Dennis Awtrey vs. Larry Bird Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Larry Bird and Dennis Awtrey, 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 / Games against each other

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.

Dennis Awtrey played 12 years in the NBA, 1 less than Larry Bird, who played 13. Dennis Awtrey had the first of his seasons in 1970-71, 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
Dennis Awtrey 12 6 1970-71 to 1981-82
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1970-711979-80
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 70 18.5 7.2 - - 6.1 1.3 - - - 3.0 2.9 6.0 .475 - - - 1.5 2.2 .662
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 7 20.6 7.6 - - 3.9 0.7 - - - 3.6 3.0 5.1 .583 - - - 1.6 2.1 .733
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1971-721980-81
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -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 %
Dennis Awtrey 58 13.7 4.2 - - 4.3 0.9 - - - 2.4 1.7 3.8 .441 - - - 0.8 1.3 .645
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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

Season 3

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1972-731981-82
Team Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Bulls Lost West Conf 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 82 20.6 4.6 - - 5.5 2.7 - - - 2.9 1.8 3.7 .479 - - - 1.0 1.9 .562
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 7 38.3 9.0 - - 11.0 4.4 - - - 3.7 3.7 6.9 .542 - - - 1.6 3.1 .500
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1973-741982-83
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost West Conf 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 68 11.1 2.7 0.7 1.8 2.6 1.3 0.3 0.2 - 1.9 1.0 1.8 .528 - - - 0.8 1.4 .574
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 10 15.8 3.0 1.1 2.9 4.0 1.3 0.6 0.2 - 2.1 1.2 2.8 .429 - - - 0.6 1.0 .600
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1974-751983-84
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 82 34.6 9.9 3.0 5.6 8.6 4.2 0.7 0.6 - 2.8 4.1 8.8 .470 - - - 1.6 2.4 .677
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1975-761984-85
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost NBA FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Awtrey 74 18.6 4.9 1.3 2.7 4.0 2.1 0.3 0.3 - 2.1 1.9 4.1 .467 - - - 1.0 1.5 .688
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 19 15.1 3.2 0.9 2.4 3.3 1.3 0.3 0.5 - 2.0 1.1 2.4 .467 - - - 0.9 1.7 .545
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1976-771985-86
Team Phoenix SunsBoston 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 72 24.4 5.7 1.5 3.4 4.9 2.5 0.3 0.4 - 2.4 2.2 5.2 .429 - - - 1.3 1.8 .722
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1977-781986-87
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Awtrey 81 20.0 3.6 1.2 2.5 3.7 2.0 0.2 0.3 1.6 1.9 1.4 3.3 .424 - - - 0.9 1.3 .633
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 2 12.0 1.5 1.0 0.0 1.0 1.5 0.5 0.0 0.5 0.0 0.5 2.0 .250 - - - 0.5 0.5 1.000
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1978-791987-88
Team Boston Celtics, Seattle SupersonicsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCeltics 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 63 11.8 2.0 0.7 1.7 2.4 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.8 1.7 0.7 1.7 .411 - - - 0.7 0.9 .732
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 %
Dennis Awtrey 16 9.6 1.8 0.9 1.7 2.6 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.6 2.1 0.6 1.0 .625 - - - 0.5 0.8 .615
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1979-801988-89
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Dennis Awtrey 26 21.5 3.3 1.1 3.3 4.4 1.5 0.5 0.6 1.0 2.5 1.0 2.3 .450 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 1.9 .640
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1980-811989-90
Team Seattle SupersonicsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 47 12.9 2.2 0.7 1.6 2.3 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.7 1.8 0.9 2.0 .473 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.4 .700
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season 1981-821990-91
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics 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 %
Dennis Awtrey 10 12.1 1.5 0.7 0.7 1.4 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.6 2.8 0.5 1.5 .333 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.9 .556
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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

Dennis Awtrey Larry Bird
Season -1991-92
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Celtics 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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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 %
Dennis Awtrey ------- --- ----------
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