Former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sparked a mini-controversy about Stephen Curry’s impact on the game of basketball, but NBA legend Larry Bird defended the reigning league MVP.
While appearing on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Bird said there’s nothing wrong with Curry, who Jackson asserted has caused the younger generation to simply work on long-range shots. John Hickey of the San Jose Mercury News notes Bird said:
“I think [Jackson] loves Steph Curry. But if you walk in any gym, if there are kids in there, they’re all shooting 3-pointers. That’s the way it was when I walked in gyms years ago. I don’t see anything wrong with it.”
Bird continued, calling Curry the league’s best player and the Warriors a “real champion” and “special team.”
Now, it’s easy to pile on Jackson for his comments. One season before Golden State dominated the league en route to a championship, the organization fired Jackson. Now a color commentator on ESPN’s NBA coverage, Jackson always seems to have a reason for why the foundation that was laid is so important.
Otherwise known as “I made this team almost great.”
But there was also some merit to Jackson’s statement. Go to any public workout facility with a basketball court, and everyone — even the biggest guys on the floor — are shooting threes.
However, Bird says this isn’t a new trend. For those of us without the length of experience on Earth similar to Bird, we should probably take the Hall of Famer at his word.
That means Curry isn’t ruining the sport, and that’s excellent news for basketball fans — especially those who imitate the Baby-Faced Assassin during pick-up games and in the backyard.