Dick Barnett vs. Larry Bird Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Larry Bird and Dick Barnett, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Dick Barnett played 14 years in the NBA, 1 more than Larry Bird, who played 13. Dick Barnett had the first of his seasons in 1959-60, while Larry Bird had his rookie season in 1979-80. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Dick Barnett 14 11 1959-60 to 1973-74
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14

Rookie Season

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1959-601979-80
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 57 21.7 12.4 - - 2.7 2.8 - - - 1.7 5.1 12.3 .412 - - - 2.2 3.2 .711
Larry Bird 82 36.0 21.3 2.6 7.8 10.4 4.5 1.7 0.6 3.2 3.4 8.5 17.8 .474 0.7 1.7 .406 3.7 4.4 .836
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 3 21.3 10.0 - - 4.7 1.3 - - - 1.3 4.0 12.7 .316 - - - 2.0 2.3 .857
Larry Bird 9 41.3 21.3 2.4 8.8 11.2 4.7 1.6 0.9 3.7 3.3 9.2 19.7 .469 0.4 1.7 .267 2.4 2.8 .880

Season 2

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1960-611980-81
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 78 26.5 16.9 - - 3.6 2.8 - - - 2.2 6.9 15.3 .452 - - - 3.1 4.3 .712
Larry Bird 82 39.5 21.2 2.3 8.6 10.9 5.5 2.0 0.8 3.5 2.9 8.8 18.3 .478 0.2 0.9 .270 3.5 4.0 .863
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 8 28.3 15.5 - - 4.5 1.5 - - - 3.1 6.1 14.0 .438 - - - 3.3 4.5 .722
Larry Bird 17 44.1 21.9 2.9 11.1 14.0 6.1 2.3 1.0 3.6 3.1 8.6 18.4 .470 0.2 0.5 .375 4.5 5.0 .894

Note: Dick Barnett didn't play in 1961-62.

Season 3

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1962-631981-82
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 80 31.8 18.0 - - 3.0 2.8 - - - 2.4 6.8 14.5 .471 - - - 4.3 5.3 .815
Larry Bird 77 38.0 22.9 2.6 8.3 10.9 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.3 3.2 9.2 18.4 .503 0.1 0.7 .212 4.3 4.9 .863
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 13 28.5 16.8 - - 2.9 1.6 - - - 2.7 5.5 11.6 .470 - - - 5.9 7.5 .794
Larry Bird 12 40.8 17.8 2.8 9.8 12.5 5.6 1.9 1.4 3.2 3.6 7.3 17.2 .427 0.1 0.5 .167 3.1 3.8 .822

Season 4

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1963-641982-83
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost West Div SemisCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 78 33.6 18.4 - - 3.2 3.1 - - - 3.0 6.9 15.3 .452 - - - 4.5 5.8 .773
Larry Bird 79 37.7 23.6 2.4 8.6 11.0 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.5 18.7 .504 0.3 1.0 .286 4.4 5.3 .840
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 5 30.8 13.8 - - 1.6 3.4 - - - 3.2 4.2 10.4 .404 - - - 5.4 6.4 .844
Larry Bird 6 40.0 20.5 3.3 9.2 12.5 6.8 2.2 0.5 3.2 2.5 8.2 19.3 .422 0.2 0.7 .250 4.0 4.8 .828

Season 5

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1964-651983-84
Team Los Angeles LakersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Lakers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 74 27.4 13.8 - - 2.7 2.1 - - - 2.8 5.1 12.3 .413 - - - 3.6 4.6 .799
Larry Bird 79 38.3 24.2 2.3 7.8 10.1 6.6 1.8 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.6 19.5 .492 0.2 0.9 .247 4.7 5.3 .888
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 10 28.7 17.5 - - 3.0 3.3 - - - 2.5 7.2 15.0 .480 - - - 3.1 3.9 .795
Larry Bird 23 41.8 27.5 2.7 8.3 11.0 5.9 2.3 1.2 3.8 3.1 10.0 19.0 .524 0.3 0.7 .412 7.3 8.3 .879

Season 6

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1965-661984-85
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 75 34.5 23.1 - - 4.1 3.5 - - - 3.1 8.4 17.9 .469 - - - 6.2 8.1 .772
Larry Bird 80 39.5 28.7 2.1 8.5 10.5 6.6 1.6 1.2 3.1 2.6 11.5 22.0 .522 0.7 1.6 .427 5.0 5.7 .882
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett ------- --- ----------
Larry Bird 20 40.8 26.0 2.7 6.5 9.1 5.8 1.7 1.0 2.9 2.7 9.8 21.3 .461 0.4 1.3 .280 6.1 6.8 .890

Season 7

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1966-671985-86
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 67 29.4 17.0 - - 3.4 2.4 - - - 2.8 6.8 14.2 .478 - - - 3.4 4.4 .783
Larry Bird 82 38.0 25.8 2.3 7.5 9.8 6.8 2.0 0.6 3.2 2.2 9.7 19.6 .496 1.0 2.4 .423 5.4 6.0 .896
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett ------- --- ----------
Larry Bird 18 42.8 25.9 1.9 7.4 9.3 8.2 2.1 0.6 2.6 3.1 9.5 18.4 .517 1.3 3.1 .411 5.6 6.1 .927

Season 8

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1967-681986-87
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 81 30.7 18.0 - - 2.9 3.0 - - - 2.7 6.9 14.3 .482 - - - 4.2 5.4 .780
Larry Bird 74 40.6 28.1 1.7 7.5 9.2 7.6 1.8 0.9 3.2 2.5 10.6 20.2 .525 1.2 3.0 .400 5.6 6.1 .910
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 6 35.2 23.8 - - 4.5 3.5 - - - 4.0 10.2 19.5 .521 - - - 3.5 4.8 .724
Larry Bird 23 44.1 27.0 1.8 8.3 10.0 7.2 1.2 0.8 3.1 2.4 9.4 19.7 .476 0.6 1.8 .341 7.7 8.4 .912

Season 9

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1968-691987-88
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Div FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 82 36.0 17.6 - - 3.1 3.5 - - - 2.9 6.9 14.9 .463 - - - 3.8 4.9 .774
Larry Bird 76 39.0 29.9 1.4 7.8 9.3 6.1 1.6 0.8 2.8 2.1 11.6 22.0 .527 1.3 3.1 .414 5.5 6.0 .916
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 10 40.2 16.7 - - 3.5 2.7 - - - 3.2 6.5 16.3 .399 - - - 3.7 5.4 .685
Larry Bird 17 44.9 24.5 1.7 7.1 8.8 6.8 2.1 0.8 2.9 2.6 8.9 19.9 .450 0.7 1.9 .375 5.9 6.6 .894

Season 10

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1969-701988-89
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 82 33.8 14.9 - - 2.7 3.6 - - - 2.7 6.0 12.7 .475 - - - 2.8 4.0 .714
Larry Bird 6 31.5 19.3 0.2 6.0 6.2 4.8 1.0 0.8 1.8 3.0 8.2 17.3 .471 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.2 .947
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 19 37.6 16.9 - - 2.1 3.4 - - - 3.4 6.9 14.7 .468 - - - 3.1 4.0 .776
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1970-711989-90
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 82 34.7 15.5 - - 2.9 2.7 - - - 2.8 6.6 14.4 .456 - - - 2.4 3.4 .694
Larry Bird 75 39.3 24.3 1.2 8.3 9.5 7.5 1.4 0.8 3.2 2.3 9.6 20.2 .473 0.9 2.6 .333 4.3 4.6 .930
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 12 37.9 19.5 - - 3.2 3.0 - - - 2.8 7.9 16.6 .477 - - - 3.7 5.3 .698
Larry Bird 5 41.4 24.4 1.4 7.8 9.2 8.8 1.0 1.0 3.6 2.0 8.8 19.8 .444 1.0 3.8 .263 5.8 6.4 .906

Season 12

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1971-721990-91
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Knicks Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 79 28.6 12.2 - - 1.9 2.5 - - - 2.9 5.1 11.6 .437 - - - 2.1 2.7 .753
Larry Bird 60 38.0 19.4 0.9 7.6 8.5 7.2 1.8 1.0 3.1 2.0 7.7 17.0 .454 1.3 3.3 .389 2.7 3.1 .891
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 12 10.9 4.3 - - 0.7 0.8 - - - 1.6 1.9 4.1 .469 - - - 0.4 1.0 .417
Larry Bird 10 39.6 17.1 0.8 6.4 7.2 6.5 1.3 0.3 1.9 2.8 6.2 15.2 .408 0.3 2.1 .143 4.4 5.1 .863

Season 13

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1972-731991-92
Team New York KnicksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCeltics Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 51 10.1 3.8 - - 0.8 1.0 - - - 1.0 1.7 4.4 .389 - - - 0.3 0.6 .533
Larry Bird 45 36.9 20.2 1.0 8.6 9.6 6.8 0.9 0.7 2.8 1.8 7.8 16.8 .466 1.2 2.8 .406 3.3 3.6 .926
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 4 4.3 1.5 - - 0 0.5 - - - 1.3 0.8 1.5 .500 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
Larry Bird 4 26.8 11.3 0.5 4.0 4.5 5.3 0.3 0.5 1.5 1.8 5.3 10.5 .500 0.0 1.3 .000 0.8 1.0 .750

Season 14

Dick Barnett Larry Bird
Season 1973-74-
Team New York Knicks-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett 5 11.6 4.4 0.2 0.6 0.8 1.2 0.2 0.0 - 0.4 2.0 5.2 .385 - - - 0.4 0.6 .667
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dick Barnett ------- --- ----------
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------