Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote after watching him in the Final Four: "I could not believe The Bird. Larry Bird averaged 23.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31 games in the NBA Finals in his career. [103] Bird was also referred to as "Larry Legend". Highly recruited, he initially signed to play college basketball for coach Bob Knight of the Indiana Hoosiers, but Bird dropped out after one month and returned to French Lick to attend a local community college. . The Celtics won the series in six games. [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. [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. Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. Bird took just two shots that night and made both, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, while he helped teammates Carl Nicks and Steve Reed score 50 combined. In, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. His stats back up that statement as well. Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats, The complete results from the best #MarchMadnessMoments bracket, College basketball dictionary: 51 terms defined, The mens basketball teams with the most NCAA tournament 1 seeds, Lil Nas X, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Maggie Rogers & Mickey Guyton to Perform as Part of the 2023 NCAA March Madness Music Festival in Houston, 2023 March Madness men's bracket predictions by Andy Katz to start March, Men's college basketball career scoring leaders, Antoine Davis is 25 points away from catching 'Pistol' Pete Maravich, Antoine Davis nears all-time DI scoring mark after leading Detroit Mercy to victory, How recent eventual March Madness men's champions did in their conference tournaments, 2023 Selection Sunday: Date, schedule, TV times, Marquette, Indiana leap into the top 6 of the men's college basketball Power 36 rankings, We're tracking all 32 NCAA men's basketball conference tournaments, auto bids for 2023, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 1978 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, 1979 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Named a top-15 player in the 75 Years of March Madness Celebration, A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club: 2,850 points and 1,247 rebounds, Indiana State's all-time leading scorer (2,850 points), Indiana State records for most points in the first half, second half, in a game, at home, on the road, in a loss, Highest scoring average in the 1979 NCAA Tournament (27.2 points per game), Most rebounds and highest rebound average in the 1979 NCAA Tournament (67 rebounds, 13.4 rpg), Indiana State-record 35 points in an NCAA tournament game, Indiana State-record 16 field goals in an NCAA tournament game, Indiana State-record 84.2 shooting percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min. When they reached the NBA Finals, the Celticshampered by devastating injurieslost to a dominant Lakers team that had won 65 games during the season. From NBA.com Staff September 14, 2021 2:10 PM LeBron James: 10 (2007, 2011-2018, 2020) Larry Bird: 5 (1981, 1984-1987) Finals MVP. [48], Before the start of the 198586 season, the Celtics made a daring trade for Bill Walton, an All-Star center with a history of injury. 1980 Finals 1982 Finals. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Michael Jordan*. 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. 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. [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. His focus was on the court. [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. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He was selected to play in 12 All-Star games. 24.3. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com. Player Stats. With Walton on the roster and with him staying healthy, the Celtics won a league-best 67 games. name season series tm gp mpg ppg rpg apg spg bpg tpg fgm fga fg% 3pm 3pa 3p% ftm fta ft% min pts reb ast stl blk tov pf +/-larry bird: 1980-81: nba finals [4] After retiring as a player, Bird served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. [23], Bird was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. [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. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. 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. 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. The 19871988 season was the highest-scoring season of Bird's career. [83] Universally recognized as an all-time great player, Bird was placed at the power forward position on an NBA all-time starting five roster with fellow superstars Magic Johnson (point guard), Michael Jordan (shooting guard), LeBron James (small forward), and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (center) in 2020. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 16 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, Tied for first in semifinal history with 16 made field goals against DePaul, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1978: 30.0 points per game, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1979: 28.6 points per game, Third-leading scorer in the country in 1977: 32.8 points per game, Sixth all-time (since 1973) in rebounds in a season: 505 rebounds (1979), Tied for seventh with a two-game Final Four rebound total of 29 rebounds in 1979, Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul, Tied for eighth all-time in career rebounding average: 13.3 rebounds per game, Ninth in NCAA tournament history (since 1973) with 67 rebounds in a single NCAA tournament, Tied for 13th all-time in double-doubles in a season: 28 double-doubles (1979), 15th all-time in career scoring average (min. Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. That went to Birds teammate. The Celtics won both games at home to open the 1985 Eastern Conference Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers, and Bird felt like blowing off some steam by having a drink at the now-defunct Chelsea's bar in Quincy Market. The injuries to Bird did not necessarily end his career, but they made it difficult for Bird to regain his superstar form. 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. 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. But, as one journalist would say, They looked different, perhaps, but take a chainsaw to their souls and they were fraternal, if not identical, friends.[72] Watching Bird play was like watching Magic play, as they both shared this talent that the league had never seen before. It helped the Celtics overcome 47 points from Dominique Wilkins. Stats; Standings; Teams; Players; All-Star . [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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. [7], Bird was born in West Baden Springs, Indiana, to Georgia (ne Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird, a veteran of the Korean War. As a result, Jordan did not manage to muster up an extremely impressive record against the . In addition, the NBA clutch stats show Jordan is the only player in NBA history to record back-to-back 50-point games in the playoffs. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). When media outlets conduct their all-time great lists, Bird is spotted on those lists every time. [59] The Celtics fell short in 1988 losing to the Detroit Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pistons made up from the heartbreak the previous season. It set up an NBA Finals with the Houston Rockets. Bird was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, where he helped revive . [96], Bird is also remembered as an excellent passer[100] and defender. [120] He continued to serve as an advisor until July, 2022, when he "stepped back from maintaining an active role with the Indiana Pacers". [9] He has four brothers and a sister. His Ruseell Westbrook-ian statistics stats in the 1986 Finals (24 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 9.5 AG) capped his best season." Sam Esfandiari of Warriors World: "Larry Bird has gone down as one of the most gifted all-around players of all time. Bird packed a lot of success into his first decade of NBA play, but longevity wouldn't prove his strong suit. [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. Rockets vs. Celtics. . [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. [8], The game achieved the highest-ever television rating for a college basketball game, in large part because of the matchup between Bird and Spartans' point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson,[11] a rivalry that lasted throughout their professional careers. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. "Larry Bird Ball" was the most popular sport in Terre Haute. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. [91] Bird was also a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1988. Larry Bird is 6-9. [84], "Larry, you only told me one lie. He remains one of the best overall basketball players in league history because of his ability to do just about everything. 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. Playoffs, All-Star) Awards. Bird scored a team-high 19 points for the Sycamores in the 1979 national championship game but it wasn't his most efficient performance as he was just 7-of-21 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line. Bird was named 1984 Finals MVP after averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds per game. The Celtics won the series in six games, but Bird did not win Finals MVP, which was rewarded to Cedric Maxwell. 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. . Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. Card Name: All-Star Stats. After protracted negotiations, Bird inked a five-year, $3.25 million contract with the team on June 8, making him the highest-paid rookie in sports history. Join our linker program. Among his other stats, he averaged a career shooting percentage of 49.6% and shot 88.6% from the free-throw line. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird missed four of the seven games due to recurring back problems. Nonetheless, during the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. Bird won two finals vs the Houston Rockets and one vs the LA Lakers. 1985-86 Larry Bird, Boston Celtics. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. The Celtics reached the playoffs in . Bird would remain an All-Star player after he was back and healthy. The Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. The Spartans won 75-64 in the highest-rated and most-watched college basketball game ever. He's added four more since (in the 2015 playoffs vs. Bulls, a 2018 regular-season matchup with the Timberwolves, and two in the . 2022 NBA Playoffs, 2021 NBA Playoffs, 2020 NBA Playoffs, 2019 NBA Playoffs, 2018 NBA . 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. Data Provided By the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB . Magic Johnson: 9 (1980, 1982-1985, 1987-1989, 1991) Larry Bird: 5 (1981, 1984-1987) Bird did not technically average a triple double for the series because both his rebounds and assists were slightly below 10 and Ive rounded them, but, still, those stats are unreal. With that said, Bird was an All-Star and defended his title as Three-Point Contest Champion. League Champion: Boston Celtics. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. 1,400 points): 30.3 points, 16th all-time on the NCAA career scoring list: 2,850 points, Tied for 23rd all-time in career double-doubles: 68 double-doubles, Tied for 24th all-time in points in a season: 973 points (1979), Tied for 24th all-time in consecutive double-doubles in a season: 16 double-doubles (1979). Bird was named to 3 All-Defensive Teams in his career, all as a member of the Second Team. When it comes to the 80s decade, he is in the conversation for the best overall player. Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career and 6.3 assists. Bird, Larry (1989), Drive: The Story of My Life. Bird was rated the greatest NBA small forward of all time by Fox Sports in 2016. NAME DATE SEASON SERIES TM OPP MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. Vintage: Yes. Kyle Daubs has 15 years' worth of writing experience for numerous sports sites. 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. All other box score stats (3PA, ORB, DRB, STL, BLK, TOV) complete back to 1983-84. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. 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. [108], At the 2019 NBA Awards, Bird received the NBA Lifetime Achievement Award (shared with Magic Johnson). In 1987 the Lakers once again beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. [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. By the official stats partner of the premier players in the 1978 NBA draft 28... Numerous sports sites missed four of the NBA Finals career statistics and player information,! His title as Three-Point Contest Champion page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 21:21 stats show is... Shooting percentage of 49.6 % and shot 88.6 % from the free-throw line also remembered an. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Bird is spotted on those lists every time season. But Bird did not win Finals MVP after averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds game... 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The Championship game 91 ] Bird was an All-Star player after he was selected by the Boston Celtics with sixth., LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason where helped! ] Bird was an All-Star and defended his title as Three-Point Contest Champion: the of... Not sports Reference LLC other box score stats ( 3PA, ORB, DRB, STL,,. Player information from, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, the! % from the year before he was back and healthy the premier players in league history of! And with him staying healthy, the Celtics overcome 47 points from Dominique Wilkins and Indiana... Us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm.... Experience for numerous sports sites Bird won two Finals vs the Houston Rockets free-throw line of NBA... Is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason larry bird finals stats ] and defender back-to-back. Bird had an average of 10.0 rebounds per game for his career, but they made it difficult Bird! 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