From: vreddy@das.harvard.edu (Venkatesh Reddy)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.pro
Subject: Re: Bird, Jordan, Magic...
Date: 25 Aug 92 19:47:23 GMT
Article-I.D.: das.1992Aug25.194723.8200
Organization: Aiken Computation Lab, Harvard University

In article <8c1703qY6am.00@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com>, ronnie@uts.amdahl.com (Ronnie Townsend) writes:
|> In article <1992Aug25.142708.9512@uwm.edu> paul@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Paul R Krueger) writes:

[...]

|> Bird has not ever, would not ever and will not ever be called upon to guard 
|> MJ in a game. He is not a good enough one-on-one defender to be equal to the 
|> task, though Jordan certainly has been called upon to take on Bird man-up. 
|> On that front Jordan is clearly superior.  He is also superior to Magic in that
|> sense. Basketball, is however, a team game and it doesn't matter if Michael 
|> outscores/outrebounds/outassists his man if his team loses... Period. 

But, as oyu seem to imply overall, the one-on-one thing doesn't make "the greatest
player." We should at least all agree that every player, be them a Michael
Jordan, a Larry Bird, or an Eddie Bird (heheh) has their faults, and Bird's major
one was defense.

[...]

|> >   team player to play in the NBA in the past 20 years (since I've been
|> >   following the game) at least, if not forever. Unless you just started
|> >   following the NBA about 5 years ago, you couldn't forget all the incredible
|> >   passes, rebounds and in-your-face shots he made that turned around games.
|> >
|> >   The Celtics absolutely sucked when they drafted him and immediately became
|> >   a yearly contender for the championship afterward. Indiana State had no
|> >   tradition, no players, no nothing when he led them to an undefeated season
|> >   prior to the title game loss to a much superior Michigan State team. Indiana
|> >   State has also had nothing since then.
|> 
|> Don't get too carried away with this one... a nice run of upsets in their 
|> bracket left ISU a guilded path to the finals. Still, they played extremely 
|> well and *did* make it. But everybody knew Michigan State was going to roast 
|> them.  At least all the black kids around my neighborhood knew. ;-) 

However, I personally look at his reign at ISU to be definednot by the playoffs
or reaching the championship so much as the undefeated season up until they lost
to Magic (and of course Michigan State too :). That took an incredible season
of basketball mostly due to Bird.

|> 
|> >
|> >   I'm not a Celtics fan, but if you don't think Bird is one of the best players
|> >   to ever play this game, you haven't watched it.
|> 
|> I agree here... he was a special player. 
|> 

woof woof.

|> 
|> -- 
|> Ronnie
|> -------------------------------------------------------------
|> I'm not cynical... I just don't believe in anything....


-- Venk Reddy --

PS: For all of you out there surprised to hear this, I am not and never was a
Celtics fan, and indeed I would support Magic and the Lakers before Bird and
the Celtics any day, but Bird commands my utmost respect, and deservedly so.
No matter how he got there, why he got there, or when he got there, he IS one
of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, and he WILL get his share of
commendations in the HOF and in the old AND new Boston Garden, as well as the
Sports Museum here in Cambridge, with his life-size statue.

Bye Larry... we're gonna miss ya'.

			_____	  _____
		       / ___ \   / ___ \
		      |_|   | | |_|   | |
			 ___| |    ___| |
			|___ <    |___ <
		       _    | |  _    | |
		      | |___| | | |___| |
		       \_____/   \_____/

May your legend rest in peace. :)