larry bird finals record

Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. . inWest Baden,Indiana 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. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 232 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. talent just don't get it. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. 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. The 1985 NBA Finals & Brawling Larry Bird It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? . What is Larry Bird's Record in the NBA Finals? Larry Bird's continuing influence on the game of basketball crossed a new threshold . In this first iconic matchup, eight Hall of Famers saw play. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. 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. The Bucks now featured a young Terry Cummings along with Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief. 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. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. 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 . The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. . Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. 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 Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. larry bird finals record - josieya Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Games. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. . The Celtics took seven games to defeat Bernard Kings Knicks in the conference semifinals. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups . The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Isn't 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7 assists per game one of the coolest statlines for an NBA playoff series ever?A quote from Larry Bird's book "Drive" co. Top 15 Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Star - TheSportster Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (5428) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Amazing! Magic gets the edge because he finished his career stronger, he was able to get/maybe steal from Charles Barkley the 1990 MVP, and he got the Lakers to another finals in 91, after 88 and the injuries Boston was done being any kind of serious contender they never got past the second round again for the rest of Larry Bird's time but if you're talkin Peak vs. 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. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com Legends profile: Larry Bird | NBA.com I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. Coming off the back of a disappointing loss to the Lakers in the finals, many people saw Bird taking a step back going into the 1985-86 season. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. 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. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. The teams traded games throughout the series. Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. . Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . 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. Small Forward and Power Forward Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. 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 . The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. 1983: Moses Malone: C: By: HoopsHype. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. 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. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. 0:49. As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. This struggle did not deter Bird. In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91F (33C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. 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 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. . 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. The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. He joined the Celtics a year later. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. 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. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. Is it tied to championships? This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. 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. Exclusive Q&A with former Charlotte star Cornbread Maxwell | Charlotte 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. The 86 Celts, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time, defeated Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time, in the first round. And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. The Celtics star received 52 first placed votes, with second place Bernard King only getting eleven. Background. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Bird averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the series. Larry wouldnt have been a controversial choice, but Cedric Maxwell was the emotional center of the Celtics and meant so much to the teams culture. Larry Bird won three championships as a player, but did not win any as a coach. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. This Finals had everything. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. When asked about what he remembers most about beating the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals, Carrs reply was: The final seconds of Game 7. The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Thanks for signing up. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. Larry Bird - 1981 Finals (All Points + Passing & Rebounding) Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. 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's Boston Celtics won the NBA championship three times during his career (1981 and '86 vs. the Houston Rockets, '84 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers), and Bird won Finals MVP in '84 and '86. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. NAME DATE SEASON SERIES TM OPP REC W% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% PF +/-Magic Johnson: 5/27/1984: 1983-84 . 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. How Larry Bird was robbed of the 1981 NBA playoff and - CelticsBlog May 12, 2022. Peak, Bird was better imo 1984 NBA Finals - Wikipedia The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography In other words, he noticed that some . 1984: Larry Bird: Boston Celtics: No stats available. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. By the end of the 1984 season Bird had won his second NBA title, both with the Celtics. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Larry Bird: Career retrospective | Yardbarker Julius Erving | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Game 7 at the Boston Garden was one for the ages! Larry Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 & 1986, the trophy would go to his teammate Cedric Maxwell in 1981. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. 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 an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. 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. 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 league had changed the Finals homecourt schedule to the 2-3-2 format that year, allowing the team with the lesser record (LA) to host the middle three games. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Jayson Tatum passed Larry Bird for the most 30 point games The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left. Here's when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson learned they have a lot - Yahoo Regardless, Johnson and Bird are widelyregarded as beingtwo of thegreatest players to have ever played the gameand they made for one of the greatest rivalries, one that will never be forgotten. Bird: "So you're overpaid.". During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Reliving the almost-perfect championship series stint authored by Larry Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 0:00. Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Those other two times? 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. The Celtics won game 2 at home but lost two games in Philly to fall behind 3-1. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. Larry Bird stats . The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. 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. The 10 Best NBA Players That Larry Bird Beat In The NBA Finals - MSN Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? He won his second NBA Finals MVP. It's an era thing. 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. [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. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series - Reddit Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse . Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | NBA.com While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:16. Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. Fitch went on to say that Mangurians decision to sell the team was the backbreaker and that he would have reconsidered his resignation had the team not been put up for sale. The Hawks also still had good rebounder Tree Rollis. 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. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. Required fields are marked *. 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. Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history.

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