The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. The Celtics had hope they could avenge the loss of two years prior. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. Julius Erving, in full Julius Winfield Erving II, byname Doctor J, (born February 22, 1950, Roosevelt, New York, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player who was one of the most colourful and exciting figures in the game during the 1970s and '80s. No stats available. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. 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. 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. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. 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. The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. 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. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. Houston had gone 40-42 in the 1980-81 regular season compared to Boston's 62-20 season under second-year Celtics sensation Larry Bird you may have heard of him. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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. 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 . I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. 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 his first NBA Finals MVP. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. Magic led the team in scoring this time but was still joined by the same stars: Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper. Bird averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the series. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Larry Bird would go after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Jelani Scott. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. They were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in six games. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? That NCAA tournament final is one of the most iconic games in college basketball history. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . Or write about sports? Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. 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 . 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. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. 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. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. 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. The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. Big Names Off the Bench: Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton and Scott Wedman. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. 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. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. 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. 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) . 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. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. 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. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. 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. What surprises me more, though, is that former NBA player, 38-year-old JJ Redick, can't admit that the NBA of the 1980s was more physical than the game played today.. Nearly two weeks ago, Redick caused a stir by saying Bird shouldn't be considered . Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. There are so many different titles that Bird has. 0:00. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. They did make the playoffs the year after and many thought that they would easily repeat at first. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. 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. 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. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. Despite home wins in games three and five, the Pacers lost the series in six games, with Shaq and Kobe just being too much for Indianas stars. . The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. 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. The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. FTA complete back to 1948-49. 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. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. This was Birds last finals appearance, meaning that he went to five NBA finals overall, winning 3. . Larry Bird was born on as Larry Joe Bird to parents: Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.He attended Springs Valley High School. In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. BOSTON (AP) June 12, 1984: The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-102 in Game 7 in the first NBA Finals between Boston's Larry Bird and Los Angeles' Magic Johnson . The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. This was a fantastic series overall. As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. May 12, 2022. The Knicks had slipped past a young Detroit Pistons team featuring Kelly Tripucka, Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer in five games in the first round. Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. more information Accept. Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. 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. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . The 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell led the team in scoring after saying something like Get on my back boys before the game. Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . Larry Bird's 1986 Playoff Stats . J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. A superstar. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. 1984 was against the Los Ange. 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. Now, the explanation. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. Larry Bird picked up the 1984 MVP award and led his Celtics to the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 62-20 overall record. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. Amazing! Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. Larry Bird won three championships as a player, but did not win any as a coach. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. 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. 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. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. 2022-23 Season Schedule; Games. 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. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Below you can see the playoff results for all of Birds Celtics teams. 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 . . He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. Carr. Throughout the season, he showed that he was the reigning MVP and had an excellent statistical season. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? This was brought on after Ralph had an altercation with a Boston player in game five. Larry Bird: Biography. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. Im kind of country, she explained. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. Do you have a sports website? Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. 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. And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Larry Bird's continuing influence on the game of basketball crossed a new threshold . I wrote about his underrated defense here. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. This struggle did not deter Bird. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Bird only averaged 15 points per game throughout the series but he did drop a series high 27 points in Game 6 to officially send the Rockets packing, as Bird won his first chip. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. 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. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Take a look below. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. Larry Bird stats . The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987.
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