Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird | Player comparison #3

This is one of the most heated rivalries in sports, and it is one of the main reasons why the NBA is so popular today. In this post, I'll determine whether Magic Johnson or Larry Bird is the better player. With their positions and playstyles in mind, I will evaluate these players in four categories: scoring, defense, playmaking, and accolades. So, without further ado, let us get started.

Accolades

Magic Johnson is a 12-time all-star, 10-time All-NBA selection, two-time steals champion, four-time assist champion, three-time MVP, five-time NBA champion, and three-time final MVP. Magic's career averages are 19.5 ppg, 7 rebounds, 11 assists, 1.9 rebounds per game, and 0.4 blocks per game on 61% true shooting. Let's move on to Bird. Larry Legend is a three-time NBA champion, two-time final MVP, three-time MVP, 12-time all-star, ten-time All-NBA selection, three-time All-Defense selection, and 1979-80 Rookie of the Year. Bird's career averages were 24ppg, 10rpg, 6 apg, 1.7spg, 0.8bpg, and a true shooting percentage of 56.4%. Larry Bird has better individual stats, but Magic has more championships and accolades overall, so he wins this category.

Scoring

Bird has 21,791 points, ranking him 36th all-time. He never won a scoring title in his career. His career average was 24.3 points per game on 50% field goals and 38% three-pointers. Larry's career high is 60 points, which he scored against the Hawks in 1985. Magic has 17,707 points in his career, ranking him 84th all-time. His career average was 19.5 points, and his career high was 46 points against the Kings. Now let's talk about how they scored the basketball, Larry Bird was a gifted scorer with a deadly three-point shot and a great midrange shot. He could basically score at will, as evidenced by his 40-point performance with his left hand or his ability to make the same game-winning shot twice. Magic was not nearly as talented in the scoring department as Bird, but he did have a good post game and could back down opponents, not to mention being a 6'9 point guard also helped him in the scoring department. With all of this in mind I think that Larry Legend is the better scorer out of the 2.

Playmaking

Right away, I'd like to state that Magic is the best passer to ever touch the ball, and it's not even close. He averaged over 10 assists per game throughout his career and led the NBA in assists four times, but numbers can't express how good of a passer Magic was; if you watch any of his mixtapes or highlights, you can see how he reads plays before they happen and his incredible basketball IQ in action. Everyone knows how good a passer Magic was, but no one seems to know how good a passer Bird was. He had 6.4 assists in his career, which doesn't seem like a lot, but if you watch any of his games, you can see how he breaks down the defense and finds any open players or backdoor cuts. Even so, the fact that Magic remains the better passer. I also wanted to point out that Bird was no pushover when it came to passing.

Defense.

Before we begin, I'd like to point out that neither of these players' strong suits were defense. Magic was not a great on-ball or off-ball defender, but he was a smart defender who could get into passing lanes, which was one of the main reasons he averaged two steals per game. Larry Bird, on the other hand, was a much better defender because, despite not being very athletic, he was able to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the offence and knew how to create havoc, which is one of the reasons why he is a better defender than Magic.

The Verdict

Although it was close, Larry Bird is the better individual player. He is a better scorer, better defender, and not far behind in accolades. The only significant difference between Magic and Bird is in playmaking, which we already knew about.