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. Find out more. Larry Bird News, Biography, NBA Records, Stats & Facts - Sportskeeda 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!). The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. Those other two times? More player info Top 15 Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Star - TheSportster Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. 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. Larry Bird stats . Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? He was still one to wear what he wanted, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and, in this case, refuse to hype up his own accomplishments. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. Amazing! 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. Bird vs. Magic: Stats, Rings & Head-to-Head Record | Heavy.com 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. . In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. 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 Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Join our linker program. The Sixers had an incredible roster featuring three Hall of Famers in Julius Dr. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. In other words, he noticed that some . Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. Larry Bird Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more 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. Celtics-Lakers Rivalry | Basketball Wiki | Fandom 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. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. The Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. 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. 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. The Celtics won the Finals in six games to cap off a season that . NBA unveils two new postseason awards named after Larry Bird, Magic Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. The teams traded games throughout the series. Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. M.L. Carr on Lakers vs. Celtics 1984 Finals being epic - Basketball 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. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. Your email address will not be published. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Boston also had to deal with the impending free agency of Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Coopers. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. Im kind of country, she explained. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. . The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for the series. 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. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. This Finals had everything. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. The Cs won games five and six by two points each to reach game 7. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson | Stathead.com The games were reasonably close if the series was not. 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. 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. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. 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. 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. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 232 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history. The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the finals twice, preventing Bird from having any more NBA titles. NAME. Right, Born: 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. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Do you have a blog? In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. 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. FTA complete back to 1948-49. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. 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. 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. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. 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. 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 expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. The first two meetings of the season between Cleveland and Boston took OT, but the Celtics were able to sneak a 117-113 win at home. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. 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. 1984 was against the Los Ange. And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. The 1985 NBA Finals & Brawling Larry Bird The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Quora Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . Larry Bird [2023 Update]: Wife, Net worth & Family - Players Bio In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Larry led the team to a Game 7 victory while averaging 26-13-5, putting up a great stat line of 23-11-5 with 5 steals in the deciding Game 7. Bird created a very good team. Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers, Malcolm Emmons and MPS - USA TODAY Sports. 2022-23 Season Schedule; Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. Larry Bird Had a Perfectly Understated Response While Discussing His Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica - Walmart Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. When Larry Bird Began His Coaching Career, He Revealed - Sportscasting It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Here's when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson learned they have a lot - Yahoo 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. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. 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. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The games were close enough but never really in doubt. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. 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. 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. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. 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. 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. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. By the end of the 1984 season Bird had won his second NBA title, both with the Celtics. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. Please check your email for a confirmation. NBA Finals: Ranking the top Finals performers in NBA history - HoopsHype 1983: Moses Malone: C: All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. Larry Bird's Finals Record: An All-Time Great! - Sports Nostalgia HQ Traditional Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series - Reddit more information Accept. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. After a tough seven game series in the conference finals against the Sixers, Boston advanced to the finals to face the Rockets. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. The 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell led the team in scoring after saying something like Get on my back boys before the game. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups . Larry Joe Bird. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. Only the strong survive. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. Larry Bird: Career retrospective | Yardbarker There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? In his first trip to the NBA Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points, seven assists and 6.8 rebounds, but the Celtics came up short. So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. It's an era thing. 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. 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. Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. The Detroit Pistons took two games off them in the second round but it didnt matter, Bird averaged 28 points per game as they won in six. In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. Whether he makes an All-Defense team this season remains to be seen, but few wings in the association deserve more recognition than McDaniels this campaign. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. 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. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. And they werent. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left. After that the series was all Lakers, they won four of the next five games to end the series in six and hand Larry his first Finals loss. What is Larry Bird's Record in the NBA Finals? Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. It must have lit a fire underneath Larry because he didnt let anything get in his way during his sophomore season. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, though, Larry Bird has you covered. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. The 1984 NBA Finals was the first championship meeting between old rivals Boston and Los Angeles since 1969. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Larry Bird. It seemed like it should be an easy series for the Celtics, with game one and two victories by double digits, but the Knicks home crowd helped their team to win all their series home games. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . If you are interested in Larry Bird Championships, you might be interested in checking out some of these posts I have written about Larry Legend. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Jelani Scott. 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.

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