No. When Larry Bird was playing, there was no such thing as this current fixation with statistics. With the exception of Wilt Chamberlain, who had an unhealthy obsession with his numbers, no NBA player has ever placed putting up high numbers on the top of their priority list.
Bird was not like Carmelo Anthony or James Harden, who just cared about scoring a ton of points. It’s not that Bird couldn’t accomplish it; it’s simply that he wasn’t the type of player to prioritize individual achievements over group efforts. Bird didn’t need to play hero ball because the 1984 Boston Celtics had Hall of Famers like Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Cedric Maxwell (who isn’t a HoFer but is still a fine player). Bird entered the game with the intention of leading his side to victory.
Please stop focusing on the statistics; I want to win! Are you shocked that during all of his playing seasons, Larry Bird never led the NBA in any significant statistical category save free throw shooting percentage? Not so, as Larry Bird was playing with the intention of winning, which calls for distributing the ball and involving every player on the squad. He did, incidentally, top the NBA in minutes played on two occasions. That’s a big number in my opinion, especially for a star athlete.
Together with Bird, the Celtics’ Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, and other outstanding scorers made up the best frontcourt in NBA history. Therefore, even though he grabbed more rebounds than he put up, Bird didn’t have to score all the points or collect all the rebounds. Bird had more than his fair share of assists, but he wasn’t required to handle the ball all the time because the Celtics had an excellent point guard in Dennis Johnson.
A composite stat is the most remarkable statistic about Larry Bird. No other big man was even close to that kind of scoring efficiency if it required volume outside shooting, as he made over 50% of his field goals five times, over 40% of his threes five times, and over 90% of his free throws five times. In addition, Bird’s clutch shots to win games are legendary. The fact that Larry Legend was the most well-rounded and proficient shooter of his time is what, in my opinion, made him stand out.
No other big guy rebounded better than he did playing inside, and no other man scored like he did from outside. The greatest shooting guards and power forwards combined to create Larry Bird. Furthermore, Larry Legend was known to be able to score almost whenever he pleased. He was renowned for approaching the opposing team, glancing to the bench to make sure no one could stop him, and then declaring that he would score forty, forty-eight, or some other ridiculous amount of points. And he would carry it out. Bird informed Kevin McHale that he ought to have scored 60 points after McHale broke his record for most points scored in a single game.
After a few games, Bird broke the mark with a 60-point performance. He realized that in order to lead his team to a championship, he had to distribute the ball and keep his teammates motivated even though he could score whenever he wanted to.
