However, something was noticeably wrong with Larry during the playoffs. Background. Most Improved Player. [91] Bird was also a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1988. By that time Bird's scoring . The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. 1981 NBA Finals. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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. The Celtics did finish with 56 wins, which was good enough for the No. It's because of Bird. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Data Provided By Overview Stats Game Log Splits Bio. Larry Bird had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. [19][20] Indiana State lost the game 7564, with Bird scoring 19 points but making only 7 of 21 shots. In a way, this season started at the beginning of an end. 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. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Position: F Seasons: 13 (1979-92) Team: Celtics. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. He then led his team to an undefeated regular season. [101] In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams. . 24.3. [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. [20] Bird also appeared in one game for the baseball team, going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI. In the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Bucks in the Conference Finals to set up a showdown with the Lakers in the NBA Finals. ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. All rights reserved. [133], During his professional career with the Celtics, Bird lived in the Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts.[134]. 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. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? He was voted onto the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in NBA History list in 1996, and consequently the 75th Anniversary Team list in 2021. 1982-83 Moses Malone, Philadelphia 76ers. 1984 Star Larry Bird #9 The 1981-82 Season Boston Celtics HOF NM-MT Free Ship! '", Indiana State coach Bill Hodges on the notion that man-to-man defenses might slow Bird down: "If we go against a UCLA or a Notre Dame later on and they play man-to-man, that's when you'll see how tough Larry really is. MP complete back to 1974-75. . Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? [3], Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a .496 field goal percentage, an .886 free throw percentage, and a .376 percentage on three-point shots. [86] He had 1,556 career steals. Data Provided By Bird, however . RPG. Instead, Bird came back and beat the record over his longtime teammate. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. With that said, Bird was an All-Star and defended his title as Three-Point Contest Champion. [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. Stats: 24.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA Second Team. . [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. that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. ", "LeBron James: Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Julius Erving Are 3 Best Players Ever", "Who Has Made The Most NBA All-Star Game Appearances of All-Time", "NBA MVP award: Steph Curry on list of multiple-time winners", Sporting News: James Harden joins exclusive group with third MVP runner-up finish, "Who is the most clutch player in NBA history? In the playoffs, the Celtics took on a very tough Detroit Pistons team in the Conference Finals. Graded: No. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The 86 Celtics are in the conversation for best team ever with Bill Walton joining Bird, Robert Parish and. [103] Bird was also referred to as "Larry Legend". Following an attempted reconciliation, Bird and Condra had a daughter, Corrie, in 1977. Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. Basketball icon Larry Bird won three MVP awards and three NBA championships during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. Sixth Man of the Year. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? Bulls Vs. Celtics Playoff History. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Other notable performances by Bird include his career-high 49 points against Wichita State in February 1979, scoring 29 points in the first half against Butler in December 1978, just 10 months after he dropped 47 on the Bulldogs on the road. eventually winning the series in seven. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 16 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, Tied for first in semifinal history with 16 made field goals against DePaul, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1978: 30.0 points per game, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1979: 28.6 points per game, Third-leading scorer in the country in 1977: 32.8 points per game, Sixth all-time (since 1973) in rebounds in a season: 505 rebounds (1979), Tied for seventh with a two-game Final Four rebound total of 29 rebounds in 1979, Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul, Tied for eighth all-time in career rebounding average: 13.3 rebounds per game, Ninth in NCAA tournament history (since 1973) with 67 rebounds in a single NCAA tournament, Tied for 13th all-time in double-doubles in a season: 28 double-doubles (1979), 15th all-time in career scoring average (min. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Titles did indeed come in 1981, 1984, and 1986, and Boston also played in the 1985 and 1987 Finals. He returned to the team later in the season but also had back problems as well. He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. Finals MVP. [25], In his rookie season (19791980), Bird immediately transformed the Celtics into a title contender. 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. [21] He eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone. From 1984 to 1986, no one in the NBA could top him, and he racked up quite a bit of hardware. He's added four more since (in the 2015 playoffs vs. Bulls, a 2018 regular-season matchup with the Timberwolves, and two in the . League Champion: Boston Celtics. 6'9" (2.06m) . [43] Boston came back to win the game, eventually winning the series in seven. Forum; InsideHoops Main Basketball Forums; NBA Forum; Larry Bird is the 2nd best player in the history The first was on February 14, 1986 in an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers. This is no surprise, as Bird and Magic were the top dogs in the league for a long time. Stats Yahoo Celtics News . . He was named NBA Head Coach of . [42] Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. [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. 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. [109] Since 2022, the NBA will award the MVPs for the Conference Finals; the Eastern Conference Finals MVP trophy is named in Bird's honor, while the Western Conference trophy is named after Johnson. Larry Bird. APG. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. 2022 NBA Playoffs, 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA . Player Stats. [39] At the conclusion of the season, he earned his first All-Defensive Team selection. Sam Smith. [53] On March 10, 1986, Bird scored 50 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 5 assists in a 115116 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Their rivalry continued on in the revived CelticsLakers Rivalry in the NBA. In his first game, Bird recorded a double-double against the Rockets. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Finals MVP: Larry Bird(24.0/9.7/9.5), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Who was going to make the last shot? [26][27] In his career debut, Bird recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a 114106 win over the Houston Rockets. 1981-82 As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . 1980 Finals 1982 Finals. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the Year.[1]. Isn't 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7 assists per game one of the coolest statlines for an NBA playoff series ever?A quote from Larry Bird's book "Drive" co. Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. With the upgraded roster, the Celtics advanced to the Conference Finals again to play the 76ers. 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