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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Was Hall of Fame Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird hard to guard in his prime?
Was Hall of Fame Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird hard to guard in his prime? If you ask one of the people who covered him on the biggest of stages in that era, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Speaking in a recent interview with the folks behind the "All the Smoke" YouTube channel, Los Angeles Lakers icon Michael Cooper weighed in on what it was like to defend The Hick from French Lick (as Bird was sometimes called for a nickname) when he was at his most dangerous as a scorer. "People ask me all the time, 'Who's the hardest player (to guard)?' And I always say, (Bird), because I played against Michael Jordan, George Gervin, Andrew Toney—those guys'," shared Cooper. "When they passed the ball, they had a tendency to take a break for a second." "Larry never was going to take a break," he added. "Larry was going to go get an offensive rebound, he was going to go set a back pick—he was going to do something to impact that possession. That's why he was the hardest."
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
"It's a tough place to be, mentally" - T.J. McConnell on why Kyrie Irving is the toughest guy to guard in the NBA
"It's a tough place to be, mentally" - T.J. McConnell on why Kyrie Irving is the toughest guy to guard in the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network. T.J. McConnell is one of the peskiest defenders in the NBA today. The 6'1" guard, who has a habit of picking up opponents full court and harassing them from end to end, proved his worth in the 2025 NBA playoffs, especially during the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, when it comes to guarding Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Kyrie Irving, McConnell himself admits there's almost nothing he can do. "You're on an island," the Indiana Pacers point guard said. "And you just don't know what he's gonna do. You can force him one way, but he still ends up getting the way you don't want him to go. Like he just… his handle is impeccable. He's got the greatest handle I've seen. And he can really shoot it, like he's fast. It's just, it's a tough place to be mentally, guarding Kyrie." Kyrie has ridiculous handles Many consider Irving the most offensively skilled player in the game today. He is incredibly shifty and has great ball control, which enables him to get to his spots on the court. Once he gets to where he wants to be, the Mavericks point guard is impossible to contain — he is a great penetrator and finisher, but also has a very effective jump shot from all areas on the floor. Still, the most jaw-dropping aspect of his game is his handling. Irving is a magician with the basketball, and many pick him as the greatest ball handler in NBA history. McConnell feels the same way. "I don't want to talk about the whole era thing. But like, the best handle I've ever played against? Easily him, yeah," he praise for Irving as a ball handler McConnell was also offered an alternative: to pick Allen Iverson as someone who had better handles than Irving. But the Pacers guard didn't do it. In fact, neither did Iverson himself. The Philadelphia 76ers legend once admitted that Irving is a better ball-handler than he was. And like McConnell, he also singled out his jumper as the thing that makes him unstoppable. "Hell yeah, he has the best. He's the best. And Steph's handle is crazy, but Steph... And Kyrie's jumper is wet, too. But Steph, his jumper gets him over a lot. 'Cause he hit you with the handles, and he crosses halfcourt, he can let it go," A.I. said. "I heard Rod Strickland on 'All the Smoke,'" the legendary guard added. "And I love Rod Strickland, too. And he said basically, he just goes, 'Kyrie will have you beat and then bring it back and play with it.' Like he's toying with people. You know what I mean? Like, he can still just go. But if he feels like playing with you…" Irving may not be considered the greatest player ever, but when it comes to the best handles of all time, most players, current and former, mention his name at the top of the mountain. That's a testament to his on-court greatness, without even mentioning the accolades. But basketball, for players at least, has never been about that. It's always been about the experience; about what happens on the court. And McConnell is just one of many who said that it doesn't really get tougher than facing a guy wearing a No. 11 Mavericks story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former LeBron James Teammate Delivers Verdict on GOAT Debate With Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant
Former LeBron James Teammate Delivers Verdict on GOAT Debate With Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are undoubtedly three of the best players in NBA history. The three basketball legends have combined to win 10 MVPs, 15 championships and 12 Finals MVPs. Advertisement Jordan won five MVPs, six championships and six Finals MVPs with the Chicago Bulls, Bryant won one MVP, five championships and two Finals MVPs with the Los Angeles Lakers and James has won four MVPs, four championships and four Finals MVPs with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. The GOAT debate is one of the most discussed topics in basketball discourse. Jordan fans, James fans and Bryant fans will go to great lengths to prove why their favorite player is the greatest of all time and why the other two icons aren't. LeBron James and Michael Jordan© David Richard-Imagn Images Three-time NBA champion Danny Green has a unique perspective on the GOAT debate since he played with James in Cleveland and Los Angeles and won the 2020 championship with The King on the Lakers. Green also played against Bryant. Advertisement During an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, Green said Jordan is his GOAT, James has had the greatest career and Bryant is the most skilled player. Jordan averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 0.8 blocks with the Bulls and Washington Wizards. He's first in NBA history in points per game in the regular season and postseason and fifth in points. Bryant, who spent his entire career with the Lakers, averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks. The late great shooting guard is fourth in NBA history in points. Finally, James has career averages of 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks. He's the leading scorer of all time and the only player in NBA history to rank top five all-time in points and assists. Related: Dominique Wilkins Makes Clear Choice Between Michael Jordan, LeBron James Debate This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Danny Green Says Lakers Will Not Win A Championship With The Current Roster
Danny Green Says Lakers Will Not Win A Championship With The Current Roster originally appeared on Fadeaway World. The Los Angeles Lakers got younger when they swapped Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, but make no mistake: they are still in the business of winning now. Unfortunately, ahead of a pivotal summer, the public is still split on how the Lakers will stack up to the rest of the West, and former champion Danny Green went so far as to say they won't win anything at all unless major roster changes are made. Advertisement 'I think they're explosive offensively," said Green on the 'All the Smoke' podcast. "I think they lack a lot defensively… I don't know how many years he (James) has left longer, and it's think it's just really hard to win a championship when your best player is 40 years old… Next year, LeBron is going to be 41….He can still average 30, 20-something, but I just don't see them winning a championship with that formula right now.' It's important to note that Danny has no ill will against the Lakers. He was part of that 2020 team that won the Finals, and he saw LeBron's greatness up close when he averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game to finish second in MVP voting at 35 years old. Going into next season, LeBron isn't expected to have a steep decline, but he'll be 40 and running on fumes to finish out his career. With retirement always on the back of his mind, one has to wonder how much longer James can keep playing at an elite, All-Star level. Couple this with the loss of Anthony Davis, and it's easier to understand why Green (and other critics) are hesitant about the Lakers. They broke up the duo that won their last championship, and there's no guarantee that their current roster is good enough to get the job done. Advertisement Even after adding Luka Doncic to the fold, with head coach JJ Redick to maximize his skills, the Lakers still lost in the very first round in a brutal matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite the best efforts of the new roster, they could only win one game before their elimination, and there is no easy fix going into next season. The top priority for GM Rob Pelinka is to add a center and fill out the frontcourt for Luka Doncic. They were stuck with Jaxon Hayes last season, but with several options for an upgrade this summer, they're likely going to be much stronger in the frontcourt going forward With limited cap flexibility, the Lakers can only change so much, but if they're able to add another star to the mix, it could make them the favorites in the West. A package of Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and their last first-round pick should be enough to land a major name, like potentially Kevin Durant or even Giannis Antetokounmpo. Assuming they don't run it back, the Lakers are bound to start next season with some major roster upgrades, but it may still not be enough. In the Wild West, teams like the Thunder, Rockets, and Timberwolves are only going to get stronger, and the Lakers must do everything they can to ensure they don't fall behind further than they already are. Related: 5 Realistic Replacements For Austin Reaves If Lakers Decide To Trade Him This Summer This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
31-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Laker, 2020 NBA champion on why it's hard to play with LeBron James
Former Laker, 2020 NBA champion on why it's hard to play with LeBron James When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship during the 2019-20 season, they didn't have an overwhelmingly talented roster outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. But they did have a number of valuable role players who all chipped in to bring home the Larry O'Brien Trophy. One of those role players was Danny Green. The veteran wing signed as a free agent with the Lakers in the summer of 2019, and his defense and 3-point shooting were sizable keys to their championship run. But during an appearance on the "All the Smoke" podcast, Green said that playing alongside James wasn't easy. It wasn't that James himself made things difficult, but the superstar's legion of fans would be hard on him if he wasn't getting the job done (h/t Lakers Daily). 'He made the game very easy,' Green said of James. 'But…there are times where it's not as easy because there's so much pressure, even if you're wide open, to execute the play because you're playing with LeBron James. And that's more so on the outside than it is on the inside 'cause Bron ain't putting the pressure on you. 'But all the LeBron fans are like, 'Who's this bum? Why is he playing with — he can't make a damn shot.' You know what I'm saying? So, it's a gift and a curse, but he made the game easy, man. 'And it was a lot of fun learning from him early on, a lot of fun playing against him and then even better to play with him, and then it was the bubble, but winning the championship with him. It was great, man, so I couldn't ask for a better scenario.' James has many devoted fans who are unquestionably loyal to him and will go to great lengths to defend him. Some seem to feel that such fans even have the tendency to blame others when things don't go well for James or his team. In Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals, the Lakers led the series 3-1 over the Miami Heat and needed just one more win to wrap up the world title. They trailed 109-108 in the closing seconds, and James found Green for an open 3-pointer that Green missed, allowing Miami to win and send the series to a sixth game. Although the Lakers won Game 6 convincingly, Green received death threats after missing the shot in Game 5 that would've concluded matters. In the end, he received his third championship ring following that Game 6 victory. He had won it all the previous season with the Toronto Raptors and in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs.
