Cross-era · careers 6 years apart

Larry Bird vs Dave DeBusschere

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Dave DeBusschere 1962-1973 · Forward

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Dave DeBusschere (1962-1973) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 6 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Larry Bird was the higher-volume scorer (24.3 points per game to 16.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.43× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 47.1%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Dave DeBusschere's #56.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatDave DeBusschere
24.3 Points / game 16.0
10.0 Rebounds / game 11.0
6.3 Assists / game 2.9
1.7 Steals / game 0.1
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 43.2%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 70.3%
56.5% True shooting % 47.1%
897 Games played 875

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatDave DeBusschere
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.43×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.98×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.29×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dave DeBusschere's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatDave DeBusschere
23.7 Points / game 16.0
10.3 Rebounds / game 12.0
6.5 Assists / game 2.6
1.8 Steals / game 0.1
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 41.7%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 70.3%
164 Playoff games 96

Accolades

Larry BirdStatDave DeBusschere
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 2
10 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#10 All-time GOAT rank #56

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