Larry Bird Says Current Era May Be Greatest in NBA History

After many former NBA players have taken time to criticize the current era of the sport, Hall of Famer Larry Bird spoke out to praise how the game has evolved into its present form.

Speaking to Charles Bethea of the New Yorker, Bird noted the current era of basketball has caused him to rethink some things:

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It's funny how the game has changed. And my thinking about it. I was really worried—back sixteen, seventeen years ago—that the little guy didn't have a spot in the N.B.A. anymore: it was just going to be the big guards like Magic Johnson. But then players started shooting more threes and spacing the court, and everyone wants small guards now. Watching these kids play now, I'm like everybody else: Wow, man. They can really shoot! They have more freedom to get to the basket. The ball moves a little better. These kids are shooting from farther, with more accuracy. Now some teams shoot up around thirty threes a game. My era, you always think that's the greatest era. But I'm not so sure anymore.

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What a refreshing change of pace it is to hear one of the NBA's most revered players say something nice publicly about the way the game has changed.

It's no secret that some legends in the sport think the game has gotten weaker because of the reliance on outside shooting and the three-pointer.

During an appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike in February (via Randy Miller of NJ.com), Oscar Robertson said Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have been successful only because of their opponents' incompetence.

"I just don't think coaches today in basketball understand the game of basketball," Robertson said. "They don't know anything about defenses. They don't know what people are doing on the court."

Most of the criticism has revolved around the Warriors, who set a league record with 73 wins during the regular season.

Any time a group does something no one else has accomplished—or when any team does anything that not even Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls were able to do—a lot of people find reasons to be critical of it instead of trying to appreciate the greatness in front of them. 

Bird is one of the few legends who can relate to the reliance on three-point shooting. One of his best-known moments was when he pointed a finger in the air on his last shot to win the 1988 three-point contest, after all.