larry bird finals record30 Mar larry bird finals record

Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. Hall of Fame. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. 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. And after watching the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers twice during the 1982 and 1983 Finals, they were determined to win in 84. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. 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. In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91F (33C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. NY Knicks 4-3, 1984 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. I wrote about his underrated defense here. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. 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. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. 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. 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. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Bird poured in 39 in game 7 to lead the Cs to 30.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists for the series. Coopers. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. All rights reserved. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. Bird created a very good team. In his first season as Pacers coach, Indiana finished third in the east, having finished tenth the prior season. 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. The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. After . After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. . 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. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. The Western Conference Finals also led to one of the greatest game-winners ever. 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. This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns.The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the . As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. Isn't 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7 assists per game one of the coolest statlines for an NBA playoff series ever?A quote from Larry Bird's book "Drive" co. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. Throughout the season, he showed that he was the reigning MVP and had an excellent statistical season. A superstar. The games were reasonably close if the series was not. 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. This Finals had everything. With a new head coach in KC Jones and plenty of uncertainties, Carr said their motto for the season was Dont be denied. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. 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. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Regardless, Johnson and Bird are widelyregarded as beingtwo of thegreatest players to have ever played the gameand they made for one of the greatest rivalries, one that will never be forgotten. Only the strong survive. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. 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. He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. The Celtics won the Finals in six games to cap off a season that . The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. The Pacers got their revenge on the Knicks, winning the eastern conference finals in six games to go up against the Lakers. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. 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 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. 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. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. Amazing! The teams traded games throughout the series. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. Karl Malone believes LeBrons greatness is there to appreciate, not to hate. The Houston Rockets have long been a sneakily dangerous team even when they were losing, dating from when the Rockets faced the Boston Celtics in the 1981 NBA Finals with a losing record. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. Larry led the team to a Game 7 victory while averaging 26-13-5, putting up a great stat line of 23-11-5 with 5 steals in the deciding Game 7. Take a look below. 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 Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 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. Your email address will not be published. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. The Bucks swept the Nets in the first round then took seven games to get by a tough Sixers squad starring a young. Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across the regular season as the Celtics once again topped the eastern conference. Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? 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. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! 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. It seemed like it should be an easy series for the Celtics, with game one and two victories by double digits, but the Knicks home crowd helped their team to win all their series home games. 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. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. [1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. The 86 Celts, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time, defeated Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time, in the first round. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. 1956 1981 was against the Houston Rockets where Cedric Maxwell was the NBA Finals MVP. 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. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. At the macro level, the famous won three titles with the Boston Celtics. Larry wouldnt have been a controversial choice, but Cedric Maxwell was the emotional center of the Celtics and meant so much to the teams culture. Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers, Malcolm Emmons and MPS - USA TODAY Sports. Those other two times? Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. It featured the first time that Larry Bird met Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, their first head-to-head championship meeting since the 1979 NCAA title game. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. It was clear that the Celtics were mentally exhausted after playing that many games in such a short span, which resulted in the Lakers beating Bird and the Celtics in six quick games. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. Navigation Toggle NBA. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. The Celtics took seven games to defeat Bernard Kings Knicks in the conference semifinals. Get the latest news on Larry Bird, biographical info . 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. 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.. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Larry Bird's continuing influence on the game of basketball crossed a new threshold . . Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. 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. This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . 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. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. 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. Jelani Scott. They were the thoroughbreds, we were the Clydesdales., It was a very physical series, and thats exactly what we wanted because we knew thats the only way we could beat those guys. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. The Boston Celtics won the 1981 NBA Championship in six games giving Larry Bird his first NBA title. Only game 3 finished within ten points with the Cs winning 111-107. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! Sadly, after that Finals loss, Bird never made it into another Finals series. 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 . Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:16. 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. This was a fantastic series overall. The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. He averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game across his three seasons, winning Naismith College Player of the Year in 1979.

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