Bird finished 2nd in season MVP voting four times in his career and was 3rd twice, for varied reasons
While it does not seem important to haggle over past Most Valuable Player awards won, when fans start arguing over who was the better player, such awards always play a key role in settling the debate.
How a player did in MVP voting - such as how often he finished second, third and so on, as well as first - is probably as important in determining a player's greatness over time. After all, only one person in a league of hundreds can win the MVP award, making the honor extremely elite.