[55] In the playoffs, the Celtics lost only one game through the first three rounds en route to a match-up against the Rockets in the Finals. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. One of the most intelligent players in history, Larry Bird, makes arguably the best play of his career in the 1981 Finals. James has an edge over Bird in scoring and assists as he averaged 27.2 points and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season and 28.9 points and 7.1assists per game in the playoffs. "At 9 o'clock yesterday [Bill] Hodges went to wake up Bird for a brunch at which he was to receive the Player of the Year Award. Bird finished runner-up in the MVP voting as well. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Team: 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. When Robert Horry averaged at least 24 minutes per game in the playoffs, his teams won six league titles in 11 seasons. . Rockets vs. Celtics. . [61] The historical rift between the teams, which faced each other several times in championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. Finals Appearances. [59] The Celtics fell short in 1988 losing to the Detroit Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pistons made up from the heartbreak the previous season. He had the ability to play the small and power forward positions. 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. 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. Finals MVP. They played against each other in 3 NBA Finals and during that era, the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league. He averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 897 regular-season games. 10.0. The Celtics made the Conference Finals before losing to the 76ers. Learn more and register, Kansas City Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 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. With that said, the following three years were legendary. [111] In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers[112] and said he would be on the job for no more than three years. Bird led the Celtics to another deep playoff run. [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 hovered around .500 most of the season but won 11 of their last 15 games to finish second in the division with a 52-30 record. GS complete back to 1973-74. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. Also, no other player has ever won consecutive games at the buzzer like Bird did in January 1985. A 1980s Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. Sam Smith. That went to Birds teammate. Bird was selected with the No. 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 . 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. 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. 1956 While Indiana State coach Bill Hodges was frustrated with the style of defense, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, Bird wasn't concerned about his lack of shots. [49] In Game 6 of the Finals series, Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Celtics won the Finals series 4 games to 2 against the Rockets. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. [70], In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and other NBA stars to play for the United States men's national basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. [21] He eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. 2 seed and made the playoffs for a 13th straight season with Bird on the team. He made scoring look effortless, while his rebounding, playmaking, and defense are not talked about enough. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games due to recurring back problems. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? With the upgraded roster, the Celtics advanced to the Conference Finals again to play the 76ers. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Bird won the MVP award three times but also was runner-up four times. It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. Finals MVP: Larry Bird(27.4/14.0/3.6), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. "[70] Their rivalry began in college, when Larry Bird and Indiana State lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State in the NCAA Championship game. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. In a way, this season started at the beginning of an end. 1 in the country, and they are one win from the title. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. The Celtics started the season 29-5, but Bird had to miss 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back. 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. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Or write about sports? [96], Bird is also remembered as an excellent passer[100] and defender. This season was a precursor for a string of successes that no other player has matched in league history. They have two adopted children, Conner and Mariah. Celtics General Manager Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than any Celtic on the current roster, but Bird's agent Bob Woolf told Auerbach that Bird would reject any sub-market offers and simply enter the 1979 draft instead, where Boston's rights would expire when the draft began on June 25, and Bird would have been the likely top pick. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. 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. Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee: College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006). Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. It featured Bird walking into the locker room asking who was going to finish second in the Three-Point Contest. [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. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The playoffs saw some testy times. The first was on February 14, 1986 in an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. He also secured All-NBA and All-Defensive Team status. Do you have a sports website? From 1984 to 1986, no one in the NBA could top him, and he racked up quite a bit of hardware. Find out more. But they have . Forum; InsideHoops Main Basketball Forums; NBA Forum; Larry Bird is the 2nd best player in the history Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. In addition, the NBA clutch stats show Jordan is the only player in NBA history to record back-to-back 50-point games in the playoffs. [82] In 1999, Bird ranked No. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . Johnson scored 24 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Larry Bird is 6-9. You can watch the full replay of the '79 title game below. He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. . * Larry Bird was injured and missed the playoffs in 1989. [8] He returned to French Lick, enrolling at Northwood Institute (now Northwood University) in nearby West Baden, and working municipal jobs for a year before enrolling at Indiana State University in Terre Haute in 1975. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice as a playerfirst in 1998 as an individual, and again in 2010 as a member of the "Dream Team". He played most of his career with forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish, considered by some to be the greatest front court in NBA history. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Find out more. Vintage: Yes. Bird had to undergo surgery for bone spurs in both of his heels. It helped the Celtics overcome 47 points from Dominique Wilkins. The "Dream Team" won the men's basketball gold medal. 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. MJ looked up to Bird when he came into the league. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. [98] Bird won NBA three-point-shooting contests in three consecutive years. He was the leagues best player after years of looking up to Malone. He's added four more since (in the 2015 playoffs vs. Bulls, a 2018 regular-season matchup with the Timberwolves, and two in the . "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. [47], During the 1985 offseason, Bird injured his back shoveling crushed rock to create a driveway at his mother's house. Larry Bird vs. Kevin Durant Career Comparison: They Are So Close, But Bird Still Flies High Michael Jordan Never Beat Larry Bird And Boston Celtics In The NBA Playoffs: 0-6 Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. 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 finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. more information Accept. 1985 Finals 1987 Finals. Larry Bird stats . The season for Bird was limited to six games. This time, he could say he was truly the best player in the league from start to finish. 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