Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. Please check your email for a confirmation. His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. NAME. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with That went to Birds teammate. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. October 9, 2019. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. Meanwhile, the Clydesdales, AKA the Celtics, were coming off a season where they went 56-26 and were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in round 2 of the playoffs. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Birds mother, Georgia, once said that she couldnt fathom he sons NBA salary and, despite his earning power, insisted that she wasnt out buying expensive clothes. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Boston also had to deal with the impending free agency of Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com They were the thoroughbreds, we were the Clydesdales., It was a very physical series, and thats exactly what we wanted because we knew thats the only way we could beat those guys. The series was not a close one: the Cs took a 3-0 lead before Milwaukee won their second home game to stay alive. Thanks for signing up. That might seem unbelievable this is coming from a man who famously asked his Three-Point Contest peers who was coming in second but it largely fits within Birds character. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. How Does Larry Birds Finals Record Compare to Other Great NBA Players? Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:16. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. After a tough seven game series in the conference finals against the Sixers, Boston advanced to the finals to face the Rockets. Having finished second in MVP voting the prior year, Bird dominated the season and the voting. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. Despite just reaching the finals, Bird stuck to his word and resigned shortly after the finals, taking up the role of Pacers president of basketball operations in 2003. Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. more information Accept. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, though, Larry Bird has you covered. How Did The Legendary Rivalry of Magic Johnson And Larry Bird Turned The Competitive Drive Between Bird And Bird By Eric Simonon Larry Bird's Stats For Each Season: Consistency Was The Key, He Larry Joe Bird. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club: 2,850 points and 1,247 rebounds Indiana State's all . The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. Larry Bird won three championships as a player, but did not win any as a coach. Birds missed game winner in game four turned out to be vital in the series as the Lakers did not let their 3-1 lead slip, winning the series in six games. Bird was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the series. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has often been called the greatest in the NBA. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. As someone who watched Bird play and has now researched and written more than a half dozen articles about his career, I can help you out. It was clear that the Celtics were mentally exhausted after playing that many games in such a short span, which resulted in the Lakers beating Bird and the Celtics in six quick games. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. All rights reserved. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. Julius Erving | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. The next year, the NBA Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format with Game 5 going to the team without home-court advantage, which continued through 2013. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. The Houston Rockets have long been a sneakily dangerous team even when they were losing, dating from when the Rockets faced the Boston Celtics in the 1981 NBA Finals with a losing record. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. The series was full of things like that., We knew that we had to physically beat them because they had never played that kind of game. They quickly swept the Chicago Bulls, then marched down and knocked off the 76ers in a revenge series that wound up going into seven games. My favorite quotes about Larry Bird - CelticsBlog Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. In 1986, they failed a third straight NBA Finals meeting (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Houston Rockets. As for their averages, Johnson posted 20.7 points, 13.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game in their head-to-head matchups in the Finals compared to Bird's 25.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Julius Erving, in full Julius Winfield Erving II, byname Doctor J, (born February 22, 1950, Roosevelt, New York, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player who was one of the most colourful and exciting figures in the game during the 1970s and '80s. Then head coach Bill Fitch resigned as head coach despite having the second-best coaching record in the NBA during his four-year stint in Boston. Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. us, College: It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse Unfortunately for the Pacers and Larry Bird, the Lakers were just too much for the Pacers. While Bird did not have the finals success of a Jordan or Russell, he still had a better record than greats including LeBron and Wilt. This struggle did not deter Bird. The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. Im not a guy that talks about my past because I always look to the future, but you really sit down and look at it, Ive been involved in a lot, its pretty nice, the forward simply explained. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? All-NBA First-Teamers NOT in the Hall of Fame, Basketball Positions 101: Understanding the Different Roles on the Court, The Best NBA Players to NOT Make the Hall of Fame, The Best All-Defensive Team in NBA History, The All-Time Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Superstar by Position. Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. One of the most feared competitors during the 1980s was Larry Bird, who won three championships with the Celtics during the decade, destroying teams through his versatile style and killer, lights-out shooting. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. A year later, the Pacers would not have to worry about Michael Jordan as they returned to the playoffs, this time as the second seed in the east. Larry Bird starred at Indiana State University before joining the NBA's Boston Celtics in 1979. . Then came the championship series. One of the most exciting 3-0 series in league history, the Celtics made quick work of the up-and-coming Bulls featuring a young Michael Jordan. Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. Right, Born: In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. I wrote about his underrated defense here. Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. Johnson had the winning record in the regular season and playoffs, and he took down Bird twice in their three Finals showdowns although Johnson having the better team had something to do with that. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Better than MJ, LeBron, Kareem, Larry and Magic.If you take out Steph's games with an NBA75 teammate (KD), Steph's Playoff Win% is 48-26 (.649), which is still better than Duncan, Kobe and Larry Bird's with all their NBA75 teammates. This site is a participant in the Impact Affiliate Platform which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Fanatics.com . Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. In Game 7, the Celtics got 24 points from Cedric Maxwell and 22 from DJ with Bird scoring 20 as they won the game 111-102 and the series for Bostons 15th NBA title. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. Larry Bird - Wikipedia Data Provided By FTA complete back to 1948-49. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Larry Bird was born on as Larry Joe Bird to parents: Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.He attended Springs Valley High School. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Quora This series was a rematch of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1979 with the Magic JohnsonLarry Bird pair entering the league. Bird created a very good team. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. M.L. Carr on Lakers vs. Celtics 1984 Finals being epic - Basketball Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. [2] It was also the last time that a team with home court advantage in the NBA finals played Game 5 on its own floor until 2014. 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? Bird: "So you're overpaid.". Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. In the game, the Lakers rallied to cut a 14-point-deficit to three with one minute remaining when Cedric Maxwell knocked the ball away from Magic Johnson. Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. Larry Bird: Career retrospective | Yardbarker Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN The series was the eighth time in NBA history that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each time, and the first championship that the Celtics claimed at home since 1966. 1984: Larry Bird: Boston Celtics: No stats available. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Find out more. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns.The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the . Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. MUMBAI, India Twenty-seven years after Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and the "Dream Team" made the world fall in love with the game of basketball in 1992, India showed its adoration for the Boston Celtics great during the first NBA India Games last week. In his last season as the teams head coach, Birds Pacers were the number one seed in the east and were not really tested throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. inWest Baden,Indiana Peak, Bird was better imo In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. Its surprising that he wasnt able to win at least one more, though three championships nowadays is something that is wildly difficult to do, its no feat to be taken lightly. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. He averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game across his three seasons, winning Naismith College Player of the Year in 1979. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. Throughout the season, he showed that he was the reigning MVP and had an excellent statistical season. 1979-80 Bird 1980-81 Bird 1981-82 Bird 1982-83 Bird 1983-84 Bird 1984-85 Bird 1985-86 Bird 1986-87 Bird 1987-88 Bird 1988-89 Bird 1989-90 Bird 1990-91 Bird 1991-92 Bird 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 82 82 77 79 79 80 82 74 76 6 75 60 45. Former Celtics player M.L. Exclusive Q&A with former Charlotte star Cornbread Maxwell | Charlotte the Celtics posted a 61-21 record and defeated the Houston Rockets to take the first NBA . Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. May 12, 2022. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. This Finals had everything. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. The Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings in round 1, then took six games to get by a fun Denver Nuggets team starring Alex English and Fat Lever. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. Im kind of country, she explained. Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Shoots: After . This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Here's when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson learned they have a lot - Yahoo The Rockets fought back to win handily in game 5 at home but the Celtics closed out the series in game 6 in the Boston Garden to take their third title of the Bird era. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. The Bucks won a five-game series over the Hawks to start the playoffs and got by Darryl Dawkins and his NJ Nets in round 2. Larry Bird [2023 Update]: Wife, Net worth & Family - Players Bio Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird: Was LA Lakers or Boston Celtics Legend The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. The Laker momentum was stalled, and Larry Bird came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. The 1984 NBA Finals was the first championship meeting between old rivals Boston and Los Angeles since 1969. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. It featured the first time that Larry Bird met Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, their first head-to-head championship meeting since the 1979 NCAA title game. Answer (1 of 2): Larry Bird has been in the NBA Finals 5 times as a player, all while playing with the Boston Celtics. And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. In his first season as Pacers coach, Indiana finished third in the east, having finished tenth the prior season. The Eastern Conference Finals were much more difficult. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite home wins in games three and five, the Pacers lost the series in six games, with Shaq and Kobe just being too much for Indianas stars. . As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. At that time, Bird also expressed unhappiness over Mangurians decision to sell the team, and he was one of the players who defended Fitch after they were swept by the Bucks. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans by the score of 7564. So, for me, being back in the old Boston Garden for Game 7, with twelve seconds left on the clock, and knowing that we were going to be world champions when absolutely no one gave us a chance but usthat is the thing that I remember the most.. Your email address will not be published. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. No stats available. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. Houston had gone 40-42 in the 1980-81 regular season compared to Boston's 62-20 season under second-year Celtics sensation Larry Bird you may have heard of him.