YouTube Gold: Could Larry Bird Still Dominate The NBA Today?
Larry Bird did whatever he wanted to do on a basketball court, and he could still do it today.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 24, 1981: Larry Bird #33 of the Boston Celtics drives against Julius Erving #6 of the Philadelphia 76ers during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals at The Spectrum in April 24, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images) | Getty Images This video raises a question we’ve seen quite often in recent years: Could Larry Bird still dominate today? Or would be be a role player?
The answer is yes, he could still run the league, and for a few reasons. First, Bird was, as Joe Dumar once said, a basketball savant. Do you think Charles Barkley could play today?
Magic Johnson? Michael Jordan? Isaiah Thomas?
James Worthy? Of course they could – and they all said Bird was the one whom they feared most, who gave them sleepless nights. The main criticism of Bird is that he was slow and couldn’t jump.