The Celtics improved by 32 games to and returned to the top of their division. Playing in all 82 contests, Bird led the team in scoring Boston survived a memorable Eastern Conference Finals series against Philadelphia in which the Celtics bounced back from a deficit and posted come-from-behind victories in each of the last three games, then took the title over Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets in a six-game NBA Finals.
Bird once again led the team in points Fans were filling not only Boston Garden, which sold out the final games of Bird's career, but arenas all over the country to witness Bird's exploits. Bird's concentration and composure were unmatched. He was unflappable and virtually unstoppable. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the NBA.
No other player in his era was as good or as consistent a shooter as Bird. Bird was the embodiment of "Celtics Pride. In , Bird made the first of his three consecutive appearances on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team-even though he was relatively slow and not the greatest one-on-one defender, his anticipation and court sense made him peerless as a team defender.
5 Stories On Why Larry Bird Was the Greatest – Rambling Ever On
As many observed, he would see plays not as they were developing, but before they developed. By that time Bird's scoring average had reached the mids, and he was averaging upwards of 7 assists. He also hit nearly 90 percent of his free-throw attempts. In Game 5, with the temperature inside Boston Garden approaching 97 degrees, Bird pumped in 34 points, leading the Celtics to a victory. In Game 7 a record TV basketball audience watched Bird score 20 points and gather 12 rebounds in Boston's win.
With series averages of Bird's scoring average soared to He boosted that average with a career-best 60 points against Atlanta. He also canned of three-point attempts for a. Injuries to Bird's elbow and fingers, however, contributed to the Celtics' six-game loss to the Lakers in the Finals. The following year, which saw Boston win its 16th championship, Bird attained living-legend status. He was showered with commendations: He led the league in three-pointers made 82 and in free throw percentage.
He placed in the top 10 in three other categories. The Celtics finished the season with a record; their best under Bird. In the decisive Game 6 Bird tallied 29 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. The next year brought yet another amazing Bird feat.
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He became the first player ever to shoot at least. In classic Bird fashion, he proved that was no fluke by doing it again the following season. And he still managed to average more than nine rebounds and six assists both seasons. A crafty defensive player, Bird's most famous steal came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing , Bird stole an Isiah Thomas inbounds pass and fed Dennis Johnson, whose layup gave Boston the win.
The Celtics won the physical, bitter series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, meeting the Lakers for the third time.
5 Stories On Why Larry Bird Was the Greatest
But Los Angeles won the series in six games. Bird, now 30 years old and with worsening back condition and foot problems as well, would not win a fourth championship ring. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. In , Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a game, with a point, rebound effort against Indiana. He averaged a career-high Bird poured in 20 points in the final period to outdo his counterpart and lead the Celtics to victory -- even though he had bronchial pneumonia.
But they were only great with him playing. The same players who were in with Bird were in without him. The same players who were with Bird in were without him in With the same players. Bird also did whatever was needed to win. Bird facilitated teammates, played to their strengths, and complimented them. The Celtics played 1 playoff series without Bird. They played 5 playoff games without Bird. They lost every time. The Celtics in particular beat whomever it seemed I was rooting for. I became a Bird fan though, after he calmed the racial storm the media was trying to fuel after Rodman and Isiah said some knuckleheaded things following the shocking Celtics Game 5 win VS Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals.
At some point, you just have to acknowledge greatness. A couple of things on Chamberlain keep in mind that I did not get to watch him play live when I knew what to look for: He was ahead of his time, and in some respects this fact makes him a unique case for GOAT. Jabbar averaged as many as But can anyone is all honesty swear that Wilt was A doing what the team most needed from him? Or was he B showcasing his individual talents at the expense of his team? My immediate reaction is that NO team in the early-mid s with Wilt Chamberlain on it should be 18 games under.
Instead, they were the easiest team to score on. Wilt was doing something wrong, frankly. And this I hold against him. Stories abound that he was hard to coach. Was the problem that Wilt was difficult? Or was the coach of the team terrible? And I think a greater player would have a better handle on what those things were.
I disagree with the idea of Chamberlain being the greatest of all time. I read that the Lakers were asked to vote on whether they wanted Chamberlain to join the team and that the unanimously voted against it. I can tell you that Chamberlain was such a diva in so many ways. He was so thin skinned. And he would say that after the game. As remarkable as it was that Chamberlain was able actually accomplish this, it is even MORE remarkable that Chamberlain was so painfully out of touch that he did not understand that setting out to lead the league in an individual stat even assists, because he no doubt passed up scoring to attempt scoring passes is the very epitome of selfish.
He was so physically gifted. But you CAN say it about Wilt. They spent portions of their careers winning less games than they should have as a result.
Players like Jordan and Kobe have also been guilty of this during their careers. Bird went to a team. The Lakers were in 8 of the 10 Finals in the decade of the 80s, winning 5 Finals. Boston was in 5, winning 3. The Sixers were in 3, winning 1 and the Pistons were in 2, winning 1. I recall the 80s Finals. Jabbar was eating the 2-headed Philly center alive Caldwell Jones and Darryl Dawkins and Magic was having a nice complimentary series as was Jamaal Wilkes.
But the truth is that Jabbar had 3 monster games in the series and without playing in Game 6, he still led everyone in points, rebounds and blocks. As a matter of fact, Jabbar was voted MVP, but the network made a couple voters change their vote to Magic for TV because Jabbar was 3, miles away and they wanted a trophy presentation.
Happy birthday!
One of the voters who flipped even called Jabbar to apologize. Things really got heated up for those 2 in To the great pleasure of the NBA. This will all go in my files and I will use it when morons like that guy on Outkick the Coverage try to say that Dirk Nowitzki are better than Bird. Dirk is a wonderful player. This is no insult to Dirk. Bird was just that rare player who could control a game without scoring… and he could score with anybody. I recall watching Bird play against the Rockets in the mids and you can watch You Tube clips.
Watch a You Tube video of them against Utah circa Then watch Bird against that same Houston team. He dropped 48 on them. He scored inside, outside.
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Bird could make the best look silly. There will never be another Magic. There will never be another Bird. There will never be another Magic-Bird rivalry, with all of its levels. They changed the league. Oscar Robertson or Russell Westbrook?
Wilt averaging 50 and scoring in one game ,Oscars triple double or Bill Russell 12 Make the Greatest team of each basketball era an who would win? And who is the biggest traitor in the NBA ever and why Thank you. It was storybook perfect. I was rooting for Utah so it has no sentimental value to me; it was just great. Bonus points because it was the Finals. Stockton was never a true superstar to me and Karl Malone choked more often. Tough because I have a hard time evaluating players before Yes, I do but that cuts both ways.
But Kobe is closer to LeBron and Jordan than most say. Jordan, Hakeem, Barkley, K. The 10s are at a bit of a disadvantage only having 8 years to this decade instead of 10, but most of those guys played a bunch in the 00s. I think Magic and Bird are too committed to winning to lose. Each of the 4 teams has incredible players.
I see no clear weak team. It changes the point or effect zero. Larry Bird 63; Magic Johnson 3. Larry Bird ; Magic Johnson 8. Yes, read that again.
He's a winner
He did this both years. Then Bird would miss of the remaining games of his career from to After Jordan entered the NBA in , he won But consider that because Michael and Larry missed essentially 1 season each Jordan and Bird , they were both shut out in the voting in those years, whereas Magic was not. When Bird played, he was the best. And the people who covered the game back then and voted on awards knew it. Your email address will not be published. You may also like: Reply Thank you Steve. Reply Larry bird is the greatest all around player. Not johnson not jordan.
Reply Gowdy, thank you! Great, great, great article. I fully expect to be lambasted. Reply Magic was a great player. Some people just want to count rings. Reply one major reason why lakers had more rings was because the west coast had weaker teams compared to Bostons east coast which meant they had the easy road to finals while the boston always had to compete at high level due to strong teams in the east, so by the time they reach the finals, mentally and physically they were all tired.
Reply And that image that Phill shared is a lasting image of that game. Reply in his prime first nine seasons , Bird was the dominator of the 80,s. See you Reply The point of this article was to tell stories, not give a bunch of facts and stats. Reply I think the facts fit me for Bird, I was just trying to show some humility. Bird was the embodiment of "Celtics Pride. Like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, the low-key Bird never forced the spotlight upon himself, but rather was a player who brought out the best in the players around him. But even those legendary players didn't fill Boston Garden, wowing fans and dominating games as Bird did.
Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from sub-standard play and poor attendance in the late s. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances.
His last-second heroics, ranging from seemingly impossible reverse layups to miraculous foot bombs over multiple defenders, never ceased to amaze those who followed his career. Stern when Bird retired due to a painful back condition in , after capturing a gold medal with the original Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. Bird's legend was born in the tiny town of French Lick, snuggled in Indiana's corn country, where his family led a spartan life. French Lick had a population of 2,, most of whom came out to watch Springs Valley High School's home games in a state that takes its schoolboy basketball very seriously.
Attendance often reached 1, -- and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird. Following a sophomore season that was shortened by a broken ankle, Bird emerged as a star during his junior year. Springs Valley went and young Larry became a local celebrity. Fans always seemed to be willing to give a ride to Bird's parents, who couldn't afford a car of their own. As a senior, Bird became the school's all-time scoring champion and about 4, people attended his final home game. Bird found the transition to college life difficult.
He started out as an Indiana Hoosier but later left the school and team coached by the legendary Bobby Knight. Then he left the local junior college, Northwood Institute. Finally, Bird enrolled at Indiana State, which had posted records in each of the two previous years and where the pressure was not quite the same as at Indiana -- a perennial Big Ten power and national title contender.
Home-game attendance hovered around 3, when Bird arrived at Indiana State, but as he had done in Springs Valley, Bird single-handedly packed the house and elevated his team to respectability and more. He averaged better than 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Sycamores during his first campaign.
TV stations showed film clips of Bird instead of commercials. Students skipped class to line up for tickets eight hours before tipoff. The Sycamores went undefeated and reached No. The Sycamores went during Bird's three-year career. The Boston Celtics had selected him in the NBA Draft, hoping that Bird, who had become eligible for the NBA after his junior year, might forgo his senior season-but knowing he was worth the wait even if he didn't. In the Celtics had compiled a record, their worst since When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to But Bird finally came to Boston for the campaign and sparked one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NBA history.
The Celtics improved by 32 games to and returned to the top of their division. Playing in all 82 contests, Bird led the team in scoring They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in Boston survived a memorable Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia in which the Celtics bounced back from a deficit and posted come-from-behind victories in each of the last three games, then took the title over Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets in a six-game NBA Finals.
Bird once again led the team in points