The three finals victories are outlined above, but Bird also had two finals losses. What Was Michael Jordans Playoff Record? There were three Larry Bird championships with the Boston Celtics: in 1981, 1984 and 1986. Bill Walton needed a change of scenery when he was in San Diego and Red Auerbach provided that for him in Boston. Fast forward a couple of seasons and Bird marched his team back into the 1984 postseason. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? Larry Bird - College Basketball At Sports-Reference Do you have a sports website? Bird won Finals MVP in 1984 when his Celttics defeated the Lakers in seven games. His accolades are countless, with the former Indiana State man being an NBA legend. Jelani Scott. The Cs shut the door at home in game 5 winning 115-108. This Rockets team still had Robert Reid but now also featured Rodney McCray. Michael Jordans Prime: The Greatest of All Time, Who has the most rings in the NBA? The 86 Celts, in the conversation for the greatest team of all time, defeated Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player of all time, in the first round. While everyone has their own favorite NBA players, its impossible to argue with Larry Birds position in the all-time basketball pantheon. We have seen some teams lose in the NBA Finals off of some injuries and other situations leading up to it that the box score doesnt show, so lets dive into Birds record. You have to really understand the circumstances in each Finals run and see how he ended up with the record that he has right now. How Many Championships did Larry Bird win? These Knicks really were Bernard Kings team. Celtics Starters: Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. So for an entire decade, the NBA Finals included one of the two marquee franchises. Despite this, Bird did not win any championships during his college career. Washington Bullets 3-1, 1984 Conference Semis: Celtics def. Philadelphia 76ers 4-3, 1981 NBA Finals: Celtics def. Bird won three in a row between 1983 and 1986, whereas Johnson closedthe decade out with a pair ofMVP awards. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. What is Larry Bird's record in the NBA Finals? - Hoop Maestro Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more - RSN However, this changed in the 1979 season when Birds Indiana State qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. His back suffered major issues, as he injured it building on his farm. The East's award is named after Larry Bird and the West's after Magic Johnson. 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. Scoring the rivalry: How Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in their 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 games were not much closer than the series itself.