They played against each other in 3 NBA Finals and during that era, the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league. Bird had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but the lingering injury forced Bird to miss 37 games. Join our linker program. . Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. They remained married for less than a year. Postseason stats/game: 7.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.1 steals. Skip to primary navigation; . What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? This season was a precursor for a string of successes that no other player has matched in league history. . the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. Among his other stats, he averaged a career shooting percentage of 49.6% and shot 88.6% from the free-throw line. . He played most of his career with forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish, considered by some to be the greatest front court in NBA history. The second occurred on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics (40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). [23], Bird was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. Finals MVP: Larry Bird (24.0 / 9.7 / 9.5) 1986 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Hakeem Olajuwon (537) The season saw a lot of ups. Larry Bird is 6-9. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. Bird entered the NBA for the 19791980 season, where he made an immediate impact, starting at power forward and leading the Celtics to a 32-win improvement over the previous season before being eliminated from the playoffs in the Conference Finals. Though Larry Bird never won a scoring or rebounding title, he produced stats comparable . 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. In 2003, Bird was named president of basketball operations for the Pacers, holding the position until retiring in 2012. Skip to primary navigation; . Do you have a blog? He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". An Amazing 8-0! Rockets vs. Celtics. In the semifinals, the Celtics missed Bird in Game 1, where Detroit won. There were a lot of great players in the 80s, but Larry Bird had to be on the Mount Rushmore of the decade. Despite failing to win the championship, Bird earned numerous year-end awards and honors for his outstanding play, including the Naismith College Player of the Year Award. Stats: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG. [28] On November 14, 1979, Bird recorded his first career triple-double with 23 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists in a 115111 win over the Detroit Pistons. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. What Was John Havliceks Finals Record? Playoffs: PTS, FG, FT, FTA, 3P, 3PA complete all-time. Search this website. 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. [99] He sometimes practiced shooting three-point shots with his eyes closed. Manufacturer: The Star Co. 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. Scoring Title. Bird has appeared in three movies, each time playing himself: Bird's likeness has appeared in several video games. He was selected to the All-Star Game but didnt play due to a back injury. [57], The '86 Celtics are commonly ranked as one of the greatest basketball teams of all time, with the Boston Globe's Peter May and Grantland's Bill Simmons listing them at number one. Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. [114] He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. [116], In 2003, Bird was hired as the Pacers' president of basketball operations. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. December 7, Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird. He finished that game with 47 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Shoots: We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. [7], Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, to Georgia (ne Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War. [9] He has four brothers and a sister. [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. 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. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". [103] Bird was also referred to as "Larry Legend". [58], In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons. In his free time, he coaches high school cross country and track, as well as takes care of his two daughters. 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. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals to set up a rematch with the Lakers. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. [98] Bird won NBA three-point-shooting contests in three consecutive years. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The first was on February 14, 1986 in an overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers. 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]. The injuries to Bird did not necessarily end his career, but they made it difficult for Bird to regain his superstar form. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. No Awards . [76] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet". Johnson scored 24 points and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Larry Bird stats. Checkout the latest stats of Larry Bird. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. [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. 2", "Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics Box Score, December 9, 1984", "Relive the Moment: Larry Bird Easily Wins Inaugural 3-Point Contest After Asking Field Who Would Finish Second", "Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics Box Score, November 27, 1985", "Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks Box Score, March 10, 1986", "Larry Legend Bird wins third straight MVP", "Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics Box Score, June 8, 1986", "Converse Commercial (1986) with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson", "Bird's Garden Party: Celtics Make It a Magical Night for Larry Legend", "Against All Those Hawks, One Bird Is Enough for Celtics", "Legendary Moments in NBA History: Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins battle in Game 7", "Bird Bids Farewell, Retires From Celtics", "Dream Team a star-studded sight to behold for gazers on, off court", "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Hall of Famers", "10 reasons we still love Larry Bird on his 60th birthday", "PRO BASKETBALL; A Bashful Larry Bird Joins Hall Of Fame", "The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Hall of Famers", "1992 Dream Team Inducted into Hall of Fame", It started in Sacramento: LeBron James, back in NBA Finals, makes our all-time starting 5, "Who's The Best Small Forward Of All Time: Larry Bird Or LeBron James? Join our linker program. Find out more. Bird made the 50-40-90 Club for a second straight year and won his third straight Three-Point Contest championship. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games due to recurring back problems. Happy 64th Birthday, Larry Bird! [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. (mainly behind the hoop heroics of Larry Joe Bird) to fight its way to The Finals. Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. League Champion: Boston Celtics. 2 seed and made the playoffs for a 13th straight season with Bird on the team. Stats Yahoo Celtics News . 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. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. But does that record provide a fair verdict on James' performance in the NBA Finals? [2] Bird was a 12-time NBA All-Star, won two NBA Finals MVP awards and received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award three consecutive times (19841986), making him the only forward in league history to do so. Titles did indeed come in 1981, 1984, and 1986, and Boston also played in the 1985 and 1987 Finals. Bird's Pacers fell in the East finals in '98 and '99, then came up short in the NBA Finals in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. His focus was on the court. It was a great storyline as Magic Johnson and Bird were former college rivals. FGA, TRB, AST complete back to 1962-63. Winning Time again explored the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird narrative in its season finale. In case you still didn't know, Larry Bird wasn't big on material possessions. 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. The Celtics avoided an upset bid by the Pacers and won the full five games. [70], In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, and other NBA stars to play for the United States men's national basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. inWest Baden,Indiana [75] It was the first time in the United States' Olympic history that the country sent NBA players to compete. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. While Indiana State coach Bill Hodges was frustrated with the style of defense, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, Bird wasn't concerned about his lack of shots. Card Name: All-Star Stats. The next year he attended the smaller Indiana State University, ultimately playing three years for the Sycamores. 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. In his final three seasons with the Celtics, Bird averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists per game, shot better than 45% from the field, and led the Celtics to playoff appearances. 30 on ESPN SportsCentury's list of 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th century. MJ looked up to Bird when he came into the league. Finals Appearances. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. In eight games, Bird averaged 8.4 points. 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. In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Bird shot 9 of 10 from the floor in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in that quarter and lifting the Celtics to a series-clinching victory over Atlanta. Here are some of the awards Larry Bird won in college: However, Bird was all business in spite of the awards he won and the fanfare he received. It was the first All-Defensive honor for Bird, on top of averaging nearly 23 points per game. Coopers. Find out more. Career: 1979-92 (13 seasons) [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. ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. Defensive Player of Year. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Once he entered his 30s, . The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. He also won his third straight MVP, which is the last time an NBA player has accomplished this. The series stretched to seven games. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 83.3 free throw percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min. Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird 11-23 Record (0-6 in playoffs) Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images. Finals stats: 28.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 55 games Finals rank: . Nonetheless, during the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. Also, no other player has ever won consecutive games at the buzzer like Bird did in January 1985. Bird won Naismith College Player of the Year. 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. . The season saw Bird make the 50-40-90 Club for the first time in his career. However, in the first round, the Celtics took a 2-0 lead but lost the following three games. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . PF complete back to 1948-49. At least partially as a result of this, he experienced back problems for the remainder of his career. Bird finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. [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. [86][87][88] He was selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. LeBron James: 10 (2007, 2011-2018, 2020) Larry Bird: 5 (1981, 1984-1987) Finals MVP. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, he was a local basketball star. 6 overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. PPG. Rockets vs. Celtics. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. [50] One of Bird's career highlights occurred at the 1986 NBA All-Star Weekend when he walked into the locker room at the inaugural Three-Point Shootout and asked who was going to finish second before winning the shootout. Type: Sports Trading Card. From NBA.com Staff September 14, 2021 2:10 PM It featured Bird walking into the locker room asking who was going to finish second in the Three-Point Contest. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. $11.99. Below you can see the playoff results for all of Birds Celtics teams. Rookie of the Year. . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. When Robert Horry averaged at least 24 minutes per game in the playoffs, his teams won six league titles in 11 seasons. [22] He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. He earned the honors 3 years straight from 1982 through 1984. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. The Celtics did finish with 56 wins, which was good enough for the No. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. 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. [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. No other player has multiple 45-plus-point games with a buzzer-beater. home/away, monthly, etc More Larry Bird Basketball Reference pages, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 9:33AM. Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. 1956 Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. eventually winning the series in seven. [24][14][25] Shortly afterwards, NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign, a rule known as the Bird Collegiate Rule. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. Bird won two finals vs the Houston Rockets and one vs the LA Lakers. [89] Bird won three NBA championships (in 1981, 1984, and 1986) with the Celtics[83] and won two NBA Finals MVP Awards. 1979-80 Bird 1980-81 Bird 1981-82 Bird 1982-83 Bird 1983-84 Bird 1984-85 Bird 1985-86 Bird 1986-87 Bird 1987-88 Bird 1988-89 Bird 1989-90 Bird 1990-91 Bird 1991-92 Bird 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 82 82 77 79 79 80 82 74 76 6 75 60 45. That went to Bird's teammate Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell. Do you have a blog? The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Do you have a blog? Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. He was named Rookie of the Year . Do you have a blog? [39] In the Conference Finals, the Celtics faced the 76ers for the third consecutive year, losing in seven games. But Don't Bet That He Won't Be Back", "Larry Bird stepping down from Pacers post", "For 2nd time, Hall-of-Famer Bird resigns as Pacers president", "Larry Bird resigns as Pacers president, Kevin Pritchard to take over", "Pacers' Larry Bird is NBA Executive of the Year", "Indiana Pacers part ways with Larry Bird", "Bird Steps Down; Pritchard Named President of Basketball Operations", "Larry Bird No Longer Has an Active Role with the Pacers, Confirms Kevin Pritchard", NBA unveils redesigned Larry O'Brien, Bill Russell trophies, announces new conference finals MVP awards - CBS Sports.com, 1992 U.S. OLYMPIC MENS BASKETBALL TEAM - Team USA.org, "2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Dream Team", "FULL VERSION: McDonald's Commercial with LeBron James and Dwight Howard", "Twitter's Logo Is Named After Larry Bird", "Larry Bird is Always on Twitter Even Without Having an Account", "ESPN Classic - Bird had eye for victory", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Bird&oldid=1142161893, Trophy named in Bird's honor (Larry Bird Trophy) awarded to Eastern Conference Finals MVP (established in 2022), 1992 Olympic gold medal (U.S. national team). Larry Birds Finals record is in the lower half of the list of all-time greats below. 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. [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. Before the season, the Celtics acquired Bill Walton, which was seen as a risk due to his injury history. Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA Draft, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 (Full List), More Larry Bird pages at Sports Reference. It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. Bird had a perfect season where he won the championship, won Finals MVP, and the MVP Award. but, still, those stats are unreal. [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. Stats: 21.2 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards And Achievements: NBA Champion, All-Star, All-NBA First Team. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever".[63]. Larry Bird totals for the NBA season and Playoffs, including points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and other categories, year by year and career numbers. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. [119] Bird returned to the Pacers as president of basketball operations in 2013. Injury history a 13th straight season with Bird on the Mount Rushmore of the year before he was to! 14, 1986 in an NCAA tournament game ( min, and 7.0 assists in 31 games in the,. 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