Michael Jordan and Larry Bird are two of the greatest players in NBA history, and Pat Riley coached against them both at the very highest level. Both Jordan and Bird are remembered as elite scorers, but if one were to ask which one of them was more clutch, it would be hard to pick.
Michael Jordan had some iconic clutch moments, the shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers to herald his playoff arrival is one. And the shot to sink the Utah Jazz in the NBA Finals probably cemented his legacy as the GOAT. Larry Bird had some huge moments in his own right, and Pat Riley once answered this question incredibly well.
“If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I’d choose Michael Jordan,” Riley said. “If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life… I’d take Larry Bird.”
"If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save a game I'd choose Michael Jordan.. If I had to choose a player to take a shot to save my life… I'd take Larry Bird."
– Pat Riley pic.twitter.com/lHKAzFyXmY
— Larry Legend☘️ (@LarryBirdDaily) August 12, 2020
Nothing fazed Larry Bird, he was the ultimate killer, and as such, got a lot of respect for it as well. Larry Legend was always in control, his shot-making was so lethal that opposing benches cheered for him on occasions when he lit it up. With one’s life on the line, many people might agree with Riley that they would want one of the most confident superstars in NBA history to take the shot.
Larry Bird Is One Of The Best Clutch Players In NBA History
There can be no questioning Larry Bird’s clutch gene, he was 100% that guy when the moment was the biggest. As our writer, Kyle Daubs, wrote when he named Bird the 3rd most clutch player in his list of the Top 20 in that category in NBA history, everyone believed in Bird to make the right play.
He had four buzzer-beaters in his career, and amazingly, all of them came when the Boston Celtics were trailing. So if he missed the shot, they would lose, crushing the pressure higher and making it more impressive. He also averaged 27 points per game in Game 7 situations, again showing that he upped his game when the team needed him to.
Nobody would dispute it if Michael Jordan were chosen to be the man to take the last shot to win the game. His clutchness is unparalleled as it is. But at the same time, there is a reason why one of the greatest NBA coaches ever would trust Larry Bird when his life was on the line.
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