Also, no other player has ever won consecutive games at the buzzer like Bird did in January 1985. It was the first All-Defensive honor for Bird, on top of averaging nearly 23 points per game. With that said, Bird was an All-Star and defended his title as Three-Point Contest Champion. Bird averaged 15.3 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the NBA Finals. RELATED: The complete results from the best #MarchMadnessMoments bracket. Forum; InsideHoops Main Basketball Forums; NBA Forum; Larry Bird is the 2nd best player in the history [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. Do you have a blog? [25], In his rookie season (19791980), Bird immediately transformed the Celtics into a title contender. All rights reserved. Bird was also a member of the gold medal-winning 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team known as the "Dream Team". [133], Bird married Dinah Mattingly in 1989. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. Shoots: Stats: 23.6 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.9 SPG, 0.9 BPG, Awards And Achievements: All-Star, All-NBA First Team, All-Defensive Second Team. Or write about sports? His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. [30], With averages of 21.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game for the season, he was selected to the All-Star Team and named Rookie of the Year. It helped the Celtics overcome 47 points from Dominique Wilkins. April 14, 2017 2:34 PM EDT. The Boston Celtics star aimed to live a simple life despite earning $24 million over his 13-year playing career. Bird had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but the lingering injury forced Bird to miss 37 games. [82] In 1999, Bird ranked No. [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. 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. [8][14], Bird's youngest brother, Eddie Bird, also played basketball at Indiana State University. Larry Birds Celtics lost two NBA Finals. Bird's 198889 season ended after six games when he had bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. Bird was selected with the No. Bird finished runner-up in the MVP voting as well. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NCAA or its member institutions. 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. Sixth Man of the Year. ", The New York Times' Dave Anderson: "[Bill] Hodges likes to say that his primary contribution to the Sycamores this season has been 'not messing up Larry Bird. [49] In Game 6 of the Finals series, Bird recorded a triple-double of 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists as the Celtics won the Finals series 4 games to 2 against the Rockets. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. At 35, LeBron is by far the oldest player to have such a postseason. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. [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. 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. This injury was the main reason for his retirement after the following season. Coopers. This time, he could say he was truly the best player in the league from start to finish. 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. His NBA years : from 1980 to 1992 Larry Bird NBA Stats Summary : That went to Birds teammate. Career: 1979-92 (13 seasons) In his final three seasons with the Celtics, Bird averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists per game, shot better than 45% from the field, and led the Celtics to playoff appearances. League Champion: Boston 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. [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. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. . Larry Bird. [101] In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams. They have two adopted children, Conner and Mariah. With Bird back in the fold, the Celtics returned to the playoffs with hopes of a deep run. 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. Instead, Bird came back and beat the record over his longtime teammate. [19][20] Indiana State lost the game 7564, with Bird scoring 19 points but making only 7 of 21 shots. Magic led the team in scoring this time but was still joined by the same stars: Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper. 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. [42], On December 9, 1984, Bird recorded 48 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 5 assists in a 128127 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 6 games in the 1986 NBA Finals. December 7, Bird recorded three 40 point triple double games in his professional career. The next year he attended the smaller Indiana State University, ultimately playing three years for the Sycamores. You can see stats, Championships, awards and more. 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. [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. 3940. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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) . 1 in the country, and they are one win from the title. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. But Don't Bet That He Won't Be Back", "Larry Bird stepping down from Pacers post", "For 2nd time, Hall-of-Famer Bird resigns as Pacers president", "Larry Bird resigns as Pacers president, Kevin Pritchard to take over", "Pacers' Larry Bird is NBA Executive of the Year", "Indiana Pacers part ways with Larry Bird", "Bird Steps Down; Pritchard Named President of Basketball Operations", "Larry Bird No Longer Has an Active Role with the Pacers, Confirms Kevin Pritchard", NBA unveils redesigned Larry O'Brien, Bill Russell trophies, announces new conference finals MVP awards - CBS Sports.com, 1992 U.S. OLYMPIC MENS BASKETBALL TEAM - Team USA.org, "2017 Class of FIBA Hall of Fame: Dream Team", "FULL VERSION: McDonald's Commercial with LeBron James and Dwight Howard", "Twitter's Logo Is Named After Larry Bird", "Larry Bird is Always on Twitter Even Without Having an Account", "ESPN Classic - Bird had eye for victory", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Larry_Bird&oldid=1142161893, Trophy named in Bird's honor (Larry Bird Trophy) awarded to Eastern Conference Finals MVP (established in 2022), 1992 Olympic gold medal (U.S. national team). 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. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, draft status, shoots, school and more on Basketball-Reference.com. Type: Sports Trading Card. NBA Finals. The announcement clearly gets underneath Johnson's skin. [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. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? The Celtics made the Conference Finals before losing to the 76ers. You said there will be another Larry Bird. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. At least partially as a result of this, he experienced back problems for the remainder of his career. Discover Larry Bird's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Bird won Naismith College Player of the Year. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Click the links to read up on the Finals records of the best players in league history. The dramatic play saved the series for the Celtics. [83] While he was relatively slow, Bird displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, making him a strong team defender. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, he was a local basketball star. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. Michael Jordan vs. Larry Bird 11-23 Record (0-6 in playoffs) Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images. 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. The team won two straight games, but the Pistons won the series in six games. They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. [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. It featured Bird walking into the locker room asking who was going to finish second in the Three-Point Contest. Bird, however . [115] Bird then led the Pacers to consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000 and a berth in the 2000 NBA Finals. [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. James has an edge over Bird in scoring and assists as he averaged 27.2 points and 7.3 assists per game in the regular season and 28.9 points and 7.1assists per game in the playoffs. Doubleday, pp. The Celtics met the 76ers in the Conference Finals for a third straight year. [113] Despite having no previous coaching experience, Bird led the Pacers to a 5824 recordthe franchise's best as an NBA team at the timein the 199798 season,[114] and pushed the Chicago Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals. All three were named to the All-Star Game. [96], Bird is also remembered as an excellent passer[100] and defender. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. He averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 897 regular-season games. He played most of his career with forward Kevin McHale and center Robert Parish, considered by some to be the greatest front court in NBA history. [22] He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? [96] Bird was the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% or better on field goals, 40% on three-pointers, and 90% on free-throws in a single NBA season while achieving the league minimum for makes in each category. 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. [91] Bird was also a four-time regular season MVP runner-up in 1981, 1982, 1983, and 1988. . Or write about sports? [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. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. These are Birds stats and achievements season by season. Nine days later, he recorded his first 30-point game. Larry Bird vs. Kevin Durant Career Comparison: They Are So Close, But Bird Still Flies High Michael Jordan Never Beat Larry Bird And Boston Celtics In The NBA Playoffs: 0-6 Bird has appeared in three movies, each time playing himself: Bird's likeness has appeared in several video games. The 19871988 season was the highest-scoring season of Bird's career. The team improved its win total by 32 games from the year before he was drafted and finished first in the Eastern Conference. The second occurred on December 13, 1989 in a win over the Seattle SuperSonics (40 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists). Ultimately, the Cavaliers rallied to win the series in seven games, which ended their career of Bird. Larry Bird went 3-2 in his five NBA Finals appearances. [114] He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts. 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