The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. This was brought on after Ralph had an altercation with a Boston player in game five. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . Hall of Fame. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Peak, Bird was better imo The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. Boston's most crucial addition was Dennis Johnson, whom they acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason in hopes of addressing their porous back-court defense. This was a fantastic series overall. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. 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. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. Shoots: Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. The games were not much closer than the series itself. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. 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. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". 1984: Larry Bird: Boston Celtics: No stats available. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. Birds mother, Georgia, once said that she couldnt fathom he sons NBA salary and, despite his earning power, insisted that she wasnt out buying expensive clothes. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. 0:00. Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. The teams traded games throughout the series. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . 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 Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. 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. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. 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. 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. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. In this first iconic matchup, eight Hall of Famers saw play. The Rockets fought back to win handily in game 5 at home but the Celtics closed out the series in game 6 in the Boston Garden to take their third title of the Bird era. It gave Bird his first finals loss in his third appearance. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. Carr. 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. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. [2] It was also the last time that a team with home court advantage in the NBA finals played Game 5 on its own floor until 2014. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. Larry averaged 27-10-7 and led the Celtics with 36 points in a game-five win that saw the Celtics beat the Hawks by 33 points. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. The Hawks also still had good rebounder Tree Rollis. Larry Bird was a star. The Celtics then took the series lead for the first time by winning Game 5 but the thoroughbred Lakers sent the series to a Game 7 with their own double-digit win. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their legendary head-to-head matchups. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. 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. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. 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. By: HoopsHype. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. Get the latest news on Larry Bird, biographical info . Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. Sadly for Bird, Michigan State were just too much for him as the Spartans ran out 75-64 winners. 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. 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, "Here Are Some Final Facts on NBA Playoffs", Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_NBA_Finals&oldid=1141615206, 20th century in Los Angeles County, California, Basketball competitions in Inglewood, California, May 1984 sports events in the United States, June 1984 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, No. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. This Finals had everything. In 1979, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird faced off for the first time in the NBA. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. 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. 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. Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana In 1986, they failed a third straight NBA Finals meeting (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. 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. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. 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. . 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. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. 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. Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. . Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. 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 seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans by the score of 75-64. Larry Bird stats . In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. As with many teams in the 1990s, the Pacers were stopped by the Chicago Bulls, losing the series in seven games as the Bulls did not lose a home game in the series. FTA complete back to 1948-49. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Do you have a blog? In his first season as Pacers coach, Indiana finished third in the east, having finished tenth the prior season. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. 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. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. Instead of battling fatigue and exhaustion from their grueling Semi-Finals series, they went on to beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Join our linker program. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. Larry averaged 27-10-6. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Im kind of country, she explained. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. The Cs were heavily favored and had won 10 straight vs the Rockets, but Houston put up more of a fight than expected. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. December 7, Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. 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. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. more information Accept. The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. 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. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. 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. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources. 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). We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. 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. Indiana State University, High School: James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. talent just don't get it. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. 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. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. The Celtics next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that swept them the year earlier. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . If you remember, there was Kevin McHales hit on Kurt Rambis, and there was Larry Bird bumping Michael Cooper out of bounds. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. Larry Bird: Biography. The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. The Bulls lost Michael Jordan for most of this season to a foot injury and they were mostly terrible, finishing 4th in the Central Division. The Celtics won the third and final title of the Bird era with a victory over the twin towers of the Houston Rockets. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. The Celtics got the better of their Showtime Lakers rivales in a heated seven game series to claim the 1984 NBA Title. The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. Before the season began, the Lakers traded long-time guard Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Byron Scott. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . 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.. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. The rules shift was a big factor . Larry Bird is 6-9. At the macro level, the famous won three titles with the Boston Celtics. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. Adding one more hall of famer, Bill Walton, put this team over the top. That NCAA tournament final is one of the most iconic games in college basketball history. 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. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club: 2,850 points and 1,247 rebounds Indiana State's all . . Larry Joe Bird. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? Required fields are marked *. In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans by the score of 7564. 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. Despite home wins in games three and five, the Pacers lost the series in six games, with Shaq and Kobe just being too much for Indianas stars. 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. A superstar. The Lakers took game 1 in Boston and looked like they made take a commanding 2-0 lead when Gerald Henderson stole the ball and the series. It must have lit a fire underneath Larry because he didnt let anything get in his way during his sophomore season. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Only game 3 finished within ten points with the Cs winning 111-107. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. Former Celtics player M.L. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon.