The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have the longest rivalry in the history of the NBA and it has been a key portion of almost any generation. The two teams have faced off in countless championships and have had some of the greatest rivalries between players of all time.
The first time the teams met in a championship was in 1962 and it it remains one of the all time greatest series. The Celtics took it in 7 games but the Lakers had a 3-2 lead heading into game six. The Lakers had a chance to close the series out on their home court but the Celtics fought through and then once they got back to TD Garden they secured the championship.
They didn’t need any time to face off again as the Celtics once again beat the Lakers in 1963. This time the Celtics took the series in 6 games and the Celtics won their first championship winning game in Los Angeles.
The Lakers missed one year but got right back against the Celtics in the championship in 1965 and then it began to look like a trend. The Celtics once again took down the Lakers and this was the least competitive series. The Celtics were at the prime of their dynasty and they beat the Lakers in just 5 games.
Then, in 1966, the Lakers gave the Celtics one of their greatest battles. The Lakers pushed the Celtics to seven games but once again fell short. The moment the Celtics knew they would get to play a game seven at home they knew they would secure a victory. It was a close and low scoring game but the Celtics handed the Lakers yet another championship loss.
The Celitcs and the Lakers both failed to reach he championship in 1967 but they met right back up in 1968. These were the closing years of Bill Russell’s career but that changed nothing. It was a competitive six games series but, once again, the Celtics simply could not be denied.
Then came one of the greatest championship wins of all time. In 1969 Bill Russell was player coach and was on his last legs. The Celtics were physically broken down with the majority of the core of their team well out of their prime. The Lakers had just traded for Wilt Chamberlain and finally thought they had the a big three in Chamberlain, West and Baylor that could finally take down the Celtics. When the Lakers realized that they were going to have home court advantage in game 7 this time the timing appeared to be perfect. But the Celtics had other things in mind and went into Los Angeles and won a two point thriller, allowing Bill Russell to walk off into the sunset.
The Celtics and the Lakers met in the 1960s an unprecedented amount of times but it was the most lopsided rivalry the game has ever seen. Jerry West, the NBA Logo, “Mr. Clutch” could never figure out the Celtics and were shut out 7-0 while the Celtics went on the greatest championship run in the history of professional sports.
The rivalry took a bit of the break and the two teams did not meet in the championship until the 1980s, but it was well worth the wait. The greatest individual rivalry in the history of the game was born in Larry Bird and Magic Johnson era and when they were facing off the rivalry was the most competitive.
They first met in 1984 with Larry Bird looking for his second championship win. The Lakers had one of the most talented big threes the NBA has ever seen and their first meeting went the distance and the Celtics were in a familiar place. The Lakers pushed it to seven games but then they had to go back to Boston and the Celtics did what they do best and won a championship on their home court.
The Lakers immediately had an opportunity to get their revenge. They faced off against the Celtics in 1985 and it was another competitive six game series. The Lakers had an opportunity to close out the series in Boston and their big three put together a masterful performance. Magic had a triple double, Worthy had 28 points and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had 29 points. It took a while but the Lakers finally got some revenge on the Celtics.
After the Lakers failed to make the 1986 finals, won by the Celtics, they met again in 1987. The Lakers finally established that the rivalry would be competitive when they once again won in 6 games. The Lakers knew that they needed to close out on their home court to avoid going back to Boston for another game seven and they gave their home crowd exactly what they needed.
The Celtics and the Lakers dominated the league in the 1980s and gave the NBA the greatest rivalry in the history of the game.
The rivalry then disappeared for a generation, until it was renewed in 2008. The Celtics were going though a championship drought and they had just assembled their big three. It is no surprise that their last challenge was going to be the Lakers. The Lakers had home court advantage so when they had an opportunity to close the series out in TD Garden in game six, they left no doubt. The Celtics dominated the Lakers with a 39 point victory.
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The two teams then had their most recent meeting in 2010. The Lakers were looking for revenge and the series went the distance.The Lakers secured home court advantage and took advantage of it in game 7. The Lakers won a close low scoring affair with an 89-73 victory, giving Kobe Bryant his only championship over the Celtics.