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. Sport: Basketball. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Larry Bird, in full Larry Joe Bird, (born December 7, 1956, West Baden, Indiana, U.S.), American basketball player who led the Boston Celtics to three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) and is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. 2 seed. [92] Bird is also remembered as one of the foremost clutch performers in the history of the NBA; he was known for his excellent play in high-stakes, high-pressure situations. Vintage: Yes. Hodges allowed Bird to sleep in, which annoyed the folks who sponsored the brunch and the award, and some in the media. [9] He has four brothers and a sister. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pistons, with five seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and Boston trailing the Pistons 107106, Bird stole an inbound pass. It was a great storyline as Magic Johnson and Bird were former college rivals. The Celtics made the Conference Finals before losing to the 76ers. Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee: College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006). 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. Larry. Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird 11-23 Record (0-6 in playoffs) Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images. GS complete back to 1973-74. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. Bird and McHale remained a dangerous duo, each averaging over 20 points per game. Finals Appearances. He scored 136 points in five NCAA tournament games, leading the Sycamores to the national championship game, where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected to the All-Star Game but didnt play due to a back injury. 13 years. [33][34][35] Behind Bird's leadership and Boston's upgraded roster, the Celtics again advanced to the Conference Finals for a rematch with the 76ers. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! Titles did indeed come in 1981, 1984, and 1986, and Boston also played in the 1985 and 1987 Finals. Shoots: RELATED: The complete results from the best #MarchMadnessMoments bracket. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Join our linker program. Sam Smith. [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. In the playoffs, the Celtics took on a very tough Detroit Pistons team in the Conference Finals. Stats: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG. [76] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame called the team "the greatest collection of basketball talent on the planet". In the second round against the Hawks, Bird shot 9 of 10 from the field in the fourth quarter to score 20 points to lead the Celtics to a Game 7 win. His teams' overall record in finals games was 16-15. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. April 14, 2017 2:34 PM EDT. In the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Pacers in the first round and took a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers in the semifinals. In the playoffs, the Bucks defeated the Bucks in the Conference Finals to set up a showdown with the Lakers in the NBA Finals. He was named NBA Head Coach of . Finals Appearances. [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. [99] He sometimes practiced shooting three-point shots with his eyes closed. Who Did Larry Bird Defeat in the NBA Finals? [39] In the Conference Finals, the Celtics faced the 76ers for the third consecutive year, losing in seven games. Larry Bird was one of the clutchest players in NBA history. Free shipping. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Bird was rated the greatest NBA small forward of all time by Fox Sports in 2016. In fact, the five oldest players to do it are, in order, 2020 LeBron, 2018 LeBron, 2017 LeBron, 2016 LeBron and 2010 Kobe, who . Bird has been voted to both the 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul. 1981-82 Magic Johnson, Los . Bird averaged 24.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the Finals, but the Celtics lost in six games. [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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [45] The performance came just nine days after Kevin McHale set the previous Celtics record for points in a game with 56. Their friendship blossomed when the two players worked together to film the Converse commercial, which depicted them as archenemies. [42] Bird was named Finals MVP behind 27.4 points, 14 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. Finals stats: 28.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists in 55 games Finals rank: . Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. King 8. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? One of the most intelligent players in history, Larry Bird, makes arguably the best play of his career in the 1981 Finals. [80][81] He was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2010, as a member of the "Dream Team". [26][27] In his career debut, Bird recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a 114106 win over the Houston Rockets. You can see stats, Championships, awards and more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. APG. Instead, Bird came back and beat the record over his longtime teammate. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979-80 season with high . James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. All other box score stats (3PA, ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, TOV) complete back to 1983-84. 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. An Amazing 8-0! It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. Basketball icon Larry Bird won three MVP awards and three NBA championships during his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics. [96], Bird is also remembered as an excellent passer[100] and defender. [60], Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakersboth during the regular season and in the Finalsattracted enormous television audiences. Larry Bird always showed up at the highest level when the Celtics needed him most. Discover Larry Bird's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Rookie of the Year. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. League Champion: Boston Celtics. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones record set in 1965. The team remains one of the greatest overall teams in the history of the NBA. They remained married for less than a year. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame . Rockets vs. Celtics. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. [10], Bird received a scholarship to play college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers in 1974. Find out more. [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. [21] Boston advanced through the playoffs to earn a rematch with the Lakers, this time losing in six games. He played both the small forward and power forward positions. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Manufacturer: The Star Co. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Stats: 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG, Awards: 3x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 3x MVP, 12x All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, 9x All-NBA First Team, All-NBA Second Team, 3x All-Defensive Second Team, Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie First Team, 2x 50-40-90 Club. 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. [15] After less than a month on the Indiana University campus he dropped out of school, finding the adjustment between his small hometown and the large student population of Bloomington to be overwhelming. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 19971998 season and later led the Pacers to a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals. . ", In Bird's own words, here's the value he placed on ball movement: "My feeling about passing is that it don't matter who's doing the scoring as long as it's us. This was the Celtics' first appearance in The Finals since their 1976 championship winning team against the Phoenix Suns.The Celtics were not quite the same team as five years before, as they added the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale, a trio that would come to be known as "The Big Three." M. L. Carr, Cedric Maxwell, and Nate Archibald were also capable players off the . Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. [43] Boston came back to win the game, eventually winning the series in seven. The Bulls never have won a playoff series from the Boston Celtics, zero for four times and 3-14 in games. $11.99. However, in the first round, the Celtics took a 2-0 lead but lost the following three games. had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. Bird would typically start offensive possessions on the right block, where he would utilize the right corner of the floor, the fre-throw line extended and the opposite wing. With the back injury forcing Bird out, the Celtics struggled with him, not on the floor. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. 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. Amazing! The Spartans won 75-64 in the highest-rated and most-watched college basketball game ever. that the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals. The season finished with a national championship game match-up of Indiana State against Michigan State and featured a highly anticipated match-up of Bird against Michigan State great Magic Johnson, thus beginning a career-long rivalry that the two shared for over a decade. [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. They each had charisma, deft shooting touch, extraordinary passing skills, and team-oriented mindset that ignited their team and the crowd. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. [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. The Celtics avoided an upset bid by the Pacers and won the full five games. What Was John Havliceks Finals Record? [77], Bird was voted onto the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team list in 1996,[78][79] and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. The season for Bird was limited to six games. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. With Bird back in the fold, the Celtics returned to the playoffs with hopes of a deep run. [21] He did not sign with the Celtics immediately; instead, he played out his final season at Indiana State and led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game. With his averages, he won Rookie of the Year. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. Finals MVP: Larry Bird (24.0 / 9.7 / 9.5) 1986 Playoff Leaders: PTS: Hakeem Olajuwon (537) The Celtics met the 76ers in the Conference Finals for a third straight year. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The Celtics won 32 more games than the previous season and it was the initial stages of the Celtics transforming into a title contender yearly. Bird, Larry (1989), Drive: The Story of My Life. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Do you have a blog? Find out more. The 19871988 season was the highest-scoring season of Bird's career. but, still, those stats are unreal. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever".[63]. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [3], A versatile player at both forward positions, he could play both inside and outside, being one of the first players in the league to take advantage of the newly adopted three-point line. Larry Bird won the NBA Finals MVP two times. During the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. Parish averaged a double-double and remained a defensive force. 'Can I stay in bed?' He is a graduate of Indiana University. "[70] Their rivalry began in college, when Larry Bird and Indiana State lost to Magic Johnson and Michigan State in the NCAA Championship game. The season saw Bird make the 50-40-90 Club for the first time in his career. The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. 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