Kevin McHale on how Larry Bird would dominate today’s NBA: ‘It’d be a five-alarm fire what Larry would do’ - The Boston Globe
Shaking my notebook up and down and seeing what falls out as many Celtics fans become honorary Spurs supporters as San Antonio takes on the Knicks in the Finals …
⋅ It seems that just about every former NBA player has a podcast or microphone of some sort these days. And when 22-year-old French superstars are not preparing to play in the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, it can be tough to find something to get fired up about. But the comparison of eras might provide the most reliable fodder.
It’s impossible to know how Wilt Chamberlain would fare today, or what damage LeBron James would have inflicted on opponents in the 1950s. But Hall of Famer and former Celtics star Kevin McHale, for one, bristles whenever he hears a current player question whether Larry Bird would be a superstar in 2026.
“These are the same dudes that can’t guard [Lakers star] Luka Doncic, and Luka Doncic is lighting them up,” McHale said with a sigh during a recent phone call. “And I’m thinking, ‘Larry is bigger, stronger, faster, and meaner than Luka Doncic. And if Luka is lighting these dudes up, it’d be a five-alarm fire what Larry would do.’ ”
Bird was a 12-time All-Star, three-time MVP, and three-time NBA champion with the Celtics from 1979-92, even while dealing with injuries throughout his career. McHale said that with sports science advances, Bird would have the tools and support to dominate today’s game, too.
“I just laugh at these people today,” he said. “Larry would go by you a hell of a lot faster than Luka would go by you. He was a straight-line driver, and he was also just a horse.”
⋅ The Celtics own the 27th and 40th picks in the NBA Draft, which begins June 23. And one league source said that the talent pool in that range might be slightly watered down because players now have another very good option. The proliferation of NIL money has made it more lucrative for many prospects to remain in college rather than becoming a second-round pick, or in some cases even a late first-round choice.
If the structure remains unchanged, this process will eventually even out as the players who remained in school exhaust their eligibility and end up in the draft. But for now, there is a gap. Still, the source stressed, there will be enough talent to find useful pieces.
⋅ I recently spoke with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla’s high school coach, Jamal Gomes, about his former pupil’s looming NBA Coach of the Year honor.
Gomes, who still coaches at Bishop Hendricken in Warwick, R.I., said it was obvious that Mazzulla had the mind of a coach. But he also stressed that he had an unusual competitive fire.
“That kid was a winner back when he was 11, 12, 13 years old,” Gomes said. “And what made Joe a winner was he was a fierce, fierce competitor. When the lights came on, you always knew what you were going to get out of Joe, and that was starting back in middle school.”
⋅ President of basketball operations Brad Stevens’s comments about rookie guard Hugo Gonzalez at his end-of-season news conference were a bit lost in the shuffle, but they felt notable.
“The reality is Hugo has had a great rookie year, and I think is a critical part of us moving forward because his athleticism can meet the moment in the big games,” Stevens said. “That’s a real thing. You can see it, you know it. His strength is off the charts. He’s probably the strongest … he’s one of the strongest guys on our team, pound for pound, right now as a 20-year-old, so he’s got a bright future.”
Stevens added that Gonzalez was not part of the playoff rotation because he did not separate himself from the others, but the team believes he is an integral part of the future.
⋅ Former Celtics center Luke Kornet had one of the biggest plays of these playoffs when he chased down Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein for a block with the Spurs clinging to a 6-point lead midway through the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the Western Conference finals Saturday.
Kornet, who signed a four-year, $41 million deal with San Antonio last summer, became an essential piece while backing up rising superstar Victor Wembanyama. Kornet averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds while playing a career-high 21 minutes per game.
He helped the Celtics win the 2023-24 NBA title, of course. But former Celtics first-round pick Kelly Olynyk, a Spurs backup who is somehow now 35, could soon win his first ring.
Former Rhode Island star Jimmy Baron is an assistant coach for the Spurs. The Knicks have local ties on the bench, too. Assistant coach Darren Erman had two stints as a Celtics assistant and was coach of the team’s G League affiliate in Maine during the 2019-20 season. And Knicks assistant Rick Brunson, the father of superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, was a standout guard at Salem (Mass.) High before playing for Temple.
⋅ The Celtics’ Andy Mannix was named the NBA Equipment Managers Association’s co-equipment manager of the year, along with Curtis Andrade of the Raptors. Mannix has been with the franchise for 28 years, serving as a ball boy, facilities manager, and assistant equipment manager, before taking on his current role. This is his first time winning this honor.
“Guess I was due,” he quipped.