. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In the first two NBA matchups between Bird and Magic . The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. The Celtics had hope they could avenge the loss of two years prior. The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. A year later, the Pacers would not have to worry about Michael Jordan as they returned to the playoffs, this time as the second seed in the east. Larry Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 & 1986, the trophy would go to his teammate Cedric Maxwell in 1981. Traditional 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. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. The series was the eighth time in NBA history that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each time, and the first championship that the Celtics claimed at home since 1966. 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. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. Larry Joe Bird. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. By the end of the 1984 season Bird had won his second NBA title, both with the Celtics. Larry Bird's Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Please check your email for a confirmation. After . The Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Answer (1 of 43): To start by answering the question, I'd say - yes. 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. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Right, Born: Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. In their professional careers, Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic played for the Los Angeles . Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Indiana took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics won game 2 at home but lost two games in Philly to fall behind 3-1. In other words, he noticed that some . Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. The Celtics star received 52 first placed votes, with second place Bernard King only getting eleven. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. Get the latest news on Larry Bird, biographical info . He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. 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. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? Jelani Scott. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. 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 . Coopers. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . . 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.. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources. 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. 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. 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 . The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. Peak, Bird was better imo 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. Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. 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. 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. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. Carr. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. more information Accept. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. The Houston Rockets were mostly a completely different team from the Moses Malone-led Rockets of the 1981 Finals. Pretty good matchup between he and MJ. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. It must have lit a fire underneath Larry because he didnt let anything get in his way during his sophomore season. Small Forward and Power Forward During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. The games were close enough but never really in doubt. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. Home; Tickets; Schedule. As someone who watched Bird play and has now researched and written more than a half dozen articles about his career, I can help you out. 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. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. . That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. The teams traded games throughout the series. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Indiana State University, High School: Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups . 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. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. Three seasons later, the Celtics were in the finals again and this time they faced the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson for the first time. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. 1956 And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. Former Celtics player M.L. Bird outscored Dr. J 26.7 to 19.9 ppg in the series, led all players in rebounds and was second on Boston in assists. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. 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. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Celtics forward Larry Bird averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. 6-9 , 220lb (206cm, 99kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. 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. Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. There are so many different titles that Bird has. Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. His first MVP award was in 1984. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. 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. Despite excellent performances in his first two seasons, Indiana State had very little success. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. The Eastern Conference Finals were much more difficult. 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). [1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. How to say Basketball in different languages? Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. 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 . 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. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. Larry Bird is one of the few basketball players in history that are widely recognized even by people who dont even know the sport. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It's an era thing. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. Larry Bird: Biography. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Hall of Fame. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 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. 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.

Police Dispatcher Training Checklist, Recent Obituaries Whittier, Ca, Missouri Youth Wrestling State 2022, Rocky River Teacher Investigation, Articles L