The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 and immediately took up an advisory role with the Boston Celtics. December 7, There are so many different titles that Bird has. . The Cs won a couple home games to start the series then lost a close one on the road. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. 1956 Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. NY Knicks 4-3, 1984 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Bird was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the series. 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. Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. inWest Baden,Indiana The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. Is it tied to championships? 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. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. Larry Bird stats . Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. NAME. . 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. 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 Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. 1981 was against the Houston Rockets where Cedric Maxwell was the NBA Finals MVP. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . Larry Bird was a star. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Carr revealed that the motto of the 1983-84 Celtics was Dont be denied, and the team ended up winning the championship that no one thought they would win. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. If you remember, there was Kevin McHales hit on Kurt Rambis, and there was Larry Bird bumping Michael Cooper out of bounds. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. . Background. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. The Bucks swept the Nets in the first round then took seven games to get by a tough Sixers squad starring a young. 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) . After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. 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. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. In other words, he noticed that some . Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. 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. Your email address will not be published. The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. Bird created a very good team. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. By the end of the 1984 season Bird had won his second NBA title, both with the Celtics. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 232 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. The Celtics then took the series lead for the first time by winning Game 5 but the thoroughbred Lakers sent the series to a Game 7 with their own double-digit win. 6-9 , 220lb (206cm, 99kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. 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. Having finished second in MVP voting the prior year, Bird dominated the season and the voting. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. . 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. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. His back suffered major issues, as he injured it building on his farm. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. By: HoopsHype. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. The Sixers had an incredible roster featuring three Hall of Famers in Julius Dr. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . 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. 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 . 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.. Larry Bird Net Worth. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. 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. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. However, despite sweeping the Bulls in the first round again, they had serious issues the next few. Join our linker program. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. Traditional In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. Bird: "So you're overpaid.". 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 . Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. 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. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record. 1984 was against the Los Ange. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. Please check your email for a confirmation. Now, the explanation. 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. That went to Birds teammate. However, this was not the case. Former Celtics player M.L. Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. Those other two times? Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. Not that there was anything to really worry about for him, it really just added a chip on his shoulder to come back and perform to a high standard. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. 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 . Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Which Player has Played in the Most NBA Finals Games? Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. Regular Season Record: 62-20 (The Celtics tied with 76ers for 1st in the Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference and the NBA but the Cs got the #1 seed in a tiebreaker by winning the last game of the season vs the Sixers). 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. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. Larry Bird's 1986 Playoff Stats . 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. 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. So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. As with many teams in the 1990s, the Pacers were stopped by the Chicago Bulls, losing the series in seven games as the Bulls did not lose a home game in the series. 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. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. His first run to the NBA Finals came in his second season, averaging 21-11-5 with 2 steals a game. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Indiana took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 198384 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. 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. Known as "Larry Legend," Bird has achieved incredible success in his career, earning multiple awards and holding numerous records. Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. Bird did not technically average a triple double for the series because both his rebounds and assists were slightly below 10 and Ive rounded them, but, still, those stats are unreal. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. Do you have a sports website? The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. 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. 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. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Larry Bird is 6-9. 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. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. There's always a mystique about players that played before the 90's because we don't have all the data, stats etc as we have to. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. I wrote about his underrated defense here. 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. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. They were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in six games. 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 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. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. More player info 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. 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. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. 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. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Celtics swept the Bulls after getting a bye in the first round for winning the Atlantic Division. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. Its pretty easy to forget how many times Bird has been in the NBA Finals with all of the many accolades and unbelievably, but true, stories about him. 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. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. All three broke into laughter, led by Russell's infamous cackle. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. Jelani Scott. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as James Worthy, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place. Bill suffered through injuries for much of his career but appeared in 80 games for the Celtics. 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. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. 1983: Moses Malone: C: Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. 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 American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. Or write about sports? 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. It's an era thing. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series.

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