Larry Bird and Magic Johnson

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PlatinumGold

Lifer
Aug 11, 2000
23,168
0
71
Originally posted by: mobobuff
Originally posted by: TheSiege
Originally posted by: mobobuff
The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

the great thing about that highlight reel is that half, if not more, were assists.
wish i would have caught more or "lakers vs. celtics" action when i was a kid

Amazing assists at that. Bird had a way of mapping out the court at any given time.

You'll also notice that on every shot he misses, not an instant after the ball leaves his hands he knows two things; the shot is a miss, and the exact path the rebound will take. I've seen Bird grab his own rebound and shoot a second time so many times. It's the mark of a good player. And the mark of a good defenseman is to not stop guarding the shooter just because he took his shot, because the shooter knows best where the ball will go.

Bird was great not just because of his talent, but also because of his understanding of the logistics involved.

also, just how truly amazing his no look passes were, not just because they were no look but they were so precise with timing.

ya, i know the highlights are just his best passes, but he made passes like that regularly every night.

 

mobobuff

Lifer
Apr 5, 2004
11,100
1
81
Originally posted by: PlatinumGold
Originally posted by: mobobuff
Originally posted by: TheSiege
Originally posted by: mobobuff
The compression quality is poor, but the plays in this Bird compilation are amazing.

Link

Magic calls him the only man on the court he ever feared.

the great thing about that highlight reel is that half, if not more, were assists.
wish i would have caught more or "lakers vs. celtics" action when i was a kid

Amazing assists at that. Bird had a way of mapping out the court at any given time.

You'll also notice that on every shot he misses, not an instant after the ball leaves his hands he knows two things; the shot is a miss, and the exact path the rebound will take. I've seen Bird grab his own rebound and shoot a second time so many times. It's the mark of a good player. And the mark of a good defenseman is to not stop guarding the shooter just because he took his shot, because the shooter knows best where the ball will go.

Bird was great not just because of his talent, but also because of his understanding of the logistics involved.

also, just how truly amazing his no look passes were, not just because they were no look but they were so precise with timing.

ya, i know the highlights are just his best passes, but he made passes like that regularly every night.

Yeah, it's easy to watch highlight clips and think the player was amazing, but Bird was certainly a great player.

People criticize the "thug" mentality of the NBA today, but Bird was a cocky player himself. The only difference was the game came first, and his ego, while very present, took a back seat to the game itself. That alone made him a fascinating player to witness.

Today it's more about the ego, and less about the talent, less about the game.
 

Xstatic1

Diamond Member
Sep 20, 2006
9,140
50
86
Originally posted by: BlinderBomber
Originally posted by: blackdogdeek
i like the clip where they run back down the court and do that congratulatory fist hitting thing (bird puts out his fist vertically and magic hits the top of it with his fist then bird reciprocates).

you don't see that kind of sportsmanship and respect anymore.

link?

i think this may be what be blackdogdeek is referring to (the last few seconds of clip), but nonetheless the entire videoclip is worth watching!!!! :D
 

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
68,852
26,641
136
I read the topic as Lady Bird and Magic Johnson. I was looking for a punchline.
 

waggy

No Lifer
Dec 14, 2000
68,145
10
81
i had the privledge of seeing all 3 play. but when the Celtics and Lakers played you knew you were going to see one hell of a game.

bird was not the guy who was going to go out and score 40 points a night he was able to do it in other ways. his passing was amazing and the ability he had to open up the floor was great. he could dominate a game and not be the high scorer.

to bad you will never see someone like him again.


what is amazing is there are some who think bird was not that good. they say since he was a good white player that they keep pushing him. sigh i miss the late 80's early 90's basketball heh