Larry Bird schools Michael Jordan

[Celtics4ever]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

[celtsfan84]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

Jordan was also 9x All-Defensive First Team and a Defensive Player of the Year.  Bird was a 3x All-Defensive Second Team.

Ignoring defense, the comparison is close.

With knowledge that the game is played on both ends, the gap grows wider.

[Lightskinsmurf]

That's always been my argument.  You list the top 10 players of all time, and Jordan is the only who was in his prime during the '90s.  Magic and Larry were on their way out and the likes of Shaq, Duncan, and Kobe (if you wanted to include them) were too young. 

I suppose you could bring Hakeem into the discussion, but he never actually faced Jordan in a playoff game...ever. 

I mean how many titles would Larry Bird have won if there was no Magic to play against?  Or how many titles would Wilt have won if Russell played in a different era? 

So I think there's really a good argument to be made about Jordan being overrated.  He's still a top 10 player and potentially the greatest ever, but if he played 10 years earlier or 10 years later, I'm not sure he'd stand out in people's minds as much as he does now.

You can say that about anyone. If so and so played during this time then they would have been better or worse. Its all speculation at the end of the day. MJ is the greatest to ever do it. For all you stat boys there's plenty of numbers to back that up lol.

[csfansince60s]

yep. If Jordan had played the bulk of his career during prime healthy Magic/Bird/I Thomas days he would be just another guy

It can go both ways. Bird and Magic could have ended up not winning a thing if Jordan was in that era.

Unlikely, altough "anything's possible".

The difference is McHale/Parrish/DJ and Jabbar/Worthy/Scott vs Pippen and who else?

[BballTim]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

[KG_ended_Bias]

I agree with most on here, if you take a prime Jordan & place him & his BEST team up against the 86' Celtics in a 7 game series, at best they win 2 games & at worst they get swept! So in that aspect if Jordan plays like Jordan but never wins a ring just as Charles Barkley, Ewing,Malone & Stockton never done would we be calling him the greatest ever? That's a emphatic NO. Jordan benefitted from Bird's bonespurs problem coupled with Bias death. So I guess it was meant for him to win something because look how things broke open for him with these events (Magic HIV) & (Lewis death). But if those 4 significant things never happened & things progressed naturally Jordan would be a loveable loser just like his buddy Sir Charles because he wasn't going to win a thing!

[Lightskinsmurf]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

[BballTim]

yep. If Jordan had played the bulk of his career during prime healthy Magic/Bird/I Thomas days he would be just another guy

It can go both ways. Bird and Magic could have ended up not winning a thing if Jordan was in that era.

  That's kind of like saying Kobe and Dirk couldn't win titles if they played in LeBron's era.

[celtsfan84]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

[Lightskinsmurf]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

Lol, TP!

[BballTim]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

  I think it's pretty close but I prefer Bird.

[BballTim]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

  It's nice that your school lets you play on the computers at lunch time.

[celtsfan84]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

  It's nice that your school lets you play on the computers at lunch time.

It's nice that your parents let you keep your Rondo posters on their basement walls.  Hopefully they haven't thrown out your Bird posters.

[BballTim]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

  It's nice that your school lets you play on the computers at lunch time.

It's nice that your parents let you keep your Rondo posters on their basement walls.

  Good retort. With your debating skills I'm sure any victory, no matter how small, is worth cherishing.

[celtsfan84]

Bird made his team mates better, Jordan carried his team mates more than making them better.  He can't touch Larry in rebounds or passing only shooting and scoring

  In no way can Jordan touch Larry in shooting. Scoring yes, defense yes, everything else no.

Wait, so who are you saying is the better overall basketball player?

Rondo, clearly.  Then Bird.  Then Russell.  Then Jordan behind 15 other former Celtics.

  It's nice that your school lets you play on the computers at lunch time.

It's nice that your parents let you keep your Rondo posters on their basement walls.

  Good retort. With your debating skills I'm sure any victory, no matter how small, is worth cherishing.

Well, seeing that your "debate skills" feature stating that "Home Player X" is better than "Star Player Y", followed by snarky remarks that add nothing to your original statement and are unfunny at best, the bar is set very low.  But thanks.