"I see it happen with Larry Bird more often than any player" - Danny Ainge hails Larry Bird as the most unstoppable scorer of his era

Yahoo

29-05-2025

Throughout his illustrious NBA career, Larry Bird proved that even elite defenders couldn't decipher his unique style of play. He was renowned for his exceptional all-around abilities. Still, his remarkable scoring talent captivated both his teammates and fans alike.
Former Boston Celtics guard Danny Ainge firmly believed that "Larry Legend" was the most consistent and unstoppable scorer of his era. For Ainge, there has been a wide array of prolific scorers, but nobody could get hot on the offensive end like Bird.
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"It starts after hitting a few baskets, you know, you just get that feeling that you just can't miss," Ainge once explained. "The great players get it a lot more than the average players. I mean, I see it happen with Larry Bird more often than any other player in the league."
Ainge on how Bird would fit in with today's NBA
One of the ongoing debates among fans, analysts, and players centers around how NBA stars from past eras would perform in the current game landscape. It would always be a subjective matter, but for Ainge, the modern style of play would definitely be well-suited to Bird's skill set.
Ainge is confident that if his former Celtics co-star played today, he would undoubtedly emerge as one of the most lethal and accurate 3-point shooters in the league. Danny's take was rooted in Bird's exceptional shooting ability, which he believes is perfectly aligned with the emphasis on outside shooting in modern-day basketball.
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Furthermore, Ainge implied that the 6'9" forward's remarkable all-around game would enable him to compete effectively against the multi-talented players of today's game. With Bird's unique blend of shooting, passing, and basketball IQ, Ainge wouldn't be surprised if "The Hick from French Lick" would not only adapt to this era but would even thrive in it.
"If Larry grew up in the world today, I'm pretty confident that he would be shooting nine or 10 3-point shots per game and shooting them at a very, very high clip," the former Celtics guard speculated. "Most of us would get hot, get in the zone for a game. Larry would get in the zone for a month. He would have these 35-point and 40-point games, just these long stretches of games where he was just on fire. He just was a great, great shooter."
"He was just a great, great shooter who was also a good post-up player, a great passer, great midrange shooter, great left-handed shooter," Ainge further raved about Bird. "He was a great rebounder. He was just great in so many facets of the game on top of being such a brilliant player."
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Bird's consistency was on another level
During his playing years, the three-time MVP earned a reputation for possessing an impressive and diverse set of attributes. Every time he laced up, it seemed as if there was virtually nothing he couldn't accomplish on the court.
Yet, what truly elevated Bird's legacy to legendary status was his unbelievable consistency in scoring. Time and again, "Larry Legend" demonstrated not only his talent but also an unwavering ability to perform at an elite level on the offensive end. Be it 3-point shooting or attacking the basket, Celtics icon often got the results he desired.
Related: "It'd be nice to be 7 foot" - Larry Bird feels honored to be compared to Dirk Nowitzki