Larry Bird vs. Dave Cowens Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Dave Cowens and Larry Bird that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Larry Bird

vs.

Dave Cowens

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Dave Cowens: 1970-71 to 1982-83

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Dave Cowens 2

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Dave Cowens 11

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Dave Cowens 7

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Dave Cowens 8

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Dave Cowens 1

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Dave Cowens 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Dave Cowens 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Dave Cowens 3

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Dave Cowens 1

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Dave Cowens 3

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Dave Cowens 1

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Dave Cowens 17.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Dave Cowens 13.6

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Dave Cowens 3.8

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Dave Cowens 1.1 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Dave Cowens 0.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Dave Cowens 13,516

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Dave Cowens 10,444

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Dave Cowens 2,910

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Dave Cowens 599 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Dave Cowens 488 *

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Dave Cowens 766

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Dave Cowens .460

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Dave Cowens .071 *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Dave Cowens .783

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Dave Cowens 20.5 (1973)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Dave Cowens 16.2 (1973)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Dave Cowens 5.0 (1977)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Dave Cowens 1.3 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Dave Cowens 1.3 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Dave Cowens 18.9

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Dave Cowens 14.4

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Dave Cowens 3.7

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Dave Cowens 1.2 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Dave Cowens 0.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Dave Cowens 1,684

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Dave Cowens 1,285

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Dave Cowens 333

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Dave Cowens 78 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Dave Cowens 56 *

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Dave Cowens 89

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Dave Cowens .451

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Dave Cowens .000 *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Dave Cowens .744

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Dave Cowens 21.9 (1973)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Dave Cowens 16.6 (1973)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Dave Cowens 4.6 (1976)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Dave Cowens 1.6 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Dave Cowens 1.4 (1977) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.