larry bird finals record

The teams traded games throughout the series. The NBA unveiled two new postseason awards on Thursday morning: the Eastern Conference Finals MVP and Western Conference Finals MVP. Even with Jordan exploding, only game two was close at 135-131. The Cs closed it out with a lopsided victory in game 5. Simmons says that he got the idea from watching basketball and looking at player statistics. Dominique was an offensive force, but, unlike MJ, he was not noted for doing much else . Bird was Finals MVP in the teams victories over the Houston Rockets in 1986 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984. 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. He was pre-knee injury at this point and averaged 26 per game in the regular season and 29 per game in this series. If you remember, there was Kevin McHales hit on Kurt Rambis, and there was Larry Bird bumping Michael Cooper out of bounds. Game 7 at the Boston Garden was one for the ages! Larry Bird had a winning record in NBA Finals games and series. In the playoffs, the team went 15-3 en route to winning the championship. The Bucks were no match for the Celtics, and this spelled the end of a competitive Bucks team that fizzled out after this season. Tree had famously bit Danny Ainge in a playoff fight three seasons prior. Im kind of country, she explained. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in 1987 where the Lakers won in six games. Why did David Stern Veto the Chris Paul to the Lakers Trade? Bird was named Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in the series. In his first trip to the NBA Finals, Tatum averaged 21.5 points, seven assists and 6.8 rebounds, but the Celtics came up short. Among his accomplishments, Bird set the new single-game franchise record for points. Larry Bird could do it all on the basketball court. Birds Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Magic led the team in scoring this time but was still joined by the same stars: Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper. 1st seed in the West, 2nd best league record. Certain completely unbiased fans, like myself, rank him very highly in that top ten. Key Names off the Bench: Kevin McHale, Gerald Henderson, Rick Robey and M.L. Bird averaged 24 points per game as Boston won the series in six to net him his THIRD ring. Larry Bird's NBA Finals record is 3-2. 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. "[3] The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 42. They were the thoroughbreds, we were the Clydesdales., It was a very physical series, and thats exactly what we wanted because we knew thats the only way we could beat those guys. The Bulls had swept the Knicks 2-0 in a best-of-three first round. 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. . Malone is an underrated player, not as well-known as he should be. Bird is a universally known NBA legend and is often credited with the NBAs explosion of popularity in the 1980s. Larry Birds First NBA Championship 1981. Peak, Bird was better imo The Celtics ended up shedding the ghosts of the last season and convincingly won 4-1. 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. The Lakers were indeed the thoroughbreds that year. Allen Iverson Jersey Mitchell and Ness: A Complete Guide. The Celtics took four games to get by the Bullets in the first round best-of-five series. 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.. 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). So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. Bostons setbacks didnt end on the basketball court. Cedric Maxwell, Larry Birds teammate, was awarded Finals MVP with 18-9-3. Marques Johnson and Sidney Moncrief led the Bucks. He was one member of the greatest rivalry in the leagues history between himself and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Magic Johnson. Houston Rockets 4-2, Larry Bird Championship #2: 1984 Boston Celtics, 1984 First Round: Celtics def. Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. Throughout the season, he showed that he was the reigning MVP and had an excellent statistical season. Funny story about that series, Boston was actually down 3-1 entering Game 5, and Bird ended up dropping 32, 25 and 23 points in each of those games to rally off three straight wins and advance his team to the Finals. Bird does not have any titles outside of the NBA, despite making the NCAA tournament final in 1979. Larry was no slouch, averaging 15-15-7 in a 4-2 series win. Both times it was to his rival dating back to college: Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers. His teams overall record in finals games was 16-15. Unlike some of the other players that have gone down in NBA History, Larry didnt leave his team whatsoever. The Larry Bird Finals Record is a statistic of the player who most often wins the NBA Finals. New York also featured Bill Cartwright and Rory Sparrow. The games were reasonably close if the series was not. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. At the end of the season, Bird was named Coach of the Year. The games were closer than youd expect for a 1 seed vs 8 seed series. As someone who watched Bird play and has now researched and written more than a half dozen articles about his career, I can help you out. 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. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Position: Indiana State University, High School: 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. They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97F (36C) heat, and without any air conditioning, at Boston Garden. Michael Jordans First Championship: An Epic Run! The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Some notable games between the two of them: At least when it comes to how they fared in theirhead-to-head matchups. The 1987 Finals was the culmination of Magic and Bird's decade-long rivalry that dominated the NBA. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. 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 1974, Bird received a scholarship to play basketball at Indiana University but struggled to adapt to the large student population. As it turned out, Chauncey Billups was right about KG getting in trouble for being too vocal. Houston had a tough road to the Finals: they beat the defending champion Lakers featuring both. 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. Houston lost a close game 1 then won a tight game 2 in Boston. While that body of work would give anyone the right to too their own horn, Larry Legend took a different course of action. 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. The Cs turned up the D and Bird was everywhere. The Celtics won the Finals in six games to cap off a season that . Or write about sports? The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. The Eastern Conference Finals were much more difficult. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. Chicago Bulls 4-1, 1981 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. There are so many different titles that Bird has. . . The Bucks won a five-game series over the Hawks to start the playoffs and got by Darryl Dawkins and his NJ Nets in round 2. The Celtics struggled to slow down finals MVP Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Bird struggled compared to his incredibly high standards. The Celtics had Larry Bird as their centerpiece and posted a record of 67-15, including an NBA record 40 wins at home. Featured Image Photo Credit: Adapted from:Bernard Cardinal Law, Larry Bird and Mayor Raymond L. FlynnbyBoston City Archivesis licensed underCC BY 2.0. His first run to the NBA Finals came in his second season, averaging 21-11-5 with 2 steals a game. Larry Bird Championship #1: 1981 Boston Celtics, 1981 Conference Semis: Celtics def. The Celtics beat the Lakers 4-3, winning by nine points in the deciding Game 7. At 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 metres), Erving played forward and was noted for his fast breaks, balletic leaps toward the basket . Bird became only the third player in NBA history to win three titles in a row. Larry is a three time NBA MVP consecutively from 1984-86, which is still a record. The Celtics won the series, with Bird getting a triple double in the deciding game six. We had Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson on the Celtics. Not only did he possess the skillset to thrive, but he had more than enough confidence to put any opponent in their place. Nevertheless, it is rare to see a player dominate in so many areas of the game, theres no wonder why the Celtics made multiple deep playoff runs. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. J Erving, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And, to be clear, he came by it honestly. He averaged 27.4 points, 14.0 boards and 3.6 assists per game for the series. Your email address will not be published. But it was in 1986 when the Celtics faced the Houston Rockets for the championship when Bird . As the reigning rookie of the year, Bird led the Celtics to the finals, beginning with a sweep of the Bulls. Born in Indiana in 1956, Larry Bird began playing basketball at a young age. How to say Basketball in different languages? The Cs were heavily favored and had won 10 straight vs the Rockets, but Houston put up more of a fight than expected. The last four games all came down to the last shot, with all the games being decided by two points or less. This site is a participant in the Impact Affiliate Platform which is an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Fanatics.com . . After a tough seven game series in the conference finals against the Sixers, Boston advanced to the finals to face the Rockets. The Western Conference Finals also led to one of the greatest game-winners ever. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's clothesline take-down of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. So lets look at the 1984 NBA season. Bird scored 53 points against the Indiana Pacers, which broke Sam Jones' record set in 1965. Bird and the Celtics lined up against the Los Angeles Lakers who took them to seven games. December 7, Which player is ultimately better all-time is a different conversationbecause that includes a lot more than their individual matchups. The NBA Playoffs saw some change this year, with the tournament expanding to 16-teams and the four-round knockout we see today. The Cs closed it out winning game four by 3 points. 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. SI examines the rivalry between the basketball hall of famers and how they changed the landscape of the NBA. Copyright 2023 Sports Nostalgia HQ | Powered by Astra WordPress Theme, By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The series was the eighth time in NBA history that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each time, and the first championship that the Celtics claimed at home since 1966. In the Western Conference Finals the Rockets handled the defending champion Lakers in five games. Remember, Boston selected Larry in the 1978 draft but decided to return to Indiana State for his senior season. 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. The game after setting an NBA finals record for made threes with eight in game 2 against the Lakers in 2010, Ray Allen . Larry Bird is one of the ten greatest players in the history of the NBA. In the Celtics 1981 Championship, Bird did not win Finals MVP. 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. He tied it up with two free throws with 3 minutes to go. These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Only the strong survive. Answer (1 of 43): To start by answering the question, I'd say - yes. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. The American greatest basketball still worked as a coach and executive in the NBA, which had indeed led him to get over the low . The first round was a 3-1 victory over the Washington Bullets. It's an era thing. May 12, 2022. Boston also had to deal with the impending free agency of Kevin McHale and Larry Bird. 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. All rights reserved. One of the ongoing debates within the world of sports centers around how you define greatness. Larry Bird won three championships as a player, but did not win any as a coach. Chicago Bulls 3-0, 1986 Conference Semis: Celtics def. I wrote about his record in the NBA Finals here. Sample Searches for learning more about the power and flexibility of Stathead. The Celtics blew out Houston in game 5 behind a big effort from Cedric Maxwell and then took a big lead and held on to win in game 6. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? It seemed like it should be an easy series for the Celtics, with game one and two victories by double digits, but the Knicks home crowd helped their team to win all their series home games. Larry Bird and Earvin Magic Johnson helped define the modern NBA with their individual brilliance and team success in the 1980s. Larry Bird stats . us, College: In 1986, they failed a third straight NBA Finals meeting (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Houston Rockets. 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 Atlanta Hawks 4-1, 1986 Eastern Conference Final: Celtics def. In addition to Nique, the Hawks starred Kevin Willis. Another book that demonstrated the competitive drive amongst athletes was, Magic/ Bird written by Eric Simonson. His individual performance was recognised all across the NBA as he helped Boston to a then record breaking 67-15 regular season record. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. . Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News. How to say Basketball in different languages? In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Larry Bird Playoffs Game Log. 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. Larry Bird Owns Many Records, But Only One Unique One Bird owns a unique NBA record. In Birds career with Indiana State he did not ever win a championship. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series. How many games did Larry Bird field goal miss a season due to injury? However, despite sweeping the Bulls in the first round again, they had serious issues the next few. The type of player who didnt even care about stats but always seemed to put up the most absurd statlines ever seen. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war.". He swept through the Bulls the next year, then beat the Atlanta Hawks in five games, then swept the Bucks. 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. Larry Bird is one of the few basketball players in history that are widely recognized even by people who dont even know the sport. Safe to say he absolutely dominated in every facet of the game for that second ring. 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 7564. Bird averaged 25.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game for the series. 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. This was the last of Larrys three straight MVP seasons. Carr. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Bucks took them to seven games before they were able to advance and the Pistons took them to seven in the Conference Finals. Teaming with players like Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, Maxwell was an essential player on Boston teams that won NBA championships in both 1981 and 1984. His career was cut dramatically short by injury. Larry led the way with an average of 25 points per game. Or maybe youre a younger fan wondering if Bird really deserves his place in the Pantheon of basketball greats. Two years after his first finals loss to the Lakers, the re-match was on. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson and Danny Ainge. I write about games, players and seasons from the past. It did not slow Bird down as he won a title the next season with the now legendary 86 Celtics. James has as many series losses in the Finals as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird combined. Bird averaged 24.2 points,10.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the 1983-84 season. Same ammount of titles, Lebron has more MVP's and FMVP's, played longer etc. The Lakers destroyed the Cs in their first home game 137-104 in game 3. The Celtics played in two other Finals series with Bird, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in '85 and '87. Larry Bird reached 5 NBA Finals, wining 3 and losing 2, he played his entire career with the Boston Celtics. NAME DATE SEASON SERIES TM OPP REC W% MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK TOV FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% PF +/-Magic Johnson: 5/27/1984: 1983-84 . How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? 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 Knicks were led by the explosive scorer Bernard King, who averaged 29-5-3 in the series. Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals. Shoots: Magic beat Larry in their college showdown, but Bird made sure he got his revenge in 1984. According to Basketball Reference, Johnson and Bird played against each other 18 times in the regular season throughout their careers. Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum were carrying their teams on the offensive [] More player info She reported on the Celtics' sideline while Pat O'Brien reported on the Lakers' sideline. During that year Lesley Visser, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for CBS. After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111102. Larry Bird Championships: He Defeated the Best! With Kareem ageing, the Celtics hoped that they could win the finals. 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. Sadly for Bird, Michigan State were just too much for him as the Spartans ran out 75-64 winners. As of 2023, Larry Bird's net worth is around $80 million; he has different income sources. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. The Celtics won the first three games by an average of 6 points before the Hawks got their only win at home. . more information Accept. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The series was full of things like that., We knew that we had to physically beat them because they had never played that kind of game. Things werent as cheerful from this point forward for Boston though. 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. 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) . 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. 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. In the first two NBA matchups between Bird and Magic . That might seem unbelievable this is coming from a man who famously asked his Three-Point Contest peers who was coming in second but it largely fits within Birds character. You can only imagine how fiery this rivalry was, with two consecutive seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. Thanks for signing up. Birds Celtics beat three pretty different teams in their Finals victories despite two of them being the Houston Rockets. Birds Celtics also defeated a very different Rockets team in 1981. Houston Rockets in 6 games (4 wins, 2 losses) * 1984: Boston Celtics def. How Many Finals MVPs Does Larry Bird Have? [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. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. . The Houston Rockets have long been a sneakily dangerous team even when they were losing, dating from when the Rockets faced the Boston Celtics in the 1981 NBA Finals with a losing record. Take a look below. In 1985, the Lakers beat the Celtics behind FInals MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That NCAA tournament final is one of the most iconic games in college basketball history. Bird won three titles with the Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986, earning Finals MVP honors in the latter two. FTA complete back to 1948-49. . Bird's Boston Celtics finished 16-15 in NBA Finals games and 3-2 in NBA Finals series. Nobody thought that the Celtics would beat the Lakers in 1984. Furthermore, Johnson and Bird earned five of the 10 MVP awards handed out during the 1980s. Who Did Larry Bird Lose To In the NBA Finals? Bird's Boston Celtics won the NBA championship three times during his career (1981 and '86 vs. the Houston Rockets, '84 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers), and Bird won Finals MVP in '84 and '86. Johnson had the winning record in the regular season and playoffs, and he took down Bird twice in their three Finals showdowns although Johnson having the better team had something to do with that. Bird averaged 27.2 points, 9.6 boards and 7.0 assists for the series. Johnson evened the series after helping the LA . What are the abbreviations on the NBA table. Larry Legend also sank 42 of 47 foul shots in the pressure-packed series (89.4 . They lost twice to the same team: the Los Angeles Lakers. However, its the only individual award Cedric Maxwell won in his career. Bird was very honest when taking up the role saying he would only coach the team for three years. If you are interested in Larry Bird Championships, you might be interested in checking out some of these posts I have written about Larry Legend. Bird had a good series in other categories, but did not score at his normal rate. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Which NBA Team had the Most Hall of Famers for one Season. Julius Erving, in full Julius Winfield Erving II, byname Doctor J, (born February 22, 1950, Roosevelt, New York, U.S.), American collegiate and professional basketball player who was one of the most colourful and exciting figures in the game during the 1970s and '80s. Data Provided By Aside from the two stars, the teams were among the most stacked in history. The Los Angeles Lakers won both games in the regular season series: The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at Boston Garden. The big reason of course for this is Magic Johnson and the Lakers. I have been a Boston sports fan for more than forty years. You can't tell the story of the 1980s without Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Games. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? At the macro level, the famous won three titles with the Boston Celtics. . 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. Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by Tom Heinsohn, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until 1987. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date. Unfortunately, the team was defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers in five games and they were sent home. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: A member of the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound club: 2,850 points and 1,247 rebounds Indiana State's all . Larry Bird won three NBA championships in his basketball career. Larry Bird averaged 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. With a new head coach in KC Jones and plenty of uncertainties, Carr said their motto for the season was Dont be denied. Larry Birds finals record was 3-2. Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". They beat the Rockets twice and the Lakers once to win NBA titles. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 197980 season with high expectations. In total, Larry Bird went to five NBA finals in his career. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 22111 format until 2014. Between 1980 and 1989, there were only two seasons that ended with someone other than Johnson or Bird winning the title. 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). The games were close enough but never really in doubt. Its surprising that he wasnt able to win at least one more, though three championships nowadays is something that is wildly difficult to do, its no feat to be taken lightly. It was yet again against the Lakers and they split the first two games 1-1. From a statistical perspective, he also averaged 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists across his career. 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. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points . 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. The Celtics won a very close game 3 in Houston to take control of the series with a 3-1 lead. Bird averaged 26.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game for the series. Even from his first season with Indiana State, Birds performances were exceptional.