larry bird finals record

larry bird finals record

Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. Your email address will not be published. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. 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. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. Former Celtics player M.L. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. Then came the championship series. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. Those other two times? The following season, the Celtics did end up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers after winning their first-round series against the Washington Bullets (what a team name!). If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. Answer (1 of 6): Larry Bird (basketball player) was 3-2 in the NBA Finals. 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. Bird averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game for the series. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Hoop Maestro It didnt take the Lakers long to learn, but in that series, it was the element of surprise that we needed. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Magic gets the edge because he finished his career stronger, he was able to get/maybe steal from Charles Barkley the 1990 MVP, and he got the Lakers to another finals in 91, after 88 and the injuries Boston was done being any kind of serious contender they never got past the second round again for the rest of Larry Bird's time but if you're talkin Peak vs. Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? 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 . In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Houston Rockets were mostly a completely different team from the Moses Malone-led Rockets of the 1981 Finals. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. 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. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. 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 Celtics next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that swept them the year earlier. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Indiana State University, High School: 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. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? The Bucks won a five-game series over the Hawks to start the playoffs and got by Darryl Dawkins and his NJ Nets in round 2. In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. 1979-80 Bird 1980-81 Bird 1981-82 Bird 1982-83 Bird 1983-84 Bird 1984-85 Bird 1985-86 Bird 1986-87 Bird 1987-88 Bird 1988-89 Bird 1989-90 Bird 1990-91 Bird 1991-92 Bird 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 82 82 77 79 79 80 82 74 76 6 75 60 45. He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. 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 . 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. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? 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. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. 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's 1986 Playoff Stats . Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. It's an era thing. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. 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. And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. May 12, 2022. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. Find out more. 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. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Larry Bird - Wikipedia . The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. J Erving, The Sixers swept a weak Indiana Pacers team in round 1 (2-0) then went seven games to defeat a tough Milwaukee Bucks team starring Bob Lanier, Marques Johnson and. Thanks for signing up. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they came away with a 111-102 victory. 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. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. Known as "Larry Legend," Bird has achieved incredible success in his career, earning multiple awards and holding numerous records. The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. . 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. Magic vs. Bird: Reliving rivalry 40 Years after first NBA matchup So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. 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. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. However, despite sweeping the Bulls in the first round again, they had serious issues the next few. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Larry Bird - 1981 Finals (All Points + Passing & Rebounding) BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. This Finals had everything. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. 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. The games were reasonably close if the series was not. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. The Lakers took an early lead in overtime, but a controversial foul call foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, had been his 6th foul, and he was out of the game. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? 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. Fitch went on to say that Mangurians decision to sell the team was the backbreaker and that he would have reconsidered his resignation had the team not been put up for sale. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. 1983: Moses Malone: C: The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. 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. 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). LeBron James' teams have met or exceeded expectations in NBA Finals

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