This series prompted Bird to quote, Thats God disguised as Michael Jordan. Michael averaged 43 points through the three-game series. 2022-23 Season Schedule; 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 | 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.. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. By: HoopsHype. Its pretty easy to forget how many times Bird has been in the NBA Finals with all of the many accolades and unbelievably, but true, stories about him. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! Larry Bird (Larry Legend; The Hick from French Lick) Position: Forward 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) School: Indiana State (Men) Draft: Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA draft. Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. 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. 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. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. The Sixers took an 89-82 lead with five+ minutes to go. Larry Bird said there were 'obvious' differences between himself and Magic Johnson. Carr stole James Worthy's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. The next year, the NBA Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format with Game 5 going to the team without home-court advantage, which continued through 2013. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Adding one more hall of famer, Bill Walton, put this team over the top. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The Bulls lost Michael Jordan for most of this season to a foot injury and they were mostly terrible, finishing 4th in the Central Division. The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. Jelani Scott. The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. 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. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. That might seem unbelievable this is coming from a man who famously asked his Three-Point Contest peers who was coming in second but it largely fits within Birds character. And after watching the Lakers face the Philadelphia 76ers twice during the 1982 and 1983 Finals, they were determined to win in 84. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. The Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? The Lakers were coached by Pat Riley and also featured defensive ace Michael Cooper, a young. 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. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. Required fields are marked *. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. And, as if that wasn't enough, Bird found success after hanging up his sneakers. 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 NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Please check your email for a confirmation. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. Navigation Toggle NBA. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. It was a tough six game slugfest with the Houston Rockets but Bird and company were just too good. Carr. Despite good performances from Bird, Magic Johnson outplayed him as the jumbo sized Lakers guard won finals MVP. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. The Cs won a couple home games to start the series then lost a close one on the road. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. 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. NAME. Thanks in main to two close overtime wins, Boston won the series in seven games despite Bird struggling in the deciding game. In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. Larry Bird Net Worth. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Bird: "So you're overpaid.". Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. 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 Celtics won game 2 at home but lost two games in Philly to fall behind 3-1. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. And they werent. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. The Laker momentum was stalled, and Larry Bird came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . 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. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. 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. . In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. us, College: The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. . 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. Larry averaged 27-10-6. Larry Bird, the former basketball player for NBA's Boston Celtics, is a true icon in the world of basketball. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. Find out more. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. The Western Conference Finals also led to one of the greatest game-winners ever. All three broke into laughter, led by Russell's infamous cackle. The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Shoots: Join our linker program. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. 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. As someone who watched Bird play and has now researched and written more than a half dozen articles about his career, I can help you out. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. He was still one to wear what he wanted, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and, in this case, refuse to hype up his own accomplishments. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. . 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. 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. In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award.
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