Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant passed Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list during the Dubs' win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night. Naturally, Durant-Bird comparisons were a topic of discussion on Monday.
Some feel Larry Bird is better. Some would side with Kevin Durant. As for former NBA guard and current ESPN analyst Jalen Rose? He's going with Larry Legend:
Rose made plenty of good points in his defense of Bird. The Celtics great won three straight Most Valuable Player awards in a league that included Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, and while he certainly had a great supporting cast, he didn't join a team that won 73 games.
Jalen Rose is absolutely right in his assertion that no matter how many titles Durant wins in Golden State, there will be a faction of people who ultimately hold that July 2016 decision against him.
He is also correct in saying that Bird's MVPs are pretty special.
Where Durant may end up getting the better of Bird, however, is longevity. As dominant and phenomenal as Bird was during his peak, he only had a 13-year career, as back issues got the better of him later on in his career.
As for peak Bird, though? You would be hard-pressed to name a handful of players who were better, including Durant and the likes of LeBron James.
Bird owns career numbers of 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from three-point range and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line.
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