Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. Jayson Tatum's 25th birthday | ksdk.com 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. Finals stats: 19.4 points, 11.7 assists and 7.9 rebounds in 50 games Finals rank: . The Pacers got their revenge on the Knicks, winning the eastern conference finals in six games to go up against the Lakers. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. He instead enrolled at the smaller Indiana State University. 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. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. The Houston Rockets were mostly a completely different team from the Moses Malone-led Rockets of the 1981 Finals. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. Despite playing for another five seasons after his last title, Bird would retire with three NBA championships. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. The teams traded games throughout the series. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Larry pushed the Celtics out of the second round with an easy 4-1 series win over the Atlanta Hawks, led at the time by Dominique Wilkins. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Join our linker program. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Hoop Maestro 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. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. 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. 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. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! The Celtics won game 2 at home but lost two games in Philly to fall behind 3-1. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. he guided the Pacers to a 58-24 record, which was the best in franchise history at the time. Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. Bird did not technically average a triple double for the series because both his rebounds and assists were slightly below 10 and Ive rounded them, but, still, those stats are unreal. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. "Wilt . In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. The series was not a close one: the Cs took a 3-0 lead before Milwaukee won their second home game to stay alive. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. 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. . Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? Shoots: Malone is an underrated player, not as well-known as he should be. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. 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. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. My favorite quotes about Larry Bird - CelticsBlog Larry Bird: Biography. The number two-seeded Bucks went down in a series sweep, with all five Celtics starters averaging double-digit points. Larry Joe Bird. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. 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 . As weve mentioned, all these players were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. He stayed loyal to the Celtics throughout his entire career and they were the team that reaped the benefits of his five NBA Finals appearances and three NBAchampionships. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. 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. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. How Does Larry Birds Finals Record Compare to Other Great NBA Players? Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. Magic vs. Bird: Reliving rivalry 40 Years after first NBA matchup He joined the Celtics a year later. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. larry bird finals record - josieya 1981 NBA Finals - Wikipedia Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. Here's when Larry Bird, Magic Johnson learned they have a lot - Yahoo Do you have a sports website? 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. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. the Celtics posted a 61-21 record and defeated the Houston Rockets to take the first NBA . At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. One of the most exciting 3-0 series in league history, the Celtics made quick work of the up-and-coming Bulls featuring a young Michael Jordan. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN Jelani Scott. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Bird scored almost 26 points per game in winning his third-straight MVP award. The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. By: HoopsHype. 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. 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. 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. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. I am fully convinced that anyone under the age of 40 will never admit Larry Bird was a better player than Stephen Curry. The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. Indiana took Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Indiana State University, High School: 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. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Jayson Tatum passed Celtics legend Larry Bird (1987-88) last night with his 34th 30-point game of the 2022-23 season. The Celtics won the Finals in six games to cap off a season that . The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. This struggle did not deter Bird. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. 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. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. Bird created a very good team. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. The Celtics won the third and final title of the Bird era with a victory over the twin towers of the Houston Rockets. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. The Rockets fought back to win handily in game 5 at home but the Celtics closed out the series in game 6 in the Boston Garden to take their third title of the Bird era. May 12, 2022. The Lakers took game 1 in Boston and looked like they made take a commanding 2-0 lead when Gerald Henderson stole the ball and the series. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. The Competitive Drive Between Bird And Bird By Eric Simonon And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. Pretty good matchup between he and MJ. 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. However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. M.L. Carr on Lakers vs. Celtics 1984 Finals being epic - Basketball It's an era thing. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. More player info How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? Despite excellent performances in his first two seasons, Indiana State had very little success. While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. . Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. The Celtics ended the series shooting 52% from the field while holding the Bucks to 44% shooting. The Lakers destroyed the Cs in their first home game 137-104 in game 3. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Larry Bird - Wikipedia Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? In his last season as the teams head coach, Birds Pacers were the number one seed in the east and were not really tested throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. How Did The Legendary Rivalry of Magic Johnson And Larry Bird Turned Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. Amazing! Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. His first MVP award was in 1984. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their FTA complete back to 1948-49. The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes In this first iconic matchup, eight Hall of Famers saw play. You can read up on all three of Larry Birds incredible championships below. Fans gave Bird a standing ovation when he was introduced. [1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. Game 7 at the Boston Garden was one for the ages! We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. Larry averaged 27-10-6. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. 6-9 , 220lb (206cm, 99kg) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. 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. 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.
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