During the first decade of the NBA in the 1950s, the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty. "[96] The Lakers ended the season with the West's best record, while the Celtics would enter the playoffs as the number four seed. Boston triumphed in Game 7, 111-102. Crushed by the Houston Rockets in … [131] However, the Celtics would not give up, and Rajon Rondo would hit a 3-pointer to make the game 81–79. [74], The Lakers returned to prominence in the early 2000s. [56] The rivalry between Bird, Johnson, and their teams contributed greatly to the success of the league during the decade; according to Bryant Gumbel, "Magic and Larry saved the NBA. [31] They would not make it to the Finals again in this decade, but in 1975 they acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[32]. The following year, the Lakers finally had their revenge, winning the 1985 NBA Finals by taking Game 6 in Boston Garden, becoming the only visiting team to win an NBA championship in that arena. As the series shifted to Los Angeles, the Lakers stifled Pierce and Garnett in Game 3, winning 87–81. On December 30, 2015, the Boston Celtics honored the Los Angeles Lakers' star Kobe Bryant in his final game in TD Garden. Under Jackson's guidance, and with O'Neal and Bryant leading the way, the Lakers won three straight championships in 2000,[75] 2001,[76] and 2002. [36] Johnson would go on to be drafted by the Lakers, and Bird by the Celtics. They also set an NBA record for most playoff games ever needed to win a championship, with 26, surpassing the previous record of 24 by the Lakers in 1988.[114]. They reigned in the ’80s, adding four more championships – 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. [101], The Celtics signed Shaquille O'Neal for the 2010–2011 season to replace the injured Kendrick Perkins, adding to the rivalry by bringing the Shaq-Kobe feud to the Celtics-Lakers. 1984-85: Lakers Finally End Celtics Hex. [112][113], The Lakers and Celtics would meet the following year in 1963. In the game the Lakers rallied from a 14-point deficit to three points down with one minute remaining, when Maxwell knocked the ball away from Magic Johnson. Celtics-Lakers Finals an '80s flashback. [22], The first ever Finals MVP award was given to Jerry West, despite being on the losing team (thus far the only time this has happened). Boston's new Big … Minneapolis, led by rookie sensation Elgin Baylor, made the Finals by defeating the defending World Champion St. Louis Hawks. However, while Perkins was ruled out because of his injury, Bynum was cleared to play in Game 7. The Lakers and the Celtics have met 11 times already in the NBA Finals, with Boston winning the first eight meetings, and Los Angeles winning the next two both in the 80s . erupted up in TD Garden as the Celtics took a commanding 3–0 lead over the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Lakers-Celtics rivalry dominated the league in the 80s. Brown died during the season, and Red Auerbach led the team back to the Finals with his first Coach of the Year award. [14], The Lakers relocated to Los Angeles in 1960. By contrast, the aging Celtics struggled to obtain the fourth seed, with Russell and Jones playing in their final seasons. [86] In 2007, they made blockbuster trades for All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen,[87][88] who complemented career-long Celtics star Paul Pierce and emerging star Rajon Rondo. The Lakers have won 14 championships -- nine in Los Angeles and five in Minneapolis. Worthy had 29 points while Abdul-Jabbar had 26 points and 14 rebounds. Instead, the game went into overtime and the Celtics won by three points. [46] In Game 3, the Celtics had a 48–38 lead in the second quarter before the Lakers, led by James Worthy, took a 65–59 lead at halftime and then pulled away in the second half to come away with a 136–111 victory. [46] Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 36 points. [18], The Celtics would make their ninth straight appearance in the NBA Finals and face the Lakers for the fourth time. Boston would win game one. [46] Michael Cooper had 22 points, making 8 out of 9 field goals attempted. A defiant Bill Russell denied that any such thing was going to happen. erupting in the Staples Center. Several journalists hypothesized that the Johnson–Bird rivalry was so appealing because it represented many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and Celtics, between Hollywood flashiness ("Lakers Showtime") and Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and whites. Their win in Game 6 was also a sense of relief. [47] In the 1987 NBA Finals, the two teams met for a tie-breaker of their 1980s Finals matches, and the Lakers once again emerged victorious in six games, with the iconic image of Johnson's junior sky hook. In between, the Celtics won in 1981, 1984 and 1986. [51][52] A 1984 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. The Lakers - Celtics duel is one of sport’s most celebrated. [121], The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Celtics four games to two. I didn't care about anything else. [64][65][66][67][68] In 1994, neither the Lakers nor the Celtics made the playoffs, marking the first time in the history of the NBA that both teams missed the playoffs in the same season. However, the Lakers proceeded to miss the playoffs a record six consecutive seasons, highlighted by four straight seasons with over 50 losses and a franchise-low 17–65 mark during the 2015–16 season. [44] In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137–104 victory as Johnson dished out 21 assists. [99][100], The 2010 series had many memorable moments, including impressive performances from Bryant who led in points for six of the seven games, Ray Allen's Finals' record eight 3-pointers in Game 2, Derek Fisher carrying his team to victory and then crying in Game 3, a hard-fought Game 4 where Glen Davis screamed so loud he drooled while Nate Robinson rode on his back, a dominant Lakers performance in Game 6, and a close Game 7 that became the highest rated NBA game since Michael Jordan's second retirement in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals. The Celtics–Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. During the 1978–79 NCAA season, Michigan State was led by Magic Johnson to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Indiana State University, which was led by senior Larry Bird. [98] Both teams fended off late series surges from their opponents, but won their respective series 4–2, setting up a rematch in the 2010 NBA Finals. The Celtics likewise made little playoff progress after their near Finals run of 2002. [81] Thereafter, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat. However, battles between the Celtics and the Lakers took a back seat to the emerging rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, who met in four consecutive NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018, where the Cavaliers were led by a big three of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, while the Warriors were led by a big four of Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. [104] However, both the Lakers and Celtics would be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs that year by the 2011 NBA Finals participants, the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, respectively. [118], This was the Celtics' 17th championship, their first since 1986, extending their record for most NBA championships won by a single team. With 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Celtics took their first lead in the game when Celtics' reserve Eddie House made an 18-foot (5.5 m) jumper. Boston's new Big Three reached the NBA's big stage. Prior to 2014, the Lakers only missed the playoffs four times since moving to Los Angeles, and five times in franchise history. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Minneapolis would win the first ever Championship Series of the newly formed NBA in 1950 (three BAA Finals were played between 1947–1949 and retroactively counted as NBA Championships, one of which was won by the Lakers in 1949). Nevertheless, the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers remained fairly even during this recent period, with the two teams managing a split in the season series four of the last six times. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113–111 with 18 seconds left when Gerald Henderson stole a James Worthy pass to score a game tying layup and the Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124–121. However, Ray Allen would respond in Game 2 by scoring 32-points and sinking a record eight 3-pointers, leading the Celtics to a 103–94 victory.[125]. This was the first NBA Finals series between the Lakers and the Celtics, and the only such meeting to occur while the Lakers were still in Minneapolis. [115][116], After they both missed the NBA Finals in 1967, the Lakers and the Celtics would meet again in 1968. [41] However, the 76ers defeated the Lakers the following year in the 1983 NBA Finals. [42] The 1982–1983 season would also be the rookie year of Laker James Worthy, another Hall of Famer in the storied rivalry. "[79] In 2002, the Celtics, with Pierce and Antoine Walker, made an impressive run for the Finals and the two teams narrowly missed each other. The Lakers won 11 of the 19 NBA Finals … It was a seesaw, give-and-take contest. [10] The Celtics would emerge behind early NBA star Bob Cousy by winning the 1957 NBA Finals[11] and losing in 1958. [26] Chamberlain (whose knee was so bad that he could not play the entire offseason and ruptured it in the next season) was livid at Russell and saw him as a backstabber. [90] The next season, the Lakers and Celtics played a regular season game on Christmas Day. [48] This series marked the end of an era for the Celtics. Boston guard Danny Ainge made 5 out of 6 three-pointers attempted, including a 45-footer as the first half expired. [12], The first NBA Finals match-up between the two teams was in 1959 when on April 9, the Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers 4-0 for the first sweep in the history of the NBA Finals. The Celtics win over the Lakers in 1966 marked an unprecedented eight consecutive championships, the longest streak of any North American professional sports team. [122] The Celtics won Game 1 98–88, highlighted by a dramatic comeback by Paul Pierce after a third quarter knee injury. [38] The following year, behind the "Big Three" of future Hall of Famers Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the Celtics won the 1981 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets. The Celtics swept the Bucks. This was the eighth meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers in the NBA Finals, with Boston having won the previous seven. Remarkably, Boston would pull away and entered the fourth quarter up by 18. [118], One of the lasting effects on the Lakers–Celtics rivalry was the usage of the famous "Beat L.A.!" It can never again be said that 'the Lakers have never beaten the Celtics'". McHale was directly involved in one of the defining moments of the rivalry, when he clotheslined Lakers forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup during Game 4 of the 1984 finals in Los Angeles. No, you haven't gone for a ride in a time machine back to the 1980s. [36] In every single NBA Finals series during the 1980s, either the Lakers or the Celtics were present. "[44] In Game 7, the Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell, who had 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists as they came away with a 111–102 victory. Boston was led by their 'Big Three' of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. However, Magic Johnson made three shots while Abdul-Jabbar added four more shots, and the Lakers came away with a 120–111 victory to take a 3–2 series lead. https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/5-biggest-rivals-la-lakers-ranked The 1968 Eastern Division Finals rematch between the Celtics and the 76ers, which started on April 21, was marred by the April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., but the decision was made not to delay the series. [24] West was named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team,[22] but it was small consolation in a decade where the Lakers went without a championship, every one of their Finals' losses in that decade coming at the hands of the Celtics. [45] Celtics founder Walter A. Boston and the Lakers of Magic Johnson, James Worthy and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dominated the NBA in the 1980s: From 1980-88, the two rivals won all but one of the nine NBA championships -- three for Boston, five for Los Angeles (and one for the Philadelphia 76ers) -- and met for the title three times in four years. The Lakers' bench had outscored Boston's bench 24–0 entering the fourth quarter. Despite this, the Celtics upset the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks and made it to the Finals. The Celtics would win Game 4 before the Lakers would come back and win another close victory in Game 5. With House's shot, the Celtics were in the lead for good, winning 97–91. Minneapolis hadn't made an appearance in the Finals since winning four of the first five NBA Championships between 1950–1954, while Boston was making its third straight Finals appearance after winning in 1957 and losing in 1958. It was the first time the Lakers and Celtics met in the postseason since 1969. [44] After the game, Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. Back in 1986, the Lakers were the defending champs. This was the largest margin of victory in a deciding Finals game, and would not be broken until 2008, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers once again by a score of 131–92. [15] It was after this move, and during this decade, that the rivalry would truly escalate. [119] The Celtics defeated the Lakers four games to three. [54], The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. Game 7 was the third most-watched game in NBA history, with 28.2 million viewers (No. [110] The Celtics won Game 6 to set up the first Game 7 between the two franchises. Both Kendrick Perkins of Boston and Andrew Bynum of Los Angeles were injured in this game. This was the third straight year in which the L.A. Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals. "[24] Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo about the Lakers' celebration plans. [14], The Lakers acquired Wilt Chamberlain in 1968, which brought the personal rivalry between him and Bill Russell, previously a feature of the Celtics-76ers rivalry, to Celtics-Lakers. They met three times in the FINALS during the 80's from 1984,1985,1987. They upset the 76ers in the first round and postponed New York's finals appearance for another year. Isiah Thomas didn’t play for either team during that time, but he used to be a regular presence in their locker rooms. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics are poised to do battle once again in the NBA Finals, right here in 2008. The home team won Games 5 and 6 which set up a dramatic seventh game. The Celtics and Lakers both found success in the 1970s, but there would be no rematch between the two teams. [55] With the two future Hall of Famers, the league won a whole generation of new fans. [118], This was the first time the Celtics made the Finals since 1987, while the Lakers' last appearance had been in 2004. The two biggest figures of the '80s took home eight championships between them, five league MVPs (Bird-3, Magic-2) and five Finals MVPs (Magic-3, Bird-2). Game 5 was notable for an impressive Lakers' comeback sending it into overtime, but the Celtics would ultimately win that game. [69] That same year, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal. [4][5][6] Under Hall of Fame head coach John Kundla, and with the NBA's first superstar in George Mikan,[7] they would win three more titles in 1952,[8] 1953,[9] and 1954. Magic Johnson had 29 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds, while James Worthy had 33 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds. The Lakers won Game 1 102–89, led by Kobe Bryant's 30-point performance. [45] "[25], By virtue of a 62–20 record, the Celtics had homecourt advantage over the Lakers who finished the regular season with a 54–28 mark. They did not reach the Finals again until 2008. On November 7, 1991, Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and would retire immediately. [123], The Lakers would win Game 5 103–98, despite blowing another large lead, and the series shifted back to Boston. Only the Lakers made an appearance in the NBA Finals that decade, losing the 1991 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the first championship in the Bulls' dynasty. Los Angeles brought back Derek Fisher, Bryant's teammate on the previous championship teams, then pulled off a major trade during the season by acquiring Pau Gasol from Memphis. When Magic Johnson won the MVP Finals plum, the following year Larry Bird would snatch the crown. Magic and Bird were the measuring sticks of the league in the '80s and they used each other as motivation. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97 °F-heat, and without any air conditioning at the infamous Boston Garden. The Celtics won the NBA Finals in 1974,[33] and won again in 1976,[34] under the leadership of coach Tom Heinsohn and players Dave Cowens, Paul Silas and Jo Jo White. [48] In Game 6, the Lakers trailed the Celtics 56–51 at halftime, but thanks to an 18–2 run, they regained control of the game with a 30–12 third quarter to cruise to a 106–93 victory and their fourth championship in the decade. When angry crowds showed up in Los Angeles to buy playoff tickets that were not available, the Lakers quieted the crowd by offering closed circuit TV viewing for $2.50 a head. "[40] Despite the encouragement, the 76ers lost the 1982 NBA Finals to the Lakers, who were led by new head coach Pat Riley. The Lakers or Celtics appeared in the Finals series every year of the decade. [17] In the Game 5 victory, Baylor grabbed 22 rebounds and set the still-standing NBA record for points in a finals game with 61,[109] despite fouling out of the game. With the addition of Allen and Garnett alongside Pierce to become the new "Big Three", the Celtics returned to the top of the NBA in the 2007–2008 season by posting the best record in the league and reaching the Finals. The Celtics, however, would begin to show their age when they began missing shots and turning the ball over and Laker Jerry West pulled L.A. to within one. However, the Lakers opened up a massive lead in Game 6, peaking at 27. 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