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. Some of Johnson's notable performances against Bird: As for some of Bird's notable performances against Johnson: Johnson and Bird played against each other 19 times in the playoffs over the course of three NBA Finals. This struggle did not deter Bird. 1981 was against the Houston Rockets where Cedric Maxwell was the NBA Finals MVP. 1983: Moses Malone: C: Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] Larry Bird age, height, weight, net worth 2023, wife, kids, gay NY Knicks 4-3, 1984 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Join our linker program. Many were expecting another Lakers-Celtics matchup, but it just wasnt in the cards this Finals. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . Bird created a very good team. 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. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. Required fields are marked *. Everything you wanted to know about Indiana legend Larry Bird These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. 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. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. NBA Awards - Finals MVP - National Basketball Association - ESPN It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. 2022-23 Season Schedule; Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird sparked greatest NBA Finals Adding one more hall of famer, Bill Walton, put this team over the top. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. The Hawks also still had good rebounder Tree Rollis. 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. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. Answer (1 of 43): To start by answering the question, I'd say - yes. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. The games were close enough but never really in doubt. Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their 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. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Throughout the season, he showed that he was the reigning MVP and had an excellent statistical season. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. Larry Bird starred at Indiana State University before joining the NBA's Boston Celtics in 1979. . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. The Cs won in a blowout in game 3 in Houston before Houston tied it up with a tight win in game 4. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. NAME DATE SEASON SERIES TM OPP REC W% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% PF +/-Magic Johnson: 5/27/1984: 1983-84 . 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. 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. 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. Games. Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. 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. After . Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. After a tough seven game series in the conference finals against the Sixers, Boston advanced to the finals to face the Rockets. Featuring prime Larry Legend, apex Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry - Sportskeeda Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. 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. 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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? 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. His first MVP award was in 1984. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Coopers. Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . By: HoopsHype. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Better than MJ, LeBron, Kareem, Larry and Magic.If you take out Steph's games with an NBA75 teammate (KD), Steph's Playoff Win% is 48-26 (.649), which is still better than Duncan, Kobe and Larry Bird's with all their NBA75 teammates. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. The 1984 NBA Finals was the first championship meeting between old rivals Boston and Los Angeles since 1969. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. The Celtics next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that swept them the year earlier. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . 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 famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. 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. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Larry Bird stats . Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. Which Player has Played in the Most NBA Finals Games? Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird Bird scored almost 26 points per game in winning his third-straight MVP award. 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.. His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as James Worthy, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place. 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. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. . Its surprising that he wasnt able to win at least one more, though three championships nowadays is something that is wildly difficult to do, its no feat to be taken lightly. 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. Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (5428) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. 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. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers, Malcolm Emmons and MPS - USA TODAY Sports. How Larry Bird was robbed of the 1981 NBA playoff and - CelticsBlog He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. 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.