Where would Bird be ranked nowadays on your all-time list had he won in 1987

[coastalmarker99]

Say that Bird hits this shot at the end of game 4 and then Boston afterwards goes to win the finals in a massive upset against the Lakers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Rr-S3Es-8

Where would Bird rank on your all-time list?

With
4 rings
3 finals MVPs
3 MVP's

[coastalmarker99]

I don't see how Magic would have an argument nowadays to be ranked over Bird all-time had Bird won in 1987.


As Bird would have a 2 to 1 record vs Magic in the finals despite playing on inferior teams.

[John8204]

Larry Bird is top 5 for me...rings didn't matter it was his back injury and career length that holds him back. The bigger impact would be on Magic who's MVP's in 88 and 89 were kinda catch-up MVP's with Kareem, Larry, and Moses.

[Phoenix]

I don't see how Magic would have an argument nowadays to be ranked over Bird all-time had Bird won in 1987.


As Bird would have a 2 to 1 record vs Magic in the finals despite playing on inferior teams.

Agreed. The 'he won more rings' argument is out the door and Bird was better than Magic until like 88. Honestly I feel like Bird should be ranked higher regardless but in either case, wherever one is the other should be no more than 2 spots behind.

[Shooter]

Does Bird get outscored in the Finals by a teammate of his again?

He has been outscored by his own teammate in 3 of 5 Finals meaning he led in only 2 of 5. So would he be 1 of 5 or does he nut up for the series and outscore Dennis Johnson?

[Chick Stern]

I don't see how Magic would have an argument nowadays to be ranked over Bird all-time had Bird won in 1987.


As Bird would have a 2 to 1 record vs Magic in the finals despite playing on inferior teams.
In head to head Finals, Bird only beat Magic ONCE. That is fact.
Anything else is just fantasy.

[HoopsNY]

I don't see how Magic would have an argument nowadays to be ranked over Bird all-time had Bird won in 1987.


As Bird would have a 2 to 1 record vs Magic in the finals despite playing on inferior teams.

How does Magic have an argument over Bird when Bird was seen as the best player of the 80s?

[HoopsNY]

Agreed. The 'he won more rings' argument is out the door and Bird was better than Magic until like 88. Honestly I feel like Bird should be ranked higher regardless but in either case, wherever one is the other should be no more than 2 spots behind.

This. It's always funny looking at all time rankings that have Bird below Magic by 2-3 slots. If anything, they're equal. But those in the 80s will tell you that Bird was the best player of the decade.

[Chick Stern]

How does Magic have an argument over Bird when Bird was seen as the best player of the 80s?
Because the press was East-centric and West coast games were too late past their bed times.
Anyone who looks at things objectively will tell you that both players were incredibly competitive, and incredibly great. People who state that Bird was the best player of the 80s are generally from the East.
Fact is, no player has done what Magic did in the last game of his rookie year. It is unmatched.

[kawhileonard2]

Still better than Lebron. Lebron only won 1 title in 11 years and needed a suspension while Bird won 3 titles for the franchise that drafted him.

[Wally450]

Hard to top the 4 above him imo...

1. Jordan
2. LeBron
3. KAJ
4. Russell
5. Bird

But it would be hard to put guys like Magic, Wilt, Shaq above him.

[StrongLurk]

I find Bird sometimes overrated considering his playoff/finals performances. He's clearly in the back of the top 10, somewhere 8-10 for me.

[mr4speed]

This. It's always funny looking at all time rankings that have Bird below Magic by 2-3 slots. If anything, they're equal. But those in the 80s will tell you that Bird was the best player of the decade.

This. It is too bad Boston was so beat up with injuries because I think we would have seen a 7 game classic Finals. I think a healthy Boston would win, especially if Len Bias had lived and had a full season to play.

[colts19]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Change franchises and put Bird on the Lakers and Magic on the Celtics. So Larry goes to a team with KAJ who many considered the greatest player ever. I have seen articles saying that if bird had gone to the Lakers they might have been unbeatable in 1980. Bird was a much better player for the first few years they were in the league. It is very likely that they would have won at least 5 championships in a row. Meanwhile Magic goes to a 29 win teams and loses to Phil for the next 4 years in the Eastern Conf. Bird plays in a historically weak conf for his entire career. While Magic has to face Phil, Milw, Detroit and Atlanta.

[NBAGOAT]

No one's wrong in saying bird was better than magic most of the 80s but he makes it up by having most of the best years of his career from 87-91 while Bird was a shell of himself after 88. He peaked later. if you did a peak comparison(86 bird vs 87 magic) most lists have them close. Backpicks is someone who has them close(magic 10 bird 11) and I dont necessarily agree but he has a nice chart that shows how much he thinks a guy contributed every year.

https://backpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Larry-Bird-seasonal-valuations.png
https://backpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Magic-Johnson-seasonal-valuations.png

Bird dominates the 1st half but magic still ends up providing slightly more value over his career because of those last few years

[mr4speed]

No one's wrong in saying bird was better than magic most of the 80s but he makes it up by having most of the best years of his career from 87-91 while Bird was a shell of himself after 88. He peaked later. if you did a peak comparison(86 bird vs 87 magic) most lists have them close. Backpicks is someone who has them close(magic 10 bird 11) and I dont necessarily agree but he has a nice chart that shows how much he thinks a guy contributed every year.

https://backpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Larry-Bird-seasonal-valuations.png
https://backpicks.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Magic-Johnson-seasonal-valuations.png

Bird dominates the 1st half but magic still ends up providing slightly more value over his career because of those last few years

This chart lists Bird's peak as 20 but in 86 his peak is at 24 ?? Magic's chart has his peak at 23.4 for his 87 season. What am I missing here?