By: HoopsHype. The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. 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. 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. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. Despite just reaching the finals, Bird stuck to his word and resigned shortly after the finals, taking up the role of Pacers president of basketball operations in 2003. Bird also won Finals MVP in 1986 when he scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and had 2.7 steals per game. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. 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. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Malone is an underrated player, not as well-known as he should be. Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. 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. Take a look below. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Larry Bird is 6-9. Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. The Cs were heavily favored and had won 10 straight vs the Rockets, but Houston put up more of a fight than expected. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Hall of Fame. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. 0:00. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. "Wilt . No stats available. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. 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. Larry Bird would go after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Then came the championship series. The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. 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. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] This struggle did not deter Bird. In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. Fitch went on to say that Mangurians decision to sell the team was the backbreaker and that he would have reconsidered his resignation had the team not been put up for sale. Larry Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 & 1986, the trophy would go to his teammate Cedric Maxwell in 1981. He joined the Celtics a year later. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. This book highlighted the rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson throughout their respected basketball careers. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. 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. It's an era thing. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. 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. 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. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. They were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in six games. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. Former Celtics player M.L. 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. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. When discussing his legacy with Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press (h/t the Daily Hampshire Gazette), Bird didnt take much time to sing his own praises. 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. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Bird created a very good team. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. The Celtics won the third and final title of the Bird era with a victory over the twin towers of the Houston Rockets. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. In other words, he noticed that some . There's always a mystique about players that played before the 90's because we don't have all the data, stats etc as we have to. Jelani Scott. The Bucks now featured a young Terry Cummings along with Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. 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. 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. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. 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 . Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. . At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . 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. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. . * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. 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. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. The Sixers took an 89-82 lead with five+ minutes to go. With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Please check your email for a confirmation. He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for the series. Background. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? 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. The Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. Your email address will not be published. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? This was brought on after Ralph had an altercation with a Boston player in game five. 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. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. And after watching the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers twice during the 1982 and 1983 Finals, they were determined to win in 84. His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Bill suffered through injuries for much of his career but appeared in 80 games for the Celtics. This was Birds last season with Indiana State as he had been drafted by the Celtics in 1978, but chose to play out one final year with his college instead of going straight to the NBA. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game.
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