bird led the Celtics to a record of 61-21. In Birds first 7 years the Celtics won 60 or more games 6 times.
Bird and the Celtics won 3 NBA titles.
Bird won 3 consecutive MVP titles - the only other players to do that are Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
Bird was the founder of the 50/40/90 club.
Bird won the first 3 3-pt shooting contests.
Bird didn't trash talk - he just told the other team what he was going to do before he did it and then went out and did what he said he would.
Bird is the only person to win the MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
It has been said that Bird was unathletic, slow, couldn't jump and wasn't a great defender.
So how did Bird average more defensive rebounds per game than - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Moses Malone, Karl Malone and Ralph Sampson - to name just a few.
Bird led the NBA in defensive win shares 4 times during his career. If you add the number if times MJ did that and the number of times LeBron did that you get ZERO.
Bird always knew where every player on the court was at all times.
Bird played hurt all the time - if he could walk then he was playing.
There was no load management. Bird gave it all every game. To quote Bird "If you get paid to get to work, you go to work"
And we haven't even talked about his back injury that happened in the summer of 1985 while he was building a driveway at his mothers house and how he had to lay on the floor by the bench because sitting was too painful.
Bird didn't take crap from anyone and when challenged never backed down.
There are too many Bird videos to mention. Just keep watching them and your respect for him will keep growing.
One last thing.
There is only 1 person in the top 250 players of all time that is in each one of these categories and that is Bird
FG%
2Pt FG%
3Pt FG%
Foul Shooting %
Points per game
Assists per game
Rebounds per game
Blocks per game
Steals per game
Minutes per game
% of games won they played in.
Not only is Bird the only player in the top 250 of all time in each category, he is in the top 60 all-time in 6 of the categories.
Making the case
Best larry bird trash talking stories
Legends talking about larry birds trash talking
Larry birds best passes redit
Best larry bird v jordan story
But the best one is a courtship of rivals its the best sports documentary i have seen on probaly the best rivalry ever seen. Its a must watch usually its broken up into 4 parts but well worth watching. Both larry and magic saved the nba without those 2 there is no nba or jordan shaq kobe curry lebron and many more.
What you two don't realize is that 95 percent of the highlights you just saw were from either the playoffs or the Finals. Who else can put together a highlight reel almost exclusively from the playoffs. Bird won three NBA Championships and Bird's Celtics swept the Michael Jordan enabled Bulls in every playoff game they ever played against each other.
That HBO special about Magic and Bird is brilliant. Highly recommended
Birds retirement was on a non game night. Some of the highlights include:
Three NBA championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) with the Boston Celtics.
Two NBA Finals MVP awards.
Three NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards (1984, 1985, and 1986).
Twelve NBA All-Star selections.
Ten All-NBA First Team selections.
NBA Rookie of the Year in 1980.
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (1986).
Induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.
Just to add to your highlights...
1986 was the first year of the Three-Point Shootout contest.
Larry participated in it for 3 years and won it in 1986, 1987 & 1988.
He was also awarded NBA Coach of the Year and NBA Executive of the Year.
Larry was quick and knew where everyone was on the court. The game was easy for him. He was one of only three players to have three back to back MVPs. Check out his passing highlights. Top tier.
That last second inbound pass steal against the Pistons was in the 87 Eastern Conference Finals game 5. Had the Pistons won... they would have gone back to Detroit with a 3-2 series lead and a chance to close it out at home. Instead... the series went to a game 7 at Boston with the Celtics taking the series. It might be the most clutch play I've witnessed in any sport.
Bird is the greatest small forward to ever play.
The Bird passing videos are crazy as well. I didn’t remember how many full court passes he had that were right on the money. Crazy
He ran 5 miles a day for years. He practiced 365 days a year, including after games. He had amazing stamina.
He was very strong.
He and Magic played together in a world tournament together and then met again in the 79 NCAA finals.
Larry went into the HOF in 98 and inducted Magic into the hof in 2002.
They’ve had books, movies and broadway plays written about their friendship.
The game against the Pacers when Bird fractured his cheek bone the night before he spent in the hospital in traction. His teammates said he struggled to get dressed out for that game. He broke his back in 85 and played 7 more years.
React to the 5 times Larry Bird was injured but refused to quit.
The 4 times Larry Bird was hurt but showed male toughness.
Bird and Magic faced each other 3 times in the finals. Bird won in 1984, Magic in 1985, and Magic in 1987. The Celtics won 1986 against the Rockets after they beat the Lakers in the conference final. The Lakers won in 1988 against the Bad Boy Pistons.
Not only was Bird the third player (and the only forward) to make MVP 3 times in a row but In a 9-year run from 1980 to 1989, Larry Bird got 67% of all MVP votes that were cast. All other players combined only received 33% of the votes. in an era that included the players who eventually made up the dream team and a large list of HOF players.
Bird is my GOAT…definitely check out his other videos 🫶🏾🙌🏾
Larry Legend
Bird was the clutchest shooter and most complete player to play the game of basketball
Step on in boys! Check out Courtship of Rivals to learn about the NBA, then the 1992 Dreamteam. The greatest game I ever played, i should have quit right there. The passing video, Bird is the word, 15 minutes of Larry Legend, and dont think hes slow, or unathletic. Y'all just haven't watched enough. He had a third gear, and played his heart out.
If im going by the “eye test “ ,
Bird is the “ real “ GOAT 🐐
15:27 Fun fact, Magic forgot to bring a tshirt to wear under his warm up here. He borrowed a tshirt, he was wearing a Celtics tshirt underneath right here. There’s another video where Larry pulls open the front of his shirt to expose the Celtics T underneath. They actually became great friends while shooting a shoe a commercial at Larrys home in Indiana. Great story of it all.
Remember this was 40 years ago!!!
Larry bird trash talking videos are the best!! That night that magic came out for Larry's retirement ceremony, magic got a standing ovation!!... that's love and respect!!
One of the reasons you always see him kneeling is because his back was so jacked up in the later half of his career that he had trouble sitting down on the bench...and dude still went out and jammed down 50+ point games...
@5:23 - great question. Being that this era is known for NOT playing defense, several of those players from the 80s and 90s would've thrived in today's generation due to the rules and the lack of defense played in today's era
Those sneakers "converse weapons: are to this day the most comfortable sneakers I have ever worn and I'm gonna be 60 this month
Everybody had the Converse Weapons back then. Our school was green and white so we had the Bird shoe, but they had a Magic, Thomas, King, Aguirre, Dr J shoe colors as we.
He also won 3 consecutive 3 point contests.
The 3 that you named... Bird... Magic... Jordan... they would dominate today's super soft NBA....in the 80's... NBA stood for no boys allowed... Larry Legend 🐐🏀
Parrish and McHale always knew, when Bird had the ball, no matter where he was or which way he was looking, there was always the possibility the ball was coming their way.
LARRY LEGEND IS A UNICORN AND THE *TRUE* GOAT!!! 🐐 ☘️
Watching bird live was life changing,we had never seen anything like him , him and magic ,put the world on. Notice , The NBA is here to stay , 🐦 bird got a quick first step,he does it all , bird never gives up and he had alot of DOGG in him , bird 6'9 ,but some say 6'10 either way that fade away ,(forget about blocking that shyt) bird 🐦 would give it to you anyway you wanted it , call it and then make it , TY Dad for taking me to bball games ❤❤❤ #LB33 💚💯🐦
I was a young teen, in the garden vs. The sixers. I walked down during warm-ups, stood under the basket, and took pics of Larry, McHale, Parrish, etc as they did layups. Then I went to the other side to get Dr J. So cool...and then retired JoJo White's number that night, so I met him, just hanging out by the floor, by himself, pregame. A different time.
Subbed.Magic And Bird: A Coutrship Of Rivals will be one of the favorite things you'll ever watch. That's a promise.
Awesome reaction! Thank you for embracing Larry Legend. He played in my era of the NBA and watching Larry and Magic on the court was so much fun.😊
Thank you for this one. Larry Legend videos never get old! Lol. And there are so many of them. 👀😂 He's even got videos of just his injuries alone.
Larry’s retirement ceremony was held on a off night, no scheduled game. The Boston Garden was sold out standing room only, respect. When Magic was diagnosed with AIDS his team, friends and the league banished him...the first person to call him and stand by his side was Larry. You much watch Larry trash talk and his passing vid..he was a legend..the GOAT. Larry also played hurt almost his whole career, Deformed broken finger, spinal injury which made him unable to sit on the bench or airplane seats, he had to lay down on the sidelines, he had double Achilles surgery and bone spur removal and came back next season without missing a game. Larry said “ if you got a job, you gotta go to work “
Bird got 67% of ALL the MVP votes of the 80s..... that's insane!
Larry was pretty tall. He was listed at 6'9", but a lot of people claim he was closer to 6'10".
Dude, you gotta watch Bird's Legends Talk, Greatest Passes, Trash Talk videos and a documentary about him and Magic called "A Courtship of Rivals". Best documentary I ever saw
The best era of NBA. Bird was one steal from a quadruple double at the end of 3 quarters. He sat out the 4th quarter of a blowout win saying he did enough damage.
Larry has a grandson named Jordon Bird who’s a ballplayer for USC, apparently he’s pretty good. Who knows, maybe the Bird is a phoenix and we’ll get to see a Bird fly again. Would be so cool if he’s THAT good.
Greatest small forward of all time !
Me and my cousin had season tickets during the LA Lakers Showtime years. We got to see some of the best players to ever play the game. And we would get there early for warmups and we got to stand at court side and just watch these guys shoot around. It was just a glorious time.
I grew up in Fort Worth and was 15 years old in 1980 when Dallas got an expansion team. The Mavericks were giving away a lot of tickets to get people used to going to games, so we went to a lotta games. When I was 18 I went to Austin to go to school. The Spurs were 80 miles away and sold $5 tickets at the door. Later, when Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks, he charged $10 for every ticket for the rest of the season. I got to see everybody play. You used to be able to walk down to the court, listen to the coach describing plays during timeouts, ask for autographs if you wanted (I didn’t), and the play was PHYSICAL ….. It was much freer back then.
Larry had a quick first step and a quick pass. He was dangerous without the ball. You need to watch the Larry bird greatest passer re edit and 4 crazy stories that makes bird the toughest nba player. If you want to watch a great documentary about bird and magic watch courtship of rivals ❤ great reaction boys! Watch more! You won't be disappointed. Watch trash talk you will love it . He won 3 MVP in a row. 3 titles and played every game on full speed. Subscribed because I enjoyed you two. Keep watching about bird.
Bruh people that don’t think he would dominate in today’s game don’t know ball. A 6’9 sniper with eyes in the back of his head would destroy people today. Dude is the founding member of the 50/40/90 club.
There’s nobody like Bird! Definitely dive into more of his videos. Thank you for the great reaction.
very very cool. the part at the end about how larry looked one way, yet accomplished a lot was real; and made this a great reaction!
There’s a Larry/Magic documentary called “A courtship of rivals” that’s so good. You’ll learn a lot about both men, and the NBA back then. I grew up in the Boston area and went to a game in 1986. That team is unmatched to this day. I went beside the court during halftime. Robert Parrish walked over to the bench and I can’t describe how enormous he was to my 12 year old eyes. 😂
Larry and Magic are hilarious together too. Watch Magic and Larry on Letterman. They went on the Late Show, and you can tell that rivalry is still there and the jabs and jokes are flying! Very funny - I won't spoil any of it, but Larry takes a shot at that signature Magic smile! 🤣
Bird is top 5 for sure, and some put him the GOAT. Saw him a couple time in Cleveland, and he was amazing.
That "Flagrant Foul" against Kurt Rambis? Almost started a fight, and he got 2 three throws. The game continued. And yes, Larry is the TOUGHEST player EVER!!! He often didn't tell the coaches or the trainers he was hurt until he couldn't play. Then they would fix it and he returned. He played with a messed up back his last 7 years. He couldn't sit on the bench, he had to lay down! But he went to work everyday and played like he was getting a spot on the team.
I went to C's games back in the day when Larry came to the league. What you don't understand is that there was still indoor smoking and no AC. We sat in the cheap seats and you could literally see a cloud of smoke above the court and a small section of clean air around the players.
Also, in that first Lakers series, where the C's clinch and the crowd swarms -- look closely at Larry -- he's punching dudes out to get the the locker room
Hey, hey Fellas. I can tell y'all that growing up watching Bird play his entire career from start to finish, and ESPECIALLY in the early to mid 80's when he was still young and healthy and the entire league were "dogs," I can remember more than a few games; and this didn't happen often when there'd be like 4-5 minutes on the game clock and both refs would pocket their whistles and just let the teams play and "settle" whatever. No fouls called or anything. Now, there weren't always fights when this happened but those few games when they're just hooping like crazy? OMFG! Talk about AWESOME basketball? Holy Hell! It was too good! And YES, Larry has been and will always be MY GOAT!
Thank you for showing some love to my Bird! 😃 👍
Take care,
Aszneth
Two quotes about Larry Bird that will tell you all you need to know about him.
Pat Riley,
If I had to choose a player. to take a shot to save a game, I choose Michael Jordan. If I had to choose a player to take a shot. to save my life, I'd take Larry Bird.
Isaiah Thomas said.
If you put all of us in a room -- Magic, Jordan, myself and Bird -- Bird would probably be the guy who walks out of the room at the end of the day,"
I attended several Celtics games when Larry Bird was playing. He was unmatched, his basketball IQ was insane. LEGEND!! Also a legendary trash talker.
Bird's MVP finishes from his rookie year thru to 1988 when he missed the entire season;
4th, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 4th, 2nd,
BTW Bird was always listed at 6'9" but he's a legit 6'10".
I have watched many reactions to this vid. Nobody ever notices that the last pass before the "Steal" was a cross court bullet...LEFT HANDED!
Speaking of adapting-- there was no 3 point shot when Larry was coming up-- he never even saw a 3 point line until he was in the NBA-- his first season was the three point line's first year (1979-80 season).
So he had to teach himself the physicality and psychology/tactics of the three point shot, and then in 1986 he went out and won the first three point contest ever held...and went on to turn that into a three-peat.
Seems like he was pretty good at adapting.
He also adapted to playing hurt and playing with game-affecting injuries, and this began before he ever played with the NBA, because he had a horrible finger injury while playing baseball after the Celtics drafted him but before he started playing for them. The injury required surgery, including the placement of pins, but left him with a finger on his shooting hand mangled, at a 45 degree angle. He's said more than once that his shooting touch was never the same after that, though he underwent subsequent surgery-- which also failed to solve the problem/straighten the finger.
Dudes you have no clue how great Bird was. His skills and basketball IQ are off the charts.
Lived in Kansas at the time and now in Aurora. I have been a Celtics fan because of Larry Bird. He’s one of the best ever.
I was at the Pacers playoff game and you guys missed a very important point. Larry snuck past the doctor and trainer to go back out and finish the game. He did that with a concussion and a fractured right cheek bone. He returned in the third quarter and put up 32/9/7. No disrespect but today's players take a month off with a hangnail!
i went to a houston rockets game in the 80s a fight on the floor broke out it was like 8 players involved and no one got a foul and no one got thrown out, got to love basketball back then
Do you realize that the Bird/Magic rivalry started with their last game in college? Bird's Indiana State played Magic's Michigan State in the National Championship Game, in 1979. They both were in the '79 draft, even though Magic had only been a Sophomore. Going into the draft early wasn't something that we saw back then.
I was just a kid when Bird retired but I still remember the Johnson/Bird rivalry and how exciting it was 💚
The 80’s made basketball. It was awesome to watch the games! There were some really good players and they played as a team. The passing was fabulous.
In the game against the Pacers after he fell and hit his face when he come back he had a fractured right cheek and was seeing double but hit every shot he tried
He also won player,coach and executive of the year. Nobody else has ever done that.
I'd say the top 50 could adapt to any era!
Look up Magic's quotes about Larry. One of the greatest compliment's Bird ever got was from his main rival. It's a great story about Bird and Magic, how they went from bitter rivals to incredible friends.
Magic said it was 'scary' to play against Larry. Larry's knowledge and sixth sense negated so much of their athletic prowess and Magic wouldn't understand how Larry had such awareness at all times while on the court. Larry humbled even the cockiest of doubters time and time again.
Young people also dont realize back then the three point line was brand new so , if he grew up with it he would have shot more. And in those days players got whistlex for traveling , so for a guy that was 6'9" or 6'10" he was a decent ball handler too.
You know Magic gave the Hall of Fame induction speech for BIRD, called him greatest player ever! Dont know if i agree but I RESPECT IT!
Yeah, Paul’s comment in this thread will help bring how great Bird’s legacy is - especially the shooting/3pt/foul stat line, and the Rookie of the year/3 MVPs/FinalsMVP/All star MVP/Coach of the Year/Exec of the year career path. Unmatched.
But I want to add that Bird & Magic led their teams to the NCAA tourney championship game, came in as rookies together during an era when the NBA had no national broadcast contract, and market coverage hadn’t developed yet. So most games weren’t televised at all.
The ‘game of the week’ that came on during the wknds was delayed - so it wasn’t live. Crazy, right? The NBA was on its death bed, and Larry & Magic saved it.
They also did a lot of commercials together, and their relationship got stronger.. then when Magic got AIDS, one of the first people he spoke with was Larry.
So yeah, good friends built on respect and history.
He was a trash talker but he backed that trash talking up. Yeah, his teammates had to be very alert. Bird vs Magic was a rivalry that every one wanted to watch.
The best sports documentary of all time ‘A Courtship of Rivals’ is about Bird and Magic. You should react to it.
At 4:44 he is adjusting his hands mid air so he can put the spin on the ball that he needed to get that reverse lay up to go in👍🏼🔥
Everyone forgets... Bird won MVP 3yrs consecutively.
Larry was one of the first to reach out to Magic after his HIV diagnosis. They have a real bond. Heroes for a reason.