He had 48/15/7 but the defensive plays impressed me most.

[Kblaze8855]

https://youtu.be/A5fyiVUQ964



The denial of Sampson in the post. The deflection and hustle to save it....

The points were just extra.

[Phoenix]

Masterful. That last rainbow damn near hit the ceiling.

[Champ]

Though most point to '86 or '87, I honestly believe that Bird peaked in '85, just before his back injury took hold. You can see how mobile and physical he still was at this stage of his career, yet by this point his game had finally reached full polish. Too bad he had to play through a nagging elbow injury during the playoffs, which clearly brought his play down a level and may have even cost Boston the title that year.

Nice footage of Ray Williams here, too. An underrated baller who lived a hard life, post-retirement, and died way too young.

[Axe]

Imagine if he had more than 3 championships, he would have been more awesome. Magic, on the other hand, was only being carried in 1980 by tall man kareem en route to his maiden championship and fmvp season.

[Round Mound]

I think its safe to say Bird was the best player from 79 to 86 in the NBA. He did not have the longevity as Magic could have had (if it wasnt for HIV) as neither Barkley had great longevity but everyone knows in their primes they where the best at their positions.