larry bird finals record

His first run to the NBA Finals came in his second season, averaging 21-11-5 with 2 steals a game. His back suffered major issues, as he injured it building on his farm. Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their The Celtics had hope they could avenge the loss of two years prior. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. 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. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Bird scored almost 26 points per game in winning his third-straight MVP award. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. 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.. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. In 1986, they failed a third straight NBA Finals meeting (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Houston Rockets. Indiana State University, High School: The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Bird poured in 39 in game 7 to lead the Cs to 30.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists for the series. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. This Finals had everything. 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. 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 . The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. This was Birds last season with Indiana State as he had been drafted by the Celtics in 1978, but chose to play out one final year with his college instead of going straight to the NBA. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. I wrote about his underrated defense here. It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica - Walmart Larry Bird's Stats For Each Season: Consistency Was The Key, He . 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. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's clothesline take-down of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. In 1979, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird faced off for the first time in the NBA. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Larry Bird (Larry Legend; The Hick from French Lick) Position: Forward 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) School: Indiana State (Men) Draft: Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA draft. Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. 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. Big Names Off the Bench: Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton and Scott Wedman. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. With a new head coach in KC Jones and plenty of uncertainties, Carr said their motto for the season was Dont be denied. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. Larry Bird, the former basketball player for NBA's Boston Celtics, is a true icon in the world of basketball. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. 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. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. October 9, 2019. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the finals twice, preventing Bird from having any more NBA titles. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. However, this was not the case. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Those other two times? Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. After . Is it tied to championships? They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. JJ Redick Tried to Clarify His Stance on Larry Bird and '80s Basketball The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. . If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . . Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. 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. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse 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. Paul George: 'I still believe we're gonna be a tough team to beat in seven games', Gilbert Arenas on Ja Morant: 'When we young, we do stupid sh**', Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not on injury report, Erik Spoelstra refuses to comment on when Kyle Lowry will return, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala probable for Sunday against Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. How Does Larry Birds Finals Record Compare to Other Great NBA Players? Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird sparked greatest NBA Finals 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. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. Shoots: He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. 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. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. 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. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes 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 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 Cs won a couple home games to start the series then lost a close one on the road. That went to Birds teammate. Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. Despite excellent performances in his first two seasons, Indiana State had very little success. Answer (1 of 6): Larry Bird (basketball player) was 3-2 in the NBA Finals. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? . Do you have a blog? The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. 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 averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Larry Bird Net Worth. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. The games were reasonably close if the series was not. Despite just reaching the finals, Bird stuck to his word and resigned shortly after the finals, taking up the role of Pacers president of basketball operations in 2003. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. He joined the Celtics a year later. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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 . Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. The 10 Best NBA Players That Larry Bird Beat In The NBA Finals - MSN The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the 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. 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. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 0:49. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. us, College: Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak.

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