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Larry Bird

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.newman.
Posts: 1552 - Karma: 236
Yes.. i agree that he was an amazing basketball player at his time but...
I have been having an argument with a friend and our math teacher about Bird's abilities and the probability that he could make it in the NBA today.  I say the he coul dmake the NBA but wouldn't be the kind of star that he was.  My teacher thinks that he would be almost as good if not just as good, and my friend thinks that he wouldn't play at all.  This is all in comparison to the athleticism and ability of current players.

Thoughts?
May 13 2010 9:09PM
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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,273
he would suck, he's like almost 70 years old and has a terrible back
May 13 2010 9:10PM
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zanzibar69
Posts: 3 - Karma: 10
too bad hes fuckin hipster
May 13 2010 9:15PM
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dompuch
Posts: 1449 - Karma: 1,187
yeah hes old now but he used to have skills that killed
May 13 2010 9:22PM
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JustDidIt
Posts: 2194 - Karma: 160
this.
but he might still have a decent shot
May 13 2010 9:23PM
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.newman.
Posts: 1552 - Karma: 236
Were talking like him playing when he was in his prime rtards
May 13 2010 11:09PM
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Nathn
Posts: 2408 - Karma: 63
he would make it, he'd be above average, no one would know who he was.
May 13 2010 11:11PM
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BMB
Posts: 3138 - Karma: 232
Click for larger imageenough said.
May 14 2010 12:00AM
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remove
Posts: 2566 - Karma: 1,026
He was the scrapiest mother fucker whoever played the game. he'd kill on defence and the offence wouldn't know what to do. he could play indivudiualy and he could incorparate his whole team. there's a reason the celtics kicked ass during the time he was on the team. I honestly think he could take LeBron
May 14 2010 12:04AM
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Bepo
Posts: 8195 - Karma: 17
this thread is retarded, bird is one of the best players of all time. Do you think magic johnson wouldn't stand a chance either? Players back then were just as athletic and bird schooled them with superior skills and cerebral ability.
May 14 2010 12:22AM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
"so who is coming in second?". Larry Bird before a shooting contest.

Bird dominated.
May 14 2010 12:38AM
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Ski_The_East10
Posts: 582 - Karma: 3
Magic, one of the greatest to ever play the game, said Bird was the only player he ever feared..I think that says enough

Why havent the cavs and lebron done anything in the past two years despite having the best regular season record and arguably most talented player in the game today? Lebron doesn't have the raw grit and desire to win.. bird would stop at nothing to win which is why he would have no problem playing and excelling in todays league
He just wanted it more than anyone else on the court all the time
May 14 2010 9:43AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Disclaimer: I am not racist

However, if Bird was black, he would have been an average to good player in the NBA. Yes, he would have still won, but he would be remembered as a good player, sort of like Carmello is right now.



In now-a-day terms, the game has changed so much, but if Bird had a solid team like he did back win he won (he was surrounded by pure talent) then he would still be a great player.
May 14 2010 9:45AM
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Ski_The_East10
Posts: 582 - Karma: 3
Watch the first 30 seconds on the video posted above..im gonna go ahead and say magic johnson might know a little bit more about basketball than you
May 14 2010 9:56AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Haha...

The main topic of this thread was to discuss if he would still be good right now, if he was the same age as when he was good.....My point was that it's not just one player, but a team, and Bird's team knew how to use him, and he was good, so if he was on a good team, he would still be good today. Magic probably does know more about basketball than me, considering he was in the NBA, and I was not. At the time, yes, he was one of the best players of all time, but the NBA now is so much different, its a much faster run and gun type of game. Take Phoenix for example. Bird would not be able to play on them. And if you put Bird on a team like the Knicks right now, they suck so bad it wouldn't matter. It's a similar situation to LeBron if you have been paying attention. One of the best players of all time, and well his team wasn't good enough for him to win a championship. Same for Patrick Ewing. One of the best centers of all time, but never won a championship because his team wasn't as good as other teams, even though he was a better player than almost all of the match-ups he faced. So Bird in the current NBA would only be as good as he was if his team was good. (Put him on the Celtics today, he would win another championship, put him on say Detroit, he might make the playoffs)
May 14 2010 10:03AM
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
you people are idiots, larry bird is probably the second or third best player of all time and would still be if he played during this era, he was one of the hardest workers of all time and his career was severely effected by a bad back, if it wasnt for that he might have been considered the best ever
May 14 2010 10:03AM
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Tasche
Posts: 5422 - Karma: 99
haha

"I'm not a racist, but I am going to make a huge racist statement."

Bird was awesome, his knees and back slowed him down late in his career but he was still a premier player.

And Carmello is one of the top 10 players in the NBA, a lot more than just an average player footnote.
May 14 2010 10:06AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
You can't really compare him to other player he never played against, it just isn't fair. For his position, I'd agree that he is one of, if not the best. It's a completely different game for point guards, and centers, so you really can't compare him to Magic or Big O
May 14 2010 10:10AM
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
you are retarded
May 14 2010 10:11AM
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
wat?
May 14 2010 10:12AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Carmello is one of the top 10 right now, but all time, he's no where near the top 100.

And about Bird being black, read this
http://www.sbnation.com/2010/3/12/1366920/nba-talking-points-bird-magic
That's what I was referring to, should have quoted it earlier.
May 14 2010 10:12AM
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spruitm
Posts: 2221 - Karma: 1,069
Magic was better
May 14 2010 10:12AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
On what grounds?
May 14 2010 10:13AM
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lineskier10
Posts: 11339 - Karma: 796
in that whole long paragraph you never really made an argument, it was just rambling about a faster style of play, which is wrong, and then you said something about bird having good players around him, which he did kind of, but the players on the celtics were definitely not as good as the players on the lakers during that time period and the celtics were able to beat them in the finals a couple times, so by that logic larry is at least as good as magic
May 14 2010 10:16AM
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Ski_The_East10
Posts: 582 - Karma: 3
I know the thread was about if he would still be good now..but in your first post you said if he was black, he WOULD have been an average player so you had brought up the past...

I do agree with you about how the game has changed sooo much since then so it is difficult to make theories about how people would play now

However Lebron has a more than capable team to win a championship they went 127-37 in the last two years!! So to say 'if his team was good enough' is absurdly false...what they didn't have was the presence of someone who could win a game...lebron is an amazing player and incredible athlete but until he gets that maniacal and bordering on insane obsession to win...he won't even be able to hold a candle to larry
May 14 2010 10:17AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
My argument was whether or not Bird would be good in the NBA right now, which was the main topic of the thread. I will break it down in simple terms for you.

1) The NBA has changed, so Bird would not be as effective

2) Teamwork is very important in the NBA, so Bird would have to be on a good team to be effective

3) The players on the Celtics were just as good as the Lakers (just to name a few)
A) Bill Walton
B)Robert Parish
C)Kevin McHale
D)Dennis Johnson
May 14 2010 10:21AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Yea, I shouldn't have brought up the past lol but literally ten minutes before I read this thread I saw an article about what if Bird was black and it was just on my mind....

As for LeBron, he really should have won, and yes their record was good enough, and agreed about the candle.....I don't really have an opinion on him, I'm a Hawks fan at heart haha
May 14 2010 10:24AM
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Ski_The_East10
Posts: 582 - Karma: 3
Agreed. The c's had no business winning and im a huge c's fan..the cavs just completely looked like they didnt give a shit from the poor coaching (using no timeouts or fouling at the end of the game really??)

At least the hawks are on the up tho..scared the shit out of us in the first round last year plus crawford is nassssty
May 14 2010 10:30AM
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Mr.Panda
Posts: 17711 - Karma: 564
Are we talking taking prime Larry Bird and dropping him in todays game?

I would say he would do DAMN good.
May 14 2010 10:31AM
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ECB
Posts: 6991 - Karma: 622
Yea, they have increased their win total every year for something like the last 7 years (the hawks that is)

If they retain starters and crawford, and josh smith stays healthy in his knee, they will hopefully scare someone again next year haha
May 14 2010 10:32AM
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theline
Posts: 1507 - Karma: 92
psh
YOU'RE Larry Bird.
May 14 2010 11:06AM
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Gorilla.Steeze
Posts: 2215 - Karma: 43
Larry Bird in his prime would obviously dominate the current NBA. Any naysayers need to get their heads out of their asses.
May 14 2010 11:11AM
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Mr_Papageorgio
Posts: 1271 - Karma: 117

too hard to say.  the game was different and more defensive oriented.  There are players today that don't get drafted (ie. Julius Page from Pitt or Gerry Mcnamara from Syracuse) that probably would have gone first round not 20 years ago.

I will say this.  The style of play that magic and bird both played can translate in any league, it's just a matter of whether there athleticism would match up. 

For arguments sake I will say that he could play in todays NBA because his competitiveness would be above anyones save for maybe Kobe and KG

May 14 2010 11:50AM
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yojimbo
Posts: 3631 - Karma: 27
that video was fucking dirty.
May 14 2010 1:13PM
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NW_Rider
Posts: 2580 - Karma: 314
His ability to dish the rock around was ridiculous too and he did it with so much style, you don't see much of that anymore.
May 14 2010 3:47PM
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blindside
Posts: 5619 - Karma: 1,201
come on, it's larry bird. He would kill it, there's no doubt in my mind.
May 14 2010 5:01PM
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