Let me set the record straight from the outset. I’ve been a Boston Celtics fan since the Bill Russell dynasty-days. It was an era that will never be duplicated in sports – never mind the NBA. 11 Championships in 13-years. Russell, Cousy, the Jones boys, Heinsohn, Sanders, Frank Ramsey – the original 6th man, and the perpetual man-in-motion John Havlicek.
The 70’s brought Dave Cowens. As a graduate of Jacksonville University in Florida, I followed Dave’s college days while at Florida State. I remember his battles against my friend and fraternity brother, Artis Gilmore. When the Celtics drafted Cowens, I was probably the only one in Massachusetts looking forward to the redhead’s presence at the Garden. I knew his intense game would quickly win-over the Celtics fans.
Then came 1980…the Larry Bird era. Without doubt, the most enjoyable basketball I’ve ever watched. Nothing can compare to the Bird-Magic, Celtics-Lakers games. It was the NBA at its best. While there were more gifted athletes to play the game than Bird, I’ve never seen a more pure ‘basketball player’ than Larry. Shooting, passing, rebounding, team-defense…he was the consummate team player.
This brings me to my point. I knew Larry Bird. I met Larry Bird. Dirk Nowitzki is no Larry Bird. I began hearing the foolish comparison last year. It came from, of all people, Celtics radio analyst and former Bird teammate, Cedric Maxwell, who stated, “I think Nowitzki is better than Larry.” I nearly fell off my chair when hearing that absurd comment. C’mon Cedric … you can’t be serious. Then, from the overbearing Stephen A. Smith came, “Nowitzki is the closest thing to Larry Bird since Larry Bird.” Please Stephen A.; wait until the guy wins something before you compare him to one of the NBA’s all-time greats. Larry has three championship rings, three MVPs (in consecutive years), two playoff MVPs, NBA first-team nine consecutive years, and twelve all-star game appearances, just to name a few accomplishments. What the hell has Dirk accomplished? I know one thing … a Bird team wouldn’t be loosing to the eighth seed in the playoffs.
So, please no more comparisons. And, by the way, if I’m picking first … it would be a tough choice between Russell and Bird.
Did you ever watch the national college championship game between Bird and Magic? Find that game and watch it. It was nealry identical to Dirk and the Mavs facing the Heat in the Finals.. or these Warrriors right now. If the MAvs peritmer shooters aren’t hitting their perimeter shots the Mavs are screwed.
Nellie knows this. Like Bird in college Dirk’s team is a one man team.. at least in terms of tryig to win the championship. The Mavs are put together very shoddily. The team doesn’t complement Dirk well at all.
When you put a small player on Dirk you need shooters to spread the floor for Dirk to operate on the low post.. the Mavs were the worst 3 point shooting team in the playoffs last season. Avery is terrible getting his role players to hit shots. Avery believes you can win without shooting. It own’t work. You have to have shooters spread the floor or your team can’t get in the paint.
Dirk also has no true second star.. yes.. players around Dirk can look decent at times.. but this is because of all the attention Dirk draws. The Mavs defended Amare stoudmire the way the Warriors are defending Dirk once.. Nash scored 50 points.. People don’t realize that in the Finals Wade went off the way he did because Shaq draws all those double and triple teams on the post. Dirk has no second star to pick up the slack.
Dirk also has 2 horrible offensive centers. and weak defenders around him. This is because Cuban has built his team so poorly.. he won’t go through the draft and he is capped out so he has no way to get free agents. All Cuban has done since he bought the Mavs is trade garbage for Garbage..
What peope don’t realize aobut Dirk is that he is primarily a peritmer player.. he needs a low post player to complement him to be his best.. He has never had any kind of low post presence of any kind his entire career.. this is Cuban’s fault. Look at Bird.. Dirk’s game is very much like Bird’s and Bird had McHale who many said was the greatest low post player ever.. If Dirk is going to be his best he needs this just like Nash needed Amare.. just like Wade and Kobe need Shaq.. though Dirk is better than these guys so he doesn’t need someone as good as Shaq. He just needs anyone halfway decent to take a little pressure off him. Until that happens Dirk is going to be Bird in the National Chmapiosnhip game having to listen to guys like Wade talk trash simply because they are fortunate enough to play with a guy like Shaq.
Comment by ChocoTaco — May 2, 2007 @ 5:07 pm
Touche Gil! Dirk who?
Comment by Don41 — May 2, 2007 @ 5:24 pm
Hey Choco….what? After all that blah, blah, blah…Dirk is still no Larry Bird, and doesn’t even belong in the same sentence. He needs to win something and stop complaining about his competition frustrating him….
Comment by Don41 — May 2, 2007 @ 8:24 pm
I am the first one to admit that Dirk is no Larry, although Dirk is currently my favorite player.
The question is, ” Who cares ?” I could understant all this negative backlash toward Dirk if he were the one standing up and saying he is better than Larry, but he dosen´t, in fact he is one the most modest unassuming stars ever to play basketball. He has forever put his team in front of personal achievements and to my eye gives his all on the court. What more do you want from a player? His road to one of the NBA´s best is a fantastic story that has helped international players from around the world believe they too can play. This can only be good for the game of basketball in the long run.
The series is not over lets see what happens and just jude Dirk on who he is and not who everyone compares him to.
Comment by Jason Palumbo — May 3, 2007 @ 4:22 am
first post is so right!!!!
Warriors are doing to Dirk what NEts are doing to bosh… except Dirk is more of a perimter player and has better defenders on him. If he tries to post up, he knows he’s getting stripped, the guys o nthe warriors are too fast. Totally not his fault. I think the Warriors really exposed the Mavericks surrounding cast this series…
I just wanna say that the warriors team look like a bunch of thugs…ha….but they’Re gonna rock out to the end…. so impressed though… they should hope they play the rockets
As much as i love Yao….holding it down for my peoples….I think they’Re gonna make mince meat out of him after seeing what they did to Dirk… but rockets do have Mcgrady though….so who knows…
Comment by yellow — May 4, 2007 @ 12:51 am
Dirk: 2-13, 8 points. Enough said. Where have you gone Larry Bird?
Comment by Don41 — May 4, 2007 @ 8:14 am
Dirk is a great player, no question. But yes, he is too perimeter-oriented. He doesn’t have a “Plan B” so to speak. When his shot isn’t falling, he doesn’t go inside or take the ball to the hoop as much as he should. Although it must be said it is more difficult these days (thanks to the rules) to be successful as a post-up player. But he could take the ball to the hoop more, force the officials to make a call (& the NBA refs love to protect the stars, let’s face it).
OTOH, Bird is falsely stereotyped as a guy who launched from the outside. Sure, he showed his great touch during those legendary 3-pt shootouts at all-star games. But Bird made a living playing down low. He posted up, was a tough rebounder, loved to get dirty in the paint. LB simply had that 6th sense that is rarely seen. Which is why he’s the legend he is.
Comment by m_cooper_21 — May 4, 2007 @ 9:50 am
Maxwell’s comments were so nutty that you need to come up with a rational explanation for what is behind them. It’s been claimed that Bird OK’d the Maxwell trade when Red thought Max was dogging it. That’s one possible explanation. Another is that while Max was a big part of the first championship of the “Bird” era, no one calls them “the Maxwell Celtics”. They were the “Bird Celtics” or the “Big Three Celtics. Max has been dropped out of the story by many people who only remember the later, Walton/Ainge version. I suspect that is the most likely explanation.
Comment by MarkB — May 4, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
ChocoTaco talks about when Dirk has small palyers on him it makes life tough. Bird would kill small players from the outside, not in the middle. He simply shot over them until they had no choice but to put a big guy on him, then he would draw the big guys out and go around ‘em. I saw it time after time. Not to say he wouldn’t post up a small guy when he had the chance. McHale was helped so much by the fact that he had space. It was difficult to collapse around him, as Bird was able to pull defenders away from the basket, and double teaming him low was a disaster as Bird lurked everywhere. Bird may not have been the greatest player ever, but he can sure be included in the discussion, and would make any all time starting 5 (mine would be Jordan/Magic/Chamberlain (with many apologies in this slot), Bird and Duncan.
Comment by johnc — May 15, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Maxwell is an idiot.
Comment by Murph — June 28, 2007 @ 8:01 am