Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. Magic Johnson Finals Record Vs Larry Bird | StatMuse Magic led the team in scoring this time but was still joined by the same stars: Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. Only the strong survive. Coopers. The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Carr revealed that the motto of the 1983-84 Celtics was Dont be denied, and the team ended up winning the championship that no one thought they would win. Summary: Larry Bird's Finals Record. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Bird also won Finals MVP in 1986 when he scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and had 2.7 steals per game. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. All-NBA First-Teamers NOT in the Hall of Fame, Basketball Positions 101: Understanding the Different Roles on the Court, The Best NBA Players to NOT Make the Hall of Fame, The Best All-Defensive Team in NBA History, The All-Time Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Superstar by Position. In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91F (33C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? - Basketball Noise Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (5428) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Larry Bird's continuing influence on the game of basketball crossed a new threshold . Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. His back suffered major issues, as he injured it building on his farm. It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. You can't tell the story of the 1980s without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. The Celtics then took the series lead for the first time by winning Game 5 but the thoroughbred Lakers sent the series to a Game 7 with their own double-digit win. 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. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. Though just looking at his record can get a bit confusing. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Larry averaged 27-10-6. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. Bird scored almost 26 points per game in winning his third-straight MVP award. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! 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) . Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. After that the series was all Lakers, they won four of the next five games to end the series in six and hand Larry his first Finals loss. Former Celtics player M.L. Larry Bird (Larry Legend; The Hick from French Lick) Position: Forward 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) School: Indiana State (Men) Draft: Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA draft. Larry Bird stats . The 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell led the team in scoring after saying something like Get on my back boys before the 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. . That NCAA tournament final is one of the most iconic games in college basketball history. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Larry averaged 27-10-7 and led the Celtics with 36 points in a game-five win that saw the Celtics beat the Hawks by 33 points. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. That went to Birds teammate. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. The Cs were heavily favored and had won 10 straight vs the Rockets, but Houston put up more of a fight than expected. The rules shift was a big factor . How Did The Legendary Rivalry of Magic Johnson And Larry Bird Turned So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. Jordan averaged an insane 43.7 points, 5.7 assists and 6.3 rebounds for this. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. The first happened in 1985, a year after the Celtics had defeated the Lakers in the finals. 1956 The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. In the 198384 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. The Laker momentum was stalled, and Larry Bird came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. BOSTON (AP) June 12, 1984: The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-102 in Game 7 in the first NBA Finals between Boston's Larry Bird and Los Angeles' Magic Johnson . Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Answer (1 of 43): To start by answering the question, I'd say - yes. The 1984 NBA Finals is considered one of the most epic series in league history. 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. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . In 1979, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird faced off for the first time in the NBA. In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. But it is also quite possible even probable that Larry Bird cost the Celtics the 1985 NBA championship.". Larry Bird Q&A: Being a white player in the NBA, trash - Andscape Magic Johnson and Larry Bird's rivalry - Sportskeeda Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. [1] The Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeated the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. L.A. went on to blow out the Celtics in Game 3 but the resilient Celtics responded with a 129-125 OT win in Game 4 which was sealed by Carrs steal at the buzzer. Bird: "So you're overpaid.". Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. If you were wondering about his career numbers while we wrap this up, he averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. The Boston Celtics were matched up against the Houston Rockets, led by Hall of Famer Moses Malone. 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 7564. The Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. Head-to-Head Regular Season Stats. 2 NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1984-1986) . This book highlighted the rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson throughout their respected basketball careers. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . Fitch went on to say that Mangurians decision to sell the team was the backbreaker and that he would have reconsidered his resignation had the team not been put up for sale. Larry Bird is 6-9. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. AP Was There: Bird beats Magic in 1st Finals showdown - USA Today Below you can see the playoff results for all of Birds Celtics teams. Top 15 Worst NBA Finals Performances by a Star - TheSportster The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary Pride and Passion, narrated by Dick Stockton. 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record. 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. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. He finished 1986 with averages of 25-10-7. Larry led the way and averaged 27-14-4 to lead the team to the championship, along with his first Finals MVP. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. Games. NY Knicks 4-3, 1984 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. Boston's most crucial addition was Dennis Johnson, whom they acquired from the Phoenix Suns in the offseason in hopes of addressing their porous back-court defense. The #1 and #2 seeds were set to face off in the Conference Finals. More player info Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. That might seem unbelievable this is coming from a man who famously asked his Three-Point Contest peers who was coming in second but it largely fits within Birds character.
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