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. [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. that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Bird won two finals vs the Houston Rockets and one vs the LA Lakers. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. Free shipping. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups, Shaquille O'Neal's Stats For Each Season: The Most Dominant Player In NBA History, Magic Johnson's Stats For Each Season: The Greatest Point Guard In NBA History, Charles Barkley's Stats For Each Season: One Of The Best Players To Never Win A Ring, David Robinson's Stats For Each Season: The Admiral Is One Of The Most Underrated Players In NBA History. But they have . You said there will be another Larry Bird. He was selected to play in 12 All-Star games. The Celtics won both games at home to open the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Bird felt like blowing off some steam by having a drink at the now-defunct Chelsea's bar in Quincy Market. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The Bulls never have won a playoff series from the Boston Celtics, zero for four times and 3-14 in games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards: 3x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 12x All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, 9x All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, 3x All-Defensive Second Team, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team, 2x 50-40-90 Club. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. 1982-83 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers. [21] He eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone. 6.3. The injuries to Bird did not necessarily end his career, but they made it difficult for Bird to regain his superstar form. Doubleday, pp. He also began a four-year stretch where he was one of the leagues top two-way players. Find out more. "He's a great passer and an excellent rebounder. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. [71], Journalists speculated that Bird and Magic represented different contrasts, such as clashes between Celtics and Lakers, between East and West, and between Blacks and Whites. Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013,[6] and remained in that role until 2017. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Finals MVP: Larry Bird (24.0 / 9.7 / 9.5) 1986 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Hakeem Olajuwon (537) Bird. [108], At the 2019 NBA Awards, Bird received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Magic Johnson). He was also one of the first players to take advantage of the three-point line. Larry Bird stats. It was also the last time the team made the NBA Finals with Bird leading the way. Most Improved Player. 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. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Larry Bird totals for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 2. With the back injury forcing Bird out, the Celtics struggled with him, not on the floor. Do you have a blog? . If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. King 8. 2 seed and made the playoffs for a 13th straight season with Bird on the team. Bird finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. [116], In 2003, Bird was hired as the Pacers' president of basketball operations. Some believe that he is the greatest small forward to ever play in the NBA. Bird and Magic met a few times after that, and it's wild to see two legends of the . Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird. 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. 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. Bird was one of the best scorers in the country, a big forward who led the way for the Sycamores from the Missouri Valley Conference to the biggest national stage. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. PF complete back to 1948-49. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. [80][81] He was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2010, as a member of the "Dream Team". [39] In the Conference Finals, the Celtics faced the 76ers for the third consecutive year, losing in seven games. 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. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote after watching him in the Final Four: "I could not believe The Bird. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. The team remains one of the greatest overall teams in the history of the NBA. 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. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Magic Johnson and Larry Bird are two of the biggest rivals in NBA history. Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. [45] The performance came just nine days after Kevin McHale set the previous Celtics record for points in a game with 56. In a way, this season started at the beginning of an end. Bird averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in the series. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? The Celtics did finish with 56 wins, which was good enough for the No. [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. 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. The series stretched to seven games. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. 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 . It was the first All-Defensive honor for Bird, on top of averaging nearly 23 points per game. [83] Universally recognized as an all-time great player, Bird was placed at the power forward position on an NBA all-time starting five roster with fellow superstars Magic Johnson (point guard), Michael Jordan (shooting guard), LeBron James (small forward), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center) in 2020. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com. Who was going to make the last shot? Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The Celtics avoided an upset bid by the Pacers and won the full five games. All rights reserved. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons 107106, Bird stole an inbound pass. Stats & Championships . FGA, TRB, AST complete back to 1962-63. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. Larry Bird had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Bird was named to 3 All-Defensive Teams in his career, all as a member of the Second Team. In his first game, Bird recorded a double-double against the Rockets. [54], With averages of 25.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists, and 2 steals per game, Bird became just the third player in NBA history to win three consecutive MVP Awards. Regular Season MVP. [42] Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. [51][52], On November 27, 1985, Bird recorded 47 points to go along with 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in a 132124 win over the Detroit Pistons. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. Do you have a sports website? 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. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, he was a local basketball star. Bird has been voted to both the 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. [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. This time, he could say he was truly the best player in the league from start to finish. The Celtics started the season 29-5, but Bird had to miss 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back. Checkout the latest stats of Larry Bird. [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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? (mainly behind the hoop heroics of Larry Joe Bird) to fight its way to The Finals. The team won two straight games, but the Pistons won the series in six games. Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. Join our linker program. He scored 49 points in a double-overtime win over the Trail Blazers. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. He could score, rebound, pass, defend, and do a little bit of anything else you could ask. 'Can I stay in bed?' Bulls Vs. Celtics Playoff History. When healthy, Bird looked vintage. 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