How best to describe Larry Bird, and what he means to basketball and the basketball fan?
Try this: To someone who loves the game, Bird’s entrance into his life can only be equated to the concept of a Renaissance art student watching Michelangelo walk into his classroom and hearing him say, “Good morning, I am your new teacher.”
More than anyone who has ever played basketball, Larry Bird is a microcosm of all the components which make the game enjoyable. It is ridiculous to suggest that anyone else in history has been able to influence a basketball game in more different ways than Larry Bird. If the object of the entire enterprise is to win the game, you’d be better off with Bird on your side than any non-center who has come along. Let’s not bog down this discussion with mention of the Russells, Chamberlains, Abdul-Jabbars, and Waltons. We’re not here to haggle about “Most Valuable Player.” There never has been a player who could dominate a sport with just two skills—playing defense and rebounding—the way Bill Russell did. We’re talking about people with diverse skills. This eliminates centers.
No, no, no. What we’re talking about is purity as a basketball player. Who fulfills the essence of this game better than anyone else is the issue.
Who are the retired contenders? Oscar Robertson? Jerry West? John Havlicek? Elgin Baylor? Julius Erving? Too small. Period. Every damn one of them is too small to be discussed. Keep in mind that Bird is 6-foot-9. Throw out all the numbers you want about Oscar’s triple-double seasons (in an era when there were about 30 percent more nightly rebounds available than today), and ask yourself: Would Oscar get a rebound Bird wanted? Forget it. None of them could shoot with Bird. None had his range. None could diversify his offense the way Bird can. If he wants to post up, he posts up. If he wants to come off a pick, he comes off the pick. If a three-pointer is needed, well, he happens to be the best three-point shooter who has yet been developed. There are lots of guys who
Passing? Oscar certainly had a boatload of assists. He also had the basketball 99 percent of the time. In no way was he a more-creative passer than Bird. Among the others, only Havlicek was even remotely in the discussion.
So, what it comes down to is whether or not Bird should be considered the superior of either Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan. What is Jordan doing in this discussion, anyway? Michael is a magnificent scorer, a fierce competitor, and the most-entertaining player for the casual fan to ponder. One of Michael’s dunks immediately gets anyone’s attention. A slick Bird pick-and-roll pass to Robert Parish for a basket might not mean much to Joe Average. They both count two points. You don’t get anything extra for style. Or, as one coach put it, “This isn’t gymnastics or diving. You don’t get extra points for degree of difficulty.”