Earlier this month, the NBA announced that the Eastern and Western Conference MVP awards would be named after two all-time greats, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Bird and Johnson helped elevate the NBA’s reputation with their epic battles in the 1980s, so it’s only fitting that as each conference crowns a champion, these legends are honored. The two, winners of three regular season MVP awards each, had a generational impact on the game that even Michal Jordan credited.
In fact, after Jordan completed his first threepeat in 1993, he felt like he had set a new bar because “Magic, Bird … never [won three consecutive tiles].” In true Jordan fashion, he went on to win another three titles in a row, but we digress since the history at hand does not relate to him.
It’s not even Magic who deserves the spotlight right now. It’s Bird.
Each of the four remaining NBA Playoff teams has a connection to “the Hick from French Lick.” Bird hasn’t suited up for a game in 30 years but his style of play, outside shooting and lasting rivalries still make up the fabric of the NBA.
MORE: How new Conference Finals MVP awards will impact legacies
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas shocked much of the NBA by knocking off the top-seeded Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals. While it took seven games and outstanding play by Jalen Brunson, Luke Doncic was the key to the Mavs’ upset win
While Luka bears comparison to the last European legend to wear a Dallas jersey, his game has striking similarities to Bird’s.
Neither appeared as the game’s most “athletic player” but both play with a style and grace that, combined with an incredibly high basketball IQ, creates must-see basketball. In his fourth season, Doncic averaged 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. You know who else had a similar and well-balanced stat sheet? Larry Legend.
In his fourth season, the three-time champion put up 23.6 points, 11.0 bounds and 5.8 assists per game. Luka still has to maintain this level of play for another decade to truly belong in any comparisons to the 12-time All-Star, but it’s certainly possible.
Luka has a chance to take his team to the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade and could be the savior for the franchise. You know who else made his team relevant again? Bird.
Miami Heat
The Heat came into existence in 1988, after Bird’s prime years were behind him. Still, Bird won just as many titles (3) as Miami has as a franchise, even though the Heat have had greats such as Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. In fact, Miami’s best years, when it went to four straight NBA Finals, matched what Bird did in the 1980s when he did the exact same thing between 1984-1987.
However, this isn’t a player versus franchise comparison.
Miami became a real threat as a franchise when it hired Pat Riley as head coach in 1995. Riley started by acquiring stars such as Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, later drafting Wade and teaming him up with Shaq and then creating the “Big 3” with LeBron and Chris Bosh added to the roster. He’s constantly retooling and adjusting his squad.
Case in point: the recent additions of Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry.
Riley was also the frontman for the Lakers in the 1980s as head coach for most of the decade. Those Lakers and Bird’s Celtics squared off three times and each matchup was a classic back-and-forth bout.
The rivalry with Riley has also continued after Bird was done lacing up his shoes. When Bird took over as the executive for the Indiana Pacers, he faced off against Riley (executive for Miami) and the re-tooled Heatles. Bird’s Pacers were never able to outlast Miami, but the teams each fought hard and provided no shortage of memorable moments.
Of all these matchups with Riley, Bird has only prevailed twice in the postseason — once in the 1984 NBA Finals as a player and once more in the 2004 NBA Playoffs when the Pacers topped the Heat in the second round.
Although no longer directly affiliated with the Celtics, Bird is a fixture for the organization. So even if Bird cannot personally stop Riley from adding to his trophy case, he can vicariously live through the lucky leprechaun.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are on one of the most dominant stretches as a franchise in NBA history.
Their primary mode of attack? The 3-pointer.
Who made the 3-pointer cool? Larry Bird.
Bird “only” made 649 3-pointers in his career. By comparison, Stephen Curry has over 3,000. The game has changed and comparing players from different eras is nearly impossible.
Fun fact: it was Bird’s teammate, Chris Ford, who made the first 3-pointer in 1979.
Oct. 12, 1979 @Celtics Chris Ford makes @NBAHistory when he sinks the first-ever @NBA 3-pointer. Ford made 70 of 164 that season (.427%) pic.twitter.com/CGWwxHG7dO
— NBA History (@NBAHistory) October 12, 2016
The game has grown because Bird normalized the outside shot and it was a part of his game that scared defenders. No Bird means no Curry.
Curry has showcased a trademark move of turning before the ball goes through the basket.
Bird would tell his defenders the exact offensive scheme he was planning before plays and execute with sniper-like efficiency. No one was off-limits from Larry’s trash-talking.
The Splash Brothers will continue to break records and someone else will come through in a few years and at least challenge those records, and so on and so forth. Regardless, none of this would be possible if not for Bird leading the way decades ago.
Boston Celtics
Last but not least, the team tied for the most NBA titles and the only squad for which Bird suited up.
The Celtics have not seen anywhere close to the success they had with Bird. Bird went to eight Conference Finals over a nine-year stretch. The Celtics are just now going to their eighth Conference Finals since Bird retired, three decades later.
For most franchises, this would be acceptable. But not for the Celtics.
Bird continued a culture of excellence and proved to fans that the Celtics were more than a historic novelty with their 60s and 70s success. They were the New York Yankees of the NBA. Generation upon generation expected to see them win on a consistent basis.
There is no Celtics victory that is complete without mention of Bird — and for that matter, Bill Russell. Before Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, prior to Isaiah Thomas, and preceding Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, Larry Legend proved anything was possible.
The next couple of weeks are going to provide countless hours of entertainment. As you see each dribble, watch every creative pass, recall historic matchups and see swagger on outside shots, remember that all this is happening thanks to a birdie that whispered into the future of the NBA.
This news is republished from another source. You can check the original article here