Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Larry Birds Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. There are so many different titles that Bird has. The Bucks were led in the series, as they had been in the regular season, by wing Marques Johnson and Hall of Fame guard Sidney Moncrief. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as James Worthy, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place. Answer (1 of 6): Larry Bird (basketball player) was 3-2 in the NBA Finals. It was one of the most dominant playoff runs that we had ever seen in basketball at this time and it was hard to imagine them as anything other than favorites entering that series against the Rockets, a team that they already beat in the championship before. Amazing! The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. And after watching the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers twice during the 1982 and 1983 Finals, they were determined to win in 84. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. Though just looking at his record can get a bit confusing. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. Funny story about that series, Boston was actually down 3-1 entering Game 5, and Bird ended up dropping 32, 25 and 23 points in each of those games to rally off three straight wins and advance his team to the Finals. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". Reliving the almost-perfect championship series stint authored by Larry Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. 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. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. Johnson had the winning record in the regular season and playoffs, and he took down Bird twice in their three Finals showdowns although Johnson having the better team had something to do with that. 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 kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. Larry Bird was a star. 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 Hawks also still had good rebounder Tree Rollis. Here's when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson learned they have a lot - Yahoo He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . All-NBA First-Teamers NOT in the Hall of Fame, Basketball Positions 101: Understanding the Different Roles on the Court, The Best NBA Players to NOT Make the Hall of Fame, The Best All-Defensive Team in NBA History, The All-Time Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Superstar by Position. The league had changed the Finals homecourt schedule to the 2-3-2 format that year, allowing the team with the lesser record (LA) to host the middle three games. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. James Posey shared the culture that made the 2008 Boston Celtics experience so unique. 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. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. Peak, Bird was better imo Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. Or write about sports? If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. 1984 NBA Finals - Wikipedia He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . . The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. he was voted the NBA Finals MVP. 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. How Many Games Did Larry Bird Miss A Season Due To Injury | StatMuse 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. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. Shoots: But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. 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. The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. 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. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. [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 Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. 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. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. 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.. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Amazing! Then came the championship series. Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. 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. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Coopers. NAME. The famous forward might not have been the most athletic man ever to hit the hardwood, but that wasnt a problem. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Hoop Maestro Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. 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. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. 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. Larry Bird Vs Magic Johnson : r/nba - Reddit Data Provided By He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. Join our linker program. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. They were the thoroughbreds, we were the Clydesdales., It was a very physical series, and thats exactly what we wanted because we knew thats the only way we could beat those guys. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. No stats available. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Regardless, Johnson and Bird are widelyregarded as beingtwo of thegreatest players to have ever played the gameand they made for one of the greatest rivalries, one that will never be forgotten. 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). 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. The Cs won a couple home games to start the series then lost a close one on the road. 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. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career.
Directions To Ocean City, Md Avoiding Bay Bridge,
1978 Monte Carlo 4 Speed For Sale,
How To Stop Cars Driving On Grass Verge,
Lincoln Financial Field Concert Covid Rules 2022,
Articles L