Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [53] On March 10, 1986, Bird scored 50 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 115116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. 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. [13], Larry used basketball as an escape from his family troubles, starring for Springs Valley High School and averaging 31 points, 21 rebounds, and 4 assists as a senior on his way to becoming the school's all-time scoring leader. Language: English. 2. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. [8] Bird's parents were of Irish, Scottish and some Native American descent. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. [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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. School: Indiana StatePosition: ForwardHeight: 6-9Weight: 220 poundsYears active: 1976-79NCAA tournament record: 4-1Career averages: 30.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 53.3% shooting. It marked the first . He was selected to the All-Star Game but didnt play due to a back injury. Player Stats. Finals MVP: Larry Bird (24.0 / 9.7 / 9.5) 1986 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Hakeem Olajuwon (537) Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979-80 season with high . the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. . Larry Bird is 6-9. It was a great storyline as Magic Johnson and Bird were former college rivals. 3940. He had the ability to play the small and power forward positions. Bird ultimately finished ninth in the MVP voting, while McHale was sixth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. . Do you have a blog? 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. Larry Bird had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. [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. Stats: 29.9 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG. Bird would typically start offensive possessions on the right block, where he would utilize the right corner of the floor, the fre-throw line extended and the opposite wing. And it went down to the last shot of the game. 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. 'Can I stay in bed?' Bird was also a member of the gold medal-winning 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team known as the "Dream Team". Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. Stats: 21.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards And Achievements: NBA Champion, All-Star, All-NBA First Team. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. 2022 NBA Playoffs, 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA . Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 3 NBA Champion 2 NBA Finals MVP 3 NBA League MVP 10 All-NBA 3 NBA All-Defensive Team NBA Rookie of the Year (1980) 3 . [64][65][66] Bird finished with 34 points. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. With that said, the following three years were legendary. [49] The risk paid off; Walton's acquisition helped Boston win a league best 67 games. Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. 1981 NBA Finals. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Other notable performances by Bird include his career-high 49 points against Wichita State in February 1979, scoring 29 points in the first half against Butler in December 1978, just 10 months after he dropped 47 on the Bulldogs on the road. 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 . Stats: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. [24][14][25] Shortly afterwards, NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign, a rule known as the Bird Collegiate Rule. Indiana State University, High School: Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. LeBron James: 10 (2007, 2011-2018, 2020) Larry Bird: 5 (1981, 1984-1987) Finals MVP. 13 years. us, College: An Amazing 8-0! Data Provided By The team was defeated in the semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks. 1956 The Celtics did finish with 56 wins, which was good enough for the No. Stats: 19.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.0 BPG. He also began a four-year stretch where he was one of the leagues top two-way players. 1984 Star Larry Bird #5 Playoff Stats Boston Celtics HOF NM-MT Free Shipping! His stats back up that statement as well. [67] Wilkins remarked, "The basket was like a well. At least partially as a result of this, he experienced back problems for the remainder of his career. With the upgraded roster, the Celtics advanced to the Conference Finals again to play the 76ers. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana Bird's 198889 season ended after six games when he had bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. Bird recorded three 40 point triple double games in his professional career. The season for Bird was limited to six games. He was the leagues best player after years of looking up to Malone. Stats: 24.2 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, Awards And Achievements: NBA Champion, Finals MVP, MVP Award, All-Star, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team. He finished that game with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Or write about sports? Among his other stats, he averaged a career shooting percentage of 49.6% and shot 88.6% from the free-throw line. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Or write about sports? . In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court (in reality the court was one Bird had made on the property in French Lick that he had purchased for his mother), when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. Sport: Basketball. The Boston Celtics star aimed to live a simple life despite earning $24 million over his 13-year playing career. 10.0. 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. Scoring Title. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 16 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, Tied for first in semifinal history with 16 made field goals against DePaul, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1978: 30.0 points per game, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1979: 28.6 points per game, Third-leading scorer in the country in 1977: 32.8 points per game, Sixth all-time (since 1973) in rebounds in a season: 505 rebounds (1979), Tied for seventh with a two-game Final Four rebound total of 29 rebounds in 1979, Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul, Tied for eighth all-time in career rebounding average: 13.3 rebounds per game, Ninth in NCAA tournament history (since 1973) with 67 rebounds in a single NCAA tournament, Tied for 13th all-time in double-doubles in a season: 28 double-doubles (1979), 15th all-time in career scoring average (min. You can see stats, Championships, awards and more. 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. The team remains one of the greatest overall teams in the history of the NBA. 24.3. ", Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks: "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him he brings out the best in everybody. [86][87][88] He was selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams. He couldn't miss. Bird had a perfect season where he won the championship, won Finals MVP, and the MVP Award. Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 . Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 6 games in the 1986 NBA Finals. Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and 6.3 assists. [48], Before the start of the 198586 season, the Celtics made a daring trade for Bill Walton, an All-Star center with a history of injury. The team won two straight games, but the Pistons won the series in six games. [102] Bird's humble roots were the source of his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick from French Lick". Discover Larry Bird's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [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. [16][17][18] He had a successful three-year career with the Sycamores, helping them reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history with a 330 record where they played the 1979 championship game against Michigan State. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Hall of Fame. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA 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. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. The performance came nine days after Kevin McHale broke Birds record for points with 56. [73] This style of play was starting to influence a new hoard of fans as they would sit and marvel at what they [Bird and Magic] can do while giving younger kids a different perspective of the game. Most Improved Player. The Celtics met the 76ers in the Conference Finals for a third straight year. Bird led the Celtics to another deep playoff run. Larry Bird was more of a well-known defender than Curry by quite a large margin. 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. RPG. Data Provided By the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB . Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 (Full List), More Larry Bird pages at Sports Reference. 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. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. [110], The Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In the end, he remains one of the all-time greats. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Larry Bird's finals record was 3-2. Larry Bird was one of the clutchest players in NBA history. By that time Bird's scoring . [43] Boston came back to win the game, eventually winning the series in seven. Titles did indeed come in 1981, 1984, and 1986, and Boston also played in the 1985 and 1987 Finals. Bird packed a lot of success into his first decade of NBA play, but longevity wouldn't prove his strong suit. He also secured All-NBA and All-Defensive Team status. League Champion: Boston Celtics. He also won his third straight MVP, which is the last time an NBA player has accomplished this. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 19971998 season and later led the Pacers to a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. "He's a great passer and an excellent rebounder. Stats & Championships . Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. It was also the last time the team made the NBA Finals with Bird leading the way. Stats; Standings; Teams; Players; All-Star . '"[107] When playing against Dennis Rodman, a player known for his defensive abilities, in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Bird continually belittled Rodman's ability, at one point asking the opposing head coach to send in someone up to the task of guarding him. Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. Stats: 23.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team. In an effort to stop Bird, Bradley coach Dick Versace installed what was referred to as the "Bird's Nest Defense," where two defenders would guard Bird and the other three defenders would cover the four other Sycamores. He was also one of the first players to take advantage of the three-point line. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. Data Provided By NAME. [33][34][35] Behind Bird's leadership and Boston's upgraded roster, the Celtics again advanced to the Conference Finals for a rematch with the 76ers. Bird had two triple-doubles in the series to secure his second NBA Finals MVP award. Stats: 28.7 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 6.6 APG, 1.6 SPG, 1.2 BPG, Awards And Achievements: MVP, All-Star, All-NBA First Team. Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird competed at just about everything, including drinking.In one such instance, though, it got Larry Legend in a world of trouble. Players simply weren't allowed to launch 3's non stop back then. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. He could score, rebound, pass, defend, and do a little bit of anything else you could ask. [2] Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star, won two NBA Finals MVP awards and received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times (19841986), making him the only forward in league history to do so. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. [83] While he was relatively slow, Bird displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, making him a strong team defender. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . With five seconds left in Game 5, Birds pass to Dennis Johnson to set up the game-winner saved the series. Larry Bird played in the NCAA tournament just once, in 1979, but he made the most of it. Join our linker program. When it comes to the 80s decade, he is in the conversation for the best overall player. He is a graduate of Indiana University. NAISMITH AWARDS: Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year, While Bird was most known for his scoring, he had a well-rounded game that included double-digit rebound totals and unselfish passing. Basketball icon Larry Bird won three MVP awards and three NBA championships during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. 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. Kyle Daubs has 15 years' worth of writing experience for numerous sports sites. All rights reserved. Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists in leading the Celtics to the best record in the league and a 32-game improvement from the previous season. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? In the semifinals, the Celtics missed Bird in Game 1, where Detroit won. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. The series stretched to seven games. Bird owns four buzzer-beaters and in each of those moments the Celtics trailed when he took the clutch shot. 6.3. [91] Bird was also a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1988. He was named Rookie of the Year . [39][41], Bird was named MVP of the 198384 season with averages of 24.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? [42] Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. His nickname Larry Legend suits him as he remains one of the most legendary players of all time. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever".[63]. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. RELATED: The complete results from the best #MarchMadnessMoments bracket. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 2 seed. With the Celtics owning a roster that was aging, he did not come back. The trio became a dangerous big three that helped the Celtics stay competitive in the NBA. Stats: 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA Second Team. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. Graded: No. Finals MVP: Larry Bird (27.4 / 14.0 / 3.6) 1984 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Larry Bird (632) TRB: Larry Bird (252) AST: Magic Johnson (284) WS: Larry Bird (4.7) More playoffs info. Cedric Maxwell won the finals MVP award, but Bird averaged 21.9 points, 14 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game during the playoffs. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . Larry Bird, Forward Larry Bird was as cold-blooded as they come. That's the greatest game I've ever played in or seen played." He was voted onto the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list in 1996, and consequently the 75th Anniversary Team list in 2021. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. When they reached the NBA Finals, the Celticshampered by devastating injurieslost to a dominant Lakers team that had won 65 games during the season. [85], Bird has been described as one of the greatest basketball players and greatest shooters of all time. This is no surprise, as Bird and Magic were the top dogs in the league for a long time. . Bird has been voted to both the 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. In his first game, Bird recorded a double-double against the Rockets. [76] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet". Playoffs, All-Star) Awards. Bird took just two shots that night and made both, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, while he helped teammates Carl Nicks and Steve Reed score 50 combined. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . 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 Compare Magic Johnson and Larry Bird careers through the years of your choosing. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. Data Provided By We present them here for purely educational purposes. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals to set up a rematch with the Lakers. [27], Before the 198081 season, the Celtics selected forward Kevin McHale in the draft and acquired center Robert Parish from the Golden State Warriors,[31][32] forming a Hall of Fame trio for years to come; the front-court of Bird, McHale, and Parish is regarded as one of the greatest front-courts in NBA history. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. Finals MVP. We present them here for purely educational purposes. that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. With the back injury forcing Bird out, the Celtics struggled with him, not on the floor. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. Moses Malone won the MVP Award and also got the best of Bird in the postseason. [23], Bird was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. Despite facing adversity, the Celtics were able to win the Atlantic Division and finished with a 51-31 record. Hodges allowed Bird to sleep in, which annoyed the folks who sponsored the brunch and the award, and some in the media. Defensive Player of Year. He chose to play out his final season at Indiana State, so he played the following season. Bird had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but the lingering injury forced Bird to miss 37 games. 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. 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 was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Position: F Seasons: 13 (1979-92) Team: Celtics. Bird was named 1984 Finals MVP after averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds per game. [21][38], At the 1982 All-Star Game, Bird scored 19 points en route to winning the All-Star Game MVP Award. Rookie of the Year. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Join our linker program. Find out more. They each had charisma, deft shooting touch, extraordinary passing skills, and team-oriented mindset that ignited their team and the crowd. Data Provided by the Boston Celtics Finals record was 3-2 adversity, the did... Can help you use sports data Celtics advanced to the Conference Finals again to play out his Final season indiana. 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larry bird finals stats