Filed under: Basketball, GOAT, bracket | Tags: Basketball, GOAT, jason kidd, larry bird, NBA, Round
VS.
So here we go with game two of our Greatest of All Time tournament, with a competition between one of the greatest mustaches in NBA history pitted against one of the best shaved heads.
Records- Surprisingly enough, Larry Bird actually dosen’t hold any individual NBA records. The closest he has to one is his very above solid 10th all time free-throw percentage, .886. Statistical records aside, the Hick from French Lick sure had a carreer for the ages. 1979-1980 ROY. 1983-1984 Finals AND League MVP. (Which he did again in 85-86.) Another MVP in 84-85. Nine time First Team All-NBA. 12 time All-Star. Oh, and those three rings. Kidd is the complete opposite. A statistical machine, he’s already 9th all time in three-point FGs, 5th all time in assists and 9th in steals. However, Jason’s also 12th all time in turnovers. Tisk tisk. Kidd has 9 ASG appearances and 5 First team All NBA awards, but no championships or MVP’s. This one comes down to what floats your boat: stats or awards. As it just so happens, Bird can steer my boat any day. ADVANTAGE: BIRD
Context- Bird had it made in Beantown. Any player that shares the court with McHale, Parish, Ainge, Johnson and Walton is going to look good. Sure, Bird is the greatest of all these Celtics, but Kidd has been extremely sucessful with a whole lot less. The best players he’s played with are Mashburn, Carter, and Dirk. Bird has done more with more; Kidd a bit less with less. Give it to the shaven one. ADVANTAGE: KIDD
MVP Awards- Larry wipes the floor with Jason on this one. Chalk up a win for the Hick, with three straight MVP’s from ‘83-’86. ADVANTAGE: BIRD
Innovation- Neither of these players changed the way little kids around the nation hooped. Bird was nothing special as an athletic specimen, nor is Kidd. Both are just about as good as you can get for their respective positions (Swing man and Point), but did either innovate the play of the game? I wouldn’t say so. Larry and Jason did not change anything, they simply just brought their positions’ play as high as it can go. In the immortal words of Salt N’ Pepa, PUSH IT REAAAL GOOD. ADVANTAGE: PUSH
Transcendence: Another category where it’s no contest. LB is one of the faces of not only a team, but a decade, and one of the greatest in the heralded history of the NBA. Can Jason Kidd’s parents say that their son helped put the NBA onto our television screens and into our hearts? No they cannot. Bird is one of THE all time greats of the NBA, while Jason Kidd is on the slightly lower tier of one of the greatest point guards of all time. Plus, Kidd never starred in a videogame against Dr. J AND MJ. ADVANTAGE: BIRD
In the end, this matchup isn’t as close as you would think. Or maybe it is, depending on your opinion of the greatness of Larry Bird. Jason Kidd has some gaudy numbers for an active player, and is a shoo in for the Hall of Fame, but there aren’t many players who can match up with Bird’s greatness. Sorry Jason, but you aren’t one of those players. Give the win to the ’stache.
