Faster pace games in the 80s led to more rebounding opportunities. I'm not here diminish anything larry did, but to say Dirk isn't even close to larry at anything aside from passing is silly.
Dirk is one of the 10-15 best players to play the game.
The game back then was a much slower pace than what it is now. Teams focused around a true big man that was taking most of the shot that were a high percentage compared to the game now. The game now is way more jump shooting and less around a true big man. Dirk should have way more opportunities on the defensive end for rebounds.
Truth be told, I don't even know that many people on this site that can objectively comment on the comparison. Some people commenting in this thread were probably not even born yet when he retired. As someone who was lucky enough to catch Bird in the second half of his career. Dude was no ******* joke, absolute beast. He's in my personal Top 5 ever.