I think it just might be safe to say... Larry Legend was the GREATEST two-way player in NBA History! Which NBA Legend should I check out next?? Like, Comment, and Subscribe!
My sentiments exactly. I don't know why everyone always picks. MJ, if Larry wanted to score the same as MJ he could have easily but he was more of a team player
@@tonyduncan7710 Careful saying MJ wasn't a team player. MJ raised everyone on his team's play big time. Bird was outstanding, but you could say the opposite too, there's not really anything Bird did that MJ couldn't do if he chose to.
@@clee3133 and vice versa. But bird didn't go punching anyone in the eye to motivate them. And Larry Legend could have scored as many as Jordan if he would have shot as much
He had double vision when he returned to the court that night. He said he was seeing two baskets, but after his first one went in, he knew which of the two to aim at. That's wild.
Just one of many heroics Larry Legend put on display. The only time I saw him fail was the last second shot against the Lakers. He rose to every occasion presented to him.
You young guys need to reach back in the archives and watch the games from the '80s. That's when basketball was great. You actually had guys posting up in the lane
That Pacers game was wild. I clearly remember it - the crowd went insane when they saw Larry come back. It wasnt until later we learned that he had a concussion was seeing double. He came out with no mask or nothing because the DR. told him he should call it a night. But Bird saw Chuck Person celebrating and refused to quit and just ran back out there. Reggie Miller was on that team as a rookie I think and he said he was standing next to Chuck Person when Larry came running out of the tunnel and they both looked at each other like... oh fuck. Funny also that you mention that nothing seems to hit the rim, well that was actually part of his trash talk. He would tell defenders, "I'mma shoot it from right here and it better not touch that rim, if it do, I'm gonna come down and do it again." Bird was an assassin.
You see how amazed you were that he came back into that game after fracturing his cheek & a concussion...It's even crazier than that. Because of his back issue at that point in his career, he spent the night before that game at Mass General Hospital in traction. He returned there after this game & spent that night there as well. He also was not cleared to return to the game. With the doctor out back he was watching the game on the TV & saw the Pacers coming back. When the doctor turned around, he snuck back out to the court. He was straight up built different. #LarryLegend
Add the time bird was the best basketball player ever. He was the most complete basketball Player. Michael jordan didn't come into his own until After Larry Retired.
Larry was the only major roster change for the Celtics his rookie year and they won 32 more games than they did the year before he arrived. At the other end of his career, he led the Celtics to three 3-0 sweeps of the Jordan led Bulls in the playoffs and beat them roughly twice for every loss in regular season play. he was only the third person to win three MVPs in a row following Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. He won 67% of the MVP votes cast over his 13 year as an active player never finishing lower than third. He was the first to have a 90-50-40 season then did it again a couple of years later. He also won the first three 3-point contests the NBA held. I'm sure I've missed probably as many accomplishments as I've listed. He also went on to coach the Pacers to their only trip to the Finals. and was awarded Coach of the Year for those endeavors. He was later awarded NBA Executive of the years.
He's my goat. He brought more to a team than any player I've ever seen. I don't care if Jordan scored that many points Larry could have. Jordan didn't get rebounds he didn't get assists. He hog the ball and he pissed off a lot of his teammates. Larry never did that
The night before the left-handed game he told the press and everyone at the conference that he didn't need his right hand to beat Portland so he was going to save it for the Lakers. He ended up with 47 points. He had to use his right hand in the fourth quarter a little bit but seriously who does that? Who plays the off hand during a whole game?
Larry would be my first pick in a fantasy draft. The thing about Larry is he makes your entire team better. He always made an effort to get his teammates involved. He may not be the overall GOAT but for a clutch shot to win a game, he is the GOAT of clutch.
Larry cared more about the W than about individual stats. And he knew damn well that the best way to GET that W was to make sure the whole team was involved.
I agree with this as a team to build around d he would be my first pick. There isnt some one that wouldnt be good to have beside him. Besides a ball hog. He would fit with any one
He was doing those ankle breakers because his defenders never knew if he was to pass, fake a pass, shoot, go to the hoop. He wasn’t quick exactly but they could never predict what he was going to do. You can’t say that about many players
I have Bird top 3 and I believe pro/con arguments can be made for any of my top 3 being at 1. Fwiw, I really hope you continue with this journey if you love basketball. Imo, 80's/90's basketball is the most fun to watch basketball. And, as of now, I believe the 80's was the most stacked decade of all time and when basketball was at it's peak.
Top 5: C - Wilt Chamberlain PF - Tim Duncan SF - Larry Bird SG - Michael Jordan PG - Magic Johnson With the GOAT going to Wilt Chamberlain....forget the number of records he holds by himself despite the league not counting steals or blocks otherwise the number of records he holds would be doubled....the 100 point game or him shutting down Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green and Bernard King at 43 years of age.....with 4 college players..... He is the only person in human history capable of blocking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook at the apex of its shot trajectory on a regular basis at the end of his career. The most unblockable shot in human history was regularly snagged out of the air by this superhuman of an athlete.
If you wanna see how completely this man was running the league, you should check out these videos: - Bird is the Word - 15 minutes of Larry Legend Highlights (good compilation of some plays that are not in most highlights videos) - Larry Bird Was LEGENDARY During His Prime! 1985-86 Highlights | GOAT SZN (putting up left hand layups like it's practice and shooting in people's faces so damn quick) - Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time (Re-edit w/ New Footage) (the full court passing section of this will have you geekin') - Larry Bird Welcoming Rookies To The NBA Was PURE SAVAGE (some top tier stories about how cold this man was on the court) This man was a basketball savant with a lion's heart. In my personal top 5 of all time, easy.
Something that is pretty cool about Larry Bird is, during the National Anthem at home games in the Boston Garden, Larry always looked up into the rafters of the ancient building. When reporters asked him what he was focusing on, Larry said he was respecting another Boston sports legend: #4 Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (NHL). Bobby Orr is to the NHL as Larry Bird is to the NBA. And they have tremendous respect for each other.
He was the best small forward to ever play. I watched almost every game in the first half of his career. He was a warrior who played to win every night.
Top NBA career combined stats per game (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk) career fg%,tp%,ft% 1. Jordan 44.7 -50-33-84 2. Lebron 44.4 -51-35-73 3. Bird 43.1 -50-38-89 4. Kareem 42.9 -56-06-72 5. Durant 40.8 -50-38-88 Bird has the second highest game winning percentage right behind Magic (10 games off).
Okay, your reaction to his behind the backboard shot had me in tears, man. I was laughing pretty good there. Welcome to watching Larry Legend. I was fortunate enough to get to watch him play these games when they happened. We Celtics fans were spoiled because these feats of greatness happened so often that we started to take them for granted. Larry's court IQ and awareness were second to none, still to this day. He was a phenomenon.
Great video reaction. You are the first reactor to acknowledge that he fractured his cheek on that play. But what you still don't realize that 90 percent of the highlights you just saw were from the playoffs or the finals games. Wait until you see the highlights from his regular season games
There was no game scheduled at the Garden the night Larry Legends retirement ceremony, but the place was sold out with people outside listening. All of New England loved Larry and still do.😎
You have no idea how much I loved seeing a sharp young man's reaction to Bird's comeback game against the Pacers. Sometimes, it feels as if only geezers like me fully appreciate that moment. I watched it unfold live with my buddies back in the day, and I'm not ashamed to admit that we all cried when he came trotting back out of the tunnel and just squatted in front of the bench with that killer's stare. We all knew what was about to go down. Good on you. And to offer my opinion on whether or not Bird was the best ever, I say he needs to be in the conversation with four or five others. If you go by a full career, it is hard to argue against Jordan - but from there, I respect any intelligent argument that puts Bird at two through five. If you judge by a player's prime, there's a solid case for him being the GOAT. Keep it up - you've got a good thing going.
Great reaction! I really enjoyed watching you be blown away the more you watched him. He was not just the best all around player. He was so crafty as well. Several legends have described his play as “beating you in so many ways” Subbed and requesting you continue the dive. Thanks!
When he came back from the fractured cheekbone he had a concussion but was also seeing double and he had to figure out which of the two images was really the basket, but soon as he did he still got another 17 points finished the game and the Celtics won.
if you wanna watch larry bird's passing highlights, there are 3 videos you must see which each contain clips you wont find in other videos 50 amazing assists - look out especially for his bounce passes in trafic bird is the word - more general highlight tape but it has a lot of clips showcasing bird's hustle greatest passer of all-time (re-edit) - the ultimate passing mixtape, and the proof that larry bird could have played any sport from volleyball to football
Making the Case - Larry Bird. Clayton Crowley. This should give you some idea of just how incredible Larry Legend is and was. This is what fundamental basketball looks like. Being able to shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, steal, block shots, come through in the clutch and hit free throws. Larry did it all. When your fundamentals are sound, it makes the flashy stuff that much more deadly because then they have to respect your ability to pass, so it makes it easier to be deadly with fakes. Knowing he can hit a shot from pretty much anywhere he wants, means they can't ignore him. Being lulled into the idea that he isn't athletic, means he gets to get away with being deceptively quick and make you play at his pace of the game instead of yours. You want to beat Larry Bird? You need to be playing 3 dimensional chess to do it mentally while playing him on the court. That makes him a dangerous type of player. Because you can't really gameplan for that. You have to adapt on the fly. Be a thinker first. Which is hard to do in basketball if you are always running at 100mph each way. Sometimes, slowing it down to 80, means you have time to think, make good passes and be able to read defenses.
Extra credit that no video seems to show. Magic was wearing a Celtics jersey underneath at Birds retirement. Magic was Larrys moms favorite player. These 2 have huge respect for eachother.
Oh yeah, I think Bird is the only man that won a Rookie of the Year, Season MVP (3 times consecutively...and he is only 1 of 3 to do that), Finals MVP, Coach of the Year, and Exec of the Year.
Larry. Legend. Period. I watched Larry back in the day, and for those today who DON'T know, this man's highlights are an education. If you watch Larry Bird and don't have him in the top 10 for GOAT status, you just don't know basketball.
I think in that game where Larry fractured his cheek (and he did have a concussion that bothered him with double vision) He did get hit in that cheek when he came back to play. I saw that game when it happened and some time ago I saw some footage of that game....but if I recall correctly, he was elbowed in that cheek. Larry also did not use painkillers. I don't recall that there was ever a reason for that. My guess is he was one of those rare folks out there, in that he had adverse reactions to them. ??? I have a friend, who's mom had a hard time taking painkillers as they hit her hard...and her body couldn't clean them out of her system very fast. She had surgery one time, and when most people could come out of anesthesia in a few hours...it took her 5 days to get rid of the anesthesia.
A few other impressive Bird stats - known as a great scorer and passer, he averaged 10.0 rebounds per game over his career. His MVP voting finishes for the first nine years of his career: 4th (as a ROOKIE!), 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd and 2nd. In his rookie season the Celtics won 61 games after only winning 29 the year before and with not other significant additions to the roster.
Great reaction! BTW, when Bird stole that inbounding pass, he knocked the other team out of the playoffs. One tip, adjust your volumes, I can barely hear the audio on the mixtape video.
Jordan is usually considered better player than Bird, but an argument for Bird over Jordan (which could mean no 1) can be made: - Bird (with Magic) dominated 80s league and Jordan dominated 90s league - and 80 league was probably tougher and better. - Bird always won over Jordan in playoffs, Jordan never defeated Bird in a series (and they met multiple times) Jordan never won a ring till Bird retired.
There is a video series here on you tube called Making the Case. It goes threw all the NBA greats from the 70s to the current years. Its perfect and covers a lot of players.
Fractured his right cheek. Concussion. Double vision. Came back in the 3rd quarter and dumped 17 points on the Pacers to lead his team back to the win. I know. I watched the game.
Great reaction at least you’re listening to what he’s doing. A lot of the reactors aren’t paying attention. Yes, a fractured right cheek bone. ! In today’s game a broken fingernail they’re out for a month ! Larry Bird would average a triple double in his sleep in 2024
Larry is the best all-around player to ever play. He was a human highlight reel. Every accolade was on 10 and hit the bucket from anywhere on the court. If you look at his achievements, he's just clearly better than anyone that ever touched the court
Concussion? He broke his orbital bone near the eye & had double vision against the Pacers. He snuch back to the game without being cleared by doctors after chugging a beer. & won the game. Called him Larry Legend for a reason. It was earned.
Welcome to the BIRD nest ,😂 ,so many players have a little bird in his game , the. Step back , nut cracker, fade away ,bird is mr. 50-40-90 OG , bird had that tap pass perfected , he talked trash the whole game doing this , and got others started on the 92 dream team especially,they picked up on it , watching him live was unreal , we never seen anything like him 🐦💚🏀💯 #LB33
The GOAT question is so difficult to me, especially when you're talking about different positions ( Jordan and Magic guard, Bird small forward, Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russel Center ). How do you quantify scoring against assists, against rebounds, against steals, against blocks, against the intangibles that don't show up in a box score like "they would never try that against this guy because he was too frickin' dominant so it doesn't show up as a block or a steal" etc. However..... when you look at the full boxscore, the all around: Bird has a case. Starting a team, because of how fundamentally skilled he was as a player AND add to that, his IQ, and how much better he is going to make every other player on his team, night and night out, I'm taking Bird. He's got a case.
I got a big kick 😅 from your reactions to this clip. I have probably watched 50 different videos of this very clip and yours a good one. Bird was amazing wasn't he
He also played with a bad back - twisted finger (from before the NBA) - and many other injuries as well. A broken cheek bone was no problem for Larry Bird. Watch - A Courtship of Rivals czcams.com/video/axbIoHqFaa8/video.html - How Larry and Erving saved the NBA from oblivion.
If you want to see the best passing highlights the video of Bird you gotta watch Larry Bird Greatest Passer of all time re-edit! I'm sure everyone agrees with me. #Birdgang Great reaction!
Barely walk today? 😂 Ask the Pacers players about Larry Bird today. There's a CZcams video of their reaction when a 60-year-old Bird walked into their practice when they were stretching. He grabbed the ball, in business clothes and shoes, jacked up 10-12 3s (nothing but net), then calmly sat down and crossed his legs. The players had their jaws on the floor. He's about 68 now, but I just heard he did something similar pretty recently. He's walking fine. 😉
You don't realize because your young its ok. Larry is my GOAT. I implore you to find his passing game and trash talking videos... his rivals really explain it better than I ever could. Nice reaction and thank you for diving deeper. Imagine just a couple of videos and you haven't even seen the best yet. When he made the celtics great he didn't even have anyone he did it by himself. Now after learning that respect that man. I do not fault you because you are young but please never say Bird looks like this guy or that because Bird came first they do it because of Bird. Great response and reaction like I said thanks for giving the man his props. Also just a heads up could not hear anything in the video, was very low not sure it was intended but thought I would let you know.
I thought at one point you started to say you'd seen enough-- in which case, I assume you meant you'd seen enough to convince you he was way better than you'd had any idea of. But I'm thinking you haven't even seen the half of it, even though I can see you're knowledgeable enough about the game to have gotten a lot more than many would from just the two videos you've seen. I would really urge you to react to the "Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time re-edit with more footage" video (make sure it's the "re-edit" one) and the "5 Times Larry Bird Was Injured but REFUSED to Quit" video, as well as at least a couple of the videos of other basketball greats talking about him. The passing tape is just drop-your-jaw amazing, and has a series of one particular brand of his passes that I'd beg big bucks you've not only never seen, but will add a whole new dimension to your idea of what he could do. I believe the "Injured" video will exponentially increase your basic concept of what toughness, commitment, and focus are, and the level possible, even though I know you've already seen him play with a concussion, double vision and a broken face. Believe me when I tell you, that's barely the beginning. The videos of one after another all-time hoops greats like Magic, Jordan, Kareem and Worthy, as well as other star NBA players, including many on rival teams, talking about him is fascinating, impressive...and often funny. Plus, what can be more credible than seeing someone's old enemies talk about him with respect, admiration...and even fear? To me, you can't really "get" him without hearing what's said about him by, for example, famously good defenders. I can see you love the game, so I can't imagine you won't be glad, for lots of reasons, that you've watched and reacted to these videos if you choose to do so. And more than that, you'll get your mind blown (way more than it has been already, even) and will-- main thing-- have a ton of fun and likely pick up a whole lot of Bird loving subs. I'm subbing and getting your notifications just in case you do keep going down the Bird rabbit hole (and of course, while I'm in the neighborhood I'll check out your other videos :o) ). Thanks for one of the best, most knowledgeable, honest and fun Bird reactions I've seen. I just love watching you young'uns get blown away by Bird!
Rookie of Year (Took 29 win team to 61 wins in 1 year) 3x champ in 5 appearances 3x consecutive MVP 3x 3pt champ consecutively 50 40 90 founder/seasons Dagger 3 Pioneer Beat every hofr of era in playoffs MJ (swept bulls twice, 3-0) Rodman Isiah Moses Hakeem Dominique Magic Kareem Worthy Coach of yeat Exec of year 2nd highest win% in NBA Larry Legend
Bird is the greatest ALL-AROUND player to ever pick up a basketball!! And the most amazing thing is that he was never fully healthy for any of his NBA career having mangled his finger on his shooting hand before signing his rookie contract!! Keep learning about Bird, the man and the player.....I GUARANTEE THAT YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!! Keep up the great reactions and continue learning young fella!! Much love and respect 🤙
"Jordan made you look slow... Bird made you look stupid."
Another youngster finally realizing the greatness of Larry Legend
I’d say Larry is the greatest all-around player of all time
Definitely. Without a doubt.
My sentiments exactly. I don't know why everyone always picks. MJ, if Larry wanted to score the same as MJ he could have easily but he was more of a team player
@@tonyduncan7710 Careful saying MJ wasn't a team player. MJ raised everyone on his team's play big time. Bird was outstanding, but you could say the opposite too, there's not really anything Bird did that MJ couldn't do if he chose to.
@@clee3133 and vice versa. But bird didn't go punching anyone in the eye to motivate them. And Larry Legend could have scored as many as Jordan if he would have shot as much
@@clee3133 MJ was great but a lot of people on his team didn't like them and it's hard to play hard for a person that you don't really like
He had double vision when he returned to the court that night. He said he was seeing two baskets, but after his first one went in, he knew which of the two to aim at. That's wild.
I heard that he said he just aimed right between the two. 🤣
He also snuck back to the game without the doctors clearing him, after chugging a beer.
Just one of many heroics Larry Legend put on display. The only time I saw him fail was the last second shot against the Lakers. He rose to every occasion presented to him.
The craziest thing ever
Hey, we want to hear the video too ! 😂
Dang it I had the volume for the video high for some reason it didn’t come out loud. Next vid I’m gonna turn my audio down
Nah, you good, king.
A Courtship of rivals is a Bird Magic documentary. It's long but is worth a reaction.
The 85, 86, and 87 All-Star games show how an All-Star game should be played. That era rules.
Definitely gotta check those out!!
@@TioneJones24 czcams.com/video/YUKy25Ixe_8/video.html
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It was the Golden age of the NBA
Yeah back then All Star game wasn't 248 to 212
You young guys need to reach back in the archives and watch the games from the '80s. That's when basketball was great. You actually had guys posting up in the lane
That Pacers game was wild. I clearly remember it - the crowd went insane when they saw Larry come back. It wasnt until later we learned that he had a concussion was seeing double. He came out with no mask or nothing because the DR. told him he should call it a night. But Bird saw Chuck Person celebrating and refused to quit and just ran back out there. Reggie Miller was on that team as a rookie I think and he said he was standing next to Chuck Person when Larry came running out of the tunnel and they both looked at each other like... oh fuck.
Funny also that you mention that nothing seems to hit the rim, well that was actually part of his trash talk. He would tell defenders, "I'mma shoot it from right here and it better not touch that rim, if it do, I'm gonna come down and do it again."
Bird was an assassin.
Bear in mind that his retirement ceremony at The Garden was completely sold out, there was no game that night.
Like Yogi Berra said nobody went cuz you couldn't get a ticket
I pulled that one out of my butt. I got it from Yogi. He said, no one goes to the ballpark anymore its too crowded.
You see how amazed you were that he came back into that game after fracturing his cheek & a concussion...It's even crazier than that. Because of his back issue at that point in his career, he spent the night before that game at Mass General Hospital in traction. He returned there after this game & spent that night there as well. He also was not cleared to return to the game. With the doctor out back he was watching the game on the TV & saw the Pacers coming back. When the doctor turned around, he snuck back out to the court. He was straight up built different. #LarryLegend
Add the time bird was the best basketball player ever. He was the most complete basketball Player. Michael jordan didn't come into his own until After Larry Retired.
Larry was the only major roster change for the Celtics his rookie year and they won 32 more games than they did the year before he arrived. At the other end of his career, he led the Celtics to three 3-0 sweeps of the Jordan led Bulls in the playoffs and beat them roughly twice for every loss in regular season play. he was only the third person to win three MVPs in a row following Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. He won 67% of the MVP votes cast over his 13 year as an active player never finishing lower than third. He was the first to have a 90-50-40 season then did it again a couple of years later. He also won the first three 3-point contests the NBA held. I'm sure I've missed probably as many accomplishments as I've listed. He also went on to coach the Pacers to their only trip to the Finals. and was awarded Coach of the Year for those endeavors. He was later awarded NBA Executive of the years.
He's probably top 5. An argument for Bird being the GOAT can't be dismissed though.
He's my goat. He brought more to a team than any player I've ever seen. I don't care if Jordan scored that many points Larry could have. Jordan didn't get rebounds he didn't get assists. He hog the ball and he pissed off a lot of his teammates. Larry never did that
The night before the left-handed game he told the press and everyone at the conference that he didn't need his right hand to beat Portland so he was going to save it for the Lakers.
He ended up with 47 points.
He had to use his right hand in the fourth quarter a little bit but seriously who does that?
Who plays the off hand during a whole game?
Larry would be my first pick in a fantasy draft. The thing about Larry is he makes your entire team better. He always made an effort to get his teammates involved. He may not be the overall GOAT but for a clutch shot to win a game, he is the GOAT of clutch.
Larry cared more about the W than about individual stats. And he knew damn well that the best way to GET that W was to make sure the whole team was involved.
I agree with this as a team to build around d he would be my first pick. There isnt some one that wouldnt be good to have beside him. Besides a ball hog. He would fit with any one
Don't forget that he averaged more rebounds over his career than Patrick Ewing. I think it was 11 rebounds per game.
He was doing those ankle breakers because his defenders never knew if he was to pass, fake a pass, shoot, go to the hoop. He wasn’t quick exactly but they could never predict what he was going to do. You can’t say that about many players
And he pretty much invented if not invented perfected the step back
What's ironic is Kiki vandeweghe gets credited with that but he's one in the video that gets his ankles broken from the step back that Larry did
What is he doing? -- Whatever he wants to be doing. That's Larry Bird. He'll shoot it from anywhere, and there's nothing you can do about it.
I have Bird top 3 and I believe pro/con arguments can be made for any of my top 3 being at 1. Fwiw, I really hope you continue with this journey if you love basketball. Imo, 80's/90's basketball is the most fun to watch basketball. And, as of now, I believe the 80's was the most stacked decade of all time and when basketball was at it's peak.
yeah my top 3 is jordan bird kareem, then kobe and wilt
I got Larry at 2 w Shaq. MJ at 1 oc
If i could Pick anyone to start a team its Bird all day
Top 5:
C - Wilt Chamberlain
PF - Tim Duncan
SF - Larry Bird
SG - Michael Jordan
PG - Magic Johnson
With the GOAT going to Wilt Chamberlain....forget the number of records he holds by himself despite the league not counting steals or blocks otherwise the number of records he holds would be doubled....the 100 point game or him shutting down Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Byron Scott, A.C. Green and Bernard King at 43 years of age.....with 4 college players..... He is the only person in human history capable of blocking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's skyhook at the apex of its shot trajectory on a regular basis at the end of his career. The most unblockable shot in human history was regularly snagged out of the air by this superhuman of an athlete.
Everyone back then knew he was the best.
If you wanna see how completely this man was running the league, you should check out these videos:
- Bird is the Word - 15 minutes of Larry Legend Highlights (good compilation of some plays that are not in most highlights videos)
- Larry Bird Was LEGENDARY During His Prime! 1985-86 Highlights | GOAT SZN (putting up left hand layups like it's practice and shooting in people's faces so damn quick)
- Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time (Re-edit w/ New Footage) (the full court passing section of this will have you geekin')
- Larry Bird Welcoming Rookies To The NBA Was PURE SAVAGE (some top tier stories about how cold this man was on the court)
This man was a basketball savant with a lion's heart. In my personal top 5 of all time, easy.
Yes, please.
Great reaction..
YESSIR..
im 69; yrs..
I seen that gamem Larry..
Concussin..
Fractured cheek..
Double vision..
Larry Legend
Something that is pretty cool about Larry Bird is, during the National Anthem at home games in the Boston Garden, Larry always looked up into the rafters of the ancient building. When reporters asked him what he was focusing on, Larry said he was respecting another Boston sports legend: #4 Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins (NHL). Bobby Orr is to the NHL as Larry Bird is to the NBA. And they have tremendous respect for each other.
He was the best small forward to ever play. I watched almost every game in the first half of his career. He was a warrior who played to win every night.
Top NBA career combined stats per game (pts, reb, ast, stl, blk) career fg%,tp%,ft%
1. Jordan 44.7 -50-33-84
2. Lebron 44.4 -51-35-73
3. Bird 43.1 -50-38-89
4. Kareem 42.9 -56-06-72
5. Durant 40.8 -50-38-88
Bird has the second highest game winning percentage right behind Magic (10 games off).
Okay, your reaction to his behind the backboard shot had me in tears, man. I was laughing pretty good there. Welcome to watching Larry Legend. I was fortunate enough to get to watch him play these games when they happened. We Celtics fans were spoiled because these feats of greatness happened so often that we started to take them for granted. Larry's court IQ and awareness were second to none, still to this day. He was a phenomenon.
Great video reaction. You are the first reactor to acknowledge that he fractured his cheek on that play.
But what you still don't realize that 90 percent of the highlights you just saw were from the playoffs or the finals games. Wait until you see the highlights from his regular season games
There was no game scheduled at the Garden the night Larry Legends retirement ceremony, but the place was sold out with people outside listening. All of New England loved Larry and still do.😎
You have no idea how much I loved seeing a sharp young man's reaction to Bird's comeback game against the Pacers. Sometimes, it feels as if only geezers like me fully appreciate that moment. I watched it unfold live with my buddies back in the day, and I'm not ashamed to admit that we all cried when he came trotting back out of the tunnel and just squatted in front of the bench with that killer's stare. We all knew what was about to go down. Good on you. And to offer my opinion on whether or not Bird was the best ever, I say he needs to be in the conversation with four or five others. If you go by a full career, it is hard to argue against Jordan - but from there, I respect any intelligent argument that puts Bird at two through five. If you judge by a player's prime, there's a solid case for him being the GOAT. Keep it up - you've got a good thing going.
The real GOAT right there.
Great reaction! I really enjoyed watching you be blown away the more you watched him.
He was not just the best all around player. He was so crafty as well. Several legends have described his play as “beating you in so many ways”
Subbed and requesting you continue the dive.
Thanks!
When he came back from the fractured cheekbone he had a concussion but was also seeing double and he had to figure out which of the two images was really the basket, but soon as he did he still got another 17 points finished the game and the Celtics won.
Great reaction! Thank you for giving Bird the respect he deserves.
I love your reaction when he hit that over the backboard shot😅
I'm done I'm done 😂what is he DOING!
GOOD reaction video
if you wanna watch larry bird's passing highlights, there are 3 videos you must see which each contain clips you wont find in other videos
50 amazing assists - look out especially for his bounce passes in trafic
bird is the word - more general highlight tape but it has a lot of clips showcasing bird's hustle
greatest passer of all-time (re-edit) - the ultimate passing mixtape, and the proof that larry bird could have played any sport from volleyball to football
Nice you caught all the amazing passes and paid attn, so many reactors miss a lot, really enjoyed watching your react! have a nice day
Thank you so much for your kind words and support!
Making the Case - Larry Bird. Clayton Crowley.
This should give you some idea of just how incredible Larry Legend is and was.
This is what fundamental basketball looks like.
Being able to shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, steal, block shots, come through in the clutch and hit free throws. Larry did it all.
When your fundamentals are sound, it makes the flashy stuff that much more deadly because then they have to respect your ability to pass, so it makes it easier to be deadly with fakes.
Knowing he can hit a shot from pretty much anywhere he wants, means they can't ignore him.
Being lulled into the idea that he isn't athletic, means he gets to get away with being deceptively quick and make you play at his pace of the game instead of yours.
You want to beat Larry Bird? You need to be playing 3 dimensional chess to do it mentally while playing him on the court.
That makes him a dangerous type of player. Because you can't really gameplan for that. You have to adapt on the fly. Be a thinker first. Which is hard to do in basketball if you are always running at 100mph each way. Sometimes, slowing it down to 80, means you have time to think, make good passes and be able to read defenses.
It was seriously important to Bird to WIN.
Larry Bird - Greatest Passer Of All Time (Re-edit with new footage): czcams.com/video/wwo4vtaZmsY/video.htmlsi=WIA9SjJw129X6il4
Absolutely
Yes. Please.
Epic
Larry Legend. The GOAT Master!!
Great reaction. Only issue is video is too quiet.
Extra credit that no video seems to show. Magic was wearing a Celtics jersey underneath at Birds retirement. Magic was Larrys moms favorite player. These 2 have huge respect for eachother.
YUP!!!!! nuff said. absolute Larry Legend, GOAT
Oh yeah, I think Bird is the only man that won a Rookie of the Year, Season MVP (3 times consecutively...and he is only 1 of 3 to do that), Finals MVP, Coach of the Year, and Exec of the Year.
He IS the only person to do that.
Respect.
Great reaction my friend…
Thank you!!
Fractured cheek, concussion, double vision......
INSANE
Watch Larry Bird Greatest passer of all time re-edit. Great reaction! #Birdgang
That behind the backboard shot is my absolute favorite shot of Larry Bird.
Great reaction man. A little low on the audio, but you hit every major point and didn't talk over important things. Nice job!
that step back is VICIOUS
Subbed
Well said young man
You've seen two videos. Honestly... there is so much more to learn. Seriously. This is just a piece of it. Bird/Jordan 1a/1b all time.
Larry. Legend. Period. I watched Larry back in the day, and for those today who DON'T know, this man's highlights are an education. If you watch Larry Bird and don't have him in the top 10 for GOAT status, you just don't know basketball.
You know basketball bra, Larry is the best
I think in that game where Larry fractured his cheek (and he did have a concussion that bothered him with double vision) He did get hit in that cheek when he came back to play.
I saw that game when it happened and some time ago I saw some footage of that game....but if I recall correctly, he was elbowed in that cheek.
Larry also did not use painkillers. I don't recall that there was ever a reason for that.
My guess is he was one of those rare folks out there, in that he had adverse reactions to them. ???
I have a friend, who's mom had a hard time taking painkillers as they hit her hard...and her body couldn't clean them out of her system very fast. She had surgery one time, and when most people could come out of anesthesia in a few hours...it took her 5 days to get rid of the anesthesia.
The shot from behind the backboard was a twenty dollar bet he made. 😂
Larry Bird's retirement was held on a non-playing night, for the Celtics. That crowd was there, just for Bird.
A few other impressive Bird stats - known as a great scorer and passer, he averaged 10.0 rebounds per game over his career. His MVP voting finishes for the first nine years of his career: 4th (as a ROOKIE!), 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd and 2nd. In his rookie season the Celtics won 61 games after only winning 29 the year before and with not other significant additions to the roster.
Literally broke his face on the hardwood, snuck out of the locker room when the doctor wasn't looking, and came back out to win.
Great reaction!
BTW, when Bird stole that inbounding pass, he knocked the other team out of the playoffs.
One tip, adjust your volumes, I can barely hear the audio on the mixtape video.
Jordan is usually considered better player than Bird, but an argument for Bird over Jordan (which could mean no 1) can be made:
- Bird (with Magic) dominated 80s league and Jordan dominated 90s league - and 80 league was probably tougher and better.
- Bird always won over Jordan in playoffs, Jordan never defeated Bird in a series (and they met multiple times) Jordan never won a ring till Bird retired.
There is a video series here on you tube called Making the Case. It goes threw all the NBA greats from the 70s to the current years. Its perfect and covers a lot of players.
Next, Greatest Passer of All Time re-edit with new footage
Fractured his right cheek. Concussion. Double vision. Came back in the 3rd quarter and dumped 17 points on the Pacers to lead his team back to the win. I know. I watched the game.
Great reaction at least you’re listening to what he’s doing. A lot of the reactors aren’t paying attention. Yes, a fractured right cheek bone. ! In today’s game a broken fingernail they’re out for a month ! Larry Bird would average a triple double in his sleep in 2024
Larry is the best all-around player to ever play. He was a human highlight reel. Every accolade was on 10 and hit the bucket from anywhere on the court. If you look at his achievements, he's just clearly better than anyone that ever touched the court
THE Goat!
When you're that good, you gotta keep it interesting.
Concussion? He broke his orbital bone near the eye & had double vision against the Pacers. He snuch back to the game without being cleared by doctors after chugging a beer. & won the game. Called him Larry Legend for a reason. It was earned.
Welcome to the BIRD nest ,😂 ,so many players have a little bird in his game , the. Step back , nut cracker, fade away ,bird is mr. 50-40-90 OG , bird had that tap pass perfected , he talked trash the whole game doing this , and got others started on the 92 dream team especially,they picked up on it , watching him live was unreal , we never seen anything like him 🐦💚🏀💯 #LB33
The GOAT question is so difficult to me, especially when you're talking about different positions ( Jordan and Magic guard, Bird small forward, Kareem, Wilt, Bill Russel Center ). How do you quantify scoring against assists, against rebounds, against steals, against blocks, against the intangibles that don't show up in a box score like "they would never try that against this guy because he was too frickin' dominant so it doesn't show up as a block or a steal" etc. However..... when you look at the full boxscore, the all around: Bird has a case. Starting a team, because of how fundamentally skilled he was as a player AND add to that, his IQ, and how much better he is going to make every other player on his team, night and night out, I'm taking Bird. He's got a case.
Nice video! Try a Larry Bird trash talking video!
Jordan clears Larry but when Larry retired he was for sure in consideration for the goat
"Why are you doing that??"
Larry definitely thought, "Because I can and you can't" and probably said it to folks in that game too.
I’ve read it was a $5 bet he made with someone on the other team (a coach?) - Bird almost forgot to do it. 😂
❤
You should check out making the case for Larry ❤❤❤❤
My vote on: Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time (Re-edit w/ New Footage)
It's crazy. The trash talk is funny as hell, too
I got a big kick 😅 from your reactions to this clip. I have probably watched 50 different videos of this very clip and yours a good one. Bird was amazing wasn't he
# 1 BIRD vs # 2 JORDAN
SHOOTING BIRD
SCORING JORDAN
PASSING BIRD
FREE THROW BIRD
3 POINTER BIRD
REBOUNDING BIRD
BLOCKS BIRD
DEFENSE JORDAN
CLUTCH BIRD
FEARED BIRD
VS BIRD (6)
JORDAN (0)
He also played with a bad back - twisted finger (from before the NBA) - and many other injuries as well. A broken cheek bone was no problem for Larry Bird. Watch - A Courtship of Rivals czcams.com/video/axbIoHqFaa8/video.html - How Larry and Erving saved the NBA from oblivion.
If you want to see the best passing highlights the video of Bird you gotta watch Larry Bird Greatest Passer of all time re-edit! I'm sure everyone agrees with me. #Birdgang Great reaction!
Barely walk today? 😂 Ask the Pacers players about Larry Bird today. There's a CZcams video of their reaction when a 60-year-old Bird walked into their practice when they were stretching. He grabbed the ball, in business clothes and shoes, jacked up 10-12 3s (nothing but net), then calmly sat down and crossed his legs. The players had their jaws on the floor. He's about 68 now, but I just heard he did something similar pretty recently. He's walking fine. 😉
How come you don’t have the commentary sound on?
You don't realize because your young its ok. Larry is my GOAT. I implore you to find his passing game and trash talking videos... his rivals really explain it better than I ever could. Nice reaction and thank you for diving deeper. Imagine just a couple of videos and you haven't even seen the best yet. When he made the celtics great he didn't even have anyone he did it by himself. Now after learning that respect that man. I do not fault you because you are young but please never say Bird looks like this guy or that because Bird came first they do it because of Bird. Great response and reaction like I said thanks for giving the man his props. Also just a heads up could not hear anything in the video, was very low not sure it was intended but thought I would let you know.
Larry Legend was unbelievable.
I thought at one point you started to say you'd seen enough-- in which case, I assume you meant you'd seen enough to convince you he was way better than you'd had any idea of.
But I'm thinking you haven't even seen the half of it, even though I can see you're knowledgeable enough about the game to have gotten a lot more than many would from just the two videos you've seen.
I would really urge you to react to the "Larry Bird Greatest Passer of All Time re-edit with more footage" video (make sure it's the "re-edit" one) and the "5 Times Larry Bird Was Injured but REFUSED to Quit" video, as well as at least a couple of the videos of other basketball greats talking about him.
The passing tape is just drop-your-jaw amazing, and has a series of one particular brand of his passes that I'd beg big bucks you've not only never seen, but will add a whole new dimension to your idea of what he could do.
I believe the "Injured" video will exponentially increase your basic concept of what toughness, commitment, and focus are, and the level possible, even though I know you've already seen him play with a concussion, double vision and a broken face. Believe me when I tell you, that's barely the beginning.
The videos of one after another all-time hoops greats like Magic, Jordan, Kareem and Worthy, as well as other star NBA players, including many on rival teams, talking about him is fascinating, impressive...and often funny. Plus, what can be more credible than seeing someone's old enemies talk about him with respect, admiration...and even fear? To me, you can't really "get" him without hearing what's said about him by, for example, famously good defenders.
I can see you love the game, so I can't imagine you won't be glad, for lots of reasons, that you've watched and reacted to these videos if you choose to do so.
And more than that, you'll get your mind blown (way more than it has been already, even) and will-- main thing-- have a ton of fun and likely pick up a whole lot of Bird loving subs.
I'm subbing and getting your notifications just in case you do keep going down the Bird rabbit hole (and of course, while I'm in the neighborhood I'll check out your other videos :o) ).
Thanks for one of the best, most knowledgeable, honest and fun Bird reactions I've seen. I just love watching you young'uns get blown away by Bird!
LARRY LEGEND IS A UNICORN AND THE TRUE GOAT!!! 🐐 ☘️
Rookie of Year
(Took 29 win team to 61 wins in 1 year)
3x champ in 5 appearances
3x consecutive MVP
3x 3pt champ consecutively
50 40 90 founder/seasons
Dagger 3 Pioneer
Beat every hofr of era in playoffs
MJ (swept bulls twice, 3-0)
Rodman
Isiah
Moses
Hakeem
Dominique
Magic
Kareem
Worthy
Coach of yeat
Exec of year
2nd highest win% in NBA
Larry Legend
No pain killers ever, he would chug a beer!
Larry was in the top tier at his time.
Great reaction should check out Larry Bird greatest passer of all time video re-edit
I think the shot over the backboard was a bet 😄
Video audio my guy. ❤
Goota check out the "You never beat me" Jordan vs Bird comparison
Larry Legend is the GOAT!
Bird is the greatest ALL-AROUND player to ever pick up a basketball!! And the most amazing thing is that he was never fully healthy for any of his NBA career having mangled his finger on his shooting hand before signing his rookie contract!! Keep learning about Bird, the man and the player.....I GUARANTEE THAT YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!!! Keep up the great reactions and continue learning young fella!! Much love and respect 🤙
The shot over the backboard doesn’t count, but he did it because he could…to show there’s no stopping him.
Check out the 16 minute Bird passing highlights that's out there
7:45
Yea... Had a concussion, double vision and score 17 points in that last quarter.
Brid was a fakking demon.