Data Provided By The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. He shone as a head coach and executive for the Indiana Pacers; in fact, hes the only man in history to win Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year. Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. 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) . Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. No stats available. 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. Background. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. Right, Born: In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. 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. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. Larry Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 & 1986, the trophy would go to his teammate Cedric Maxwell in 1981. In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead with a 121-103 victory, as Larry Bird scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The Celtics star received 52 first placed votes, with second place Bernard King only getting eleven. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. 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. FTA complete back to 1948-49. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. 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. Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 and immediately took up an advisory role with the Boston Celtics. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. 1983: Moses Malone: C: We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their legendary head-to-head matchups. Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. 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. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Larry averaged 27-10-7 and led the Celtics with 36 points in a game-five win that saw the Celtics beat the Hawks by 33 points. It didnt take the Lakers long to learn, but in that series, it was the element of surprise that we needed. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. 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. Bird outscored Dr. J 26.7 to 19.9 ppg in the series, led all players in rebounds and was second on Boston in assists. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they came away with a 111-102 victory. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. It was one of the most dominant playoff runs that we had ever seen in basketball at this time and it was hard to imagine them as anything other than favorites entering that series against the Rockets, a team that they already beat in the championship before. Two-time National Basketball Association champion Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell points to the pillars of the game when it comes to the question, "Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?" "I measure it by those who changed the game," said the former Boston Celtics standout on Sunday afternoon while taking part in the Legends & Stars Sports Expo at Batavia Downs Gaming. Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Do you have a blog? The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. Its pretty easy to forget how many times Bird has been in the NBA Finals with all of the many accolades and unbelievably, but true, stories about him. Your email address will not be published. more information Accept. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Indiana State University, High School: 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. . Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The games were not much closer than the series itself. With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? You have to really understand the circumstances in each Finals run and see how he ended up with the record that he has right now. Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. We have seen some teams lose in the NBA Finals off of some injuries and other situations leading up to it that the box score doesnt show, so lets dive into Birds record. The Bucks now featured a young Terry Cummings along with Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief. In this first iconic matchup, eight Hall of Famers saw play. Regular Season Record: 62-20 (The Celtics tied with 76ers for 1st in the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference and the NBA but the Cs got the #1 seed in a tiebreaker by winning the last game of the season vs the Sixers). The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. Karl Malone believes LeBrons greatness is there to appreciate, not to hate. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. He led the Cs to a Conference Finals appearance once or twice in the ensuing years but the team just wasnt nearly as competitive anymore and it was obvious that Larry was getting up there in age. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. Is it tied to championships? Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Larry Bird | Net Worth, Salary, And Career Earnings The Indiana-born was the highest-paid rookie of the year, with $3.25 million an average of $650,000 a year in a 5-year contract with the Celtics.Bird had played 879 games in his career until his retirement in 1992.. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. 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. Teaming with players like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Maxwell was an essential player on Boston teams that won NBA championships in both 1981 and 1984. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. . 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 . Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. This included a Game six victory where a hostile Boston crowd booed Ralph Sampson, sapping his confidence to the point he only had 8 points on 3-12 shooting. Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. The Eastern Conference Finals were much more difficult. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. "Wilt . How to say Basketball in different languages? The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. Coopers. Answer (1 of 2): Larry Bird has been in the NBA Finals 5 times as a player, all while playing with the Boston Celtics. December 7, The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. Bird averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the series. Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. The Celtics then took the series lead for the first time by winning Game 5 but the thoroughbred Lakers sent the series to a Game 7 with their own double-digit win. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. In terms of individual honors, he won the 1979-80 Rookie of the Year title, claimed three MVP crowns, and earned two NBA Finals MVP nods. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Games. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. . At the risk of boring you with a list of his all-time accomplishments, well run through an abbreviated version of Birds body of work. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. 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. Larry Joe Bird. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. They did make the playoffs the year after and many thought that they would easily repeat at first. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. 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. And after watching the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers twice during the 1982 and 1983 Finals, they were determined to win in 84. Larry Bird's Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Only game 3 finished within ten points with the Cs winning 111-107. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. Thanks for signing up. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. Do you have a sports website? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Those other two times? Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. Some of Johnson's notable performances against Bird: As for some of Bird's notable performances against Johnson: Johnson and Bird played against each other 19 times in the playoffs over the course of three NBA Finals. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. The Lakers took an early lead in overtime, but a controversial foul call foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, had been his 6th foul, and he was out of the game. The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 198384 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. Birds Pacers swept the Bucks and the Sixers in the first two rounds of the playoffs and looked likely to make it to the finals as they came up against the eight seed New York Knicks in the conference finals. 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. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Larry Bird is 6-9. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. When discussing his legacy with Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press (h/t the Daily Hampshire Gazette), Bird didnt take much time to sing his own praises. Larry Bird is one of the few basketball players in history that are widely recognized even by people who dont even know the sport. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. 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. Peak, Bird was better imo 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 Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. 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. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Navigation Toggle NBA. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. 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. Your email address will not be published. Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history. No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, though, Larry Bird has you covered. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. talent just don't get it. Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers, Malcolm Emmons and MPS - USA TODAY Sports. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. . Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. The Bucks were led in the series, as they had been in the regular season, by wing Marques Johnson and Hall of Fame guard Sidney Moncrief. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. . Bill suffered through injuries for much of his career but appeared in 80 games for the Celtics. Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. 6-9 , 220lb (206cm, 99kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. This was brought on after Ralph had an altercation with a Boston player in game five. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. The 1984 NBA Finals was the first championship meeting between old rivals Boston and Los Angeles since 1969. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. Before the season began, the Lakers traded long-time guard Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Byron Scott. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. The following season, the Celtics did end up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers after winning their first-round series against the Washington Bullets (what a team name!). He joined the Celtics a year later. . Bird: "So you're overpaid.". The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. . Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. Funny story about that series, Boston was actually down 3-1 entering Game 5, and Bird ended up dropping 32, 25 and 23 points in each of those games to rally off three straight wins and advance his team to the Finals. [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. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. In the first two NBA matchups between Bird and Magic . What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He stayed loyal to the Celtics throughout his entire career and they were the team that reaped the benefits of his five NBA Finals appearances and three NBAchampionships. Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. It's an era thing. Larry Birds NBA Finals record is 3-2. The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. Nevertheless, it is rare to see a player dominate in so many areas of the game, theres no wonder why the Celtics made multiple deep playoff runs. While he didnt change who he was if anything, the Hick from French Lick was remarkably consistent he had an incredibly low-key take when it came to his own legacy. . Shoots: It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. 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. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. Bird also won Finals MVP in 1986 when he scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and had 2.7 steals per game.