The NBA declared earlier this month that Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, two all-time greats, will be honored with the namesake of the MVP trophies for the Eastern and Western Conferences.
With their thrilling matches in the 1980s, Bird and Johnson enhanced the NBA’s image; therefore, it is appropriate that these icons receive tributes as each conference names a champion. Even Michael Jordan acknowledged the two, who each won three regular season MVP awards, for their generational influence on the game.
Jordan felt that he had raised the bar after completing his first threepeat in 1993 since “Magic, Bird… never [won three consecutive tiles].” He went on to win three more titles in a row, in typical Jordan manner, but we’re getting off topic because this history has nothing to do with him.
Not even Magic is deserving of the limelight at the moment. It’s Bird.
The four NBA Playoff teams that are still in the running are all related to “the Hick from French Lick.” The NBA is still woven together by Bird’s style of play, outside shooting, and enduring rivalries even though he hasn’t worn a uniform in thirty years.
Mavericks of Dallas
When Dallas upset the top-seeded Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals, a large portion of the NBA was taken aback. Luke Doncic was the key to the Mavs’ surprising victory, even though it required seven games and fantastic play from Jalen Brunson.
Although Luka is comparable to the final European legend to don a Dallas uniform, his style of play is remarkably similar to that of Bird.
Though neither player seems to be the most “athletic player” in the game, they both play with an elegance and style that, when paired with an extremely high basketball IQ, makes for entertaining basketball. Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game in his fourth season. Who else has a comparable and evenly distributed stat sheet, you know? Larry Legend.
The three-time champion averaged 23.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game in his fourth campaign. To really be included in any comparisons to the 12-time All-Star, Luka will still need to play at this caliber of play for another ten years, but it is definitely doable.
Luka might be the franchise’s savior as he has the opportunity to lead his team to the NBA Finals for the first time in more than ten years. Who else, in your opinion, revived his team’s relevance? A bird.
Miami Heat
After Bird’s best years were over, the Heat were founded in 1988. Despite this, Bird has three more championship victories than Miami as a team, despite the Heat having produced greats like Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James. Actually, Bird’s performance in the 1980s, when he performed the same thing from 1984 to 1987, was equaled by Miami’s best years, during which the team advanced to four consecutive NBA Finals.
This isn’t a player vs. franchise comparison, though.
When Miami signed Pat Riley as head coach in 1995, the team started to emerge as a serious contender. Riley began by bringing in players like Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Later, he selected Wade and paired him with Shaq to form the “Big 3”; LeBron and Chris Bosh completed the group. He is always changing and refining his team.
An example would be the arrivals of Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler recently.
Riley spent the most of the 1980s as the head coach of the Lakers and as its spokesman. Three meetings between those Lakers and Bird’s Celtics resulted in great back-and-forth games.
Bird’s animosity with Riley persisted even after he finished tying his shoes. Bird faced battle against Miami’s Riley and the revamped Heatles after taking over as the Indiana Pacers’ boss. Although Miami was always stronger than Bird’s Pacers, both clubs gave outstanding performances and plenty of unforgettable moments.
Only twice in these postseason encounters with Riley has Bird prevailed: once as a player in the 1984 NBA Finals and again in the 2004 NBA Playoffs when the Pacers defeated the Heat in the second round.
Despite not being a direct member of the Celtics any longer, Bird remains a constant throughout the team. Therefore, Bird can live vicariously through Riley’s lucky leprechaun even while he is unable to stop Riley from adding to his trophy cabinet.
