[74], The Lakers returned to prominence in the early 2000s. [103] During a game against the Lakers on February 11, 2011, Ray Allen became the all-time NBA leader in total 3-point field goals made. [137][138] The Celtics won the game, 109–96.[139]. [21], With Bill Russell and Sam Jones in their final season, and plagued with injuries, the Celtics struggled to make the NBA playoffs as the fourth and final seed in the Eastern Conference. [44] In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119–108 victory. The Celtics were forced to foul Sasha Vujačić, he went to the line and made both free throws to give the Lakers a definitive 83–79 lead. Kobe Bryant exhibited difficulties for much of the game, shooting only 6-for-24 from the field. BRIAN MAHONEY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. [54], The rivalry was also significant because it drew national attention to the faltering NBA. The Lakers returned to the NBA Finals in 1982, this time led by new coach Pat Riley, in a rematch against the 76ers. 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. [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. These two teams won a combined six championships during the decade to etch their names into history. Boston won only 24 games in 2006-07, but led the NBA with a 66-16 mark this season. They fell on hard times after that, following the trade of Shaquille O'Neal, missing the postseason in 2005 and getting knocked out in the first round the next two years. When Magic Johnson won the MVP Finals plum, the following year Larry Bird would snatch the crown. They met three times in the FINALS during the 80's from 1984,1985,1987. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the series, making him the oldest player (38 years, 1 month, 24 days) ever to win the MVP of an NBA Finals series. "We were aware we were testing the future of pay television", Lakers general manager Lou Mohs told reporters. The 39-point margin of victory was the largest ever in an NBA championship-clinching game, breaking the old record of 33, also set by the Celtics over the Lakers in Game Five of the 1965 NBA Finals, 129–96. Boston would face a tough seven-game series against the Syracuse Nationals but would eventually emerge victorious, leading Celtic star Bob Cousy to predict that Boston would sweep Minneapolis. erupted up in TD Garden as the Celtics took a commanding 3–0 lead over the Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. [48] Magic Johnson was named unanimous MVP of the series, averaging 26.2 points, 13.0 assists, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals, leading the Lakers in all four categories. 2 being Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals). I didn't care about anything else. game in the NBA Finals, and Los Angeles was unable to break the string. Celtics-Lakers Finals an '80s flashback. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war. Game 1: Lakers 116, Heat 98 Game 2: Lakers 124, Heat 114 Game 3: Heat 115, Lakers 104 Game 4: Lakers 102, Heat 96 Game 5: Heat 111, Lakers 108 Game 6: Lakers 106, Heat 93 COMPLETED ROUNDS 2020 NBA Western Conference Finals chant, sung by fans in opposing arenas whenever a Los Angeles-based team plays in their home venue. It was a seesaw, give-and-take contest. [36], The Celtics–Lakers rivalry was renewed in the 1980s, in large part due to the personal rivalry between Bird and Johnson. Kobe Bryant, the league MVP, scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and is averaging 31.9 points in the postseason. [44] In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129–125 victory in overtime. [117], Boston played tough through the first half and would keep the game close, with a score of 60–60. The Celtics won the first of three NBA Finals matchups in 1983-84, while the Lakers won the 1984-85 and 1986-87 NBA Finals. [44] After the game, Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. [20], After the Los Angeles Lakers' comeback overtime win in Game 1, Red Auerbach, who had challenged the entire league to topple the Celtics from their reign by announcing he would retire after 1965–1966 before the season had started (thus giving his detractors "one last shot" at him), announced Bill Russell as the Celtics coach for 1966–1967 and beyond, the first African-American coach in the NBA. [19] The Celtics would win the series in Game 5 with a 129–96 victory over the Lakers. [48] In Game 3, the Celtics posted a 109–103 win, led by Bird, who had 30 points and 12 rebounds. It will be the 11th championship meeting between the franchises, with Boston winning eight of its NBA-best 16 titles against the Lakers. [45] To me, it was The Two and the other 80." The Celtics, who locked up with Detroit many times in the 1980s, will now rekindle another classic series in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. [118], One of the lasting effects on the Lakers–Celtics rivalry was the usage of the famous "Beat L.A.!" However, while Perkins was ruled out because of his injury, Bynum was cleared to play in Game 7. The Celtics won Game 1, and the two teams would alternate victories through Game 5. Boston triumphed in Game 7, 111-102. [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. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, starting with their first Finals meeting in 1959. They would both go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other six times in the 1960s, three times in the 1980s, and two times in 2008 and 2010. "[24] West was furious at the balloons for providing the Celtics extra motivation. Build up for a rematch began with the Lakers taking a 2–0 lead over the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, with chants of "We Want Boston!" Lakers outlast Celtics in Game 7 for NBA title", "NBA Finals Game 7 Averages 28.2 Million Viewers, Highest Since 1998", "Ray Allen hits record-breaking 3-pointer", "Latest chapter of Lakers-Celtics rivalry nears end", "Lakers-Celtics rivalry in its last breath", "Selvy's miss in 1962 finals still stings", "Celtics Seize First NBA Title In 22 Years", "Los Angeles Lakers 1965–66 Roster and Statistics", "Furious comeback gives Celtics 3–1 lead", "Celtics Remain Mindful Of a Missed Opportunity", "Allen shoots lights out to take homecourt from Lakers", "Fisher's offensive heroics the difference for Lakers", "Big Baby, Celtics bench provide spark as Celtics tie Finals", "Bryant, Artest rally Lakers to 16th championship", "Game 7 of Finals pulls in 28.2 million viewers", "Lakers Championship Sets NBA Broadcast Record For Canada", "Everything you could possibly want to know about the NBA Finals", "Kevin Garnett has special shoes just for the Lakers", "Celtics win Finals rematch despite Kobe Bryant's 41 points", The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Celtics–Lakers_rivalry&oldid=999938322, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, First Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Second Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Third Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Fourth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Fifth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Seventh Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Lakers achieve league record 33-game winning streak and franchise record 69 wins, Lakers were the eventual Western Conference champions, Eighth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Ninth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Tenth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Both teams did not qualify for the playoffs, Eleventh Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, Twelfth Finals meeting between the Celtics and the Lakers, This page was last edited on 12 January 2021, at 18:29. Notwithstanding the Celtics' success and the Lakers' struggles during this period, both teams would make their presence felt in subsequent offseasons. They reigned in the ’80s, adding four more championships – 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. The following year, the Lakers again faced the Knicks in the 1973 NBA Finals and lost. Brown died during the season, and Red Auerbach led the team back to the Finals with his first Coach of the Year award. During this, another battle was heating up off the court between Jack Kent Cooke and Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff. [44] The Celtics went on to win in seven games, increasing their record of Finals' series victories against the Lakers to 8–0.[45]. [72][73] The following year, in 1999, Phil Jackson joined the Lakers as head coach. In Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers came away with a 126–113 victory. However, Boston's bench would prove to be the deciding factor, outscoring the Lakers 13–2 for nearly half the quarter, en route to a 96–89 victory. [20] The Celtics raced out to a huge lead, but down by 16 entering the fourth quarter, and 10 with a minute and a half to go, the Lakers mounted a furious rally in the closing moments which fell just short. [46] Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers with 36 points. [77] The Lakers' title in 2000 came against the Indiana Pacers who were coached by Celtic legend Bird. "[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. Summary and statistics for the 1980 NBA Finals - 76ers vs. Lakers Boston was led by their 'Big Three' of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Their win in Game 6 was also a sense of relief. [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. The Lakers, meanwhile, went on to win the 1988 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons,[49] before losing to the Pistons the following year in 1989,[50] and win titles again in 2000, 2001 and 2002, all while the Celtics wallowed in mediocrity. Prior to Johnson and Bird's arrival, the NBA had gone through a decade of declining interest and low TV ratings. Despite an impressive 38-point performance from Bryant in Game 5, the Celtics would win 92–86 led by Paul Pierce's 27 points, and would take a 3–2 lead heading back to L.A. [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. Boston bested Los Angeles in seven games in the 1984 Finals before the Lakers found redemption by defeating the Celtics, 4-2, in the Finals the following year. No team won back-to-back. [14], The Lakers relocated to Los Angeles in 1960. [20], The Celtics won the next three games and looked ready to close out L.A. in Game 5. [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. Despite this, the Celtics upset the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks and made it to the Finals. Laker coach Fred Schaus privately fumed that Red's hiring had taken away all of the accolades his Lakers should have received following their tremendous Game 1 win. They upset the 76ers in the first round and postponed New York's finals appearance for another year. [46] The Celtics tied the series in Game 4, 107–105 as Dennis Johnson hit a jumper at the buzzer. But while the Celtics were able to return to the playoffs over the next three seasons and even made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017 and 2018, the Lakers found themselves in a lengthy rebuilding process. 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