However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. [1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Bird created a very good team. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. . Michael Cooper Explains What Made Larry Bird 'Larger Than Life' Pretty good matchup between he and MJ. Former Celtics player M.L. 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 . I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. May 12, 2022. The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. 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 averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. 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. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. 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. And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. . Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. He was still one to wear what he wanted, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and, in this case, refuse to hype up his own accomplishments. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. 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. Carr. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. 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. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. 1983: Moses Malone: C: The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history. The Celtics star received 52 first placed votes, with second place Bernard King only getting eleven. Larry Bird Net Worth. 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 reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. 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. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. Larry Bird said there were 'obvious' differences between himself and Magic Johnson. The next year, the NBA Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format with Game 5 going to the team without home-court advantage, which continued through 2013. 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 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Only game 3 finished within ten points with the Cs winning 111-107. Please check your email for a confirmation. 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. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 and immediately took up an advisory role with the Boston Celtics. Larry Birds NBA Finals record is 3-2. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Larry Bird Had a Perfectly Understated Response While Discussing His Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. 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. Im kind of country, she explained. Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird sparked greatest NBA Finals Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. Top 15 Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Star - TheSportster Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. FTA complete back to 1948-49. more information Accept. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson | Stathead.com Two-time National Basketball Association champion Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell points to the pillars of the game when it comes to the question, "Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?" "I measure it by those who changed the game," said the former Boston Celtics standout on Sunday afternoon while taking part in the Legends & Stars Sports Expo at Batavia Downs Gaming. Do you have a blog? Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Larry Bird - Wikipedia So, for me, being back in the old Boston Garden for Game 7, with twelve seconds left on the clock, and knowing that we were going to be world champions when absolutely no one gave us a chance but usthat is the thing that I remember the most.. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. The Bucks swept the Nets in the first round then took seven games to get by a tough Sixers squad starring a young. 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. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? Houston had gone 40-42 in the 1980-81 regular season compared to Boston's 62-20 season under second-year Celtics sensation Larry Bird you may have heard of him. Larry Bird - 1981 Finals (All Points + Passing & Rebounding) James Posey shared the culture that made the 2008 Boston Celtics experience so unique. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. larry bird finals record - josieya 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. The Cs were heavily favored and had won 10 straight vs the Rockets, but Houston put up more of a fight than expected. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. 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. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. They did make the playoffs the year after and many thought that they would easily repeat at first. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. 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. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. They easily won their first round series against the Washington Bullets as they were named at that time, then advanced and knocked off the New York Knicks in a seven-game series. The Bucks now featured a young Terry Cummings along with Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief. Larry Bird would go after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. JJ Redick Tried to Clarify His Stance on Larry Bird and '80s Basketball Indiana took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? The Houston Rockets were mostly a completely different team from the Moses Malone-led Rockets of the 1981 Finals. If you remember, there was Kevin McHales hit on Kurt Rambis, and there was Larry Bird bumping Michael Cooper out of bounds. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. 1984 was against the Los Ange. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. 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. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . 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. Larry Bird Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. Games. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. Unfortunately for the Pacers and Larry Bird, the Lakers were just too much for the Pacers. Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by Tom Heinsohn, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until 1987. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN At the macro level, the famous won three titles with the Boston Celtics. 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. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Larry Bird Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Boston Celtics Forward Larry Bird. If you were wondering about his career numbers while we wrap this up, he averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for 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 Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. 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. Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this.