[Highlight] Larry Bird’s LEGENDARY 60 Point Game
No question Larry is a legend but it’s crazy to see how much slower and softer defence was in the 80s.
Yeah, his game would totally different if he played today. He’d be spamming threes and doing a lot more dunking instead of layups. He would be destroying modern players with those post moves though.
Look how easily Dennis Johnson is forced to pick up his dribble from Doc Rivers’ okay pressure. DJ is a hall of fame player.
offensive players couldn’t just shuffle into any extra steps and they couldn’t really even make contact with the defense without it maybe being whistled as an offensive foul. they also couldn’t have their hand anything but parallel to the floor when dribbling, which is very difficult to do with a defender on you lol
the rules were just enforced much much differently
like, great footwork that looked weird was called as a travel quite regularly, dudes were extra cautious with their steps and the defense was allowed to bump them much more easily while they were dribbling, so any stumble would just be a turnover instead of them flailing to the ground and drawing a foul on the defense lol, the meta was completely different
I watched tons of basketball during this era (and every since). You’re way overstating the case. If you notice DJ picks up his pivot foot to step through and make a pass (twice, I think) in this montage with no travel called. And guys like Zeke, Jordan, and Magic were toasting defenses with their dribbles like Bird is toasting the D with his shooting in this game. The point was the overall level of play is clearly and undeniably below what you see today regardless of rules changes.
?? i’m not overstating anything… i’m just stating the drastic differences in how the rules were enforced
where are these 2 DJ travels? you can pick up your pivot foot to make a play, you just can’t put it back down
and yeah, alltimers were really good, like what point are you trying to make here? you named like 3 of the 5-10 best ballhandlers of that era lol, 2 of them quite famously were given a bit more leeway than standard and helped push the rules towards what we have now
boxouts are clearly better than today’s game… post entry passes too, footwork is cleaner. free throw shooting percentage is hardly different lol. have you actually played decently high level ball? the rules are wildly different in what you can do with your dribble and how contact works between defense and offense
Bro can barely dribble.
Love the hawks bench reactions lol
Bird called every shot: https://youtu.be/hKMVNzVik7w?si=hjX5MaYqPJsP84AC
“In the trainer’s lap.” Bird said that. And then DID THAT.
The Hawks bench was fined by coach Mike Fratello because of how they reacted.
This game had the best opposing bench reactions of all time IMO. Them dudes were SHOOK.
Worth noting that the audio is the Hawks broadcasters, not the Celtics. They aren’t being paid to say “this is the greatest shooting performance I’ve ever seen”.
Tommy Heinsohn’s commentary that night was …more effusive.
“So I ran into Bird in the showah, and…”
Looking like my dad out there. (except 8 inches taller)
Bird “for the bomb” as he takes a shot a couple feet inside the arch. Oh, how times have changed.
Hawks staged 12 games at University of New Orleans for the season, in order to promote the team, and due to struggling attendance in Atlanta.
I wanted to go to the games so bad, but I was a kid with no money.
there was more defensive effort in last year’s all-star game omg
this is the era that Steph couldn’t be successful in?
lol at the hawks bench cheering. I thought this was the most competitive era where they would try to take your head off for scoring. Also notice not a single handcheck when he drives
Everything before 2015 was a joke
9 days earlier, Kevin McHale set a new record: most points recorded by a Celtic player in a single game, scoring 56 points against the Pistons.
Never heard of Kevin McHale before but that sounds like must have been one of the better players of his generation. I don’t know if that just proves I’m a casual fan (which I am) or whether older athletes are quickly forgotten. In my defense, I was a toddler when these games happened and I grew up in Europe, so without actively studying basketball history there’s no realistic way people like me will know about anyone from that era except world famous players like Jordan, Magic and Bird.
Anyway, let’s fix that
Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He earned the nickname “the Torture Chamber” for his exceptional footwork and wide array of post moves which made him nearly impossible to guard one-on-one. Dominique Wilkins famously called him “A Man With a Thousand Moves.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_McHale_(basketball)
So he was like the Copycat Kakashi of basketball 80s?
Kevin McHale was built like Frankenstein’s Monster. He was 6’11” with a wingspan of 8’3”. Which is equal to Victor Wembanyama’s wingspan. McHale is tied with Wemby for largest wingspan in NBA history.
Somehow, McHale’s shoulders were twice the size of his hips. His movements were “janky”: he kinda looked like an oversized human caricature being operated by pulleys and levers by Ratatouille.
He was an amazing defender. His wingspan and athleticism (before the foot injuries) made him a true 1-5 stopper. He’d get switched onto Magic on the perimeter and force Magic to pass, immediately. He routinely faced up James Worthy in space and then battled Kareem on the block. He was smart and tenacious, and is on the short list for best defensive players in league history.
Offensively, he was a brilliant post scorer: he had a “thousand moves” and could score on just about everyone.
An all time great player. Here’s a career retrospective that includes Charles Barkley commentary: “he talked so much so shit.”
https://youtu.be/0HTm6rGlhcg
He was 6’11” with a wingspan of 8’3”
WTF, that’s insane. Thanks for the summary + link
“He could tie his shoes without bending over” is not true but it sure seemed possible when you looked at him.