NBA Finals MVP: Ranking the 10 Greatest Finals MVP's EVER

#9 Larry Bird in the 1985-86 Finals vs Houston Rockets

Larry Bird

Finals averages: 24.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 2.7 steals, 0.3 blocks per game

In one of the most well-contested Finals series of all time, the Big 3 Celtics met the Twin Tower Rockets in 1986. While the Celtics were favored to win due to their greater depth and because they had more star power, the Rockets had the best frontcourt of the 1980s seeing them through to the Finals with dominant series wins over the Sacramento Kings, the Denver Nuggets, and the Showtime Lakers.

Incidentally, 1986 marks the last time in the 20th century that the NBA Finals started in May, as the Celtics ran through the Eastern Conference playoffs with an 11-1 record, losing a solitary game at Atlanta against the Hawks.

The Celtics won the first 2 games of the series at home relatively easily, with a combined victory of 32 points. Bird put up a stat line of 52 points, 16 rebounds, 20 assists and 8 steals over these 2 games. If he had belonged to today's generation, Bird might have chased triple-doubles of his own through the rest of the series to pad his stats. But I digress.

Game 4 of the series was a classic clutch game won by the Celtics, as they defended the last 3 possessions without conceding and closed out the game for a commanding 3-1 lead. Despite Houston winning Game 5 by a 15-point margin, the Celtics closed the series out with a 114-97 win to seal their 3rd championship in 5 years.

Bird finished game 6 with a stat line of 29 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists and 3 steals, and was deservingly named the Finals MVP. Rounding off, he became the first player to average a triple-double in the NBA Finals.