I’m Boston Celtics legend who has perfect 6-0 record vs Michael Jordan in playoffs and was one NBA star MJ couldn’t beat

Going a perfect 6-0 in the playoffs is normally associated with the NBA’s GOAT.

That was Michael Jordan’s record in the NBA Finals, which is as perfect as it gets and is often used as a driving point when comparing MJ to LeBron James.

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Michael Jordan had to endure some early growing pains in the NBA

But there was one big basketball name that Jordan wasn’t perfect against.

In fact, the roles and record were reversed.

While Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics attempt to defend their championship as the 2025 postseason gets underway, the early rivalry between Boston legend Larry Bird and Air Jordan was as lopsided as it could get.

Thanks to playing for a superior Celtics team that battled with the Los Angeles Lakers for 1980s supremacy in the NBA, Bird won, won and won again against Jordan in the playoffs.

MJ was a backward 0-6 against Larry the Legend in the postseason, which meant that Bird was an MJ-esque 6-0 against Jordan when it mattered.

Bird’s Celtics swept Jordan’s Chicago Bulls 3-0 in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 1986.

A year later, the lopsided pattern was repeated.

Boston won Games 1, 2 and 3 to coldly sweep MJ and his Bulls out of another postseason.

From there, it was almost all Jordan.

Chicago lost three consecutive years to the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, but kept annually improving.

Larry Bird and the Celtics had the magic touch
Jordan had big games but faced constant aggressive defense
Jordan and Bird had a competitive relationship and edge when it came to one another

Then MJ began his total NBA domination, winning three consecutive world titles, before briefly retiring, unretiring, and winning three more rings.

The Pistons are normally seen as the road block that Jordan’s Bulls had to overcome in the East to achieve basketball greatness.

But the reality is that Bird and Boston were the first team to get in the way of Jordan achieving GOAT status.

Jordan blanked 6-0 in the postseason against Bird.

The Bulls legend also didn’t fare well overall against the Boston legend.

Bird won the overall personal series between the two 17-11.

He also had the final say.

Boston won 135-132 in double overtime on March 31, 1991, which was the final time that Bird and Jordan met on the court.

Jordan had 37 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 51 minutes.

Bird was even better, scoring 34 points while grabbing 15 boards and recording eight assists in 52 minutes of winning time.

Bird’s old team is the second seed in the Eastern Conference and face the Orlando Magic in the first round.

Game 1 takes place on Sunday, April 20, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden.

April 26, 1987: Larry Bird with the 90-foot assist to Kevin McHale on an inbound pass in Game 2 of the Celtics' first round playoff series with Chicago.

Bird had 29 PTS/8 AST/7 REB and McHale had 20 PTS/10 REB in Boston's 105-96 win. Michael Jordan scored 42 PTS for the Bulls. pic.twitter.com/UGYKx2QTIl