Larry Bird was one of the most gifted offensive players in the history of the game. Although he wasn't the biggest, strongest, fastest, or most athletic guy on the floor, the legendary forward was gifted with a basketball IQ, feathery shooting touch, and toughness, making him a tough cover for any defender.
However, when Bird was about to retire, he revealed that as good as he was as an offensive player, he found it hard to score against a former Los Angeles Lakers rival.
"The best ever defensive player to guard me was Michael Cooper," Larry said . "I'll take that to the grave with me. He was a very intelligent defensive player, he's very focused, and it was great to play against him…That time, I was playing some great basketball, and he was able to guard me pretty well."
The 1987 DPOY
Cooper was the Lakers' 60th overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. The lanky 6'7" guard became the team's go-to defender and was often tasked with guarding the best player on the opposing team.
Bird and Coop played against each other in 39 total games, with the latter winning their head-to-head matchup 23-16, including 11-8 during the postseason. Larry averaged 23.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in those games but on below-average efficiency standards.
After being named the 1986-87 Defensive Player of the Year, Mike proved he's arguably the best defender in the NBA by holding Larry under 42% from the field in four out of six games of the 1987 Finals. With Coop doing a great job on the Boston Celtics forward, the Lakers won their fourth championship of the decade.
When all was said and done, Mike was named to eight All-Defensive Teams, including four as a first-team member.
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Coop returned the favor
While the legendary forward thought Cooper was the best defender he had ever faced, Mike also considered Larry the toughest player he had to guard. The former Laker even said Bird was tougher to defend than Michael Jordan .
"Anytime Larry was on the floor, you had to be aware of his presence because he was going to make something good happen," Cooper said . "I played against George Gervin, Andrew Toney, Dr. J., a young Michael Jordan, some of the best players that have ever played this game, but Larry would have to be the best. You knew if Jordan had the ball, once he gave it up, you were OK with that. Larry could go get offensive rebounds. He could make a great pass. He was the ultimate offensive threat. Anytime he was on the offensive side of the floor, you had to defend him."
Magic vs. Bird was the premiere matchup during the Lakers vs. Celtics rivalry of the 1980s. However, an equally exciting showdown was Cooper vs. Larry. It was a chess match of offense versus defense at the highest level. And very often, the Lakers guard would come out victorious.
Related: "Larry looks over his shoulder at me and laughs and said, 'I told you motherf****r'" - Michael Cooper on why Larry Bird was 'larger than life'
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