Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. 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. 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. Larry Bird's 1986 Playoff Stats . Answer (1 of 6): Larry Bird (basketball player) was 3-2 in the NBA Finals. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. 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. Larry Joe Bird. 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. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. . Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. Larry pushed the Celtics out of the second round with an easy 4-1 series win over the Atlanta Hawks, led at the time by Dominique Wilkins. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. 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. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. While Bird did not have the finals success of a Jordan or Russell, he still had a better record than greats including LeBron and Wilt. Despite excellent performances in his first two seasons, Indiana State had very little success. 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. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. Larry Birds NBA Finals record is 3-2. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. And, as if that wasnt enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. The Bucks swept the Nets in the first round then took seven games to get by a tough Sixers squad starring a young. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's clothesline take-down of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. The Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. MUMBAI, India Twenty-seven years after Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and the "Dream Team" made the world fall in love with the game of basketball in 1992, India showed its adoration for the Boston Celtics great during the first NBA India Games last week. Larry Bird | Net Worth, Salary, And Career Earnings The Indiana-born was the highest-paid rookie of the year, with $3.25 million an average of $650,000 a year in a 5-year contract with the Celtics.Bird had played 879 games in his career until his retirement in 1992.. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. 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. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. The Celtics again saw their Eastern Conference rivals matching up against the Milwaukee Bucks. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Larry Bird starred at Indiana State University before joining the NBA's Boston Celtics in 1979. . Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. . All three broke into laughter, led by Russell's infamous cackle. 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. 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. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. Data Provided By Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. . The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Larry Bird is one of the few basketball players in history that are widely recognized even by people who dont even know the sport. 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 playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. 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. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Then head coach Bill Fitch resigned as head coach despite having the second-best coaching record in the NBA during his four-year stint in Boston. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. It was the beginning of one of the most legendary basketball rivalries in the history of the NBA, with Bird and Magic Johnson facing off against each other for the first time. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 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. 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. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. Below you can see the playoff results for all of Birds Celtics teams. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. "Wilt . His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. It gave Bird his first finals loss in his third appearance. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. 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 . Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. It's an era thing. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . This struggle did not deter Bird. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. James Posey shared the culture that made the 2008 Boston Celtics experience so unique.
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