The Boston Celtics legend is one of three players in NBA history to win three straight MVPs, and he helped the C's win three championships in the 1980s.. Bird, along with Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson, helped take the NBA to another level. The Celtics got the better of their Showtime Lakers rivales in a heated seven game series to claim the 1984 NBA Title. The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. 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.
Michael Cooper Explains What Made Larry Bird 'Larger Than Life' The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by Tom Heinsohn, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until 1987. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: .
Larry Bird's Finals Record: An All-Time Great! - Sports Nostalgia HQ 0:00. His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. That went to Birds teammate. Adding one more hall of famer, Bill Walton, put this team over the top. Larry Bird Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Boston Celtics Forward Larry Bird. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. 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). 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. Then came the championship series. There's always a mystique about players that played before the 90's because we don't have all the data, stats etc as we have to.
Legends profile: Larry Bird | NBA.com Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. 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 . Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring.
Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . Coopers. Larry Bird was a star. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. May 12, 2022. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. The Bullets also had rookie Jeff Malone, who was a backup at this point but would go on to be a star, and future Piston Bad Boy Rick Mahorn. 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 . 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.
. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. .
Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird sparked greatest NBA Finals Former Celtics player M.L. The Lakers took game 1 in Boston and looked like they made take a commanding 2-0 lead when Gerald Henderson stole the ball and the series. As with many teams in the 1990s, the Pacers were stopped by the Chicago Bulls, losing the series in seven games as the Bulls did not lose a home game in the series. The Celtics then knocked the 76ers off once again, this time in five games and advanced to the Finals for the second time in as many years. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend.
M.L. Carr on Lakers vs. Celtics 1984 Finals being epic - Basketball Bird created a very good team. 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. Carr revealed that the motto of the 1983-84 Celtics was Dont be denied, and the team ended up winning the championship that no one thought they would win.
How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? - Basketball Noise Jelani Scott. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. In other words, he noticed that some . Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as James Worthy, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. L.A. went on to blow out the Celtics in Game 3 but the resilient Celtics responded with a 129-125 OT win in Game 4 which was sealed by Carrs steal at the buzzer. 0:49. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date.
1984 NBA Finals - Wikipedia Larry pushed the Celtics out of the second round with an easy 4-1 series win over the Atlanta Hawks, led at the time by Dominique Wilkins. Carr. The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Fox believes the Westbrook is the most scrutinized player in the NBA, while also stating that everyone inside the league loves Westbrook, regardless of what the outside perception may be, Arenas believes that the Grizzlies should ignore Morant's actions because every other team would and he's a productive player for them, Tim Hardaway told his favorite Run TMC story involving Don Nelson which resulted to an unforgettable moment for the group. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. 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. Big Names Off the Bench: Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton and Scott Wedman. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. 6-9 , 220lb (206cm, 99kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . . It was an offensive and defensive clinic. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State.
Larry Bird Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more James Posey shared the culture that made the 2008 Boston Celtics experience so unique. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low .
Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series - Reddit The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Featuring prime Larry Legend, apex Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. They easily won their first round series against the Washington Bullets as they were named at that time, then advanced and knocked off the New York Knicks in a seven-game series. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. . Despite a back injury in the 1985 offseason, Bird averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebound and 6.8 assists per game and for the third straight season, the Celtics finished top of the Eastern Conference. Your email address will not be published. I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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.. All rights reserved. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. Karl Malone believes LeBrons greatness is there to appreciate, not to hate. . Bird: "So you're overpaid.". 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. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.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 75-64. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. Small Forward and Power Forward He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. 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. In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. Bird was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the series. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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.
Indiana State University, High School: Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP.
Larry Bird NBA Finals Stats | StatMuse It gave Bird his first finals loss in his third appearance. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 .
Top 15 Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Star - TheSportster During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. 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. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. The Sixers had an incredible roster featuring three Hall of Famers in Julius Dr. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics.
NBA unveils two new postseason awards named after Larry Bird, Magic After . Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory.
Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape 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. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. Unfortunately for the Pacers and Larry Bird, the Lakers were just too much for the Pacers. 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 led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. 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 . Larry Bird: Biography. . If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging 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. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. The Cs closed it out with a lopsided victory in game 5. 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. 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. 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. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across the regular season as the Celtics once again topped the eastern conference. 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!).