Published 18:01 IST, November 15th 2019
NBA: Larry Bird says players will shoot lot of air-balls if 4-point line is introduced
NBA: Larry Bird said that 4-point line wouldn't make much difference but the problem is that guys will shoot of air balls and there will be lot of fastbreaks.
Things have changed drastically since the time NBA legend Larry Bird played the final game of his illustrious career as a Boston Celtics player. The Hall Of Famer recently spoke about seeing more changes in the league.
Larry Bird on 4-point line
Bird recently appeared on a show where he explained how players from his era would have adapted if 3-point shots would have been more common. He said that he would be taking more 3-pointers because that's where the game evolving. He said that back in the day, they would not even guard guys out beyond the 3-point line.
He added that the game has changed and the game goes through periods where it changes and you just have to adapt to the changes. He even went back in the day when his teammate Danny Ainge said that the team should only shoot 3-pointers every game.
Bird said that the next step could be the addition of a 4-point line as he can see the change being made to speed up the game somewhere down the line.
"It is definitely a major change and a 4-point line wouldn't make much difference," the legendary hooper told NBC. Bird said that the problem with the advent of the 4-point rule is that there would be a lot of players shooting air balls, ending up with a slew of fast breaks. The league is always looking at ways to speed the game up and score more points and If they did it, he wouldn't be surprised.
Larry Bird Celtics
The forward joined Boston Celtics in 1979 and over the 13-year career, he led the Celtics to three NBA titles and claimed three MVP awards. Following his retirement in 1992, Bird became a successful head coach and front-office executive with the Indiana Pacers.
Updated 20:48 IST, November 15th 2019