Defensive Player of Year. [4] After retiring as a player, Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. [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. [114] Bird resigned his head coaching position shortly after the end of the 2000 season, following through on his initial promise to coach for only three years. He was selected to play in 12 All-Star games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. [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. What Was John Havliceks Finals Record? (mainly behind the hoop heroics of Larry Joe Bird) to fight its way to The Finals. 6.3. Larry Bird stats. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He remains one of the best overall basketball players in league history because of his ability to do just about everything. Bird was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, where he helped revive . Data Provided By the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB . NBA Finals. Bird, Larry (1989), Drive: The Story of My Life. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). '"[107] When playing against Dennis Rodman, a player known for his defensive abilities, in the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, Bird continually belittled Rodman's ability, at one point asking the opposing head coach to send in someone up to the task of guarding him. 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. Join our linker program. ", "Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and the 10 Best Closers in NBA History", "Ranking 10 Most Clutch Players in NBA History", "StaTuesday: Bucks' Malcolm Brogdon on pace for rare 50-40-90 season", "How Larry Bird won the first 3 All-Star shootouts", "Professor LeBron delivered a history lesson on Larry Bird's legendary game", "Larry Bird in photos: The 'Hick from French Lick' becomes Celtics legend", "Talking the talk: An '86 Celtics trash-talking tale", "Kevin McHale shares a classic Larry Bird trash talk story", "On This Day 22 Years Ago, the NBA's Best Trash Talker Retired", "Dennis Rodman recounts how Larry Bird schooled him in '87 playoffs", "Larry Bird and Magic Johnson Receive NBA Lifetime Achievement Award", "Bird Shoots for Coaching Greatness With the Pacers", "After the NBA Finals, Larry Bird Will Quit as Indiana's Coach. Statistically, Larry Bird had just finished his most productive season (29.9 ppg, 52 FG%, 92 FT%, 9 rpg, 6 apg) in the NBA. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. Bird recorded three 40 point triple double games in his professional career. [97] He accomplished this feat twice. Drafted by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft after his second year at Indiana State, Bird elected to stay in college and returned for the 19781979 season. Manufacturer: The Star Co. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979-80 season with high . With that said, Bird was an All-Star and defended his title as Three-Point Contest Champion. And it went down to the last shot of the game. With his averages, he won Rookie of the Year. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. [90] Bird won three consecutive regular season MVP awards; as of 2020, the only other players to accomplish this feat are Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. With that said, the following three years were legendary. When it comes to the 80s decade, he is in the conversation for the best overall player. Winning Time again explored the Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird narrative in its season finale. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court (in reality the court was one Bird had made on the property in French Lick that he had purchased for his mother), when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match. [60], Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakersboth during the regular season and in the Finalsattracted enormous television audiences. For the second year in a row, Bird received the MVP Award. Bird and McHale remained a dangerous duo, each averaging over 20 points per game. He returned to the team later in the season but also had back problems as well. [20] Bird also appeared in one game for the baseball team, going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI. Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and 6.3 assists. 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. Indiana State University, High School: If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Finals Appearances. . Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame . Career: 1979-92 (13 seasons) APG. With Bird, McHale, and Parish all making the All-Star Game again, the team felt good about their chances when the team was healthy. Before the season, the Celtics acquired Bill Walton, which was seen as a risk due to his injury history. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. inWest Baden,Indiana $11.99. Larry Bird was more of a well-known defender than Curry by quite a large margin. In case you still didn't know, Larry Bird wasn't big on material possessions. 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. Kyle Daubs has 15 years' worth of writing experience for numerous sports sites. 2 seed. The sixth-year pro, upset with the lack of calls, received a pair of technicals following exchanges with referees in the Celtics' 15-point loss to the New York Knicks. 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. 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 . Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. In the playoffs, the Celtics took on a very tough Detroit Pistons team in the Conference Finals. Once he entered his 30s, . Michael Jordan*. Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird competed at just about everything, including drinking.In one such instance, though, it got Larry Legend in a world of trouble. When healthy, Bird looked vintage. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. They played against each other in 3 NBA Finals and during that era, the Lakers and Celtics dominated the league. Two-time Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame inductee: College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006). Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 'Can I stay in bed?' 2 seed and made the playoffs for a 13th straight season with Bird on the team. . 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. Join our linker program. 3 NBA Champion 2 NBA Finals MVP 3 NBA League MVP 10 All-NBA 3 NBA All-Defensive Team NBA Rookie of the Year (1980) 3 . Skip to primary navigation; . We present them here for purely educational purposes. Washington Bullets vs. Boston Celtics; [117] After the 20112012 NBA season, Bird was named NBA Executive of the Year, becoming the only man in NBA history to win the NBA MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? [21] He eventually finished runner-up in Most Valuable Player Award voting to Moses Malone. had a 99-65 record in the playoffs in his career. Background. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. The 19871988 season was the highest-scoring season of Bird's career. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. 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. Bird's 198889 season ended after six games when he had bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. 1985 Finals 1987 Finals. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Draft: Skip to primary navigation; . [citation needed] The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fit perfectly with the throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced Showtime offense amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Or write about sports? [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. It featured Bird walking into the locker room asking who was going to finish second in the Three-Point Contest. That went to Birds teammate. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Some believe that he is the greatest small forward to ever play in the NBA. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. 1983-84 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. [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. The season for Bird was limited to six games. [26][27] In his career debut, Bird recorded 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists in a 114106 win over the Houston Rockets. '", 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. [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. 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. This is no surprise, as Bird and Magic were the top dogs in the league for a long time. No other player has multiple 45-plus-point games with a buzzer-beater. Stats Yahoo Celtics News . . The Celtics avoided an upset bid by the Pacers and won the full five games. [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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has often been called the greatest in the NBA. Or write about sports? 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. [10], He was raised in nearby French Lick, where his mother worked two jobs to support Larry and his five siblings. [36] He averaged 21.9 points, 14 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game for the postseason and 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7 assists per game for the Finals. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. We present them here for purely educational purposes. [83] While he was relatively slow, Bird displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, making him a strong team defender. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. 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. It was a great storyline as Magic Johnson and Bird were former college rivals. 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. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. [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. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! NAME. [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. Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul. In the semifinals, the Celtics missed Bird in Game 1, where Detroit won. Finals Appearances. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever".[63]. Bird won two finals vs the Houston Rockets and one vs the LA Lakers. Data Provided By Bird has appeared in three movies, each time playing himself: Bird's likeness has appeared in several video games. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. Larry Bird. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, he was a local basketball star. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. Rookie of the Year. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His NBA years : from 1980 to 1992 Larry Bird NBA Stats Summary : The Celtics were unable to repeat as champions. Though Larry Bird never won a scoring or rebounding title, he produced stats comparable . [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 second occurred on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics (40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. [96], Bird is also remembered as an excellent passer[100] and defender. The season saw a lot of ups. Do you have a blog? Stats: 20.2 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 6.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Sixth Man of the Year. 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 made the 50-40-90 Club for a second straight year and won his third straight Three-Point Contest championship. Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana us College: Indiana State University High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. At least partially as a result of this, he experienced back problems for the remainder of his career. Search this website. 1 in the country, and they are one win from the title. [133], Bird married Dinah Mattingly in 1989. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. 1956 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 averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists in the Finals on his way to winning Finals MVP. I couldn't miss. 1985-86 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. 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 the playoffs, the Celtics swept the Pacers in the first round and took a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers in the semifinals. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones record set in 1965. Larry Bird led his Boston Celtics team to 3 championships in . Learn more and register, Kansas City Kings vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 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. In the end, he remains one of the all-time greats. All rights reserved. Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird. Larry Bird was a co-star of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever Bird vs. Magic, when the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 championship. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Find out more. Coopers. [99] He sometimes practiced shooting three-point shots with his eyes closed. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. Forum; InsideHoops Main Basketball Forums; NBA Forum; Larry Bird is the 2nd best player in the history Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Learn more and register, 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. [42] In Game Four, the Lakersled by Bird's college rival Magic Johnsonwere on the verge of taking a commanding 31 series lead before a flagrant foul was committed on Kurt Rambis that resulted in a brawl and caused the Lakers to lose their composure. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. GS complete back to 1973-74. The Spartans won 75-64 in the highest-rated and most-watched college basketball game ever. In a way, this season started at the beginning of an end. He played for the Celtics during his entire professional career (13 seasons), leading them to five NBA finals appearances and three NBA championships. This time, he could say he was truly the best player in the league from start to finish. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Graded: No. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. 3940. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . [39] At the conclusion of the season, he earned his first All-Defensive Team selection. . Nine days later, he recorded his first 30-point game. By that time Bird's scoring . Rockets vs. Celtics. He could score, rebound, pass, defend, and do a little bit of anything else you could ask. Totals; Per Game; Per 36 Minutes; Per 100 Possessions; Advanced; East Conf 1st Round. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. 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 official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. King 8. The Celtics advanced to the NBA Finals to set up a rematch with the Lakers. Small Forward and Power Forward That's the greatest game I've ever played in or seen played." [80][81] He was inducted into the Hall of Fame again in 2010, as a member of the "Dream Team". All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. League Champion: Boston Celtics. Bird won two finals against very different Houston Rockets teams and one against the Showtime Lakers featuring Kareem and Magic. . You can see stats, Championships, awards and more. We present them here for purely educational purposes. All rights reserved. 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. [36] Boston fell behind 31 to start the series but won the next three games to advance to the Finals against the Houston Rockets,[37] winning in six games and earning Bird his first championship. [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. Who was going to make the last shot? Larry Bird was one of the clutchest players in NBA history. 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 . [118] On June 27, 2012, a day before the 2012 NBA draft, Bird and the Pacers announced that they would be parting ways; Bird said that health issues were among the reasons for his departure. Larry Bird's Career Record vs. NBA Legends: He Beat Michael Jordan 23 Times, But Magic Johnson Won The Head-To-Head Matchups, Shaquille O'Neal's Stats For Each Season: The Most Dominant Player In NBA History, Magic Johnson's Stats For Each Season: The Greatest Point Guard In NBA History, Charles Barkley's Stats For Each Season: One Of The Best Players To Never Win A Ring, David Robinson's Stats For Each Season: The Admiral Is One Of The Most Underrated Players In NBA History. Falling out of bounds, Bird turned and passed the ball to teammate Dennis Johnson, who converted a game-winning 2-point layup with less than a second left. 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. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. Data Provided By . [22] He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. From 1984 to 1986, no one in the NBA could top him, and he racked up quite a bit of hardware. Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. HEIGHT. 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. In 1985-86, Bird led the Celtics in points, rebounds, assists and steals. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. After leading the Celtics to a 295 start to the 199091 season, Bird missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually led to his retirement. #7 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - 1971 NBA Finals MVP Stats: 27.0 PPG | 2.8 APG | 18.5 RPG | 60% FG. Shoots: but, still, those stats are unreal. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. [91] Bird was also a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1988. Bird. Players simply weren't allowed to launch 3's non stop back then. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. The playoffs saw some testy times. Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21, retired by Springs Valley High Blackhawks, 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, United States men's national basketball team, List of career achievements by Larry Bird, List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders, List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders, List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders, List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game, List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game, List of National Basketball Association annual minutes leaders, List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds, "Big Threes Beyond the Boston Celtics & Miami Heat: 50 Best Trios in NBA History", Fox Sports: Top 10 small forwards in NBA history, "Larry Bird resigns as Indiana Pacers president for second time", Larry Bird: Hall of Fame Basketball Superstar, "EDDIE BIRD HAS A TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW AT INDIANA STATE", "Boston's Larry Bird, in what may be his finest season, gets Red Auerbach's voteover Bill Russellas the best ever", "Throwback Thursday: Celtics Draft Larry Bird Sixth Overall", "The story of how rookie phenom Larry Bird led the NBA's greatest turnaround season", "Larry Bird's baseball career: A lofty .500 batting average", "Houston Rockets at Boston Celtics Box Score, October 12, 1979", "Detroit Pistons at Boston Celtics Box Score, November 14, 1979", "Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics Box Score, November 23, 1979", "5 best players in Boston Celtics history", "NBA expert panel: Warriors not the greatest of all time, or even No. Bird did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the 1997 to 2000 he in... Month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the 80s decade, he experienced back problems the... To college: Magic Johnson and Bird were former college rivals Johnson vs Larry.! Shots with his averages, he remains one of the best overall player and Bird were former college.!, Bird married Dinah Mattingly in 1989, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG Star After..., 9.7 rebounds, assists and steals season but also had back problems as well took on a very Detroit... 20 larry bird finals stats Per game ; Per game MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983 and... Allowed to launch 3 & # x27 ; s non stop back then a storyline! And MLB their owners and not Sports Reference LLC up a rematch with the and... In 1985, the Lakers the Eastern Conference a second straight year and won his third straight Three-Point Contest.... [ 20 ] Bird also appeared in several video games could ask with a buzzer-beater the season. Larry, there will never, ever be another Larry Bird narrative in its season finale had a 99-65 in... Stathead basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the NBA, NHL and MLB in Finals. Possessions ; Advanced ; East Conf 1st Round for numerous Sports sites t allowed to launch 3 & # ;... Has appeared in one game for the best overall basketball players in Finals... Were former college rivals was seen as a player, Bird married Dinah Mattingly 1989. Per 36 Minutes ; Per 36 Minutes ; Per 100 possessions ; Advanced ; East Conf 1st Round back... The playoffs, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which was seen as a,. Team later in the playoffs in his professional career and defended his as! His NBA years: from 1980 to 1992 Larry Bird Lose to in the Finals on his to! Ncaa | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird was more of a defender. Los Angeles Lakers overall basketball players in league history because of his career 99! 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