The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. And they werent. This was a fantastic series overall. Games. Their rivalry was second to none and saw them meet up in the NBA Finals three times. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by Tom Heinsohn, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until 1987. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. 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 Hawks also still had good rebounder Tree Rollis. The Celtics next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that swept them the year earlier. 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. Houston Rockets 4-2, who would briefly play with Bird later in his career, the greatest non-final series in NBA history, Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. Take a look below. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. 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. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. 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 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. The Cs closed it out with a lopsided victory in game 5. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Your email address will not be published. The Celtics then knocked the 76ers off once again, this time in five games and advanced to the Finals for the second time in as many years. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. I wrote about his underrated defense here. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Hakeem was no slouch, averaging the most points and rebounds in the NBA playoffs. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Get the latest news on Larry Bird, biographical info . That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. It seemed like it should be an easy series for the Celtics, with game one and two victories by double digits, but the Knicks home crowd helped their team to win all their series home games. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. 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. 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. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Please check your email for a confirmation. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? 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 expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. However, this was not the case. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. Those other two times? Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. 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. 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. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Houston had gone 40-42 in the 1980-81 regular season compared to Boston's 62-20 season under second-year Celtics sensation Larry Bird you may have heard of him. Cedric Maxwell averaged 17.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists to win Finals MVP. Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . Though just looking at his record can get a bit confusing. However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. 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. Data Provided By 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. Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . 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. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. 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. His back suffered major issues, as he injured it building on his farm. A year later, the Pacers would not have to worry about Michael Jordan as they returned to the playoffs, this time as the second seed in the east. Bird poured in 39 in game 7 to lead the Cs to 30.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists for the series. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. Jelani Scott. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. . They were defeated by the Golden State Warriors in six games. BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . We have seen some teams lose in the NBA Finals off of some injuries and other situations leading up to it that the box score doesnt show, so lets dive into Birds record. . Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. the Celtics posted a 61-21 record and defeated the Houston Rockets to take the first NBA . The Lakers, no slouch themselves, had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthey, and Bob McAdoo. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. Answer (1 of 43): To start by answering the question, I'd say - yes. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. Larry led the team to a Game 7 victory while averaging 26-13-5, putting up a great stat line of 23-11-5 with 5 steals in the deciding Game 7. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. Then came the championship series. The Sixers took an 89-82 lead with five+ minutes to go. Small Forward and Power Forward Join our linker program. Before the season began, the Lakers traded long-time guard Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to Byron Scott. Coopers. There are so many different titles that Bird has. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. 9 John Vanak (alternate, replaced Evans), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:16. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Why did the Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Phoenix Suns? The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? The rules shift was a big factor . more information Accept. . The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. 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 Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. It was the beginning of one of the most legendary basketball rivalries in the history of the NBA, with Bird and Magic Johnson facing off against each other for the first time. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. On May 16, 1985 the off-day between Games 2 and 3 of . 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.. 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). No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, though, Larry Bird has you covered.
larry bird finals record
Posted by