If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. Do you have a blog? Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. How to say Basketball in different languages? Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. 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 Bulls lost Michael Jordan for most of this season to a foot injury and they were mostly terrible, finishing 4th in the Central Division. talent just don't get it. 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. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. He scored 27 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, dished out 3.6 assists and had 2.1 steals per game. Magic gets the edge because he finished his career stronger, he was able to get/maybe steal from Charles Barkley the 1990 MVP, and he got the Lakers to another finals in 91, after 88 and the injuries Boston was done being any kind of serious contender they never got past the second round again for the rest of Larry Bird's time but if you're talkin Peak vs. The Celtics stayed unbeaten all-time in home Game 7s with a clear cut 111-102 victory. In their professional careers, Bird played for the Boston Celtics and Magic played for the Los Angeles . The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Lakers in 1983 and the Detroit Pistons snuck by the Lakers in 1989. The kick-off of one of the greatest rivalries of all time. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. Celtics Starters: Tiny Archibald, Chris Ford, Larry Bird, Cedric Cornbread Maxwell and Robert Parish. He was the only NBA Rookie of the Year, MVP, Finals MVP, All-Star MVP, Coach of the Year, and Executive of the . The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . The games were close enough but never really in doubt. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. . Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. Bird finished second in the MVP voting to Malone and was unable to lead the Celtics back to the Conference Finals. Magics Michigan State team won the game 75-64, preventing Bird from winning a title for Indiana State. Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Larry Bird Boston Celtics Autographed Wilson Replica Basketball with "HOF 1998" Inscription - Limited Edition of 133 at Walmart.com Larry Bird would go after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Both teams could have easily succeeded in taking the Eastern Conference Finals. And they werent. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. It went back and forth but the Celtics were able to walk away with a massive victory to seal the series. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded. His performances included scoring 60 points against the Hawks which is still a Boston record to this day. No matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on, though, Larry Bird has you covered. The Rockets fought back to win handily in game 5 at home but the Celtics closed out the series in game 6 in the Boston Garden to take their third title of the Bird era. Birds great performances in games one and six helped lead the Celtics to the title and Bird claimed his first NBA Championship in 1981. The Lakers drew first blood but Boston evened the series in Game 2. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. 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!). It brought Bird his third and final NBA Championship. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. Two-time National Basketball Association champion Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell points to the pillars of the game when it comes to the question, "Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?" "I measure it by those who changed the game," said the former Boston Celtics standout on Sunday afternoon while taking part in the Legends & Stars Sports Expo at Batavia Downs Gaming. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Magic led the Lakers to victory at home in game 6, setting the stage for a Boston Garden Game 7. In terms of individual honors, he won the 1979-80 Rookie of the Year title, claimed three MVP crowns, and earned two NBA Finals MVP nods. Houston Rockets 4-2, who would briefly play with Bird later in his career, the greatest non-final series in NBA history, Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. Flynn. You can't tell the story of the 1980s without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. However, this was not the case. Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. Jordan scored an all-time playoff record in game 2: 63 points. Have the Phoenix Suns ever won the NBA title? 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. The 1987 NBA Finals again saw the Los Angeles Lakers up against Birds Celtics. It was the same matchup with pretty much the same teams. He joined the Celtics a year later. Of the subsequent finals, Basketbawful writes, "the Lakers played great and the Boston bench sucked. As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. No stats available. Boston won two close ones to start the series before Washington stole game three by 3 points. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. Regardless, Johnson and Bird are widelyregarded as beingtwo of thegreatest players to have ever played the gameand they made for one of the greatest rivalries, one that will never be forgotten. Player stats broken down into various categories; i.e. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. 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. us, College: Those same Lakers defeated Bird in both his finals losses. L.A. went on to blow out the Celtics in Game 3 but the resilient Celtics responded with a 129-125 OT win in Game 4 which was sealed by Carrs steal at the buzzer. Finally, lets discuss the NBA Finals. Bird won their first meeting in seven games, winning the NBA Finals MVP. Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. The Western Conference Finals also led to one of the greatest game-winners ever. Then head coach Bill Fitch resigned as head coach despite having the second-best coaching record in the NBA during his four-year stint in Boston. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. During a mid-1980's game vs. Utah when Bird was torching the Jazz, Larry looked over at . 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. It must have lit a fire underneath Larry because he didnt let anything get in his way during his sophomore season. The Bucks, coached by Celtics legend Don Nelson, won the Central Division title in 1984. Boston also had to deal with the impending free agency of Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. After going 33-0, Bird led his team to the final of the tournament where he faced off against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. Only game 3 finished within ten points with the Cs winning 111-107. Featuring prime Larry Legend, apex Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson. In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Larry Bird Stats and news - NBA stats and news on Boston Celtics Forward Larry Bird. Carr revealed that the motto of the 1983-84 Celtics was Dont be denied, and the team ended up winning the championship that no one thought they would win. Who is the highest paid NBA player in the 2021-2022 Season? After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. He has been an NBA champion in 1981, 1984 and 1986 out of which he was the NBA Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986. The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. Big Names Off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Danny Ainge, Quinn Buckner, Scott Wedman. Larry Bird Reacts to Eastern Conference Finals MVP Trophy Named After Him. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. He worked the first half, but was replaced by John Vanak for the second half. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. Stephen Curry is now a career 21-4 (.840) in playoff series. Bird's 3 wins came against the Rockets (1981 & 1986) and the Lakers (1984). We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) . BIrd averaged 27.4 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assist per game for the series. Michael Cooper Backs Larry Bird and Blasts JJ Redick, Calling Him a Poor Mans Danny Ainge. Birds third and final NBA championship came in 1986. Tatum and the rest of his team are eager to avenge the loss in the Finals . Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games (4 wins, 3 losses) * 1985: Los Angeles Lak. The Celtics won the Finals convincingly 4-2. 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 .
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