Here would be my rationale for Bird above Kobe:
-Bird was a better passer and arguably a better decision-maker in general. Backpicks did a great series covering the top 40 NBA careers of all-time and the author spent a lot of time watching film and basing his rankings off of that, peak performance, and statistical analysis. The author puts Bird's passing on par with Nash, Magic, and LeBron. If you're curious, the site is here: The Backpicks GOAT: The 40 Best Careers in NBA History
-Bird was much better off-ball, allowing him to anchor perennially great offenses without mucking up the offense or shooting Boston out of games. He has an efficiency advantage compared to Kobe.
-Bird finished top-3 in MVP voting every year from 1981-1988. What's even crazier is that he finished third just one time; he was first or runner-up the other seven times.The only ones who had a comparable stretch are LeBron ('09-'16), Jordan ('87-'93, '96-'98), Russell ('58-'65), and Magic ('83-'91). That's it. Kobe didn't have a period like this in terms of MVP voting record, but one could argue it impossible to always finish top-2 or 3 in a league with LeBron, Duncan, KG, Nash, Dirk, and Wade. But having said that, Bird did it in a league with Moses Malone, Magic, Jordan, Barkley, Kareem, and Dr. J. Maybe MVP voting isn't the best metric to look at, but it was mostly to illustrate Bird's dominance and status as one of the GOATs during that stretch. Lot of people were calling him the best they'd ever seen until Jordan came through.
Here would be my rationale for Kobe above Bird:
-Kobe was a better man-to-man defender and perimeter defender, which is important if you consider Bird a wing as well. Kobe's athleticism enabled him to do things that Bird never could, not to mention Kobe was an elite defender when he was younger anyways. Bird made some All-Defense teams early in his career, but his impact was much different on that end. He played a lot more free safety and generally handled the slower forward, never considered him great at that end (McHale covered up a lot of weaknesses).
-Kobe has a longer resume and had a sustained period of high-level play into Year 17 (on the offensive end anyway), whereas Bird's body forced him to retire much earlier. If legacy, longevity, and path to the Finals is weighed heavier than some other things, then this would be where I'd hammer home Kobe>Bird. The relative strength of the league and the '80s Eastern Conference vs. the '00s Western Conference are also some things to consider.
-Kobe was a cut above as a volume scorer. There is something to be said about Kobe's relative inefficiency among the rest of the all-time greats, but they've pretty much all already been said. Kobe was better at creating off the dribble and from the perimeter on in.
-Bird was a better passer and arguably a better decision-maker in general. Backpicks did a great series covering the top 40 NBA careers of all-time and the author spent a lot of time watching film and basing his rankings off of that, peak performance, and statistical analysis. The author puts Bird's passing on par with Nash, Magic, and LeBron. If you're curious, the site is here: The Backpicks GOAT: The 40 Best Careers in NBA History
-Bird was much better off-ball, allowing him to anchor perennially great offenses without mucking up the offense or shooting Boston out of games. He has an efficiency advantage compared to Kobe.
-Bird finished top-3 in MVP voting every year from 1981-1988. What's even crazier is that he finished third just one time; he was first or runner-up the other seven times.The only ones who had a comparable stretch are LeBron ('09-'16), Jordan ('87-'93, '96-'98), Russell ('58-'65), and Magic ('83-'91). That's it. Kobe didn't have a period like this in terms of MVP voting record, but one could argue it impossible to always finish top-2 or 3 in a league with LeBron, Duncan, KG, Nash, Dirk, and Wade. But having said that, Bird did it in a league with Moses Malone, Magic, Jordan, Barkley, Kareem, and Dr. J. Maybe MVP voting isn't the best metric to look at, but it was mostly to illustrate Bird's dominance and status as one of the GOATs during that stretch. Lot of people were calling him the best they'd ever seen until Jordan came through.
Here would be my rationale for Kobe above Bird:
-Kobe was a better man-to-man defender and perimeter defender, which is important if you consider Bird a wing as well. Kobe's athleticism enabled him to do things that Bird never could, not to mention Kobe was an elite defender when he was younger anyways. Bird made some All-Defense teams early in his career, but his impact was much different on that end. He played a lot more free safety and generally handled the slower forward, never considered him great at that end (McHale covered up a lot of weaknesses).
-Kobe has a longer resume and had a sustained period of high-level play into Year 17 (on the offensive end anyway), whereas Bird's body forced him to retire much earlier. If legacy, longevity, and path to the Finals is weighed heavier than some other things, then this would be where I'd hammer home Kobe>Bird. The relative strength of the league and the '80s Eastern Conference vs. the '00s Western Conference are also some things to consider.
-Kobe was a cut above as a volume scorer. There is something to be said about Kobe's relative inefficiency among the rest of the all-time greats, but they've pretty much all already been said. Kobe was better at creating off the dribble and from the perimeter on in.
