Okay, so I’ve been messing around with some basketball stats lately, and I got into this whole “what if” scenario: Larry Bird versus Kevin Durant, one-on-one. Sounds crazy, right? Two legends from different eras, totally different styles. I wanted to see, like, really see, how a matchup like that might play out, not just argue about it on Twitter.
Digging into the Data
First thing I did was just drown myself in stats. Points per game, shooting percentages, rebounds, assists… you name it, I grabbed it. I used a couple of those free online sports statistics sites that have all old data.
I made two lists, like this:
- Larry Bird:
- Career Points Per Game
- Career Field Goal Percentage
- Career Three-Point Percentage
- Career Rebounds Per Game
- Career Assists Per Game
- Kevin Durant
- Career Points Per Game
- Career Field Goal Percentage
- Career Three-Point Percentage
- Career Rebounds Per Game
- Career Assists Per Game
Just raw numbers at first. I mean I was looking at old game film and highlight reels, but to get an idea, numbers had to be a starting point.
Comparing those stats
Next thing I did was comparing those stats that I made.
It’s kinda tough to make a perfect comparison. The game’s changed so much. Like, Bird played in a time with way fewer three-pointers. Durant’s era is all about spacing and shooting. So, I tried to factor that in, looking at how efficient they were relative to their time.
Building a simple simulation
After that, I tried to create a simple simulation that makes things easier to see the differeces, and I listed the core factors that influced the result:
- Offensive Firepower
- Defensive Abilities
- Clutchness (who do you want with the ball when the game’s on the line?)
My (Very) Rough Conclusion
Honestly, there’s no real way to know for sure. It’s all hypothetical. But after all this digging and messing around, I gotta say… it’s closer than I thought. Bird’s toughness and all-around game is seriously impressive. Durant’s pure scoring ability is just off the charts. I ended up leaning slightly towards Durant, just because of that insane scoring, but man, it would be a legendary battle.
It’s the kind of thing that makes you appreciate both players even more, you know? You see their strengths, their weaknesses, and how they dominated in their own ways.
