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NBA lottery pick
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by ekosky
He would be like a Mike Dunleavy.
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NBA Legend
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by ekosky
He would be like a Mike Dunleavy.
Bird was better than this "Dunleavy"...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7T_...8&spfreload=10
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Championship or bust
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by You Cant Ban Me
im guessing 20/6/4
how about you?
Bird is a cheaper version of david lee? Lay off the crack, dummy.
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Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
LOL he wouldn't be clearly the best player in the league.
Stop the LeBron hate. I don't even **** with the guy but Bird wouldn't clearly be better than him.
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The Wizard
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by ekosky
He would be like a Mike Dunleavy.
even if you disregard all of the passing and IQ that Bird brought, the dude did crazy shit off the dribble. Dunleavy is a good shooter and a decent passer, but he's a shadow of Bird. Jamal Craword is to Kobe what Dunleavy is to Bird.
A shooter like Bird would be at home in today's league. Give him a good drive and kick PG and he's shooting 5-7 3's a game scoring at minimum 25ppg
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College star
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Prime Bird?
Something like 27/10/7/2/1 when rounding up, on 50/40/90, in the regular-season.
More or less the same as he averaged back then.
On a really shitty team in which is has to do more, ball in his hands more... More points, less assists.
Clearly the best player in the league, right now.
What would've been "different" for him in order to "get" his usual stats, nowadays
Last edited by SHAQisGOAT; 08-13-2015 at 01:16 AM.
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Caped Baldy
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Best player in the league. Would average the same as he was averaging in his prime. Probably a little bit more points. 50 / 40 / 90 shooting.
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NBA rookie of the year
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
26/7/6
He wont rebound the ball like the 80's that's for sure.
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...
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Prime-peak Larry on a good team I'd say would be a 27-9-8 player with 2 steals, 1 block and 3 TO per game and good percentages if playing 40 minutes per game. Would be #1 fantasy player.
If only averaging 36 minutes then I'd say he'd be 24-8-7 player.
Last edited by iamgine; 08-13-2015 at 01:12 AM.
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College star
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by raprap
26/7/6
He wont rebound the ball like the 80's that's for sure.
Explain why?
1st of all, with all the small-ball going around and whatnot, Bird would probably be playing PF more (at least on defense) and just eating up dudes on the boards.
Also, he most likely wouldn't play alongside a PF of McHale's caliber to "force" him to play SF more, in his prime.
2nd, he most likely wouldn't be playing alongside rebounders as good as Parish+McHale (Kevin in the starting5 since '85-'86).
Plus, and a big plus, league is softer right now with the quality of big-men being worse, especially those tough and great rebounding bigs...
Bird was fighting for boards vs dudes like Rodman, Dr J, Barkley, Buck Williams, Wilkins, Roundfield, Nance, X-Man, Kersey, Marques Johnson, Oakley...
And I'm just mentioning his matchups there ^, won't even talk about centers in the paint.
For instance, Bird was almost rebounding as much as prime Moses in the '81 Finals.
Bird was simply a great rebounder, and if you consider him mostly a SF, he's clearly one of the very best rebounding SF's ever, most likely top3.
Not to mention that the man was always hustling all out.
Is it about pace? Not again, gimme a ****ing break... Less than 10% difference is as minimal as it gets...
Shawn Marion is smaller than Larry, not as good of an overall rebounder... Averages 8.7 for his CAREER, in LESS than 35 MPG, with a LOWER TRB% than Bird's.
There was a video showing that Larry averaged pretty much the same when playing at today's pace... Can't seem to find it anymore but it won't be hard to put the numbers together, shit not even hard to tell tbh.
In 1992, Larry as a COMPLETE SHELL out there, 35 years old, playing with career-ending injuries, after surgeries, little mobility left... Still averaged 9.6 RPG in less than 37 minutes, with the Celtics' average pace at 95.8.
Yea, 7 rebounds per game, sure Gtfoh
Even if you said less, at most would've been slightly less; suggesting that difference is just ridiculous.
Oh, and Bird would shoot more 3's nowadays (growing up with the line too), and most likely would've had the rock in his hands more.
--> So yea, he would be averaging more or less the same he did back then in his prime, while being the #1 player in the league right now.
Last edited by SHAQisGOAT; 08-13-2015 at 01:17 AM.
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Bad Username
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by inclinerator
24 8 8
probably more in the playoffs
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King of LA
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
A poor man's less athletic Durant with better ball iq.
22/7/6 on 44/39/90
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College star
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Let me just try and dead this whole conversation...
Bird has a great argument for greatest OVERALL shooter of all-time, doing it from everywhere in any way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjcGLGM3emE
In this league? You could argue he would've had the best post-game out of anybody.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBnwSeMiVaU
Dude had terrific footwork and crazy soft-touch around the rim with both hands. Finished very well inside too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5k593G5dCU
He's simply one of the greatest scorers ever.
And you wanna know some of the players guarding him throughout his career?
Bobby Jones
Rodman
Michael Cooper
Pippen
Rodney McCray
Nance
Dan Roundfield
Paul Pressey
Dr J
Cliff Robinson
Jordan
Buck Williams
Ho Grant
Drexler
Worthy
Kersey
Moncrief
Xavier McDaniel
Woolridge
Barkley
Kenny Walker
^Some great defensive players (plenty of GOAT's), some great athletes (some of the best ever), or a combination of both... ALL types of players there.
Look some of those dudes up if you don't know.
And that's with tougher rules, less star treatment and better, taller and tougher bigs packing the paint.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msEmcemLR7M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksp82aw-jqg
Larry CERTAINLY wouldn't have had it tougher in today's league, so...
Plus, he was a nice overall athlete before serious injuries, very underrated nowadays.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX8ipponmSc
Back then they played at a pace no higher than 10% from right now, which is as minimal as it gets, not considerable at all especially for a superstar...
League's average DRtg is about the same, eFG% too.
Bird was averaging around his usual numbers when playing at today's pace.
Even in 1992, as a complete shell, under circumstances must wouldn't go through, severely injured, after going through surgeries, most mobility gone... Bird still put up 20/10/7/1/1 on .547 TS%, playing under 37 MPG with the Celtics' average pace at 95.8.
And he did his thing while playing mostly off-ball, with little USG% compared to most other superstars.
You wanna talk about clutch play? Bird's a top3 GOAT clutch-performer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3lAuohZvnE
He's the GOAT non-guard passer.
Dude was being called the best all-around player in the league by most, with many saying only Magic was a better passer in the league.
He even impressed the hell out of Magic from the start with his passing, both "changing" the NBA with it.
Could pull all types of incredible passes, keeping it flashy still very effective.
Unreal feel for the game, unreal basketball IQ, could see the play way before it developed, major hand-eye coordination, kodac memory.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o66NdFDHEQ
Physical af, great rebounder who did it vs the best bigs, and hustled like few superstars have ever done, putting his body on the line each possession.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDk9y0Vul5A
He played some of the best team defense you'll ever see, while being pretty good m2m in the post, and more than holding his own on the perimeter 1on1 before serious injuries.
Capable of averaging 2 steals and 1 block per game.
He was clutch af on defense too.
Larry led the league 4x times in DWS, 7x top5. He was once 2nd in DRtg, top10 6x.
Other forwards doing that throughout league's history are KG, Pippen, Duncan, Rodman, Bobby Jones, Hayes and VERY FEW else if any at all.
^Coincidences
Bird should've made more all-defensive teams, tbh... Nowadays with this whole superstar hype, and people drooling over advanced stats, he definitely would've.
From 1980 to 1986 he was the leader in combined DWS, while I believe no other forward in NBA history can make that same claim, over a 6-year period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpEAZMT5t_U
At his very best he had 5 combined years of putting up 27/10/7/2/1 on 51.2/40.0/89.9 in the regular-season, before his body gave up on him. Only slightly less productive in terms of stats for the Playoffs.
Winning 3 straight MVP's, going to 4 straight Finals while winning 2 rings and 2 FMVP's (even injured for one post-season there).
Being called GOAT by many, at that point.
^While playing in the most stacked conference, in the most stacked league...
Facing GOAT-level competition in terms of teams, superstars at the top, and even SF's.
Celtics were a franchise falling apart before he got there, with the 2nd worst record in the league... Then with him, same core roster and a new coach they improve to the best record and make the ECF.
By his sophomore year Larry was leading them to the title, with Cowens gone and only Parish being the main addition, who was already 27 and not viewed as all that.
Bird was the center-piece of a dynasty, building from the ground up, stayed through thick and thin.
They were shitty before him, infinitely better with him, considerably worse with him out, still much better when he returned as a shell, and fell into mediocrity again for many years after he retired.
LB was a tremendous leader who knew when to step aside and then when to step up. He could gel with any player, any type of basketball, while still maintaining his most impact and winning big.
Still receives crazy praise from his contemporaries and much more.
He was one of the most competitive players ever, talked the most shit and backed it up, never backing down...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NIKK_OFvFY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUmz44FurLc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rg1sFMxnbM
---> So, you can say (only) SLIGHTLY worse or SLIGHTLY better numbers, but RIGHT NOW he would've been best player in the league.
No reason as to why he couldn't put up his usual prime numbers (give or take a few ofc), with his usual prime impact... Terrific, at that.
Reply to this thread with some low, bullshit-ass averages though
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College star
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Bird was an elite rebounder. During the 81 Finals, he struggled with his shot, but averaged 15 rpg. To put it in perspective, he's about as good a defensive rebounder as David Robinson, with the main difference being their offensive rebounds, probably because Bird played perimeter a lot more.
No doubt he'd still be at least a 9 rpg player today, likely even more.
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Verticle?
Re: What would Larry Bird Average in todays game?
Originally Posted by Carbine
LOL he wouldn't be clearly the best player in the league.
Stop the LeBron hate. I don't even **** with the guy but Bird wouldn't clearly be better than him.
Well he would going off what we saw last season.
The season prior Bron was probably a superior player dating back to 09, but in today's league, he'd be the best.
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