Larry Bird beat iconic NBA players on his way to three NBA championships including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Despite a back injury in the 1985 offseason, Bird averaged 25.8 points, 9.8 rebound and 6.8 assists per game and for the third straight season, the Celtics finished top of the Eastern Conference. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. . Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. more information Accept. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. 0:00. The Celtics had lost to the Lakers in the finals the previous year, but this time their opposition was the Houston Rockets. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. He led the Cs to a Conference Finals appearance once or twice in the ensuing years but the team just wasnt nearly as competitive anymore and it was obvious that Larry was getting up there in age. 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. The games were not much closer than the series itself. Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. The rules shift was a big factor . Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! The Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings in round 1, then took six games to get by a fun Denver Nuggets team starring Alex English and Fat Lever. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. The Lakers took game 1 in Boston and looked like they made take a commanding 2-0 lead when Gerald Henderson stole the ball and the series. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. us, College: Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, "Here Are Some Final Facts on NBA Playoffs", Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_NBA_Finals&oldid=1141615206, 20th century in Los Angeles County, California, Basketball competitions in Inglewood, California, May 1984 sports events in the United States, June 1984 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, No. Birds college career as a whole was exceptional. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. 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. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. Between the two players, they won eight NBA titles, five Finals MVP awards, six league MVP . Maxwell later claimed he said something like that but not quite so family friendly. One of the most exciting 3-0 series in league history, the Celtics made quick work of the up-and-coming Bulls featuring a young Michael Jordan. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? The Philidelphia 76ers were led by NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, Andrew Toney, and Darryl Dawkins. Im not a guy that talks about my past because I always look to the future, but you really sit down and look at it, Ive been involved in a lot, its pretty nice, the forward simply explained. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. 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. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden. In his career, Larry Bird won three NBA regular season MVP awards. 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. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. It was clear that the Celtics were mentally exhausted after playing that many games in such a short span, which resulted in the Lakers beating Bird and the Celtics in six quick games. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. The first series matched Boston up with the Chicago Bulls. However, despite sweeping the Bulls in the first round again, they had serious issues the next few. "Wilt . The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. 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. By the end of the 1984 season Bird had won his second NBA title, both with the Celtics. Bird picked up his first Finals MVP honurs. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. Its surprising that he wasnt able to win at least one more, though three championships nowadays is something that is wildly difficult to do, its no feat to be taken lightly. There's always a mystique about players that played before the 90's because we don't have all the data, stats etc as we have to. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. He was still one to wear what he wanted, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and, in this case, refuse to hype up his own accomplishments. Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across the regular season as the Celtics once again topped the eastern conference. . home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:46PM. The Sixers took an 89-82 lead with five+ minutes to go. Required fields are marked *. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. 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. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Get the latest news on Larry Bird, biographical info . New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. As one of the greatest players to ever step foot in the . The Lakers defeated the Celtics in the finals twice, preventing Bird from having any more NBA titles. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). In their professional careers, Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic played for the Los Angeles . He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . In 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. Larry pushed the Celtics out of the second round with an easy 4-1 series win over the Atlanta Hawks, led at the time by Dominique Wilkins. The Western Conference Finals also led to one of the greatest game-winners ever. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Please check your email for a confirmation. Larry Bird. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. May 12, 2022. Then head coach Bill Fitch resigned as head coach despite having the second-best coaching record in the NBA during his four-year stint in Boston.

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