After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. It was an offensive and defensive clinic. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. The following season, the Celtics did end up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers after winning their first-round series against the Washington Bullets (what a team name!). Being the reigning MVP, there were big expectations for Bird in the 1984-85 season. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. Michael Cooper Explains What Made Larry Bird 'Larger Than Life' - MSN Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. Required fields are marked *. Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? Head to Head: Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has often been called the greatest in the NBA. The teams traded games throughout the series. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . * 1981: Boston Celtics def. 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. 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. Despite just reaching the finals, Bird stuck to his word and resigned shortly after the finals, taking up the role of Pacers president of basketball operations in 2003. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. The Celtics won the third and final title of the Bird era with a victory over the twin towers of the Houston Rockets. Two-time National Basketball Association champion Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell points to the pillars of the game when it comes to the question, "Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?" "I measure it by those who changed the game," said the former Boston Celtics standout on Sunday afternoon while taking part in the Legends & Stars Sports Expo at Batavia Downs Gaming. The Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. 1983: Moses Malone: C: 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. Carr. If you remember, there was Kevin McHales hit on Kurt Rambis, and there was Larry Bird bumping Michael Cooper out of bounds. Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across the regular season as the Celtics once again topped the eastern conference. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Its surprising that he wasnt able to win at least one more, though three championships nowadays is something that is wildly difficult to do, its no feat to be taken lightly. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. 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. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. Boston had lost the previous two matchups to the Cavs and they were hungry for revenge last night. Larry Bird picked up the 1984 MVP award and led his Celtics to the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 62-20 overall record. Larry Bird starred at Indiana State University before joining the NBA's Boston Celtics in 1979. . He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . Larry Bird said there were 'obvious' differences between himself and Magic Johnson. Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. 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. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead with a 121-103 victory, as Larry Bird scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. All three broke into laughter, led by Russell's infamous cackle. NBA unveils two new postseason awards named after Larry Bird, Magic The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. His team mate Cedric Maxwell won MVP. Boston entered the new decade by winning the 1981 NBA Finals. 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. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird: Was LA Lakers or Boston Celtics Legend The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. Find out more. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. The league had changed the Finals homecourt schedule to the 2-3-2 format that year, allowing the team with the lesser record (LA) to host the middle three games. Reliving the almost-perfect championship series stint authored by Larry Join our linker program. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to Scott Wedman's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left. Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. The Celtics again saw their Eastern Conference rivals matching up against the Milwaukee Bucks. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club: 2,850 points and 1,247 rebounds Indiana State's all . The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. 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 Peak, Bird was better imo Then head coach Bill Fitch resigned as head coach despite having the second-best coaching record in the NBA during his four-year stint in Boston. In other words, he noticed that some . Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. When Larry Bird Began His Coaching Career, He Revealed - Sportscasting Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. MUMBAI, India Twenty-seven years after Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and the "Dream Team" made the world fall in love with the game of basketball in 1992, India showed its adoration for the Boston Celtics great during the first NBA India Games last week. The Houston Rockets were led by their Twin Towers, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. It was also the first of three NBA Finals meetings between the Celtics and Lakers during the Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era. 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. How Did The Legendary Rivalry of Magic Johnson And Larry Bird Turned 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. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Nevertheless, it is rare to see a player dominate in so many areas of the game, theres no wonder why the Celtics made multiple deep playoff runs. May 12, 2022. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . While the 22111 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 232 format would be used until 2013. His first run to the NBA Finals came in his second season, averaging 21-11-5 with 2 steals a game. Larry Bird was born on as Larry Joe Bird to parents: Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.He attended Springs Valley High School. Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape Jayson Tatum passed Larry Bird for the most 30 point games New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. 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. 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. Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird sparked greatest NBA Finals