larry bird finals record

Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. 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 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. This included a Game six victory where a hostile Boston crowd booed Ralph Sampson, sapping his confidence to the point he only had 8 points on 3-12 shooting. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry - Sportskeeda 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. Data Provided By The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] His first run to the NBA Finals came in his second season, averaging 21-11-5 with 2 steals a game. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. Some notable games between the two of them: At least when it comes to how they fared in theirhead-to-head matchups. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. That might seem unbelievable this is coming from a man who famously asked his Three-Point Contest peers who was coming in second but it largely fits within Birds character. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. In his first trip to the NBA Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points, seven assists and 6.8 rebounds, but the Celtics came up short. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 1984 was against the Los Ange. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. Former Celtics player M.L. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. 1981 NBA Finals - Wikipedia 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. Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. Unfortunately for the Pacers and Larry Bird, the Lakers were just too much for the Pacers. Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki 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. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana The Knicks had slipped past a young Detroit Pistons team featuring Kelly Tripucka, Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer in five games in the first round. Not that there was anything to really worry about for him, it really just added a chip on his shoulder to come back and perform to a high standard. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. One of the most exciting 3-0 series in league history, the Celtics made quick work of the up-and-coming Bulls featuring a young Michael Jordan. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. 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. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. The Celtics swept the Bulls after getting a bye in the first round for winning the Atlantic Division. Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. 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. 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. Magic led the team in scoring this time but was still joined by the same stars: Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! All rights reserved. Larry Bird's Finals Record: An All-Time Great! - Sports Nostalgia HQ So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. NBA Finals: Ranking the top Finals performers in NBA history - HoopsHype The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. 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. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! . Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. 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 Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Game 7 at the Boston Garden was one for the ages! Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. I wrote about his underrated defense here. The Boston Celtics won the 1981 NBA Championship in six games giving Larry Bird his first NBA title. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . 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. Answer (1 of 2): Larry Bird has been in the NBA Finals 5 times as a player, all while playing with the Boston Celtics. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? Birds Pacers swept the Bucks and the Sixers in the first two rounds of the playoffs and looked likely to make it to the finals as they came up against the eight seed New York Knicks in the conference finals. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. That went to Birds teammate. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. Despite a back injury in the 1985 offseason, Bird averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebound and 6.8 assists per game and for the third straight season, the Celtics finished top of the Eastern Conference. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. Larry Bird stats . 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. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Coopers. The Bullets also had rookie Jeff Malone, who was a backup at this point but would go on to be a star, and future Piston Bad Boy Rick Mahorn. As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Coming off the back of a disappointing loss to the Lakers in the finals, many people saw Bird taking a step back going into the 1985-86 season. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. In the Finals, Bird dropped a triple-double on the Rockets in a series-clinching Game 6, giving the Celtics another ring. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. The Pacers got their revenge on the Knicks, winning the eastern conference finals in six games to go up against the Lakers. 1984 NBA Finals - Wikipedia Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. The Competitive Drive Between Bird And Bird By Eric Simonon The Detroit Pistons took two games off them in the second round but it didnt matter, Bird averaged 28 points per game as they won in six. 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. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Larry Bird's Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Your email address will not be published. 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. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. October 9, 2019. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log | Basketball-Reference.com Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. 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.. 1981 was against the Houston Rockets where Cedric Maxwell was the NBA Finals MVP. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. Bird created a very good team. It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography . Larry Bird - 1981 Finals (All Points + Passing & Rebounding) inWest Baden,Indiana 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 three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. May 12, 2022. 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. 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. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. 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. Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. 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. 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. 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. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for the series. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. This was a fantastic series overall. 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. 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. 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. Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. It gave Bird his first finals loss in his third appearance. He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. In the first two NBA matchups between Bird and Magic . 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. 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. 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. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984.

Chlorophyll Spiritual Benefits, Crawley Magistrates' Court Results 2021, High School Drum Major, Articles L