Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. Meanwhile, the Clydesdales, AKA the Celtics, were coming off a season where they went 56-26 and were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in round 2 of the playoffs. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Karl Malone believes LeBrons greatness is there to appreciate, not to hate. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . Small Forward and Power Forward 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. 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. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups . Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. The Celtics blew out Houston in game 5 behind a big effort from Cedric Maxwell and then took a big lead and held on to win in game 6. 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. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. Traditional Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. 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. . Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Some notable games between the two of them: At least when it comes to how they fared in theirhead-to-head matchups. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. 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.. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. This was a fantastic series overall. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. The Celtics got the better of their Showtime Lakers rivales in a heated seven game series to claim the 1984 NBA Title. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. Your email address will not be published. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Take a look below. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. . His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. Those other two times? 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 . Home; Tickets; Schedule. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Larry Bird. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. Answer (1 of 2): Larry Bird has been in the NBA Finals 5 times as a player, all while playing with the Boston Celtics. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. . Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. It gave Bird his first finals loss in his third appearance. He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. The Bucks now featured a young Terry Cummings along with Paul Pressey and Sidney Moncrief. 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 Celtics had hope they could avenge the loss of two years prior. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Find out more. The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. The games were reasonably close if the series was not. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. Carr revealed that the motto of the 1983-84 Celtics was Dont be denied, and the team ended up winning the championship that no one thought they would win. This was Birds last finals appearance, meaning that he went to five NBA finals overall, winning 3. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 232 after Red Auerbach complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. Navigation Toggle NBA. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . Paul George: 'I still believe we're gonna be a tough team to beat in seven games', Gilbert Arenas on Ja Morant: 'When we young, we do stupid sh**', Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not on injury report, Erik Spoelstra refuses to comment on when Kyle Lowry will return, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala probable for Sunday against Lakers, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. At that time, Bird also expressed unhappiness over Mangurians decision to sell the team, and he was one of the players who defended Fitch after they were swept by the Bucks. 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). However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. Larry Joe Bird. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. 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. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. What is Larry Birds Record in the NBA Finals? He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Coopers. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. The Celtics swept the Bulls after getting a bye in the first round for winning the Atlantic Division. 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. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. The games were not much closer than the series itself. The Cs won a couple home games to start the series then lost a close one on the road. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". In terms of individual honors, he won the 1979-80 Rookie of the Year title, claimed three MVP crowns, and earned two NBA Finals MVP nods. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. 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. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. 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. Larry averaged 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in this series. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. In Game 7, the Celtics got 24 points from Cedric Maxwell and 22 from DJ with Bird scoring 20 as they won the game 111-102 and the series for Bostons 15th NBA title. By: HoopsHype. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. . 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. It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? Below you can see the playoff results for all of Birds Celtics teams. Please check your email for a confirmation. 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. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? 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. After . In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. 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. The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. He joined the Celtics a year later. 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. 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. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. The Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA Finals in 1984, 1985, and 1987 with Bird and Cooper going at it. 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. 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 . In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Former Celtics player M.L. The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. All rights reserved. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Larry Bird stats . They did make the playoffs the year after and many thought that they would easily repeat at first. Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. 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.