Bird-Magic & Crosby-OV

[dash]

We've been here since 2010?

Blame @pixburgher66

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

OV is the best goal scorer since Brett Hull who took over the title from Mike Bossy - As far as Crosby - OV is concerned, I would love to have either on the Flames, but would chose Crosby over OV.

The 3 best goalscorers I've seen in my lifetime were Hull, Bure and OV (Bossy was before my time). That is very, very rare company.

But Crosby IMO has worked his way into the periphery of the Gretzky-Lemieux-Howe grouping. He's still the second-best player in the league after 13 seasons. If he wins another Cup he has as many as Wayne. He scored that goal. He's played with plugs as linemates for so long we don't even discuss it anymore because he still makes it look easy. He's had an unbelievable career.

Disagree. But I think the team that's won 2 President's Trophies and the Stanley Cup in the last 3 years will make the playoffs next season... so what do I know.

Maybe they will!

 

[Comeds]

Blame @pixburgher66

It just doesn't seem that long to me. I guess time flies even when incarcerated.

 

[dash]

It just doesn't seem that long to me. I guess time flies even when incarcerated.

 

[Pattersonca65]

I wanted to post this a ways back on the "other" board some of us used, but I knew it would just become troll fodder and degrade into some discussion with a bunch of <s and >s in it.

HBO Sports did a great piece on Bird & Magic chronicling their careers, relationship, and impact on the sport. I enjoyed watching it and also thought a lot of their experiences and personality were very similar to what we've seen from Crosby and Ovechkin so far....

Bird and Magic both entered the NBA with much hype in the late 70s after the NBA and ABA had merged. League ratings were at an all-time low and fans saw the league as "too black" and thuggish (note - not my words, from the documentary, and not thuggish like gangsta, but too physical, fights in games, and generally ungraceful and uncivilized).

Crosby and Ovechkin also both entered the league with much hype after the NHL had it's lockout, lost a major television contract, and with rule changes to make the game less "thuggish."​

Bird was characterized as very private, kinda quiet, and a blue-collar kinda guy who worked very hard.

Crosby is known for his physical regiment, keeps a lower profile, and is known as a good "values" kinda guy.​

Magic was flashier, outspoken, and loved the crowds. In the documentary, he even talks about how Earvin and Magic are too different people in his eyes.

Ovechkin is viewed as being more flamboyant and reckless both on and off the ice.​

Bird became a lightning rod for fans of white America in a league that was predominantly black while Magic garnered a lot of support from the African American community, even in Bird's Boston.

Ovechkin is Russian and Crosby is Canadian. Both are often ascribed stereotypes that fit the type of hockey players that come from those places.​

Bird had success early on and beat Magic in their first head-to-head for an NBA title, but Magic ultimately won more titles over his career and had a better supporting cast.

Crosby won the Cup first and beat Ovechkin's Caps in a 7-game series last year. Time will tell if the Caps are the deeper team and will have more of less success than the Pens.​

Anyhow, I just thought the parallels were interesting. All incredible players who will be considered among the games' best, all players helping their sport come out from some less popular era, and all play some roll as some type of archetype for society.

The Bird/Magic documentary is a really good one. It has been around for awhile. Bird/Magic and the Boston/LA rivalry really did save the NBA. I am old enough to remember what it was like pre Magic/Bird and the NBA was in the toilet. Even games were tape delayed. No one cared. And Bird hated the being the great white hope. Bird was one of the players that had to play with a chip on his shoulder. He couldn't play nice with the enemy like Magic could and the players mostly do today.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

He couldn't play nice with the enemy like Magic could and the players mostly do today.

And after him, nobody played nice with the enemy until today's breed of player emerged. The 90s was a fucking hatefest in the NBA, the 2000s were more cordial but the winning teams were still full of assholes (Shaq/Kobe Lakers, KG's Celtics, Big Ben/Sheed/Rip's Pistons, the Pacers never won but two of their best players were once suspended for more than half the season for fighting fans...).

Today they just whine.

 

[elocomotive]

And Bird hated the being the great white hope. Bird was one of the players that had to play with a chip on his shoulder. He couldn't play nice with the enemy like Magic could and the players mostly do today.

And after him, nobody played nice with the enemy until today's breed of player emerged. The 90s was a fucking hatefest in the NBA, the 2000s were more cordial but the winning teams were still full of assholes (Shaq/Kobe Lakers, KG's Celtics, Big Ben/Sheed/Rip's Pistons, the Pacers never won but two of their best players were once suspended for more than half the season for fighting fans...).

Good points.

Overall I think as time goes on, rivals come to appreciate each other and realize what the other one did for their game.

 

[dash]

Bird and Magic certainly deserve a ton of credit for saving the NBA - That said, Julius Irving along with Dominique Wilkins dazzled fans with their highlight reels and spectacular dunks.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Bird and Magic certainly deserve a ton of credit for saving the NBA - That said, Julius Irving along with Dominique Wilkins dazzled fans with their highlight reels and spectacular dunks.

They also had some bald dude with a hoop earring make some noise for a while.

 

[Comeds]

I like comedians so I'd say that Crosby is the Bill Cosby of the NHL and OV is like the Vince Champ of the NHL.