the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 1983: Moses Malone: C: His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. 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. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. 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 . 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 . Larry Bird - College Basketball At Sports-Reference He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. JJ Redick Tried to Clarify His Stance on Larry Bird and '80s Basketball If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. 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. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Known as "Larry Legend," Bird has achieved incredible success in his career, earning multiple awards and holding numerous records. Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. 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. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Boston Celtics Forward Larry Bird. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for the series. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. The Bulls lost Michael Jordan for most of this season to a foot injury and they were mostly terrible, finishing 4th in the Central Division. Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. 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. The games were close enough but never really in doubt. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Quora 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. I wrote about his underrated defense here. Bird: "So you're overpaid.". he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. LeBron James' teams have met or exceeded expectations in NBA Finals Find out more. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. A superstar. The Celtics swept the Bulls after getting a bye in the first round for winning the Atlantic Division. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. 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. At that time, Bird also expressed unhappiness over Mangurians decision to sell the team, and he was one of the players who defended Fitch after they were swept by the Bucks. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. 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. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. Some of Johnson's notable performances against Bird: As for some of Bird's notable performances against Johnson: Johnson and Bird played against each other 19 times in the playoffs over the course of three NBA Finals. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. 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. 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. 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. Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. Julius Erving | Biography, Stats, & Facts | Britannica In terms of individual honors, he won the 1979-80 Rookie of the Year title, claimed three MVP crowns, and earned two NBA Finals MVP nods. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. 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. Exclusive Q&A with former Charlotte star Cornbread Maxwell | Charlotte The games were reasonably close if the series was not. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. The Celtics blew out Houston in game 5 behind a big effort from Cedric Maxwell and then took a big lead and held on to win in game 6. While he didnt change who he was if anything, the Hick from French Lick was remarkably consistent he had an incredibly low-key take when it came to his own legacy. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. 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. As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. . Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. 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. Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. 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. Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. Larry Bird is 6-9. Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. In the first two NBA matchups between Bird and Magic . The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. 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) . Or write about sports? 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. Amazing! How to say Basketball in different languages? The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. My favorite quotes about Larry Bird - CelticsBlog Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. 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. 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 the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. 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. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. 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. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. Larry Bird's Stats For Each Season: Consistency Was The Key, He Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. Everything you wanted to know about Indiana legend Larry Bird Larry averaged 27-10-6. 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. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Background. However, this was not the case. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with 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. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. Larry Bird. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series - Reddit Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. 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. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA finals? - Quora They were the thoroughbreds, we were the Clydesdales., It was a very physical series, and thats exactly what we wanted because we knew thats the only way we could beat those guys. When Larry Bird Began His Coaching Career, He Revealed - Sportscasting 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. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN The top 31 players and coaches, In 1981, the Celtics beat a Houston Rockets team featuring, In 1984, Birds Celtics beat the Showtime Lakers featuring, In 1986 the Celtics defeated a pretty different Houston Rockets squad. And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. . (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right. No stats available. You can't tell the story of the 1980s without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. This included a Game six victory where a hostile Boston crowd booed Ralph Sampson, sapping his confidence to the point he only had 8 points on 3-12 shooting. 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. Larry Bird Vs Magic Johnson : r/nba - Reddit Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. 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. Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird If you were wondering about his career numbers while we wrap this up, he averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . Houston Rockets 4-2, who would briefly play with Bird later in his career, the greatest non-final series in NBA history, Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. . These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. By: HoopsHype. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape WATCH: Every play by Larry Bird in the 1981 NBA Finals vs. the Rockets Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. In terms of individual honors, he won the 1979-80 Rookie of the Year title, claimed three MVP crowns, and earned two NBA Finals MVP nods. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. 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. Answer (1 of 6): Larry Bird (basketball player) was 3-2 in the NBA Finals. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. 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. They did make the playoffs the year after and many thought that they would easily repeat at first. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com 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. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? Larry Bird News, Biography, NBA Records, Stats & Facts - Sportskeeda Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. Jayson Tatum's 25th birthday | ksdk.com The Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. 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. Larry Bird, the former basketball player for NBA's Boston Celtics, is a true icon in the world of basketball. 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 views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. This Finals had everything. Those other two times? His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round.