Spike Lee: Larry Bird Most Overated Player in NBA History.

ESPN | 3/21/04 | CWB

[cwb]

I just caught a clip of this on ESPN and couldn't help but notice the similarities between what Spike Lee said and that of what Rush said. Not only did he say Bird was the most overated player, he said that the "white media" would make you think that there were no great players before Larry Bird. I could tell that McKindry was uncomfortable with the story and it's going to be interesting to see how other's respond. Maybe we can get a comment from Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman who said that if Bird was a black man, he'd be just another average B-ball player.

[squidly]

I'm not saying it was realistic, just very entertaining.

[vetvetdoug]

Larry Bird was the result of the rich people mating with other physically superior specimens so that their race could work and lord over the masses with intelligence and strength. (high potency sarcasm)

[farmfriend]

Nothing to see here...move along...

[Tribune7]

How many title rings does Larry Bird have?

OK, but it was McHale doing the work. No, I meant Bill Walton. No, no I meant Danny Ainge. No, no I meant Robert Parrish. Yeah, Parrish. Without Parrish the Celtics wouldn't have won five games.

[King Prout]

well, unless you are Michael Jordan

[Zman516]

"Rush knows football like Micheal Jackson knows fatherhood." Rush knows more about Pro Football than you might think. He was the only one who picked the N E Patriots to win the Superbowl back at the beginning of the season while his cohorts at ESPN were picking the T B Bucs because they were the current champs. Rush used his head, he analyzed the situation; Tom Jackson, et.al made the predictable shallow populist choices. Where did the Pat's end up? World Champs. Where did the Buc's end up? In the toilet.

[sausageseller]

When Bird came back to the Pacers as President of Operations Zeke didn't last to long.

[bigfootbob]

Ditto that about the "Big O".

[Charles Henrickson]

Hard to pick who's better at some of these positions. I'll pick the three best centers, the six best forwards, and the six best guards:

Centers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain
Power forwards: Karl Malone, Bob Pettit, Elvin Hayes
Small forwards: Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Elgin Baylor
Shooting guards: Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West
Point guards: Ervin Johnson, John Stockton, Bob Cousy

Jordan, Robertson, and Johnson could have a good contest for best all-around player ever.

[M-cubed]

One thing for sure, Bird had a brain and was ahead of the others on the floor at all times.<<<....bingo!!!..IMHO He had less God-given physical talent and skills then many of his peers...However, he compensated for it by using his brain...( he was slower then many so he used anticipation...he had less leaping ability so he used position...he had less natural shooting ability so he practiced more then most)..In Mr Lees opinion thats not fair..its racist!...he wants to compare just pure physical talent!!!...Jimmy the Greek did just that and was crucified as a racist

[Ol' Sparky]

What absurd comment. Bird lead a mid-major university to the NCAA championship game and turned the Celtics into multiple NBA champions. With all due respect to Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish, Bird was the best player on those championship teams.

[kittymyrib]

You said it. Spike Lee's talent and intellect is vastly over-rated. Why do they even interview this racist?

[MadelineZapeezda]

'Pistol Pete'

[Charles Henrickson]

Jordan, Robertson, and Johnson could have a good contest for best all-around player ever.

Scratch that. Johnson was a little weak on the jumper. So best all-around player ever would be between Jordan and Robertson.

[bootless]

Has anyone sent this to Rush?

[cwb]

You noticed that, too:) Hey...he should fit right in with Spike's team.

[Ol' Sparky]

It's not like the Lakers didn't have Hall of Famers and all-stars surrounding Magic -- Jabbar, James Worthy and, even, Byron Scott was a very good player.

The real measure of Bird's greatest is taking a sorry university like Indiana State, a insignificant school in Indiana, and leading them to the NCAA championship.

[MadelineZapeezda]

Pete couldn't cover his mother.

Pete's mother committed siucide. Why do you say this?

[jwalsh07]

Jordan is the best all around player to ever play the game.

Magic and Bird are forever linked and provided some of the greatest moments basketball has ever seen. Many forget that prior to Magic and Bird, the NBA was in the crapper.

Neither had all the physical tools like Jordan or Jerry West but both were magnificent examples of mind over body. The will to win oozed from both of them.

My thanks to both for providing many an afternoon watching the game being played the way it was meant to be played.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Spike Lee should be forced to watch 100 hours of Larry Bird playing with Parrish, McHale, D.J., Ainge and the gang to see how it was done. Larry Bird never did what the Lakers referred to as "SHOWTIME", otherwise known as TRAVELING. He never SLAMDUNKED the ball. But that just wasn't his style. He was clever. He orchestrated some of the greatest passes, often behind his back, no look passes-- his goal was to get the ball to whoever was open and take the shot when he needed to. When Larry Bird played, putting your hands on an opposing player was a FOUL. Players were artists and atheletes. Now, many of them are shirt grabbing, tatooed THUGS. Today's NBA SUCKS and so does SPIKE LEE.