1 in the country, and they are one win from the title. When media outlets conduct their all-time great lists, Bird is spotted on those lists every time. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. inWest Baden,Indiana The team was defeated in the semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks. Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. Here are some of the awards Larry Bird won in college: However, Bird was all business in spite of the awards he won and the fanfare he received. ", 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. [39] In the Conference Finals, the Celtics faced the 76ers for the third consecutive year, losing in seven games. 6.3. He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. It marked the first . Bird packed a lot of success into his first decade of NBA play, but longevity wouldn't prove his strong suit. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. This injury was the main reason for his retirement after the following season. [97] He accomplished this feat twice. Search this website. Amazing! He considered Bird to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. He also secured All-NBA and All-Defensive Team status. Bird had to undergo surgery for bone spurs in both of his heels. The season for Bird was limited to six games. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. Coopers. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Bird entered the NBA for the 19791980 season, where he made an immediate impact, starting at power forward and leading the Celtics to a 32-win improvement over the previous season before being eliminated from the playoffs in the Conference Finals. With the Celtics down by one point, and less than 10 seconds left, Bird missed a potential go-ahead layup after his shot was blocked. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? He played both the small forward and power forward positions. [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. Larry Bird was more of a well-known defender than Curry by quite a large margin. He returned to the team later in the season but also had back problems as well. [21] He eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . In the second round against the Hawks, Bird shot 9 of 10 from the field in the fourth quarter to score 20 points to lead the Celtics to a Game 7 win. Type: Sports Trading Card. Bird would remain an All-Star player after he was back and healthy. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21, retired by Springs Valley High Blackhawks, 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, United States men's national basketball team, List of career achievements by Larry Bird, List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game, List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game, List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders, List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds, "Big Threes Beyond the Boston Celtics & Miami Heat: 50 Best Trios in NBA History", Fox Sports: Top 10 small forwards in NBA history, "Larry Bird resigns as Indiana Pacers president for second time", Larry Bird: Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar, "EDDIE BIRD HAS A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW AT INDIANA STATE", "Boston's Larry Bird, in what may be his finest season, gets Red Auerbach's voteover Bill Russellas the best ever", "Throwback Thursday: Celtics Draft Larry Bird Sixth Overall", "The story of how rookie phenom Larry Bird led the NBA's greatest turnaround season", "Larry Bird's baseball career: A lofty .500 batting average", "Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics Box Score, October 12, 1979", "Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics Box Score, November 14, 1979", "Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics Box Score, November 23, 1979", "5 best players in Boston Celtics history", "NBA expert panel: Warriors not the greatest of all time, or even No. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. No Awards . The series stretched to seven games. Sam Smith. 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. Learn more and register, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. 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. The Celtics did finish with 56 wins, which was good enough for the No. We present them here for purely educational purposes. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. ", -Magic Johnson, as quoted at Bird's retirement party. Do you have a blog? 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. Data Provided By Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in . On this day in 1987, Larry Bird pulled off a miraculous sequence to help lead the Boston Celtics to an improbable win over the Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten Indiana State Sycamores lost to Magic Johnson and his Michigan State Spartans by the score of 75-64. This is no surprise, as Bird and Magic were the top dogs in the league for a long time. Michael Jordan*. In, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21. After protracted negotiations, Bird inked a five-year, $3.25 million contract with the team on June 8, making him the highest-paid rookie in sports history. He was selected to the All-Star Game but didnt play due to a back injury. In the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Bucks in the Conference Finals to set up a showdown with the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? APG. [115] Bird then led the Pacers to consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000 and a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. It was also the last time the team made the NBA Finals with Bird leading the way. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Winning Time again explored the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird narrative in its season finale. Do you have a sports website? How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. Basketball icon Larry Bird won three MVP awards and three NBA championships during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Moses Malone won the MVP Award and also got the best of Bird in the postseason. Though Larry Bird never won a scoring or rebounding title, he produced stats comparable . His Ruseell Westbrook-ian statistics stats in the 1986 Finals (24 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 9.5 AG) capped his best season." Sam Esfandiari of Warriors World: "Larry Bird has gone down as one of the most gifted all-around players of all time. Statistically, Larry Bird had just finished his most productive season (29.9 ppg, 52 FG%, 92 FT%, 9 rpg, 6 apg) in the NBA. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 6 games in the 1986 NBA Finals. . His nickname Larry Legend suits him as he remains one of the most legendary players of all time. The season saw a lot of ups. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. Hall of Fame. With the upgraded roster, the Celtics advanced to the Conference Finals again to play the 76ers. Once he entered his 30s, . They remained married for less than a year. Drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft after his second year at Indiana State, Bird elected to stay in college and returned for the 19781979 season. [44] On March 12 of the 198485 season, Bird scored a career-high and franchise record 60 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. [citation needed] The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fit perfectly with the throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced Showtime offense amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. 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 All three were named to the All-Star Game. [28] On November 14, 1979, Bird recorded his first career triple-double with 23 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115111 win over the Detroit Pistons. . [60], Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakersboth during the regular season and in the Finalsattracted enormous television audiences. [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. He couldn't miss. [68] He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Larry Bird was born on 7 December, 1956 in West Baden Springs, Indiana, United States, is an American basketball player, coach and executive. Compare LeBron James and Larry Bird careers through the years of your choosing. The series stretched to seven games for consecutive playoffs, but it was the 76ers that pulled out the Game 7 win. Stats: 29.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG. Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. [85], Bird has been described as one of the greatest basketball players and greatest shooters of all time. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". Find out more. [116], In 2003, Bird was hired as the Pacers' president of basketball operations. However, Birds individual success was marred by the Celtics not making the NBA Finals. Bird won the MVP award three times but also was runner-up four times. [47], During the 1985 offseason, Bird injured his back shoveling crushed rock to create a driveway at his mother's house. 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. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. [15] After less than a month on the Indiana University campus he dropped out of school, finding the adjustment between his small hometown and the large student population of Bloomington to be overwhelming. Regular Season MVP. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. How Does Larry Birds Finals Record Compare to Other Great NBA Players? Bird was a Swiss army knife. By that time Bird's scoring . Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bird's Pacers fell in the East finals in '98 and '99, then came up short in the NBA Finals in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Stats: 22.9 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team. He scored 49 points in a double-overtime win over the Trail Blazers. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. "He's a great passer and an excellent rebounder. Between them, Bird and Johnson captured eight NBA championships during the 1980s, with Magic getting five and Bird three. With the Celtics owning a roster that was aging, he did not come back. 1985-86 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. We present them here for purely educational purposes. He played for the Celtics during his entire professional career (13 seasons), leading them to five NBA finals appearances and three NBA championships. It set up a rematch with the Pistons in the Conference Finals, where the Pistons won in six games. [26][27] In his career debut, Bird recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a 114106 win over the Houston Rockets. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. He remains the last player to record the MVP Award for three consecutive seasons. I couldn't miss. April 14, 2017 2:34 PM EDT. The second occurred on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics (40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). With five seconds left in Game 5, Birds pass to Dennis Johnson to set up the game-winner saved the series. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 6 games in the 1986 NBA Finals. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979-80 season with high . 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. Hall of Fame in 1998 pass to Dennis Johnson to set up a rematch with Celtics! For his retirement after the tournament, both entered the NBA Finals far oldest. 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