Larry Bird vs. Pat Riley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Pat Riley 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.

Pat Riley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Pat Riley: 1967-68 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Pat Riley 1

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Pat Riley 9

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Pat Riley 6

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Pat Riley 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Pat Riley 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Pat Riley 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Pat Riley 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Pat Riley 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Pat Riley 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Pat Riley 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Pat Riley 7.4

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Pat Riley 1.6

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Pat Riley 1.7

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Pat Riley 0.6 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Pat Riley 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Pat Riley 3,906

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Pat Riley 855

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Pat Riley 913

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Pat Riley 112 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Pat Riley 13 *

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Pat Riley 528

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Pat Riley .414

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Pat Riley .705

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Pat Riley 11.0 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Pat Riley 2.2 (1968)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Pat Riley 2.6 (1975)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Pat Riley 0.8 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Pat Riley 0.1 (1976) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Pat Riley 5.7

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Pat Riley 1.5

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Pat Riley 1.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Pat Riley 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Pat Riley 0.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Pat Riley 251

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Pat Riley 66

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Pat Riley 52

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Pat Riley 4 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Pat Riley 0 *

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Pat Riley 44

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Pat Riley .374

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Pat Riley - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Pat Riley .763

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Pat Riley 9.4 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Pat Riley 2.2 (1969)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Pat Riley 2.0 (1974)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Pat Riley 0.8 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Pat Riley 0.0 (1976) *

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, this player has no data for the stat.