Paul Pierce wants the frequent comparisons between Luka Doncic and Larry Bird to end. Pierce gave an explanation of why Doncic is more similar to LeBron James than to Bird in the most recent Undisputed episode.
Pierce responded, “This is hurting my ears,” when asked how close Doncic is to Bird. “Can we just stop now? Luka, score. Luka manages. Shooting, Bird.IQ, Bird.Speed, Bird.Passing, Bird.Rebounding, Bird. Now let’s put an end to the parallels.
Pierce said, “Luke is establishing his own niche. He may win a championship this year. He has about four times been named to the First Team All-NBA. Though he is currently ranked among the Top 5 or 10 players in the history of the game, he is well on his way to becoming an all-time great. Is Luka able to reach there? He’s almost there in terms of numbers, but Bird has won three MVP awards in a row. Bird entered the game and altered it, forcing us to watch basketball.”
I’m not sure what his current comparable is, Luka,” Pierce continued. He’s basically the European version of LeBron James, really. Due to his ability to score, pass, and regain the ball, as well as his ability to dominate the game. That’s all I’ll give him; just imagine a less physically fit LeBron.”
Another thing Pierce mentioned was that Bird wasn’t as ball-dominant as Doncic, and I believe that’s where the two really differ from one another. Though they weren’t particularly athletic, both men were still able to dominate the competition and stuff the stat sheet, but their styles of play were very different.
Doncic hasn’t quite mastered the art of doing as much damage off the ball as Bird did. Aside from athleticism, I believe LeBron is a better comparison, but James Harden is undoubtedly the best. The only real difference between the two, in my opinion, is that Harden has been much worse in the playoffs than Doncic, who has a far superior post-game.
After the Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs the previous season, Doncic received a great deal of criticism, but things have undoubtedly changed since then. After the Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games in the second round, the five-time All-Star guided the team to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years.
The last time Dallas reached this point was in 2022, when the Golden State Warriors defeated it in five games. This time around, the Mavericks have a better chance of winning than I did when I predicted they wouldn’t win that series.
