Other indicators suggest Bird would have been one of the top outside shooters in any era. He led the NBA in free-throw percentage four times. Though his career 37.6 percent 3-point shooting figure does not sparkle, a closer examination of Bird’s resume proves him far more capable. After struggling on limited attempts early in his career, he shot 39.4 percent from the start of the 1984-85 season to the end of his career even though his numbers dipped after he encountered several health issues late in his NBA life. He hit at least 40 percent of his 3-point tries during each of his four prime seasons, topping out at 42.7 percent in 1984-85. The league average that year was 28.2 percent. Today, it is 35.5 percent. “Most of us would get hot, get in the zone for a game,” Ainge says. “Larry would get in the zone for a month. He would have these 35-point games and 40-point games, just these long stretches of games where he was just on fire. He just was a great, great shooter.”