Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is carving a name for himself in the NBA, but he continues to draw comparisons to Boston Celtics great Larry Bird due to certain similarities in their game. But another Celtics legend in Paul Pierce begs to differ and seeks to end the comparisons.
Pierce said on Undisputed Live that hearing the names of Doncic and Bird together in the same sentence “is hurting my ears.” He also has Bird winning more head-to-head categories over Doncic.
“Let's stop with the comparisons here,” Pierce said. According to him, Bird wins in the shooting, passing, speed, and IQ categories, while Doncic would win over Bird in terms of scoring and handles. “I go speed, Bird. It's very close,” he added with a chuckle.
Luka Doncic carving own name en route to becoming all-time great
Despite being tired of the Doncic-Bird comparisons, Paul Pierce lauded Doncic as one who is making a name for himself in the league. However, he noted that Doncic is closer to another legendary player in LeBron James as they mirror each other in more categories, but with less athleticism.
“I think Luka is carving out his own niche. He's been All-NBA [First Team] four times, he could win a championship this year. He's on his way to becoming an all-time great. We're talking about one of the top five, 10 players to play the game,” Pierce added.
“Will Luka get there? Numbers-wise, he's getting there. Bird [won] three straight MVPs, he changed the game, he made us watch basketball. In his second year…he won a championship, who does that?” Pierce said. “He is probably the European LeBron James because [of] the way he can score, the way he can pass, the way he rebounds, and the way he controls the game. I'll give him that, he's a less athletic LeBron.”
Luka Doncic drawing Larry Bird comparisons through the years
Mavericks star Luka Doncic has been drawing comparisons to Celtics great Larry Bird in the past few years due to his apparent lack of speed, which was more than offset by his crafty movements on the floor.
“I played with Bird. For three years straight, I watched, and that was the feeling when you watched him every single night. Magic Johnson was the same kind of player. Really, LeBron James is the same kind of player, too. These guys can do anything on a basketball court,” then-Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle said of Doncic in 2021.
Robert Horry, a former veteran NBA forward, chimed in a 2022 episode of The Byron Scott Podcast that Doncic's slow movements are deceptive and knew very well how to use his movements to his advantage.
“You look at Bird and said, ‘Man, I could've stopped him because he's slow'. Someone like Luka now. If you watch Luka, Luka is so freaking slow and you're like, ‘Why can't they stop that?' When you're crafty and you know how to play, that's all you need,” Horry said.
Mavericks attempting to get over the hump in Doncic's fourth playoffs appearance
Despite showing flashes of greatness, Luka Doncic has not made it out of the Western Conference, now making his second appearance in the Conference Finals this season. In 2022, the Mavericks were ousted by eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors, 4-1.
Since joining the Mavericks in 2018-19, the team has appeared in the playoffs four of six times, with their other two playoffs appearances ending in back-to-back first round exits in 2020 and 2021.
In 12 playoff games this season, Doncic is producing per-game averages of 27.3 points on 42.3% field goal shooting, with 9.7 rebounds, 9.1 assists, and 1.4 steals on 42.0 minutes per game.
The Mavericks open their Western Conference finals series on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, May 22, at 8:30 p.m. ET. Should the Mavericks succeed in getting past the Timberwolves, they may stand to face the Celtics, who are favored to come out of the Eastern Conference.
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