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. Larry Bird's Stats For Each Season: Consistency Was The Key, He 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. 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. Only the strong survive. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. How Larry Bird was robbed of the 1981 NBA playoff and - CelticsBlog The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. I wrote about his underrated defense here. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Bird's Boston Celtics won the NBA championship three times during his career (1981 and '86 vs. the Houston Rockets, '84 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers), and Bird won Finals MVP in '84 and '86. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. 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. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. Michael Cooper Explains What Made Larry Bird 'Larger Than Life' Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . It didnt take the Lakers long to learn, but in that series, it was the element of surprise that we needed. more information Accept. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? He won his second NBA Finals MVP. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN 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 . Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN 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. 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. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. Small Forward and Power Forward Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. Bird averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the series. December 7, Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . 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 Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. In his first season as Pacers coach, Indiana finished third in the east, having finished tenth the prior season. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. Traditional Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. 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. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. 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. 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. My favorite quotes about Larry Bird - CelticsBlog Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? This book highlighted the rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson throughout their respected basketball careers. 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. more information Accept. . Bird's Pacers fell in the East finals in '98 and '99, then came up short in the NBA Finals in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. Jayson Tatum's 25th birthday | ksdk.com He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. . Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. In other words, he noticed that some . The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com 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 Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. 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. Featuring prime Larry Legend, apex Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Larry Bird - 1981 Finals (All Points + Passing & Rebounding) 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. 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. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Larry Bird won three championships as a player, but did not win any as a coach. . (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. 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 Cs closed it out with a lopsided victory in game 5. At the macro level, the famous won three titles with the Boston Celtics. Reliving the almost-perfect championship series stint authored by Larry 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. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. Bird scored almost 26 points per game in winning his third-straight MVP award. 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. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. Please check your email for a confirmation. However, this was not the case. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. 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 . Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) .
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