Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. Find out more. Larry Bird of the Celtics and Magic Johnson of the Lakers, Malcolm Emmons and MPS - USA TODAY Sports. These performances earned Bird his second MVP award. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? What is Larry Birds Record in the NBA Finals? In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. Regular season: PTS, FG, FT, 3P complete all-time. Trailing in game 4, Kevin McHale clothes lined Kurt Rambis to spark the Cs to victory. The top 31 players and coaches, The Bulls featured Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore (. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Despite the similarities, the Lakers won the series in six games. He averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the series. Do you have a blog? . The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. The Lakers took game 1 in Boston and looked like they made take a commanding 2-0 lead when Gerald Henderson stole the ball and the series. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. I wrote about his underrated defense here. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Malone is an underrated player, not as well-known as he should be. . Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. In his first season as Pacers coach, Indiana finished third in the east, having finished tenth the prior season. No one thought we could beat the Lakers. Larry averaged 27-10-6. Bird only averaged 15 points per game throughout the series but he did drop a series high 27 points in Game 6 to officially send the Rockets packing, as Bird won his first chip. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. The Lakers took an early lead in overtime, but a controversial foul call foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, had been his 6th foul, and he was out of the game. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. more information Accept. In 1981, 1984 and 1986, it was Bird who led the Boston Celtics to championships, with him taking home two Finals MVP awards. The rules shift was a big factor . (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right. He banked in a shot with a minute to go to put the Cs ahead for good and they won 91-90. The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. * 1981: Boston Celtics def. Having finished second in MVP voting the prior year, Bird dominated the season and the voting. The Celtics swept the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. He and Chauncey Billups are the only two retired players to win Finals MVP but not to make the Hall of Fame. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. The Conference Semifinals was a seven-game series against the Knicks, which ended with Boston winning 4-3. Join our linker program. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? Birds mother, Georgia, once said that she couldnt fathom he sons NBA salary and, despite his earning power, insisted that she wasnt out buying expensive clothes. Bird also won Finals MVP in 1986 when he scored 24 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 10 assists and had 2.7 steals per game. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. FGA, TRB, AST, PF, GS over 99% complete back to 1975-76. Featuring prime Larry Legend, apex Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. The Rockets swept the Sacramento Kings in round 1, then took six games to get by a fun Denver Nuggets team starring Alex English and Fat Lever. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Larry led the team to a Game 7 victory while averaging 26-13-5, putting up a great stat line of 23-11-5 with 5 steals in the deciding Game 7. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. 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. Im not a guy that talks about my past because I always look to the future, but you really sit down and look at it, Ive been involved in a lot, its pretty nice, the forward simply explained. The Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. That went to Birds teammate. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. After dispatching MJ, the Cs cruised by Dominique Wilkins and the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Semis. Its pretty easy to forget how many times Bird has been in the NBA Finals with all of the many accolades and unbelievably, but true, stories about him. The Bullets featured Jeff Ruland a really good, likely underrated, player who was at his peak. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. The teams traded games throughout the series. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Larry Mangurian announced that he was selling the team because of difficulties with the owners of the Boston Garden. We are compensated for referring traffic and business to Fanatics.com and other companies linked to on this site. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Larry Bird was one of the most polished rookies to enter the league and was great for the Celtics right from game one. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? In MVP voting, Bird dominated the competition as he took home his third straight MVP award. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. . The 1984 NBA Finals was the first championship meeting between old rivals Boston and Los Angeles since 1969. . The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first . Amazing! Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. If you are thinking of buy an NBA jersey then check out the official retailers of the NBA below. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. The league had changed the Finals homecourt schedule to the 2-3-2 format that year, allowing the team with the lesser record (LA) to host the middle three games. Keep reading to learn more about each championship win, the series leading up to the finals, and each Larry Bird championship season. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. Bird won the first Finals meeting between them in 1984 and Johnson won the two others; one in 1985, the other in 1987. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. If you were wondering about his career numbers while we wrap this up, he averaged 24.3 points, 10 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. Larry Bird said there were 'obvious' differences between himself and Magic Johnson. However, this was not the case. Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. It's an era thing. The games were not much closer than the series itself. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Also, Bird pushed Michael Cooper to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter. The Celtics again saw their Eastern Conference rivals matching up against the Milwaukee Bucks. He stayed loyal to the Celtics throughout his entire career and they were the team that reaped the benefits of his five NBA Finals appearances and three NBAchampionships. Johnson and Bird met at the NBA Finals three times in 1984, 1985 and 1987. The Knicks had slipped past a young Detroit Pistons team featuring Kelly Tripucka, Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer in five games in the first round. The Cs took game 5 at home behind Larry Birds 34 points and 17 boards. Larry averaged 23-13-7 on his way to a four-game sweep. In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91F (33C) during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (5428) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Some of the greats Bird defeated in the playoffs include Moses Malone, Julius Dr. When asked about what he remembers most about beating the Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals, Carrs reply was: The final seconds of Game 7. Larry wouldnt have been a controversial choice, but Cedric Maxwell was the emotional center of the Celtics and meant so much to the teams culture. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. Aside from stats, Larry Bird was a winner, bringing home multiple championship rings during his time with the Celtics. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. Larry Bird won his first NBA Finals MVP. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. Bird: "So you're overpaid.". Larry pushed the Celtics out of the second round with an easy 4-1 series win over the Atlanta Hawks, led at the time by Dominique Wilkins. The Larry Bird Finals Record was first recorded by Bill Simmons in his book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. His first MVP award was in 1984. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists across the regular season as the Celtics once again topped the eastern conference. BOSTON (AP) June 12, 1984: The Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers 111-102 in Game 7 in the first NBA Finals between Boston's Larry Bird and Los Angeles' Magic Johnson . Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. Known as "Larry Legend," Bird has achieved incredible success in his career, earning multiple awards and holding numerous records. This was a fantastic series overall. Im kind of country, she explained. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? Your email address will not be published. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. It featured the first time that Larry Bird met Magic Johnson in the NBA Finals, their first head-to-head championship meeting since the 1979 NCAA title game. This struggle did not deter Bird. The Lakers fell in the Western Conference finals to a new team that sprung up seemingly out of nowhere. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). . His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. Birds 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). 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. Seriously, check out his Basketball Reference page. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources. At the risk of boring you with a list of his all-time accomplishments, well run through an abbreviated version of Birds body of work. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. The following season, the Celtics did end up losing to the Philadelphia 76ers after winning their first-round series against the Washington Bullets (what a team name!). In his second season with the Celtics, Boston finished first in the East as they had done the previous year. Los Angeles Lakers 4-3, Larry Bird Championship #3: 1986 Boston Celtics, 1986 First Round: Celtics def. Larry Bird. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. Larry Birds NBA Finals record is 3-2. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. Larry Bird Net Worth. 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. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. He was still one to wear what he wanted, enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and, in this case, refuse to hype up his own accomplishments. Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. Sadly for Bird, the Pacers lost the series in six games. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. The 1986 team is among the greatest teams to ever take the hardwood. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. Your default site has been set for 7 days, Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their legendary head-to-head matchups. More player info His performances helped to take the Celtics to 62 wins in the regular season, topping the NBA. The Bullets were the 8th seed in the East winning only 35 regular season games and finishing last in the Atlantic division. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. Bird retired from the NBA in 1992 and immediately took up an advisory role with the Boston Celtics. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. Johnson won 11 of those games, posting averages of 19.4 points, 11.5 assists and 6.8 rebounds in their head-to-head matchups compared to 21.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game for Bird. The Pacers got their revenge on the Knicks, winning the eastern conference finals in six games to go up against the Lakers. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Larry Bird picked up the 1984 MVP award and led his Celtics to the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 62-20 overall record. Larry Bird's 1986 Playoff Stats . Bird's 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson , 1985 & 1987. Milwaukee Bucks 4-1, 1984 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Only the strong survive. Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. In 1979, Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird faced off for the first time in the NBA. He made the Finals five times in his thirteen-year career, winning the championship in 1981, 1984, and 1986. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. As for their averages, Johnson posted 20.7 points, 13.5 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game in their head-to-head matchups in the Finals compared to Bird's 25.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. Not that there was anything to really worry about for him, it really just added a chip on his shoulder to come back and perform to a high standard. In retirement, though, Larry Legend managed to take things down a notch. The Celtics snuck past the Philadelphia 76ers in 7 games after the Sixers had taken a 3-1 lead to open the series. Larry Bird was born on as Larry Joe Bird to parents: Georgia and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War.He attended Springs Valley High School. Even when he found fame and fortune, the NBA star never forgot his humble roots. Noise Group Limited is a UK registered company. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they came away with a 111-102 victory. Larry, to his credit, was phenomenal. Larry Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 & 1986, the trophy would go to his teammate Cedric Maxwell in 1981. The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous year's finals. The top 31 players and coaches, 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 averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including Magic Johnson's bad pass to Robert Parish late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. Despite getting swept in the 1983 NBA Finals by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Lakers entered the season among the favorites to win the title. There's always a mystique about players that played before the 90's because we don't have all the data, stats etc as we have to. The NBA Finals series was closer than either of the Conference Finals. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. He won his second NBA Finals MVP. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. Check out stats on every National Basketball Association Finals MVP winner on ESPN.com. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. Required fields are marked *. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . In his last season as the teams head coach, Birds Pacers were the number one seed in the east and were not really tested throughout the first three rounds of the playoffs. The Celtics made short work of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, winning in five games. This was Birds last season with Indiana State as he had been drafted by the Celtics in 1978, but chose to play out one final year with his college instead of going straight to the NBA. What surprises me more, though, is that former NBA player, 38-year-old JJ Redick, can't admit that the NBA of the 1980s was more physical than the game played today.. Nearly two weeks ago, Redick caused a stir by saying Bird shouldn't be considered . Hey, it's enough to make Allen Iverson burn his Celtics throwbacks. But what is Larry Birds record in the NBA Finals? Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. 1983: Moses Malone: C: Coopers. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. Larry Bird, the former basketball player for NBA's Boston Celtics, is a true icon in the world of basketball. By: HoopsHype. So as it seems unlikely for Bird to ever coach again, Larry Bird has never won a championship as a coach. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. This series was an eye-opener into how good the Celtics were this season. [2] It was also the last time that a team with home court advantage in the NBA finals played Game 5 on its own floor until 2014. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. Since then Bird won a championship in 1981, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in 1982 and 1983, winning in the former. Milwaukee Bucks 4-0, 1986 NBA Finals: Celtics def. The Bucks were led in the series, as they had been in the regular season, by wing Marques Johnson and Hall of Fame guard Sidney Moncrief. J Erving, The Sixers swept a weak Indiana Pacers team in round 1 (2-0) then went seven games to defeat a tough Milwaukee Bucks team starring Bob Lanier, Marques Johnson and. The Lakers destroyed the Cs in their first home game 137-104 in game 3. He joined the Celtics a year later. The Celtics star received 52 first placed votes, with second place Bernard King only getting eleven. Bird outscored Dr. J 26.7 to 19.9 ppg in the series, led all players in rebounds and was second on Boston in assists. Birds 2 Finals losses both came against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, 1985 & 1987. Some of Johnson's notable performances against Bird: As for some of Bird's notable performances against Johnson: Johnson and Bird played against each other 19 times in the playoffs over the course of three NBA Finals. Maybe you lived through the glory days of the 1980s Celtics but you cant quite remember how Bird got his rings. Should individual honors and scoring records take precedence? It was one of the most dominant playoff runs that we had ever seen in basketball at this time and it was hard to imagine them as anything other than favorites entering that series against the Rockets, a team that they already beat in the championship before. It's clear the two dominated the decade, but who got the better of who? He was a monster, averaging 22-16 in this Finals series. Ruland, a center, averaged 22 points and 12 boards for the season. Bird set a career-high with 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks during the 1984-85 season. Bill suffered through injuries for much of his career but appeared in 80 games for the Celtics. The expected CelticsLakers finals, however, never happened. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer, Jamaal Wilkes (17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. Bird averaged 28.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the Cs. Bird created a very good team. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. The 86 Celts, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time, defeated Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time, in the first round. Larry Bird's Celtics made the Finals in 1985 and 1987 but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. Averaging 30-10-7 with 3 steals. The Celtics entered the next season off a high, cruising into the NBA playoffs and sweeping Cleveland in the opening series. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. In Birds rookie season in the league, he helped lead the Boston Celtics all the way into the Eastern Conference Finals. December 7, The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. They snuck into the playoffs because of a weak Central division. Larry Bird is one of the few basketball players in history that are widely recognized even by people who dont even know the sport. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Is it tied to championships? There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. Bird was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the series. Unfortunately for the Pacers and Larry Bird, the Lakers were just too much for the Pacers. Celtics Starters: Gerald Henderson, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell and Robert Parish. 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, "Here Are Some Final Facts on NBA Playoffs", Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1984_NBA_Finals&oldid=1141615206, 20th century in Los Angeles County, California, Basketball competitions in Inglewood, California, May 1984 sports events in the United States, June 1984 sports events in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, No. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. He held this role for five seasons before being offered the Indiana Pacers head coach role. The Celtics next opponent was the Milwaukee Bucks, the team that swept them the year earlier. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. 1956 Larry Bird stats . The Laker momentum was stalled, and Larry Bird came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. Data runs from 1946-47 to present unless otherwise noted. Despite just reaching the finals, Bird stuck to his word and resigned shortly after the finals, taking up the role of Pacers president of basketball operations in 2003. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its clubs. This book highlighted the rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson throughout their respected basketball careers. Navigation Toggle NBA. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. The Pacers had two pretty comfortable series to begin the 1998 post season with wins over the Cavaliers and the Knicks. He averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game across his three seasons, winning Naismith College Player of the Year in 1979. Both these players were representing teams from their home States, adding extra spice to the whole thing. The Cs closed it out with a lopsided victory in game 5. 0:00. Magic Johnson had an 11-8 record in the NBA Finals versus Larry Bird in his career. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. We present them here for purely educational purposes. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. Larry Bird | Net Worth, Salary, And Career Earnings The Indiana-born was the highest-paid rookie of the year, with $3.25 million an average of $650,000 a year in a 5-year contract with the Celtics.Bird had played 879 games in his career until his retirement in 1992.. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. He averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 . Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Big Names Off the Bench: Jerry Sichting, Bill Walton and Scott Wedman. No stats available.
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