Please check your email for a confirmation. Though just looking at his record can get a bit confusing. . The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. 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. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. 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. 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 . After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. 1984 NBA Finals - Wikipedia This was a fantastic series overall. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . I wrote about his underrated defense here. 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. In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. 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. The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. Those other two times? The games were not much closer than the series itself. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! After a tough seven game series in the conference finals against the Sixers, Boston advanced to the finals to face the Rockets. 1956 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. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. Im not a guy that talks about my past because I always look to the future, but you really sit down and look at it, Ive been involved in a lot, its pretty nice, the forward simply explained. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird - College Basketball At Sports-Reference Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. The Lakers destroyed the Cs in their first home game 137-104 in game 3. 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. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Larry Bird age, height, weight, net worth 2023, wife, kids, gay As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Bird vs. Magic: Stats, Rings & Head-to-Head Record | Heavy.com 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. 1983: Moses Malone: C: This was Birds last finals appearance, meaning that he went to five NBA finals overall, winning 3. What is Larry Bird's Record in the NBA Finals? Birds mother, Georgia, once said that she couldnt fathom he sons NBA salary and, despite his earning power, insisted that she wasnt out buying expensive clothes. The 86 Celts, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time, defeated Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time, in the first round. It's an era thing. In 1979, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird faced off for the first time in the NBA. And they werent. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. Funny story about that series, Boston was actually down 3-1 entering Game 5, and Bird ended up dropping 32, 25 and 23 points in each of those games to rally off three straight wins and advance his team to the Finals. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. How to say Basketball in different languages? He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 With a new head coach in KC Jones and plenty of uncertainties, Carr said their motto for the season was Dont be denied. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. 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 . In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. WATCH: Every play by Larry Bird in the 1981 NBA Finals vs. the Rockets Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. NBA unveils two new postseason awards named after Larry Bird, Magic We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Former Celtics player M.L. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . Boston's most crucial addition was Dennis Johnson, whom they acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason in hopes of addressing their porous back-court defense. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. more information Accept. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. 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 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 kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. Answer (1 of 2): Larry Bird has been in the NBA Finals 5 times as a player, all while playing with the Boston Celtics. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. Coopers. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". The series was not a close one: the Cs took a 3-0 lead before Milwaukee won their second home game to stay alive. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. Larry Birds NBA Finals record is 3-2. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has often been called the greatest in the NBA. The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. Larry Bird's Famous Wife Not Everyone Knows - msn.com 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. 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. Legends profile: Larry Bird | NBA.com Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. 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. Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. 0:00. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. 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. He stayed loyal to the Celtics throughout his entire career and they were the team that reaped the benefits of his five NBA Finals appearances and three NBAchampionships. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. 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. 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 Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson | Stathead.com The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. Everything you wanted to know about Indiana legend Larry Bird The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. 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 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. Larry Bird's 1986 Playoff Stats . Small Forward and Power Forward The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? - Basketball Noise The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. . Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. . Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. . Adding one more hall of famer, Bill Walton, put this team over the top. . Malone is an underrated player, not as well-known as he should be. This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. You can't tell the story of the 1980s without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. They were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in six games. The Houston Rockets were mostly a completely different team from the Moses Malone-led Rockets of the 1981 Finals. Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91F (33C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. 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. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. 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. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN 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. The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. 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 7564. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. Larry Bird was a star. Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. It featured the first time that Larry Bird met Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, their first head-to-head championship meeting since the 1979 NCAA title game. Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? 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 following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 232 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986.