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Due to the release of the ESPN documentary The last Dance, Michael Jordan has received a considerable amount of attention recently. The critically acclaimed series talks about Jordan’s final season on top of the basketball world with the Chicago Bulls.
Jordan defeated many great teams along the way. But what basketball fans know the least is that in his youth Jordan had trouble beating others.
One of those teams was Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics. Although Bird had Jordan’s number from the start, he still respected it. Let’s take a closer look at both men’s careers, as well as the reason Bird once said Jordan was “God in disguise.”
Larry Bird’s career summary
Written by the Boston Celtics at Indiana State University, Bird first entered the nation’s consciousness with his epic Final Four matchup against Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans. Bird lost, but it was only the beginning of his rivalry with Johnson. The two re-energized the NBA in the 1980s. Bird won three titles during the decade, taking the Celtics franchise to new heights they haven’t seen in years.
Bird was an amazing passer, three point shooter, and trash talker. He was not someone he easily respected. But Jordan was not someone someone would take lightly.
Michael Jordan’s career summary
After Bird and Johnson brought the NBA to national fame, Jordan’s appearance made the game a global phenomenon. Jordan wowed crowds everywhere with his aerial game in the 80s. He won multiple NBA Slam Dunk contests. One of his most famous dunks involved him as he took off from the free-throw line after starting to run, an almost otherworldly athletic display.
As he grew older, his mattes became less acrobatic, but his legend only grew. Jordan’s truly dominant career came in the 1990s, where he led the Chicago Bulls when they became the team of the decade. Jordan had two separate fights as the NBA champion. He led the Bulls in the NBA Finals over the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Phoenix Suns, Seattle Supersonics, and Utah Jazz (twice).
Jordan ushered in a new era of basketball greatness that has led to the game’s overwhelming popularity behind stars like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant. Of course Jordan would never have been able to accomplish what he did on stage if it wasn’t for the path Bird paved for him.
So what did Bird think of Jordan?
Why Larry Bird said Michael Jordan was “God in disguise”
When it comes to high-scoring totals in the regular season game, Jordan has none that comes close to Kobe Bryant’s 81 or Wilt Chamberlain’s 100. But when it comes to the playoffs, Jordan is the king of scores in a single game. On April 20, 1986, he scored 63 points in a playoff game against Bird’s Celtics. No one before or after has scored that many in a postseason contest.
The player with the most cache on both sides at the time was Bird. Superstars can often be proud, refusing to praise a much younger player for a mistaken sense of pride and pride. No Bird. He was ready to anoint Jordan as “The One” that same day. After the game, he said the following about Jordan according to Bleacher Report:
“I think it’s God dressed up as Michael Jordan … He’s the most incredible player in the NBA.” Today in Boston Garden, on national television, in the playoffs, he put on one of the best shows of all time. “
It is difficult to argue with Bird’s assessment. The Jordan legend only grew from that night when he became the best player in NBA history.
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