>>5OK, here's my cut and past for all you Lebron Jockers out there that think he would have shut down Bird, try to remember that athleticism wasn't invented yesterday. Scottie Pippen, Dr J, Dennis Rodman, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem, Ewing, Michael Jordan, James Worthy were all supreme athletes and Bird schooled them all at one point or another. Are you seriously trying to say Lebron was a better defender than Rodman and Pippen? Hell, statistically, even Larry Bird is a better defender than Lebron James. Larry Bird currently leads Lebron James in every defensive stat. Bird has 1.73 steals per game to Lebron's 1.71, Bird has 0.84 blocks per game to Lebron's 0.80. Bird leads Lebron in Defensive Win Shares, Defensive Rating and Defensive Rebounds per game. Bird also leads Lebron in steals per game and blocks per game in the playoffs. No doubt, Lebron gets some flashy blocks, but statistically speaking, Bird leads Lebron in every Defensive (per game) statistic. Bird also had to guard all time great offensive players in the Eastern Conference like Wilkins, Bernard King, Dr J, Charles Barkley, Adrian Dantley. What offensive greats has Lebron guarded in the East during his career besides an old Paul Pierce? Luol Deng? Tashuan Prince? Lol. There is little doubt Bird was a better team defender than Lebron, and basketball is after all, a team sport.
I'm pretty sure Bird would have no problems handling the likes of Kevin Love, Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, fat-boy Raymond Felton, Ron Artest with his one inch vertical. These players do just fine in today's so called, "best athletes ever" age, and they're not great athletes by any stretch of the imagination. Phil Jackson called Dennis Rodman the best athlete he ever coached, not Kobe Bryant, Phil's won 11 rings coaching through the 80s, 90s, 00 and 10s, so I'll take him at his word. Darrell Griffith had a 48 inch vertical, there's no one in the NBA close to that today. Wilt Chamberlain and Dennis Rodman could both bench more than Dwight Howard's max bench of 365. Athletes weren't invented yesterday, the 80s had higher IQ players and were just as good if not better athletes, they would roll over today's gimped offenses.
And anyone that says Lebron is stronger and more physical than Bird is full of shit. Bird routinely had to keep monsters like Oakley, Barkley, Rodman, Buck Williams, Rick Mahorn, Jeff Ruland, Karl Malone off the offensive boards. I saw him hold his own in the post with physical centers like Hakeem, Ewing, Kareem, Moses Malone, Darryl Dawkins, Laimbeer without giving an inch and you're trying to tell me that Lebron, the same guy that cried that kirk heinrich was playing too rough with him, is more physical than Bird? Pleeease. Bird loved to mix it up in the post and would take elbows and cuts to the chin, pouring blood, without complaint. Lebron is rarely seen in the post and he isn't the rebounder Bird was. Could you imagine if Lebron pulled that flopping crap with Laimbeer, Mahorn and Rodman? The first time he did that would be his last, they would hit him so hard that Lebron would be crying on the floor and his momma would have to come out and pick up all the teeth he lost. The 80s was a much rougher place than these pussified games today with their flagrant fouls, no hand checking and defensive 5 seconds rules. If you think Lebron is more physical than Bird, you obviously never watched Bird play, too many of these kids on here think that Bird just sat at the 3 point line and chucked up 3s all game long, call me when Lebron can average over 15 rebounds a game in the finals against the likes of a legendary monster rebounder like Moses Malone, as Bird did in 1981.
Kids post on my videos all the time saying Larry Bird was guarded by a bunch of losers during his career compared to Lebron, pleeeease. Fact is Bird had to go against much better defenders in the Eastern Conference, while Lebron has been guarded by lesser talent and cakewalks every year in the East.
Don't take my word for it, here's statistical proof: Larry Bird was guarded by no less than 12 defenders that rated in the top 100,ALL-TIME, in Defensive Win Shares in the Eastern Conference during his career:
Scottie Pippen(#16th), (Hall of Fame)
Charles Oakley(#21st),
Buck Williams(#23rd),
Dennis Rodman (#33rd) (Hall of Fame)
Charles Barkley (#35th), (Hall of Fame)
Horace Grant (#45),
Kevin Willis (#53rd),
Terry Cummings (#54th),
Larry Nance (#58th),
Doctor J (#60th), (Hall of Fame)
Rick Mahorn (#78th),
Anthony Mason (#84th)
Do you know how many defenders in the top 100 ALLTIME Defensive Win Shares Bron Bron has had guarding him in eastern conference during his career? Just one, an over the hill Paul Pierce who is 27th all time in defensive win shares. Oh wait, my bad he had to face Ron Artest (82nd All Time) for One year 2003-04 when he was with the Pacers (Never faced in playoffs), my bad.
Larry Bird played against the best defenders ever and schooled them all, throwing (a healthy) Larry Bird in today's league would be like throwing a piranha into a tank with a bunch of gold fish, he would eat them alive. Lebron on the other hand is guarded by scrub defenders that have no chance of getting in the Hall of Fame. Lebron needs hand checking, defensive 5 seconds rules and preferential treatment by the refs to go to the FT line massive amounts and pad his stats.
Larry Bird was also guarded by 2 Defensive Players of the Year in the playoffs during his career, Dennis Rodman and Michael Cooper, Lebron has yet to be guarded by a defensive player of the year in the playoffs.