Paul Pierce wants the Doncic-Bird comparisons to stop: "He's probably the European LeBron James"

Luka Doncic has taken the NBA by storm, and his accomplishments have led to comparisons with Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird .

But while it cannot be denied that Luka is flirting with greatness right now, Hall of Famer and 2008 NBA champion Paul Pierce doesn't think that Doncic is comparable to Larry Legend. Paul sees the Slovenian creating his own path but doesn't see him stacking up to the icon of the 80s.

"I think Luka's carving out his own niche," said Pierce. "He's been first team All-NBA four times. He could win a championship this year. He's on his way to being an all-time great. But we're talking about one of the Top 5 or 10 players to ever play the game. Can Luka get there? Numbers-wise, he's on his way. But Bird, three straight MVPs. He changed the game. He made us watch basketball."

Luka is more of a less athletic LeBron

According to Pierce, Bird's game was different from Doncic's style. The Hick from French Lick did not handle the ball at the top like Luka, nor did Larry go through pick and rolls like the Mavs superstar does. The Celtics legend needed only a couple of dribbles and he was off.

Paul added that as good as a passer Luka is, Bird was better. Larry Legend was also a much better clutch shooter. The Celtics legend also 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and arguably had a higher basketball IQ than Doncic.

"I'm not sure what his comparison is right now," added Pierce. "I would probably make him a combination of a couple of players, and that's saying a lot. He's probably like the European LeBron James, because of the way he can score, the way he can pass, the way he rebounds the ball, the way he controls the game. I'll give him that - a less athletic LeBron."

MJ thinks Bird is the best small forward ever

Luka is a great player but Larry was simply just a different beast. Michael Jordan once called Bird the best small forward to ever play the game , even better than LeBron James.

"People ask me all the time who my all-time five top players are," Jordan said . "And when I start saying Larry, they interrupt me. They say, 'You've got to be kidding me. He can't play with LeBron James!' I tell them, 'You guys don't get it. Larry is far better than any small forward who played the game, and to be honest, I'm still not sure if he is a small forward or a power forward.'"

As Pierce said, Luka is on his way to becoming an all-time great, but he is no Larry Legend. There is only one Larry Joe Bird and he played for the Celtics during the 80's. Any comparison would be blasphemous because Bird and Magic Johnson changed the game forever.

Related: "He ain't nowhere near Bird's gamesmanship" - Michael Cooper pushes back on Luka Doncic-Larry Bird comparisons