Lakers-Celtics rivalry
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The Lakers-Celtics Rivalry or Celtics-Lakers Rivalry was a rivalry between two of the most storied professional basketball franchises in National Basketball Association history, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics. The rivalry has been less intense since the retirements of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in the early 1990s. As it stands, the Celtics lead in total championships with 16 to the Lakers' 14. They equal the Yankees Dodgers rivary in baseball.
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[edit] Overview
The rivalry started in the 1960's, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers six times in eight years (1962, 1963, 1965, 1966, 1968, and 1969) to claim the championship, and featured greats such as Bill Russell (Boston) and Jerry West (Los Angeles). In three of those NBA Finals ('62, '66, and '69), the series went the full seven games, with the Celtics winning each time.
It continued with renewed fervor in the 1980s when both teams were strong, and was personified as Larry Bird (Boston) vs. Magic Johnson (Los Angeles). During this period, this rivalry took on many dimensions, such as East Coast vs. West Coast and white vs. black (the Celtics teams of the 1980s were predominantly composed of Caucasian players, while those of Los Angeles were mostly African American). Additionally, prior to the 1980s, the NBA had been struggling financially, with low attendance and television ratings. The epic battles between these two teams contributed mightily to the success of the league. Coupled with the emergence of the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the following years, the NBA became a media juggernaut and one of the dominant sports leagues of the United States as well as the rest of the world. The effect the rivalry had on the league is remarkable, considering that the two teams only met in the Finals three times (1984, 1985, and 1987) and only played each other twice each season.
The rivalry has died down since Johnson's and Bird's retirements and the rise of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s. Both teams suffered setbacks in the subsequent fifteen years, with the Lakers finally returning to prominence with three championships in the 2000s but then failing to make the playoffs after trading Shaquille O'Neal. The Celtics have only advanced past the conference semifinals once since 1990. Since then, the Sacramento Kings replaced Boston as the team Lakers fans love to hate (see Lakers-Kings rivalry).
One of the everlasting effects on the Laker-Celtic rivalry, despite its death, was the usage of the famous "Beat L.A.!!!" chant, sung by fans in opposing arenas whenever a Los Angeles-based team plays in their home venue. Celtics fans sang the slogan in the 1960's at Boston Garden, and again in the 1980's in the Johnson-Bird rivalry. It has kept on with every Los Angeles sports franchise since then. But on January 31, 2007, when the Lakers visited the Celtics, who were on a 12-game losing streak, "Kobe" and "M-V-P" chants were yelled by more than a handful of fans late in the game.[1] Afterward, most people have come to realize those chants originated from a group of visiting Laker fans, after numerous complaints from longtime Celtics fans following media reporting of this outrage.
[edit] 1968-69 NBA Finals Recap
With Bill Russell and Sam Jones in their final season, Boston's dynasty was but a memory. The Celtics were the league's oldest team and struggled to make the NBA playoffs as the fourth seed and final seed in the Eastern Confernce. They upset the 76ers in the first round and postponed New York's finals appearance for another year. Awaiting the Celtics were the powerful Los Angeles Lakers who had a nucleus of Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and newly acquired Wilt Chaimberlain. After losing the first two games in the Forum in L.A., no one thought Boston would even pull out a victory. However, they won game 3 and a buzzer-beater by Sam Jones tied the series up at 2 games apiece. The home team won games 5 and 6 which set up a dramatic seventh game. Before the game started, Laker's owner Jack Kent Cooke placed flyers in every seat stating "When, not if, the Lakers win the title, balloons will be released from the raftors, the USC marching band will play happy days are here again and broadcaster Chick Hearn will interview Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Wilt Chaimberlain in that order." Celtics player coach Bill Russell got word of this and told his team "A lot of things can happen but the Lakers can not beat us. They can't beat us. But it's going to be funny watching them take down those balloons." Boston, who had not won a game in the Forum all season, played tough through the first half and would keep the game close, with a score of 60-60. Remarkably, Boston would pull away and entered the fourth quarter up by 18. It seemed to be over when Lakers center Wilt Chaimberlain was injured and replaced by reserve Mel Counts. 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. Despite having numerous opportunities, the Lakers couldn't get over the hump and Don Nelson would make an incredible foul-line jump-shot which bounced off the back-iron and fell back in. During this, another battle was heating up off the court between Jack Kent Cooke and Lakers coach Butch Van Breda Kolff. Chaimberlain was pleading for Breda Kolff to put him back in, but he refused. Cooke then came down to personally order the defiant coach to insert Wilt to no avail. This would prove fatal as the Celtics held on and won 108-106. The only consolation for Laker fans was the naming of Jerry West for the first NBA Finals MVP Award, but even he was saddened. West, along with the MVP Award, had also received a new car, which was a green Volkswagen Beetle. It was considered an insult to injury for their star player, courtesy of the most hated team in Los Angeles, the Boston Celtics.
[edit] 1983-84 NBA Finals Recap
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. The first two games were played at the Celtics home court in the Boston Garden, while the next two were held at the Lakers home floor, The Forum in Inglewood, California. The Celtics then hosted games five and seven while the Lakers would host Game 6.
The Celtics defeated the Lakers four games to three. The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at the Boston Garden. In Game 2, the Lakers led 115-113 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. In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as Magic Johnson dished out 21 assists. After the game, Larry Bird said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. 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. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's takedown of Laker forward Kurt Rambis on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry. Kareen Abdul-Jabbar would go after Larry Bird later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP Cedric Maxwell further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed James Worthy free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead as Larry Bird scored 34 points. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97-degree heat, and without any air conditioning at the infamous Boston Garden. In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. In the game, the Lakers answered the Celtics rough tactics when Laker forward James Worthy shoved Cedric Maxwell into a basket support. After the game, a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war." 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. 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. Dennis Johnson responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory. Larry Bird was named MVP of the series.
[edit] 1984-85 NBA Finals Recap
The Celtics, looking to repeat as NBA Champions, had homecourt advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63-19 record while the Lakers compiled a 62-20 record. For the first time, the Finals went to a 2-3-2 format with games one and two in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Celtics four games to two. Game 1 became known as "The Memorial Day Massacre" as the Celtics soundly beat the Lakers 148-114. The Lakers responded in Game 2 with a 109-102 victory as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 30 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists. In Game 3, the Celtics had a 48-38 lead in the second quarter before the Lakers lead 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. The Celtics tied the series in Game 4, 107-105 as Dennis Johnson hit a jumper at the buzzer. In Game 5, the Lakers raced out to a 64-51 lead and stretched it to 89-72 before the Celtics cut the defecit to 101-97 with six minutes remaining. However Magic Johnson made three shots while Kareem added four more shots and the Lakers came away with a 120-111 victory to take a 3-2 series lead. In Game 6, the Lakers were led by Abdul-Jabbar who scored 29 points as the Lakers defeated the Celtics 111-100. It was the first and only time a visiting team had claimed an NBA championship in Boston Garden. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the series.
[edit] 1986-87 NBA Finals Recap
After being eliminated in the Western Conference Finals a year earlier, the Lakers returned to the NBA Finals and were awarded with homecourt advantage as they accumulated a 65-17 record while the Celtics finished the season with a 59-23 record. The first two games would be played in Los Angeles, the next three games in Boston, and the final two games were scheduled to be played in Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Celtics four games to two. In Game 1, the Los Angeles Lakers came away with a 126-113 victory. In Game 2, the Lakers took a 2-0 series lead with a 141-122 victory. In Game 3, the Celtics posted a 109-103 win. In Game 4, the Celtics had a 16-point lead in the third quarter before the Lakers stormed back into the game. Bird had hit a three point bomb with 12 seconds remaining to give the Celtics the lead, however, with two seconds remaining, Magic Johnson sank a "baby sky hook" to give the Lakers a 107-106 lead, then Larry Bird missed a second 3-point shot, with no time remaining, to allow Los Angeles to escape with a three games to one lead. In Game 5, the Celtics prevented the Lakers from celebrating in the Boston Garden by coming away with a 123-108 win. In Game 6, the Lakers trailed the Celtics 56-51 at halftime but regained control of the game in third quarter to cruise to a 106-93 victory and their fourth championship in the decade. Magic Johnson was named MVP of the series.
