"The only weak point Larry had—I think he hid it well—was that he really struggled against those strong, low-post players, especially if they were bigger than him. But most of the time, Larry managed to avoid that. He was too smart. He was predicting everything in the game. He was the master of half an inch, always half an inch taller or faster than his opponents."
This was what Tom Heinsohn, the commentator for CBS Television, said about Larry Bird years later on an interview program.
As a die-hard Celtics fan, Heinsohn had coached the Celtics during the 1977-1978 season, one year before Bird's arrival at the Celtics.
He knew Bird well enough to pinpoint his weakness incisively.
Many people thought Bird wasn't fast enough, didn't jump high enough, lacked explosiveness, and was poor at one-on-one defense, and so on.
These were all issues, but every player has issues. Issues and weaknesses are not the same thing.
