LeBron and Bird through the first 10 years

[EvilEmpire]

Here is the article that the comparison was taken from

http://ballislife.com/larry-bird-vs-lebron-james/

[bfrombleacher]

40% less personal fouls, 60% more free throws.

Bird had to use his jump shot more because the defense was that much tougher. A "never fouled out" streak was unheard of. Star calls weren't as outrageous.

I agree with the guy who said 30 PPG isn't out of the question.

The league "back then" was less athletic from a bystander's standpoint because guards cannot do all the flashy stuff without getting completely ripped apart by the defense first. To say that the old guys wouldn't have been able to catch up is absurd, whoever should say that.

[moiso]

The only thing that surprised me is that Bird averaged more steals.  That's impressive.

[BballTim]

In today's game environment - meaning more 3's and star treatment re fouls- Bird would easily avg over 30 ppg.

Wow! LBJ plays one minute more and gets called for one foul less on avg. Also look at the FTA discrepancy - LBJ is taking more 3's and still has more FTA's.

At 88% (assuming Bird got fouled the same amount as LBJ)  nearly +3 ppg in FTM category alone. Thrown in another 3 pointer made and you're at +4.

Also consider the game was much more physical then and Larry only avg'd 5.3 FTA's. What a joke the officiating has become.

None of that should be surprising.  James' has built his career taking it to the hole.  That is where you get fouled.  Bird was much more a jump shooter than James.  Even inside the line he would take a lot of long 2's.  Today's game that just doesn't happen.  Bird would take a lot more 3's today though and thus would have upped his points per game by at least a point or two, though that might have effected his percentage a bit and may have possibly effected his offensive rebounding opportunities.  Of course at 6'10" Bird would have been a PF had he entered the league today and would be molded more like Dirk in that regard.

  Considering the opposing bigs were generally closer to the basket than they are now LeBron would have had a lot of games that looked like how he played against the Mavs in the finals.

[ACF]

[Celtics17]

Really the two compare favorably although in somewhat different ways. I know we love to hate Lebron but the guy can play! Bird's biggest edge was his computer mind, he saw the game unfold long before it did. Lebron has a huge edge though over Bird in man to man defense which can be a huge part of the game. Imagine what Bron would do with McHale and Parrish backing him up.

Bird though is still the player I would choose for one series. His ability to see the game and dictate it's out outcome is unparralelled. Winning close games with your ability to score is one thing but winning ten minutes before they are over is an ability few NBa players have ever had.

[Celtics4ever]

One was a man whose dad killed himself and he built himself into a heck of a player with hard work.  The other is an amazingly talented wild brat whose is helped immensely by David Stern.

[Smutzy#9]

One was a man whose dad killed himself and he built himself into a heck of a player with hard work.  The other is an amazingly talented wild brat whose is helped immensely by David Stern.

You saying that is being a complete Homer. I love bird to death, but your really think that Lebron James hasnt worked hard??

[Moranis]

One was a man whose dad killed himself and he built himself into a heck of a player with hard work.  The other is an amazingly talented wild brat whose is helped immensely by David Stern.

You saying that is being a complete Homer. I love bird to death, but your really think that Lebron James hasnt worked hard??

yeah, this is such an easy life

LeBron James was born on December 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio.  His mother, Gloria James, was only 16 at the time. His biological father, Anthony McClelland, was an ex-con uninterested in being a parent. Gloria raised LeBron on her own, and to this day he goes by her last name.

Life was often a struggle for LeBron and his mother. Gloria battled personal problems during much of his childhood. Some of those were brought on by the death of her mother, who passed away when LeBron was an infant. Bouncing between retail and accounting jobs, Gloria was never able to land steady work, and she and LeBron moved from apartment to apartment. The pair got to know all the seedier neighborhoods of Akron, a city of more than 200,000 located less than a hour south of Cleveland.

Despite her failings, Gloria worked hard to be a loving mother and shield LeBron from the poverty and violence of the streets. This was no easy chore, and at times made her choice of boyfriends seem puzzling. When LeBron was two, she started dating Eddie Jackson. In and out of trouble with the law, he went to prison in 1990 for aggravated cocaine trafficking. (In 2002, he pled guilty to mortgage fraud and mail fraud.) Nevertheless LeBron formed a bond with Jackson, and Gloria liked having a man around who was willing to serve as a father figure. Her brothers, Terry and Curt, also helped out.

From an early age, LeBron showed tremendous instincts for basketball. Gloria gave him a miniature hoop and ball when he was an infant, and he amused himself for hours each day with the toys. LeBron also had the genes necessary to spawn a long-limbed basketball phenom. Though Gloria stands only 5-5, she has relatives who are much taller.

The strain of the Jameses’ nomadic lifestyle began to take its toll when LeBron entered elementary school. Embarrassed by his home life, he didn’t make friends easily. And thought he wanted to do well in school, focusing on his studies was difficult. He found an outlet for his emotions and intelligence in sports. Basketball and football were his favorites.

By now LeBron had developed into a superb athlete. In addition to his natural speed, quickness and strength, he could think his way around the court or gridiron. His hero was Michael Jordan, and he patterned his game after his idol’s. LeBron liked taking it to the hole, as well as launching jumpers, but he took a special delight in distributing the basketball to his teammates.

In football, LeBron usually played receiver. He scored 19 touchdowns in six games in his first year of Pee Wee football. His coach was Frankie Walker, a man who would soon have a profound effect on his life. After the season ended, Walker began hearing stories that his young star, now a fourth-grader, was missing school on a regular basis. He soon discovered that LeBron had all but dropped out. Walker confronted Gloria, who admitted that her son needed a more stable living environment. They agreed that Lebron should move in with Walker and his family.

LeBron quickly took to his new surroundings. Walker and his wife, Pam, had three kids, Chanelle, Frankie Jr. and Tanesha. Everyone in the household, including LeBron, was responsible for daily chores. The structure did wonders for him. As a fifth grader, he received his school’s attendance award.

Walker also had a positive impact on Lebron’s basketball. Among other things, he taught the youngster how to shoot with his left hand.

After 18 months of living separately from her son, Gloria took him back. But when financial problems arose, LeBron returned to the Walkers. Eventually they worked out an arrangement to help Gloria pay her rent. Walker and his wife wanted to ensure that LeBron always had a place in the Akron area he could call home.

For LeBron, another advantage of living with the Walkers was his friendship with Frankie Jr. The two ran with four other boys—Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee and Romeo Travis. Together they formed a terrific team on the basketball court. On Sunday nights they gathered at the Akron Jewish Community Center, where Keith Dambrot, the former head coach at Central Michigan University, put them through their paces.

LeBron and Dru, who played point guard, became extremely close friends. In fact, when LeBron was 12, he spent most of that summer living with Joyce’s family.

[Fan from VT]

Guys defense is WAY better now than in the 80s. Better coaching, more sopjisticated schemes, better athlestes, and now you can actually play a hybrid zone/ pack the paint which ypu couldnt do AT ALL back then. Hate to say it, but if we returned to the old illegal defense, leveon would be more potent.

[Finkelskyhook]

The rulebook applied to every NBA player during most of Bird's career...Particularly the first 10 years.

The rulebook hasn't been remotely applicable to the messiah since he suited up in the NBA.

[BballTim]

Guys defense is WAY better now than in the 80s. Better coaching, more sopjisticated schemes, better athlestes, and now you can actually play a hybrid zone/ pack the paint which ypu couldnt do AT ALL back then. Hate to say it, but if we returned to the old illegal defense, leveon would be more potent.

  They didn't have a league full of bigs who were good enough to pull opposing bigs away from the basket. Watch Dr. J highlights, I don't think you'd say that the opposing bigs were far from the rim on his drives.

[Fan from VT]

Guys defense is WAY better now than in the 80s. Better coaching, more sopjisticated schemes, better athlestes, and now you can actually play a hybrid zone/ pack the paint which ypu couldnt do AT ALL back then. Hate to say it, but if we returned to the old illegal defense, leveon would be more potent.

  They didn't have a league full of bigs who were good enough to pull opposing bigs away from the basket. Watch Dr. J highlights, I don't think you'd say that the opposing bigs were far from the rim on his drives.

Maybe, but thats because the bigs were slower, and, more importantly, back then you could not ever pull an extra defender to the strong side of the paint. Just couldnt. Now the primary ballhandler routinely faces 3+ sagging defenders in their driving lanes. Defense is way stronger now, a fact accepted by pretty much everyone except the nostalgic.

[fairweatherfan]

Yeah, the knock on the NBA in the 80s was that nobody played any defense (even though they clearly played more than in the 60s).  It was partly due to the illegal defense rules, but also the players were generally less mobile and coaches had far less sophisticated defensive schemes than today. 

The rule changes that helped the offense (like no hand-checking) were largely implemented because defenses were becoming too effective and the game was getting ugly.

[Finkelskyhook]

Yeah, the knock on the NBA in the 80s was that nobody played any defense (even though they clearly played more than in the 60s).  It was partly due to the illegal defense rules, but also the players were generally less mobile and coaches had far less sophisticated defensive schemes than today. 

The rule changes that helped the offense (like no hand-checking) were largely implemented because defenses were becoming too effective and the game was getting ugly.

Now the game is completely ugly because the rules don't apply to the game's best player...And only apply partly to a dozen "superstars".