Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. Right, Born: eventually winning the series in seven. Data Provided By Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. [68] He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Highly recruited, he initially signed to play college basketball for coach Bob Knight of the Indiana Hoosiers, but Bird dropped out after one month and returned to French Lick to attend a local community college. [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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. [45] The performance came just nine days after Kevin McHale set the previous Celtics record for points in a game with 56. [29] On November 23, Bird recorded his first 30-point scoring game (along with 11 rebounds and 3 assists) in a 118103 win over the Indiana Pacers. [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. With the Celtics down by one point, and less than 10 seconds left, Bird missed a potential go-ahead layup after his shot was blocked. He was also one of the first players to take advantage of the three-point line. Cedric Maxwell collected the 1981 Finals MVP over his Celtic teammate because he averaged more points (17.7) than Bird (15.3) during the Finals and shot the ball better (56.8 percent) than him (41 . [75] It was the first time in the United States' Olympic history that the country sent NBA players to compete. Statistically, Larry Bird had just finished his most productive season (29.9 ppg, 52 FG%, 92 FT%, 9 rpg, 6 apg) in the NBA. Postseason stats/game: 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals. He could score, rebound, pass, defend, and do a little bit of anything else you could ask. 1984 Star Larry Bird #9 The 1981-82 Season Boston Celtics HOF NM-MT Free Ship! PPG. But, as one journalist would say, They looked different, perhaps, but take a chainsaw to their souls and they were fraternal, if not identical, friends.[72] Watching Bird play was like watching Magic play, as they both shared this talent that the league had never seen before. 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. 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. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. [97] He accomplished this feat twice. (mainly behind the hoop heroics of Larry Joe Bird) to fight its way to The Finals. Join our linker program. He then led his team to an undefeated regular season. . Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. It remains an iconic play that helped the Celtics make the NBA Finals. Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones record set in 1965. The Celtics trailed 3-1 in the series but won the next three games to play the Rockets in the NBA Finals. In 34 total Finals games in his career, Curry is averaging 27.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 6.0 APG 43.2% shooting overall, and 39.5% from three. Bird was named to 3 All-Defensive Teams in his career, all as a member of the Second Team. [119] Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013. "By noon, Bird appeared at a press conference, a rarity in his scheme of things. Just a few weeks later, he recorded his first triple-double of his career with 23 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Pistons. They have two adopted children, Conner and Mariah. Stats: 28.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.9 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, Three-Point Contest Champion, 50-40-90 Club. Happy 64th Birthday, Larry Bird! He owns a master's degree in special education and teaches English. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Bird had to undergo surgery for bone spurs in both of his heels. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The Celtics reached the playoffs in . The team was defeated in the semifinals by the Milwaukee Bucks. April 14, 2017 2:34 PM EDT. Kyle Daubs has 15 years' worth of writing experience for numerous sports sites. They remained married for less than a year. In, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21. 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. Bird finished runner-up in the MVP voting as well. Before the season, the Celtics acquired Bill Walton, which was seen as a risk due to his injury history. Stats: 21.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team. [10], Bird received a scholarship to play college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers in 1974. So when Bird was awarded a brand new car for his heroic efforts in the 1986 NBA Finals, he was immediately hoping to trade it away for something much simpler a single basketball. 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. Or write about sports? [46] At the conclusion of the year, Bird was named MVP for the second consecutive season behind averages of 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. Bird had two triple-doubles in the series to secure his second NBA Finals MVP award. [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. 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. Larry Bird was named the league MVP three times in his career, and they all came in consecutive fashion. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. In a way, this season started at the beginning of an end. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. [42], On December 9, 1984, Bird recorded 48 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists in a 128127 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Playoffs, All-Star) Awards. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. 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. [19][20] Indiana State lost the game 7564, with Bird scoring 19 points but making only 7 of 21 shots. The first regular-season game between the Celtics and the Lakers in the 198788 season proved to be a classic with Magic Johnson banking in an off-balance shot from near the three-point line at the buzzer for a 115114 Lakers win at Boston Garden. Bird scored a team-high 19 points for the Sycamores in the 1979 national championship game but it wasn't his most efficient performance as he was just 7-of-21 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line. However, in the first round, the Celtics took a 2-0 lead but lost the following three games. Do you have a sports website? In the playoffs, the Bird lost just one game in the first three rounds. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? [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. Larry Bird played in the NCAA tournament just once, in 1979, but he made the most of it. [83] While he was relatively slow, Bird displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, making him a strong team defender. 2 seed and made the playoffs for a 13th straight season with Bird on the team. For his career, Bird averaged 1.7 SPG and 0.8 BPG during the regular season and 1.8 SPG and 0.9 BPG in the playoffs. Data Provided By He scored 49 points in a double-overtime win over the Trail Blazers. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. [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. Totals; Per Game; Per 36 Minutes; Per 100 Possessions; Advanced; East Conf 1st Round. From 1984 to 1986, no one in the NBA could top him, and he racked up quite a bit of hardware. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". However, Birds individual success was marred by the Celtics not making the NBA Finals. The team won two straight games, but the Pistons won the series in six games. [44] On March 12 of the 198485 season, Bird scored a career-high and franchise record 60 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Larry Bird was one of the clutchest players in NBA history. [49] The risk paid off; Walton's acquisition helped Boston win a league best 67 games. 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 [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. Discover Larry Bird's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. [25], In his rookie season (19791980), Bird immediately transformed the Celtics into a title contender. Scoring Title. 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