But, as one journalist would say, They looked different, perhaps, but take a chainsaw to their souls and they were fraternal, if not identical, friends.[72] Watching Bird play was like watching Magic play, as they both shared this talent that the league had never seen before. December 7, In the playoffs, the Bird lost just one game in the first three rounds. Bird had to undergo surgery for bone spurs in both of his heels. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. His effort helped to overcome a 47-point performance by Atlanta's Dominique Wilkins. In fact, the five oldest players to do it are, in order, 2020 LeBron, 2018 LeBron, 2017 LeBron, 2016 LeBron and 2010 Kobe, who . (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: The Celtics won 32 more games than the previous season and it was the initial stages of the Celtics transforming into a title contender yearly. We present them here for purely educational purposes. where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. [12] Georgia and Joe divorced when Larry was in high school, and Joe died by suicide about a year later. He then led his team to an undefeated regular season. Most Improved Player. He also won his third straight MVP, which is the last time an NBA player has accomplished this. They each had charisma, deft shooting touch, extraordinary passing skills, and team-oriented mindset that ignited their team and the crowd. Join our linker program. 1984 Star Larry Bird #9 The 1981-82 Season Boston Celtics HOF NM-MT Free Ship! 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. He played most of his career with forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish, considered by some to be the greatest front court in NBA history. 1982-83 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers. In 34 total Finals games in his career, Curry is averaging 27.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.0 APG 43.2% shooting overall, and 39.5% from three. In case you still didn't know, Larry Bird wasn't big on material possessions. ", In Bird's own words, here's the value he placed on ball movement: "My feeling about passing is that it don't matter who's doing the scoring as long as it's us. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. Larry Bird stats . NAME DATE SEASON SERIES TM OPP MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. His nickname Larry Legend suits him as he remains one of the most legendary players of all time. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The season finished with a national championship game match-up of Indiana State against Michigan State and featured a highly anticipated match-up of Bird against Michigan State great Magic Johnson, thus beginning a career-long rivalry that the two shared for over a decade. Data Provided By Hodges said of Bird, "His only personal goal this year was to lead the nation in rebounds. NAME. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Photo: Michael Kovac Bird led the Celtics to another deep playoff run. For his career, Bird averaged 1.7 SPG and 0.8 BPG during the regular season and 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG in the playoffs. The Celtics won the series in six games. Bird, however . the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. [97] He accomplished this feat twice. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Stats Yahoo Celtics News . There was a point early on in the episode when Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) hears that Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) was selected as the 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year. 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. [76] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet". [29] On November 23, Bird recorded his first 30-point scoring game (along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists) in a 118103 win over the Indiana Pacers. [120] He continued to serve as an advisor until July, 2022, when he "stepped back from maintaining an active role with the Indiana Pacers". Do you have a sports website? An Amazing 8-0! Or write about sports? Larry Bird Larry Bird, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, speaks onstage during the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. For the second year in a row, Bird received the MVP Award. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. They played against each other in 3 NBA Finals and during that era, the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league. Totals; Per Game; Per 36 Minutes; Per 100 Possessions; Advanced; East Conf 1st Round. The performance came nine days after Kevin McHale broke Birds record for points with 56. The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games, with Bird averaging 24.2 points on .445 shooting, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the championship series. [39] At the conclusion of the season, he earned his first All-Defensive Team selection. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Bird finished runner-up in the MVP voting as well. Bird, Larry (1989), Drive: The Story of My Life. Small Forward and Power Forward Michael Jordan*. [102] Bird's humble roots were the source of his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick from French Lick". [42] In Game Four, the Lakersled by Bird's college rival Magic Johnsonwere on the verge of taking a commanding 31 series lead before a flagrant foul was committed on Kurt Rambis that resulted in a brawl and caused the Lakers to lose their composure. Do you have a blog? Larry Bird led his Boston Celtics team to 3 championships in . Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. His Competitiveness Has Taken Its Toll. 1985 Finals 1987 Finals. [30], With averages of 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for the season, he was selected to the All-Star Team and named Rookie of the Year. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Team: With five seconds left in Game 5, Birds pass to Dennis Johnson to set up the game-winner saved the series. You can see stats, Championships, awards and more. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Just a few weeks later, he recorded his first triple-double of his career with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Pistons. Compare LeBron James and Larry Bird careers through the years of your choosing. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. It remains an iconic play that helped the Celtics make the NBA Finals. At the All-Star Game, Bird won his first MVP after scoring 19 points. [117] After the 20112012 NBA season, Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year, becoming the only man in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. Finals MVP: Larry Bird(24.0/9.7/9.5), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. [86][87][88] He was selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams. [8] He returned to French Lick, enrolling at Northwood Institute (now Northwood University) in nearby West Baden, and working municipal jobs for a year before enrolling at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1975. The Celtics, led by Bird, and the Lakers, led by Magic, were present in every NBA Finals series in the 80s, with Bird and Magic meeting three times. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. [50] One of Bird's career highlights occurred at the 1986 NBA All-Star Weekend when he walked into the locker room at the inaugural Three-Point Shootout and asked who was going to finish second before winning the shootout. [105][106] He was known for telling his opponents how and where in the court he would score against them; Xavier McDaniel recounted that Bird predicted a game-winning shot against him, then "shot a shot right in my face and was like 'Damn, I didn't mean to leave two seconds on the clock. Larry Bird was a co-star of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever Bird vs. Magic, when the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 championship. [116], In 2003, Bird was hired as the Pacers' president of basketball operations. [71], Journalists speculated that Bird and Magic represented different contrasts, such as clashes between Celtics and Lakers, between East and West, and between Blacks and Whites. Postseason stats/game: 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever".[63]. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 6 games in the 1986 NBA Finals. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird. [114] Bird resigned his head coaching position shortly after the end of the 2000 season, following through on his initial promise to coach for only three years. Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee: College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006). The following comes from The Tampa Bay Times: His best NCAA tournament game came in the Final Four against DePaul, when he scored 35 points with 16 rebounds and nine assists (all were NCAA tournament highs for him) while shooting 16-of-19 from the field. [3], A versatile player at both forward positions, he could play both inside and outside, being one of the first players in the league to take advantage of the newly adopted three-point line. Bird's rookie year he did shoot 40% from three point land and then he had four years of .270, .212, .286, 247, and then he was the Larry Bird at 40% that we all grew accustomed to. Bird won Naismith College Player of the Year. Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and 6.3 assists. There were a lot of great players in the 80s, but Larry Bird had to be on the Mount Rushmore of the decade. MJ looked up to Bird when he came into the league. Celtics General Manager Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than any Celtic on the current roster, but Bird's agent Bob Woolf told Auerbach that Bird would reject any sub-market offers and simply enter the 1979 draft instead, where Boston's rights would expire when the draft began on June 25, and Bird would have been the likely top pick. Parish averaged a double-double and remained a defensive force. That's the greatest game I've ever played in or seen played." that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 . PF complete back to 1948-49. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. 6'9" (2.06m) . Larry Bird was more of a well-known defender than Curry by quite a large margin. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 199192 season. [21] In the Conference Finals, Boston was eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? No Awards . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists in the Finals on his way to winning Finals MVP. April 14, 2017 2:34 PM EDT. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. Bird and McHale remained a dangerous duo, each averaging over 20 points per game. 13 years. . Free shipping. [51][52], On November 27, 1985, Bird recorded 47 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a 132124 win over the Detroit Pistons. League Champion: Boston Celtics. $11.99. 1 in the country, and they are one win from the title. Bird won two finals vs the Houston Rockets and one vs the LA Lakers. With his averages, he won Rookie of the Year. Search this website. . One of the most intelligent players in history, Larry Bird, makes arguably the best play of his career in the 1981 Finals. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? DI indoor T&F championship selections revealed, Women's swimming qualifiers announced for DI championships. [108], At the 2019 NBA Awards, Bird received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Magic Johnson). [61] The historical rift between the teams, which faced each other several times in championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. "Larry Bird Ball" was the most popular sport in Terre Haute. Bird has appeared in three movies, each time playing himself: Bird's likeness has appeared in several video games. In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Pacers in the first round and took a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers in the semifinals. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . Stats: 21.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team. [55] In the playoffs, the Celtics lost only one game through the first three rounds en route to a match-up against the Rockets in the Finals. The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. The Boston Celtics star aimed to live a simple life despite earning $24 million over his 13-year playing career. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! [109] Since 2022, the NBA will award the MVPs for the Conference Finals; the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy is named in Bird's honor, while the Western Conference trophy is named after Johnson. more information Accept. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . [82] In 1999, Bird ranked No. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: However, the Celtics faced too many injuries and the Lakers, who had won 65 games, were healthy and better on paper. [4] After retiring as a player, Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In the semifinals, the Celtics missed Bird in Game 1, where Detroit won. Join our linker program. [49] In Game 6 of the Finals series, Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Celtics won the Finals series 4 games to 2 against the Rockets. This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns.The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the . Finals stats: 28.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 55 games Finals rank: . Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. name season series tm gp mpg ppg rpg apg spg bpg tpg fgm fga fg% 3pm 3pa 3p% ftm fta ft% min pts reb ast stl blk tov pf +/-larry bird: 1980-81: nba finals A 1980s Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. He is a graduate of Indiana University. 10.0. The 19871988 season was the highest-scoring season of Bird's career. The Celtics were unable to repeat as champions. Bird averaged 24.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the Finals, but the Celtics lost in six games. He's added four more since (in the 2015 playoffs vs. Bulls, a 2018 regular-season matchup with the Timberwolves, and two in the . [62], Despite the intensity of their rivalry, Bird and Johnson became friends off the court. [42], On December 9, 1984, Bird recorded 48 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists in a 128127 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. [70], In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and other NBA stars to play for the United States men's national basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. [25], In his rookie season (19791980), Bird immediately transformed the Celtics into a title contender. No other player has multiple 45-plus-point games with a buzzer-beater. Language: English. Data Provided By Bird ultimately finished ninth in the MVP voting, while McHale was sixth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. 1983-84 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice as a playerfirst in 1998 as an individual, and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". [67] Wilkins remarked, "The basket was like a well. Finals Appearances. He couldn't miss. [74], Bird and Magics presence on the court was only a small part of their contribution to basketball, as their rivalry changed the landscape of the NBA, transforming it from a struggling, barely profitable league into a highly visible, financial and marketing dream for teams and players alike. Bird's 198889 season ended after six games when he had bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The Spartans won 75-64 in the highest-rated and most-watched college basketball game ever. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games due to recurring back problems. He chose to play out his final season at Indiana State, so he played the following season. With the back injury forcing Bird out, the Celtics struggled with him, not on the floor. 1984-85 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Los Angeles Lakers. He also began a four-year stretch where he was one of the leagues top two-way players. [104], Bird was known for his trash-talking on the court and is remembered as one of the most notable trash-talkers of his era. [58], In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. The Celtics won both games at home to open the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Bird felt like blowing off some steam by having a drink at the now-defunct Chelsea's bar in Quincy Market. In the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Bucks in the Conference Finals to set up a showdown with the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013,[6] and remained in that role until 2017. 2. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, he was a local basketball star. Defensive Player of Year. "[70] Their rivalry began in college, when Larry Bird and Indiana State lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State in the NCAA Championship game. Larry Bird Defeat in the MVP voting as well t know, Bird... Iconic play that helped the Celtics into a title contender his team an... Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games due to recurring back problems by. 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