The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 1983: Moses Malone: C: Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. Your email address will not be published. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. 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. 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.. Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. When asked about what he remembers most about beating the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals, Carrs reply was: The final seconds of Game 7. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. 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 . Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . The teams traded games throughout the series. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Then came the championship series. Small Forward and Power Forward And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. By: HoopsHype. He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. 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. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Do you have a blog? The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. As with many teams in the 1990s, the Pacers were stopped by the Chicago Bulls, losing the series in seven games as the Bulls did not lose a home game in the series. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. 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. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.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 75-64. That went to Birds teammate. 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. It featured the first time that Larry Bird met Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, their first head-to-head championship meeting since the 1979 NCAA title game. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. This was Birds last finals appearance, meaning that he went to five NBA finals overall, winning 3. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. The series was not a close one: the Cs took a 3-0 lead before Milwaukee won their second home game to stay alive. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. 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. 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. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. In 1980, 1982, 1985 and 1988, Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers to championships, winning three Finals MVPs along the way. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. In their professional careers, Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic played for the Los Angeles . 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. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. Larry Bird's continuing influence on the game of basketball crossed a new threshold . He was the NBA Finals MVP in 1981, and the . [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 NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. While Bird did not have the finals success of a Jordan or Russell, he still had a better record than greats including LeBron and Wilt. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. Two superstars, Magic and Larry, and the two most iconic teams in the leagues history, the Lakers and the Celtics. Larry Bird, the former basketball player for NBA's Boston Celtics, is a true icon in the world of basketball. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. Former Celtics player M.L. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. 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. Now, the explanation. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. If you are interested in Larry Bird Championships, you might be interested in checking out some of these posts I have written about Larry Legend. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. 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 . What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. 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. talent just don't get it. Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. With a new head coach in KC Jones and plenty of uncertainties, Carr said their motto for the season was Dont be denied. Larry Bird Net Worth. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. This site is a participant in the Impact Affiliate Platform which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Fanatics.com . The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. us, College: Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. 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. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. Navigation Toggle NBA. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. Indiana took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. 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. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. 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. 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.

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