1984 NBA Finals vs. Lakers

Lore & Background

The series was a rematch of the Lakers and Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1979 with the Magic Johnson–Larry Bird pair entering the league. After alternating wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series 111–102. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 2–2–1–1–1 format until 2014. The following year, the format changed to 2–3–2 after Celtics president Red Auerbach complained to NBA Commissioner David Stern about constant travel. The seeds of the 1984 Finals were sown five years earlier during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where Bird's Indiana State lost to Johnson's Michigan State. The series was the ninth time the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each of the previous eight.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Boston Garden was thick enough to choke on, a humid mix of sweat, popcorn, and three decades of history. In Game 7, every possession felt like it weighed a ton. Larry Bird navigated the court with a steely calm, ignoring the roaring crowd that threatened to swallow the arena whole. He watched Robert Parish battle Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the paint, the two titans colliding with bone-jarring force. As the fourth quarter wound down and the Celtics held their narrow lead, the tension was palpable. Magic Johnson drove hard, but the Celtics' defense held firm, suffocating the Lakers' rhythm until the final horn. As the buzzer sounded, the Garden erupted into a cacophony of pure relief and joy. The dynasty had returned, not with a whisper, but with a roar.

Reader's Guide

In the 1983–84 season, the Celtics won 62 games. They were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and complemented by Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, Gerald Henderson, Danny Ainge, and key addition Dennis Johnson. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the Washington Bullets in four, the New York Knicks in seven, and the Milwaukee Bucks in five. The Lakers finished with the best record (54–28) in the Western Conference, powered by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. They defeated the Kansas City Kings in three, the Dallas Mavericks in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six, but lost Jamaal Wilkes to injury before the finals. The Lakers won both regular-season games. In Game 1, the Lakers won 115–109. In Game 2, the Celtics won 124–121 in overtime after a Gerald Henderson steal and a Scott Wedman shot. In Game 3, the Lakers won 137–104. In Game 4, the Celtics won 129–125 in overtime; the game featured Kevin McHale's clothesline of Kurt Rambis and a controversial foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In Game 5, the Celtics won 121–103 in the 'Heat Game' (97 °F). In Game 6, the Lakers won 119–108. In Game 7, the Celtics won 111–102, led by Cedric Maxwell's 24 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Larry Bird was named series MVP.

Did You Know?

• Game 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals.
• Magic Johnson set an NBA Finals record with 21 assists in Game 3.
• The 1984 Finals was the last time a team with home court advantage played Game 5 on its own floor until 2014.