James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. December 7, Big Names Off the Bench: Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton and Scott Wedman. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. All-NBA First-Teamers NOT in the Hall of Fame, Basketball Positions 101: Understanding the Different Roles on the Court, The Best NBA Players to NOT Make the Hall of Fame, The Best All-Defensive Team in NBA History, The All-Time Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Superstar by Position. 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. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. After that the series was all Lakers, they won four of the next five games to end the series in six and hand Larry his first Finals loss. Larry Bird was born on as Larry Joe Bird to parents: Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.He attended Springs Valley High School. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. . Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. 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. 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. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. 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. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. 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 . He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. How to say Basketball in different languages? Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 and immediately took up an advisory role with the Boston Celtics. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. 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. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. The Celtics again saw their Eastern Conference rivals matching up against the Milwaukee Bucks. 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. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. 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. Better than MJ, LeBron, Kareem, Larry and Magic.If you take out Steph's games with an NBA75 teammate (KD), Steph's Playoff Win% is 48-26 (.649), which is still better than Duncan, Kobe and Larry Bird's with all their NBA75 teammates. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. What is Larry Birds Record in the NBA Finals? You have to really understand the circumstances in each Finals run and see how he ended up with the record that he has right now. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. more information Accept. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. 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. Peak, Bird was better imo The Boston Celtics won the 1981 NBA Championship in six games giving Larry Bird his first NBA title. Having finished second in MVP voting the prior year, Bird dominated the season and the voting. All three broke into laughter, led by Russell's infamous cackle. Houston Rockets 4-2, who would briefly play with Bird later in his career, the greatest non-final series in NBA history, Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. Small Forward and Power Forward Larry Bird picked up the 1984 MVP award and led his Celtics to the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 62-20 overall record. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. 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. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Carr. 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. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 (Full List), More Larry Bird pages at Sports Reference. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. Johnson won 11 of those games, posting averages of 19.4 points, 11.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds in their head-to-head matchups compared to 21.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game for Bird. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. When asked about what he remembers most about beating the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals, Carrs reply was: The final seconds of Game 7. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? In their professional careers, Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic played for the Los Angeles . The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. 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. 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. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. The series was not a close one: the Cs took a 3-0 lead before Milwaukee won their second home game to stay alive. Its pretty easy to forget how many times Bird has been in the NBA Finals with all of the many accolades and unbelievably, but true, stories about him. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. The Celtics won the Finals in six games to cap off a season that . Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Home; Tickets; Schedule. In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. 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 Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. . Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. us, College: Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. A superstar. Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . All rights reserved. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:16. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Your email address will not be published. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. 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. Join our linker program. Boston finished with a 62-20 regular season record and got their revenge on the Bucks, whom they beat 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. L.A. went on to blow out the Celtics in Game 3 but the resilient Celtics responded with a 129-125 OT win in Game 4 which was sealed by Carrs steal at the buzzer. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. However, despite sweeping the Bulls in the first round again, they had serious issues the next few.

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