The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is the National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the competition has been called the best in the NBA. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have set a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first Final encounter in 1959. They will both dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other six times in 1960, three times in 1980 , and twice in 2008 and 2010.
The competition has been less intense since Larry Bird's retirement and Magic Johnson in the early 1990s, but in 2008 it was updated as the Celtics, led by the top three Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Lakers, led by NBA MVP Kobe Bryant in the Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the 4-2 series. They meet again in the 2010 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games. Both teams have won the two highest number of championships, Celtics 17, Lakers 16 (11 as L.A. Lakers and 5 as Minneapolis Lakers); together, they reached 33 out of 70 championships in NBA history.
At the end of the 2017-18 season, Boston are the only team with an overall winning record against the Lakers.
Video Celtics-Lakers rivalry
Ikhtisar
In 2010, the Lakers and Celtics have met 12 times in the NBA Finals. For now, Boston has won nine series, including all the first eight, while Los Angeles has won three of the last four.
Maps Celtics-Lakers rivalry
History
Boston and Minneapolis
During the first decade of the NBA in the 1950s, the Minneapolis Lakers had the first NBA dynasty. Minneapolis will win the first Series of Championships of the newly formed NBA in 1950 (three BAA Finals played between 1947-1949 and counted retroactively as the NBA Championship, one of which was won by the Lakers in 1949). Under John Kundla's Hall of Fame coach, and with the NBA's first superstar at George Mikan, they will win three more titles in 1952, 1953, and 1954. The Celtics will appear behind the early NBA star Bob Cousy by winning the 1957 NBA Finals and losing in 1958.
The first NBA Finals match 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 NBA Finals history. This will mark the first Final loss for the Lakers previously dominant, and the first of eight straight titles for Boston.
Celtics Dynasty and Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960. It was after this step, and over the decade, that the competition will really increase. Both teams appear as the strongest in the NBA, featuring greats such as Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, Sam Jones and Red Auerbach head coach for Boston and Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich and Fred Schaus coach/GM for Los Angeles. However, it will eventually prove to be the decade of the Celtics, who won the finals every year in the 1960s except for 1967. The Lakers will be the Celtics opponents in six of the series: 1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969. The Celtics win all matches that. Three of the series (1962, 1966, and 1969) became seven matches. The Celtics' victory over the Lakers in 1966 marked eight unprecedented championships, the longest sequence of professional North American sports teams.
The Lakers acquired Wilt Chamberlain in 1968, which brought personal rivalry between him and Bill Russell, previously a feature of the Celtics-76ers rivalry, to the Celtics-Lakers. The Lakers posted the best record in the West during the 1968-1969 season. Instead, the aging Celtics are struggling to get the fourth seed, with Russell and Jones playing in their final season. Nevertheless, the Celtics disappointed the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks and made it to the finals. The Lakers had the advantage of hosting for the first time and won the first two games, but the Celtics bounced off to force and win dramatic Game 7 in the Los Angeles Forum, opposing Laksel Jack Kente's bad predictions about the Lakers' festivities. West was named Finals MVP despite being on the losing team, but it was a small entertainment in a decade where the Lakers went without championships, every one of their Final losses in the decade came in the hands of the Celtics.
The 1969 Final also caused damage in relations between Russell and Chamberlain, who had previously been friends despite their rivalry, became one of intense hatred, when Chamberlain took himself out of a decisive Game 7 with six minutes remaining, and Russell subsequently accused Chamberlain of being a malingerer and "copping out" of the game when it seems the Lakers will lose. Chamberlain (whose knee was so bad that he could not play the whole offseason and broke out the following season) was furious at Russell and saw him as a backstabber. The two men had not spoken to each other for more than 20 years until Russell tried to rectify the situation, though he never uttered a sincere apology. When Chamberlain died in 1999, Chamberlain's nephew stated that Russell was the second person to command the news.
Championship but no rematch
The Celtics and Lakers were successful in the 1970s, but there will be no rematch between the two teams.
Early this decade saw the Lakers' misery in the NBA Finals continue, with losses to the New York Knicks in 1970. However, the Lakers rebounded two years later to win the 1972 NBA Finals and their first championship in Los Angeles, also against the Knicks. It will also prove to be the only outstanding NBA Jerry West title. The following year, the Lakers again faced the Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals and lost. They would not reach the Final again in this decade, but in 1975 they acquired Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Celtics won the NBA Finals in 1974, and won again in 1976, under the leadership of coach Tom Heinsohn and Dave Cowens, Paul Silas and Jo Jo White.
Both teams won another championship until the 1980s. However, the basis for the updated Celtics-Lakers competition in the 1980s was actually put in college basketball in the late 1970s. During the NCAA 1978-79 season, Michigan State was led by Magic Johnson for the NCAA Tournament Championship, where they faced Indiana State University, led by Larry Bird senior. In the most watched collegiate basketball game, Michigan State defeated Indiana State 75-64, and Johnson was voted the Most Extraordinary Player in the Final Four. Magic Johnson will continue to be composed by the Lakers, and Larry Bird by the Celtics. The personal rivalry formed by these two basketball during college will be transferred to their NBA careers, and rekindle the competition between the two storied franchises they represent.
Bird and Magic
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry was renewed in the 1980s, largely due to personal rivalries between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Magic said of the game against the Celtics, "when the new schedule will come out every year, I will pick it up and round the Boston match." For me it is The Two and the other 80. "Similarly, Bird says that , "the first thing I'll do every morning is look at the box score to see what Magic does, I do not care about anything else."
The Showtime Lakers struck the first blow, winning the NBA Final of 1980 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The following year, behind the "Big Three" from Larry Bird Hall of Famers, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish, the Celtics won the 1981 NBA Finals against the Houston Rockets.
The Celtics lost the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals to the 76ers, and along with it the possibility of a rematch with the Lakers. However, the final game of the series was impressive for the rivalry as Boston fans sang for the 76ers, who just got rid of their Celtics, to "Beat L.A.!" Despite the push, the 76ers lost the 1982 NBA Finals to the Lakers, led by new head coach Pat Riley. However, the 76ers beat the Lakers the following year in the 1983 NBA Finals. The 1982-1983 season will also be Laker James Worthy's rookie year, another Hall of Fame in storied competition.
The Celtics will get a new head coach at K.C. Jones, who is also a former Celtics player, and two teams finally did a long-awaited re-match in the 1984 NBA Finals, a grueling seven-game series that had many memorable moments, including a 137-104 blast in Game 3 that brought Larry Bird to summon his Celtic teammates, "sissies", Kevin McHale who brought Laker forward Kurt Rambis which led to increased physical aggression by both teams, the blistering heat of unfamiliar Boston Park in Game 5, and 24-point Cedric Maxwell's performance at Game 7. The Celtics went on to win in seven games, raising their Final Series winning record against the Lakers to 8-0.
The following year, the Lakers finally took their revenge, winning the 1985 NBA Finals by taking Game 6 at Boston Garden, becoming the only visiting team to win the NBA championship in that arena. The owner of the Lakers, Jerry Buss, famously commented that "this has removed the most disgusting sentence in English.Never again it can be said that 'the Lakers never beat the Celtics'".
The Celtics rebounded the following year to win the 1986 NBA Finals against the Rockets. In the 1987 NBA Finals, the two teams met for the final of the 1980 World Cup, and the Lakers once again won in six games, with junior junior iconic images of Magic Johnson. This series marks the end of the era for the Celtics. They did not reach the Final again until 2008. The Lakers, meanwhile, went on to win the 1988 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, before losing to the Pistons the following year in 1989, and won titles again in 2000, 2001 and 2002, all while the Celtics wallowed in mediocre circumstances.
Some journalists hypothesize that the Johnson-Bird competition is so interesting as it represents many other contrasts, such as the clash between the Lakers and the Celtics, between the Hollywood luster ("Lakers Showtime") and the Boston/Indiana blue collar grit ("Celtic Pride"), and between blacks and white skin. A 1984 Converse ad for his "Weapons" basketball shoes (powered by Bird and Johnson) reflects the perceived dichotomy between the two players. In the commercial, Bird practiced alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulled the limousine up and challenged him for a one-on-one match. Regardless of their rivalry in court, the two became friends after shooting a joint ad.
Competition is also significant as it draws national attention to the shaky NBA. Prior to the arrival of Johnson and Bird, the NBA has passed a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings. With two future Hall of Famers, the league won an entire generation of new fans. The competition between Bird, Johnson, and their team contributed greatly to the league's decades of success; according to Bryant Gumbel, "Magic and Larry save the NBA." Sports journalist Larry Schwartz from ESPN confirmed that Johnson and Bird saved the NBA from bankruptcy. In every NBA Finals series during the 1980s, either the Lakers or the Celtics were present.
Lull and rebuild
The competition temporarily subsided in the 1990s. Only the Lakers appeared in the NBA Finals of the decade, losing the 1991 NBA Finals to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, the first championship in the Bulls dynasty. It will prove to be the defining moment of the NBA, the change of the old bodyguard as the Lakers and Celtics fall into mediocrity, while the Bulls win six titles led by Jordan, Scottie Pippen and coach Phil Jackson, who will strengthen their respective reputations. respectively. as the greatest player and coach in NBA history. Both teams also face setbacks in the form of personal misfortune. On November 7, 1991, Magic Johnson announced he had tested positive for HIV and would soon retire. The Celtics star Reggie Lewis died of a heart attack during his 1993 glory, which further aggravated the team in tragedy because of the overall second choice Len Bias died of a drug overdose two days after he was recruited in 1986. In 1994, either the Lakers The Celtics made the playoffs, marking the first time in NBA history that both teams missed the playoffs of the same season.
However, the Lakers started the rebuilding process in 1996 with trading for Kobe Bryant, who was compiled from high school that year by the Charlotte Hornets. That same year, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal. Meanwhile, in 1998, the Celtics put together Paul Pierce, originally from Inglewood, California who grew up as a Lakers fan. The following year, in 1999, Phil Jackson joined the Lakers as head coach.
The Lakers again became famous in the early 2000s. Under Jackson's guidance, and with O'Neal and Bryant leading the way, the Lakers won three straight championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The Lakers title in 2000 came against an Indiana Pacers coached by Celtic legend Larry Bird. Paul Pierce's nickname, "The Truth", was awarded to him by Shaquille O'Neal after the Lakers 112-107 victory over the Celtics on 13 March 2001 in which Pierce scored 42 points on 13 of 19 shots. O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter and gestured to his notebook. "Put this down," O'Neal said. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the truth." I quote about it and do not spend anything I know he can play but I do not know he can play like this Paul Pierce is the truth. In 2002, the Celtics, along with Pierce and Antoine Walker, made an impressive trip to the Finals and both teams lost each other. However, the Celtics eventually fell in six games to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals that year.
The Lakers returned to the Finals in 2004 but lost in the hands of the Detroit Pistons. After that, O'Neal was sold to the Miami Heat. Without O'Neal, the Lakers missed the playoffs the following year and failed to advance to the Finals for the next three years.
The Celtics also made a little playoff progress after approaching their final in 2002. In 2004, they hired head coach Doc Rivers. In 2007, they traded blockbuster for All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, who completed the Celtics star throughout Paul Pierce's career and new star Rajon Rondo.
Competition updated
With the addition of Allen and Garnett with 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 Final. The Lakers also returned to the Final with the help of mid-season acquisition from Pau Gasol, and both teams finally met again in the 2008 NBA Finals. The Celtics won in six games with an impressive remarkable win in Game 4 and a blow from the Lakers in Game 6. The following season, The Lakers and Celtics play regular season games on Christmas Day. The Lakers won the game, making Phil Jackson the fastest coach to win 1,000 matches. They then won the 2009 NBA Finals that season, but the Celtics were knocked out by champions of the Eastern Conference Orlando Magic. In 2009, the Lakers signed Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace).
Summer before the 2009-2010 season, Phil Jackson ran to Paul Pierce and told him, "Get back, we want to meet you in the Final." The Lakers ended the season with a best Western record, while the Celtics will enter the playoffs as the fourth seed. The build for rematches starts with the Lakers taking a 2-0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Final, with shouts of "We Want Boston!" broke out at the Staples Center. Likewise, the cries of "Beat L.A.!" erupted in TD Garden as the Celtics led 3-0 to lead the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. Both teams fend off the final series attacks of their opponents, but win 4-2 each series, preparing for a rematch in the 2010 NBA Finals.
The 2010 series has many memorable moments, including an impressive performance from Bryant who leads in points for six of seven games, Ray Allen's final eight-point 3-pointer record in Game 2, Derek Fisher brings his team to victory and then cries in Game 3, Game 4 fought hard where Glen Davis screamed so loudly that he drooled while Nate Robinson drove his back, the dominant Lakers performance in Game 6 and Game 7 being the highest NBA game since Michael Jordan's second retirement in Game 6 of the NBA Finals 1998. The Lakers won Game 7 against the Celtics for the first time, bringing the total number of NBA championships to sixteen (they have one NBL championship (1948), just one fewer than the Celtics seventeen.
Celtics signed Shaquille O'Neal for the 2010-2011 season to replace an injured Kendrick Perkins, adding to the competition by bringing Shaq-Kobe's feud to the Celtics-Lakers. During the game against the Lakers on 11 February 2011, Ray Allen became the all time NBA leader in a total 3-point goal made. However, both the Lakers and the Celtics will be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs of that year by NBA Finals 2011 participants, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat, respectively. The following year they will be re-eliminated by their respective NBA Finals 2012 finals, Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat. With the disbanding of Boston's Big Three, and anticipating changes to the Lakers list, some believe that the 2011-12 NBA season is the last round of the current Celtics-Lakers competition.
On February 20, 2013, the Lakers played their first match since the death of longtime owner Jerry Buss who had died two days earlier, paying tribute to him at the Staples Center before facing against the Celtics. The Lakers won 113-99 in a match that saw Steve Nash pass his former Lakers star Magic Johnson for fourth place on the NBA's all-time aid list.
On December 30, 2015, the Boston Celtics honored the Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant in his final game at TD Garden. The Lakers will beat the Celtics 112-104.
Role Reversed
Both the Celtics and the Lakers missed the playoffs in the 2013-14 season, marking only the second time it happened in the history of the competition. With the New York Knicks also failing to make the playoffs that season, it marked the first time in NBA history that both the Celtics, Lakers and Knicks qualified for the playoffs of the same season.
But while the Celtics are able to return to the playoffs for the next three l seasons and even make the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 and 2018, the Lakers find themselves in a long development process. Before 2014, the Lakers have only missed the playoffs four times since moving to Los Angeles, and five times in the history of the franchise. However, the Lakers went on to miss a five-season playoff run in a row, highlighted by four straight seasons with more than 50 losses and a low 17-10 franchise mark during the 2015-16 season.
Nevertheless, the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers remains sufficient even during this last period, with both teams managing the split in the three season series of the last five times. However, the battle between the Celtics and Lakers takes place behind the emerging rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, which meet in three consecutive NBA finals between 2015 and 2017, where the Cavaliers are led by LeBron's top three. James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, while Warriors are led by the top four Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
This era saw Retool Celtics with head coach Brad Stevens at the helm, trade for Isaiah Thomas of the Phoenix Suns, who will continue to be a two-time star with the Celtics, and sign Atlanta Hawks all-star Al Horford, then exchange Thomas and others to Cavaliers for one of their superstars, Kyrie Irving, and recruiting Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward, trading and signing valuable veteran role players such as Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and Greg Monroe, and composing young players like Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele, Jayson Tatum, Semi Ojeleye, and Abdel Nader. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season, and the Lakers started a new era with Magic Johnson as president and Luke Walton as head coach, drafting young players like Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart , and Thomas Bryant, as well as signing valuable young veteran Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and trading with Cavaliers for ex-star and former Celtic Isaiah Thomas, also with Brooklyn Nets for former all star, Brook Lopez.
final summary
Final NBA 1959
This is the first NBA Finals series between the Lakers and the Celtics, and the only encounter that took place while the Lakers were still in Minneapolis. Minneapolis has not made an appearance in the Finals since winning four of the first five NBA Championships between 1950-1954, while Boston made a third Final appearance in succession after winning in 1957 and losing in 1958. Minneapolis, led by rookie sensation Elgin Baylor, made the Final with beating World Champion St. The surviving Louis Hawks. Boston will face a series of seven tough games against the Syracuse Nationals but will eventually emerge victorious, leading Celtic star Bob Cousy to predict that Boston will sweep Minneapolis. Cousy will prove his prediction correctly, leading his team with 51 assists total (still a record for the four-game NBA Finals series) to defeat the Minneapolis Lakers in the first 4-0 sweep ever in the NBA Finals. It marked the first record of eight direct Boston titles.
1962 NBA Finals
This is the first NBA Finals series between the Lakers and the Celtics after the Lakers moved to Los Angeles.
Boston will win one game. However, the Lakers will be out for a close win in Game 2 and Game 3. The Celtics will win Game 4 before the Lakers will return and win another close win in Game 5. In Game 5 win, Baylor picked up 22 rebounds and set the NBA for points in the final match with 61, though out of the game. The Celtics won Game 6 to set up Game 7 first among the two franchises.
In Game 7, Laker Frank Selvy, after making two jumpers in the last 40 seconds to tie the game, missed a potential 18-foot jump victory in the rules, miss which he said in June 2010 still haunt him over 40 years later. Instead, the game entered an extra-time and the Celtics won by three points.
NBA Finals 1963
The Lakers and Celtics will meet the following year in 1963. The Celtics will again beat the Lakers.
The Celtics take the first two games, but the Lakers will blow up the Celtics by a margin of 20 points in Game 3. Although the Celtics will take Game 4, the Lakers will win Game 5 and sparked speculation that the young Lakers will soar past the older Celtics. The opposing Bill Russell denied that such a thing would happen. Sure enough, despite some close matches, including the decisive game having only a three-point differential once again, the Celtics will only need six games to seal the Lakers at this time.
This series will also be well-known for its future implications in the NBA show. When angry crowds show up in Los Angeles to buy unpaid playoff tickets, the Lakers calm the crowd by offering a $ 2.50 per headed TV watch for $ 2.50 per head. "We realize we are testing the future of pay-TV," Lakers general manager Lou Mohs told reporters.
NBA Finals 1965
The Celtics will make their ninth straight appearance in the NBA Finals and face the Lakers for the fourth time. Celtics founder Walter A. Brown died during the season, and Red Auerbach led the team back into the Finals with his first Coach of the Year award. The Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers to go into the Final, marked by Johnny Most's famous call about "Havlicek stealing the ball!"
Unlike the previous two meetings, the Celtics dominated the Lakers, who played without injured Elgin Baylor, and only Game 2 scored closely. The Celtics will win the series in Game 5 with a 129-96 win over the Lakers. This is the biggest margin of victory in a decisive Final match, and will not be broken until 2008, when the Celtics beat the Lakers once again with a score of 131-92.
1966 NBA Finals
This is the eighth NBA Championship of the Boston Celtics, an unrivaled achievement in North American professional sports. Despite taking second place in the division standings for the first time in a decade, Boston will return to the Finals for a record of the tenth time directly.
After the tremendous Los Angeles Lakers victory in Game 1, Red Auerbach, who has challenged the entire league to overthrow the Celtics from their reign by announcing he will retire after 1965-66 before the season begins (thereby giving his critics) the last shot "to him" , announced Bill Russell as Celtics coach for 1966-1967 and beyond, the first African-American coach in the NBA. Laker coach Fred Schaus is personally angry that Red's recruitment has taken all the awards the Lakers will receive following his remarkable win in Game 1.
The Celtics won the next three games and looked ready to close LA in Game 5. However, behind the efforts of Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, and Gail Goodrich, the Lakers won the next two games, setting the stage for another classic Game 7 in Boston Park. The Celtics drove for a great lead, but dropped to 16 through the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers peaked the rally in the closing moments that fell just short. The Celtics fended off the Los Angeles rally to clinch the NBA title and sent Red Auerbach out as champions.
1968 NBA Finals
After they both lost the NBA finals in 1967, the Lakers and the Celtics will meet again in 1968. Boston's row from 10 consecutive Final appearances was discontinued in 1967 by the 76ers. The 1968 East Cup Final rematch between the Celtics and the 76ers was destroyed by the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. recently, but the decision was made not to postpone the series.
The Lakers, led by new head coach Butch van Breda Kolff, will really take root for the Celtics to win the series, thinking that Bill Russell will be easier to beat than 76er Wilt Chamberlain (Chamberlain will be the Laker the following season). The Lakers will get what they expect and face the Celtics, but ultimately the same result. The Celtics won Game 1, and both teams will take turns winning through Game 5. Game 5 is famous for an impressive Lakers comeback sending it overtime, but the Celtics will eventually win the game. In Game 6, the Celtics closed the Lakers in a convincing manner with a 124-109 win.
1969 NBA Finals
With Bill Russell and Sam Jones in their last season, and being plagued with injuries, the Celtics are struggling to make the NBA playoffs the fourth and last seed in the Eastern Conference. They angered the 76ers in the first half and postponed the final appearance of New York for another year. Waiting for the Celtics is a powerful Los Angeles Lakers that has the core of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and recently acquired Wilt Chamberlain.
After losing the first two games at the Forum at L.A., no one thought Boston would win. However, they won Game 3 and buzzer-beater by Sam Jones tied up in two matches each. The home side won 5th and 6th matches that set up a dramatic seventh match. Before the game begins, Laker owner Jack Kent Cooke puts leaflets on every seat stating "When, not if, the Lakers won the title, the balloon will be released from the raftors, the USC marching band will play" Happy Days Are Here Again "and the broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain in that order. "Before the game, the Celtics circulated in their locker room a memo of the Lakers celebration plans. Russell noted a giant net that hung from the ceiling during the initial warm-up and said to the West, "The balloons [swearing vow erased] live there." West is furious at balloons to provide extra Celtics motivation.
Boston played hard through the first half and will keep the game close, with a score of 60-60. Amazingly, Boston will withdraw and enter the fourth quarter to 18. It looks like it will end when the Lakers center of Wilt Chamberlain is injured and replaced by the Mel Counts reserves. The Celtics, however, will start showing their age when they start losing shots and turning the ball up and Laker Jerry West pulls L.A. into one. Despite having many chances, the Lakers could not cope with the hump and Don Nelson would make an incredible leap-line line that bounced off the rear iron and crashed. During this time, other battles have heated up between Jack Coach Kent Cooke and Lakers, Butch Van Breda Kolff. Chamberlain begged Breda Kolff to re-enter him, but he refused. Cooke then came to personally instruct the challenging coach to enter Wilt, but to no avail. This will be important because the Celtics survive and win 108-106.
The first MVP Finals award was awarded to Jerry West, despite being on the losing team (so far the only time that has happened). Nevertheless, the West can not be entertained. In a sporty show, Bill Russell held West and John Havlicek's hands said: "I love you, Jerry!"
1984 NBA Finals
Based on a 62-20 record, the Celtics have a homecourt advantage over the Lakers who finish the regular season with a mark of 54-28. The Celtics beat the Lakers four games to three.
The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 win at Boston Garden. In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds remaining when Gerald Henderson stole James Worthy's bait to score a game that tied the layup and the Celtics finally won in a 124-121 extension. In Game 3, the Lakers drove for a 137-104 easy victory as Magic Johnson gave 21 assists. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like a "effeminate" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. In Game 4, the Lakers took a five-point lead with less than a minute to play, but made some execution errors when the Celtics tied the game and then won with a 129-125 victory in extra time. The game is also characterized by the lifting of Celtic Kevin McHale from Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a split-up layup that triggers the physical aspect of the competition. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will go after Larry Bird later in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further opposes the Lakers by following James Worthy's missed free throw by crossing the path with his hand around his own neck, symbolizing that Eligible is "Choking " under pressure. In Game 5, the Celtics took the series 3-2 as Larry Bird scored 34 points. This game is known as "Heat Game", because it is played under 97Ã, Â ° F-hot, and without air conditioning in the famous Boston Garden. In Game 6, the Lakers equalized the series with a 119-108 win. In the game, the Lakers answered the rough tactics of the Celtics when Worthy pushed Cedric Maxwell into the backing of the basket. After the game, a Laker fan throws a beer at the Celtics M.L guard. Carr as he leaves the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out war." In Game 7, the Celtics are led by Cedric Maxwell, who scored 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they won 111-102. In the game the Lakers got up from a deficit of 14 points to three points with a minute left, when Maxwell brushed the ball away from Magic Johnson. Dennis Johnson responded by drowning two free throws to seal the Celtics victory. Larry Bird is named MVP of the series.
1985 NBA Finals
The Celtics, who want to repeat as the NBA Champions, have a homecourt advantage for the second year in a row as they finish the regular season with a 63-19 record while the Lakers draw a 62-20 record. For the first time, the Final went into the 2-3-2 format with one and two games in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Lakers beat the Celtics four games in half. Game 1 was known as "Memorial Day Massacre" when the Celtics beat the Beatles Lakers 148-114. Celtic reserve forward Scott Wedman made all 11 of 11 field effort goals. The Lakers responded in Game 2 with a 109-102 win because Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 30 points, 17 rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks. Michael Cooper has 22 points, making 8 of 9 field goals tried. In Game 3, the Celtics had a 48-38 advantage in the second quarter before the Lakers, led by James Worthy, led 65-59 in the first half and then withdrew in the second half to qualify with a 136-111 victory. Deserves to have 29 points while Abdul-Jabbar has 26 points and 14 rebounds. The Celtics tied the series in Game 4, 107-105 when Dennis Johnson hit the jumper in the bell. In Game 5, the Lakers drove to a 64-51 lead and stretched to 89-72 before the Celtics slashed the deficit to 101-97 with six minutes remaining. However, Magic Johnson made three shots while Abdul-Jabbar added four more shots, and the Lakers came up with a 120-111 victory to lead 3-2. Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 36 points. The series shifts to Boston with only one full day off for both teams. In Game 6, the Lakers are led by Abdul-Jabbar who scored 29 points as the Lakers defeated the Celtics 111-100. Magic has a triple-double with 15 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds; Worthy of having 28 points on 11 for 15 filming. This is the only visiting team to claim the NBA championship at Boston Garden. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar named MVP of the series, making him the oldest player (38 years, 1 month, 24 days) who ever won the MVP of the NBA Finals series.
NBA Finals 1987
After being eliminated at the Western Conference Finals a year earlier, the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals and earned home advantage as they grabbed the 65-17 record while the Celtics finished the season with a 59-23 record.
Los Angeles Lakers beat the Celtics four games in half. In Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers came up with a 126-113 victory. Magic Johnson had 29 points, 13 assists and 8 rebounds, while James Worthy had 33 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds. In Game 2, the Lakers led the series 2-0 with a 141-122 victory. Magic had 22 points and 20 assists, while Michael Cooper produced six three-pointers, then a record for three three-throws made in one NBA Finals game. In Game 3, the Celtics recorded a 109-103 victory, led by Larry Bird, who had 30 points and 12 rebounds. In Game 4, the Celtics lead 16 points in the third quarter before the Lakers return to the game. Bird had hit a three-point bomb with 12 seconds left to give the Celtics the lead, however, with two seconds remaining, Magic Johnson sank "the junior sky hook" to give the Lakers a 107-106 lead, then Bird missed his 20-foot jumper as time expired, allowing Los Angeles to get three games for one lead. In Game 5, the Celtics prevented the Lakers from celebrating in Boston Park by coming up with a 123-108 win. Boston keeper Danny Ainge made 5 of 6 three-point shots, including a 45-foot when the first half ended. In Game 6, the Lakers trailed the Celtics 56-51 at half time but thanks to the 18-2 track they regained control of the game with the 30-12 third quarter to advance to a 106-93 victory and their fourth championship of the decade. Magic Johnson named MVP unanimously of the series, averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals, leading the Lakers in all four categories.
Final NBA 2008
This is the first time the Celtics have made the Finals since 1987, while the Lakers' last appearance was in 2004. Boston is led by Paul Pierce's' Big Three ', Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. Los Angeles is led by MVP Kobe Bryant and All-Star Pau Gasol.
The Celtics 66-16 record gave them an advantage at home to Los Angeles (57-25). The Celtics won Game 1 98-88, highlighted by a dramatic comeback by Paul Pierce after a knee injury in the third quarter. In Game 2, the Celtics had a comfortable 24-point advantage in the fourth quarter, before Kobe Bryant led an angry Lakers who cut the lead in two. But the Celtics will continue to win 108-102, taking a 2-0 lead in the series lead.
As the series shifts to Los Angeles, the Lakers hold Pierce and Garnett in Game 3, winning 87-81. They are also seen controlling Game 4, defending their ground for much of the third quarter, leading as many as 24 points. However, the Celtics continued 21-3 to end the third quarter, closing the deficit to just two points (73-71). With the remaining 4:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Celtics took their first advantage in the game when Celtics reserve Eddie House made an 18-foot (5.5 m) jumper. With House shots, the Celtics led for a 97-91 victory. The Celtics win in Game 4 was the biggest comeback in the NBA Finals since 1971.
The Lakers will win Game 5 103-98, despite blowing other major leads, and the series shifts back to Boston. However, the Celtics will close the series in Game 6 with a dominant 131-92 victory. The 39-point winning margin was the biggest ever in an NBA title race, breaking the old 33 record, also set by the Celtics over the Lakers in Game Five from 1965 NBA Finals, 129-96. Paul Pierce was named Finals MVP.
This is the Celtics 17th Championship, the first since 1986, extending their record for most of the NBA championships won by a team. Their victory in Game 6 is also a relief. Entering the game, they set a record for most of the playoff games played in a season, with 26, breaking the previous 25 record set by the 1994 New York Knicks, played by Celtics Coach Doc Rivers and Detroit Pistons 2005, both of which lost in the final. each in seven games (Knicks in 1994, Pistons in 2005). However, for the 1994 Knicks, the first round was the best of the five. They also set an NBA record for most of the playoff games ever needed to win the championship, with 26, surpassing the previous record of 24 by the Lakers in 1988.
Final NBA 2010
This is the third year in a row where L.A. The Lakers advance to the NBA Finals. Many of the two roster names remain intact since the team's last meeting in 2008 and Celtics veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace looked to add to their championship, while Kobe Bryant and the Lakers looked to even score against the Celtics. The Lakers are defending champions, having beaten Orlando Magic 4-1 in the 2009 NBA Finals.
This is the first NBA Finals to win a full seven games since 2005, and only the fourth since the NBA turned the Final into a 2-3-2 format in 1985.
The Lakers won Game 1 102-89, led by Kobe Bryant's 30-point performance. However, Ray Allen will respond in Game 2 by scoring 32 points and submerging the eight-point 3-pointer, leading the Celtics to a 103-94 victory.
Game 3 returned to Boston, where the Lakers led the series 2-1 by winning 91-84, again led by Bryant but with strong support from Derek Fisher. Game 4 will prove to be a close and difficult match, with the Lakers up two at the end of the third quarter. However, Boston's bench will prove to be the deciding factor, outscoring the Lakers 13-2 for nearly half the quarter, en route to a 96-89 victory. The Celtics won the game and equalized the series.
Despite an impressive 38-point performance from Bryant in Game 5, the Celtics will win 92-86 led by Paul Pierce 27 points, and will lead 3-2 towards returning to LA However, the Lakers opened up a massive lead in Game 6, peaking at 27 The Lakers bench has surpassed the Boston bench 24-0 into the fourth quarter. The Lakers will win the game 89-67 and set up an Epic 7. Game. Both Kendrick Perkins of Boston and Andrew Bynum of Los Angeles are injured in this game. However, while Perkins was sidelined with injuries, Bynum was released to play in Game 7.
This is the fifth Game 7 between the Lakers and the Celtics. Boston has won all previous Game 7 matches between the two teams. Kobe Bryant showed difficulties for many games, shooting just 6-for-24 from the field. However, he will score 10 of the top 24 points in the fourth quarter. After the Celtics built a 13-point lead at the end of the third quarter, the game was tied at 64 with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Ron Artest will drown the 3-pointer lock for the Lakers and make other clutch moves, leading Phil Jackson to call him MVP Game 7. However, the Celtics will not give up, and Rajon Rondo will hit 3-pointers to make the game 81-79. Celtics forced to commit Sasha Vuja offense? Me ?, he went to the line and made both free throws to give the Lakers a definite 83-79 advantage. Rondo will miss his last 3-pointers and the Lakers win Game 7 against the Celtics for the first time in franchise history, winning their 16th NBA title.
Game 7 is the second most-watched game in NBA history, with 28.2 million viewers (No. 1 is Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals). Game 7 was watched by an average audience of 1.1 million viewers on the TSN, making it Canada's biggest ever-recorded audience for the NBA game. It's also the first time since 2002 that a team has won a back-to-back championship; the team is also the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant is named Finals MVP for the second year in a row.
"Beat L.A."
One lasting effect on the Lakers-Celtics competition is the use of "Beat L.A.!" The famous one. bini, sung by fans in the opposite arena whenever a Los Angeles-based team plays in their home place. The song came from Game 7 at the 1982 Eastern Conference Championships at Boston Garden when Boston fans urged the Philadelphia 76ers winner for "Beat L.A."
In January 2011 before the upcoming Celtic-Lakers regular season game, Celtic forward Kevin Garnett with Anta shoe company released "Beat L.A." the green shoes featured on the tongue of the number "152-120", which at that time was an all-time Celtics record against the Lakers. The Celtics won the game, 109-96.
Head to head
Results in parentheses regarding playoff matches.
Statistics
Common players
The following players have played for the Celtics and Lakers in their careers:
See also
- Competition National Basketball Association
- The Boston Celtics History
- The History of Los Angeles Lakers
- Lakers versus Celtics and NBA Playoffs , a competition-inspired videogame
- Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies , a 2017 documentary about the competition made by ESPN for the series 30 for 30
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments