“If somebody dunked on you and you go down and hit a 3, who’s ahead?” – Larry Bird says he doesn’t get why people say 3-pointers are bad for the NBA originally appeared on Basketball Network.
The 3-point game seems to have taken the biggest blame for the lack of excitement in the game. For years now, debates around the modern NBA often circle back to the same, tired refrain: too many 3s, not enough grit.
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Television panels, old-school veterans, and nostalgic fans have all pointed fingers at the long ball, suggesting it’s stripped the game of its physical edge and visual punch.
But Larry Bird, the man who helped redefine how the perimeter could function in the NBA, doesn’t share the same thoughts.
Bird’s reaction to threes
Bird turned sharp-shooting into a craft long before it became a trend, and he defends the style and the very soul of the game’s progression. He sees things a little differently.
“Everybody gets caught up on these dunks,” Bird said. “If somebody dunked on you and you go down and hit a 3, who’s ahead? I never did get that.”
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Bird was one of those rare players who shot from distance in an era when it was seen as far-fetched. When he entered the league in 1979, the 3-point line was just being introduced, and most teams treated it like a novelty. The Boston icon, however, recognized its value long before most of the league caught up.
In 1985-86, he made 82 3s — a seemingly modest number today, but it ranked third in the league then. Stephen Curry hit more than that in a single postseason in 2016. But Bird didn’t need to live behind the arc.
That’s what made his take on the modern debate even more striking.
He had one of the most complete offensive games in league history — mid-range touch, post footwork, and cold-blooded efficiency in clutch moments. Still, even in that toolkit, the 3-point shot was a feature. And he used it with precision.
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The Celtics of the 1980s were known for their grit, but they also spaced the floor. Bird, Danny Ainge, and Dennis Johnson all had range. And while the game wasn’t saturated with 3-point attempts — league-wide averages hovered around two or three makes per team per game — Bird’s awareness of space forecasted today’s geometry-heavy style.
For decades, the highlight culture has glorified above-the-rim plays, but Bird makes the case that a made 3 counts for more than a flashy dunk. That idea, often overlooked, goes to the heart of basketball’s strategy—efficiency over theatrics.
The game evolved
Although it may be said that the game has become overly reliant on the long ball, which has removed underpinnings like the mid-range shot or off-ball movement, Bird believes in basketball’s ability to self-correct.
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“I think it’ll come back, but we’re really missing the overall game,” he said.
The league’s obsession with analytics has undeniably tilted the floor toward volume 3-point shooting. In 2012, teams attempted about 18 3s per game. In 2024, that number rose to over 35. It’s not uncommon now to see teams go entire quarters without a single mid-range jumper. Pull-ups from 27 feet are now standard issues for guards and wings who once would’ve slashed and are parked in the corners, waiting to spot up.
The “overall game” Bird references speaks to the balance that once defined elite basketball. Games that featured passing sequences with purpose, defenders navigating off-ball screens, and shot selection that wasn’t dictated by charts alone. Bird’s Celtics could grind in the half-court or run in transition. They didn’t sacrifice one part of the game to emphasize another.
That context makes his words more about reflection than critique. What he’s perhaps pointing to is the cyclical nature of basketball. Trends rise, dominate, and eventually fade or adjust. The 3-point era might feel overwhelming now, but Bird suggests that the pendulum always swings back toward balance.
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His era was built on winning plays, whatever they looked like — dives for loose balls, skip passes, bank shots, timely triples. And in that landscape, Bird’s shooting touch was an advantage, not an identity.
If anything, the frustration about the modern game’s style is less about the 3-pointer itself and more about the belief that it’s all the game has become.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.