Gambling problem? It was the only time the Hoosiers had a record that was less than five games over .500 under Knights watch. When Bird enrolled in Bloomington, he joined the reigning Big Ten champions, an IU team that had gone 23-5 and missed the NCAA tournament after a loss to Michigan but won the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament to close out its 1973-74 campaign.
Larry Bird Dominated Rodney Rogers in Dream Team Game After - Insider But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. He also hit nearly 90 percent of his free-throw attempts. Attendance often reached 1,600 and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Bird would typically start offensive possessions on the right block, where he would utilize the right corner of the floor, the fre-throw line extended and the opposite wing. In 1975, he enrolled at Indiana State. Fans always seemed to be willing to give a ride to Birds parents, who couldnt afford a car of their own. Sucker punch in OVC tournament leads to 3 ejections. Bird also won his third consecutive 3-point shootout title, a feat later matched by Chicago Bulls Craig Hodges from 1990-92. With Bird as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. Larry Bird and Cedric Maxwell teamed up to oust the Rockets in Game 6 of The Finals in 1981. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Fans were filling not only Boston Garden, which sold out the final 541 games of Birds career, but arenas all over the country to witness Birds exploits. The next season, 1974-75, is where two of the greatest What ifs in IU basketball collide: What if Bird had stayed and what if Scott May, the teams second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, hadnt broken his arm against Purdue in late February? Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Larry Bird stats.
Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats Comparison | Career All Time Stats He started his college career in the fall of 1979. Coming out of Springs Valley, Bird chose IU over Indiana State and Purdue after being pursued by more than 50 schools, according to The Herald (Jasper, Ind.). Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. It would have been easy for the story to end here, with a healthy round of shit-talking and little else. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! I'm going to assume this is legit because he lists about 20 million sources at the end of it. . At Springs Valley High, Bird scored 1,125 career points, averaged 30.6 points and 20.5 rebounds," Dana Hunsinger Benbow recounted in the Indianapolis Star. College basketball conference tournament predictions: Picks for every mens league. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. No shit! At one time I believe Knight had Bird, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in for recruiting. RELATED: The complete results from the best #MarchMadnessMoments bracket. Do you have a blog? When talking about per game stats, Bird sports an average of 6.8 assists as well as 9.6 boards. / NBA. ", 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. Despite being 6 feet 9 inches and 206 centimeters tall, he weighs just roughly 220 pounds and 100 kilograms. The 1979-80 Celtics improved by 32 games to 61-21 and returned to the top of their division. From his killer jump shot to his famous trash-talking, Bird could seemingly do it . The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. What if IU hired Jerry Tarkanian instead of Bob Knight, What if IU had solved Syracuses zone in 2013. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . Years later Bird admitted.."if i had it to do all over again, I'd have gone back to Bloomington, after he had gone home". He was selected to play in 12 All-Star games. Hoosiers survive Big Ten tournament quarterfinal test. The only thing that wouldve been more painful for some IU fans than briefly landing Bird, only to see him become a folk hero up the road, would have been losing him to Kentucky. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketballers of all time, it . He definitely had a softball swing, Hayes recalled. 11 in the AP poll that season and finished the year ranked No. Player Season Finder . 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. Career Stats Game Log Splits. He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points short of averaging 30 per contest. Bird always held a chip on his shoulder over that, even decades later. Extremely high basketball IQ, pure heart and hustle. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more, How the Celtics landed Larry Bird in the NBA Draft, 1988 NBA Playoff Highlights: Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins epic showdown, Celtics 75th Season: Bird-Dr. J fight adds to 76ers rivalry, Celtics 75th Season: Bird's debut, Ford sinks first NBA '3', Looking back on Larry Bird's steal against the Pistons, Bill Walton on what made Bird the best he ever played with, Bird's gutsy performance vs. Pacers in '91 series clincher, Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986), Three-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team (1982-84), Three-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1986-88). He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. All rights reserved. "All that shooting off the side of a barn turned into Bird becoming a high school star. Twelve of the top 14 picks in that years draft were seniors, with the other two non-seniors being juniors Kenny Carr and Bernard King, so staying all four years of college was still very much the norm then. Students skipped class to line up for tickets eight hours before tipoff. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. When Walsh moved on to a similar role with the Knicks before the 2008-09 season, Bird gained complete control of the teams basketball operations and helped the Pacers end a four-year playoff drought in 2010-11. Bird also cites an instance during an off season open gym, soon after he arrived on campus, during a period of "no contact" between the players and coaches. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. Indiana vs. Michigan State: Womens basketball game notes, how to watch, more, Everything you need to know about the Champs Big Ten tournament quarterfinal matchup, Three Things: Indiana mens basketball loses to Iowa 90-68, Indiana mens basketball collapses against Iowa 90-68, Indiana womens basketball: Big Ten awards announced. 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. Dinah likes to keep a low profile, making rare public appearances with her husband at basketball games. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. IU peaked at No. Surgery to remove bone spurs from both heels limited Bird to only six games in 1988-89. Larry Bird's accomplishments and stats make him one of the greatest pure shooters of all time.
Larry Bird's college basketball coach is coaching where? So he cut the ties and went home. Nearly 30 years ago, then-college basketball star Jamal Mashburn saw Larry Bird in a hotel prior to a week of scrimmages between The Dream Team and some of the country's top college players. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. It began as gentle ribbing, poking fun at Birds propensity to spend a majority of his free time getting ice and massages in the ISU training room. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY).
This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. The Cavaliers won in seven games; Boston lost three of the four games couldnt play because of his back. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . School: Indiana StatePosition: ForwardHeight: 6-9Weight: 220 poundsYears active: 1976-79NCAA tournament record: 4-1Career averages: 30.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 53.3% shooting. Born: Dec 7, 1956 (66 years old) . But Bird, ever the competitor, wanted to prove a point. Thanks Lincoln- nice post and pretty much confirms what my book about Knight, and how he thought Benson could "do no wrong" while at Indiana. The pair made an agreement: A non-conference doubleheader was looming against Kentucky Wesleyan, a perfect low-risk opportunity to put Bird in a baseball uniform. The Celtics' legendary playmaker is the only person in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a career. Bird and Johnson were already playing their first year in the NBA by then. His focus was on the court. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? The former NBA player met his second wife, Dinah Mattingly, at Indiana State. Couldn't have happened.
Larry Bird Fast Facts | CNN In 1977-78 the Celtics had compiled a 32-50 record, their worst since 1949-50. That was excellent. Finally, with the Celtics in a decline that hit bottom in 1996-97, Bird decided to take the plunge. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited.
Larry Bird: Coaching Record, Awards | Basketball-Reference.com He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. Im new at this (coaching) game but I feel I can get the job done, he said. He also owns Larry Birds Boston Connection, a hotel/restaurant in Terre Haute that also serves as a museum for many of his trophies and awards. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Boston survived a memorable Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia in which the Celtics bounced back from a 3-1 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. He pulls people together. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net.
Larry Bird Wiki, Bio, Net Worth, Age, Height, Career, Family Learn more and register, 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. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Benson would do things like figure out which side of the court Bird was warming up on, for instance, then come over and take the ball away from him and order Bird off to the other end of the floor. Do you have a sports website? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. How does Larry Bird compare with other great NBA players? Odds & lines subject to change. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. (Larry Legend; The Hick from French Lick), Draft: Boston Celtics, 1st round (6th pick, 6th overall), 1978 NBA draft, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. Tiago Splitter solid in NBA playoff debut Beginning with favorable, Pagns TIME is normally 2 . He missed the competition, and with each passing year the urge grew to get back into the NBA in a more active capacity. Bird played with a total of eight Hall of Fame players, though a couple played only a few games alongside him.
29 years later, Larry Bird's trash talk still resonates 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
We present them here for purely educational purposes. Knight said(to the effect).."I didn't handle that well, I just let him goI had a lot of good players(at the time) who were happy to be where they wereto me, we had a great team shaping up and I didn; envision Bird playing much for us until he was a junior, anyway.
Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? He was there to prove a point. When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists).
The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. Birth Country: United States. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. Even though he had never coached a game in his life, the Pacers had no qualms about turning over the reins to Bird. 10 Bird Was A Part Of The Most Watched College Game Ever Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. And Warn, firm in his belief Bird would look foolish on a baseball field, was willing to give him the chance to embarrass himself. Larry Legend dragged a coach to the national championship game who later had a five-win season and a three-win season in something called the Trans America Athletic Conference while coaching Mercer. (. 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.