1985 NBA Championship

Lore & Background

The Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA champions for the first time since the season. The Celtics had home court 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. The Lakers looked to bounce back from the previous year's painful loss to the Celtics in the championship series, and were still seeking to beat Boston for the first time ever in NBA Finals history.

Also for the first time since 1955, the Finals implemented a 2–3–2 format with Games 1 and 2 in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston, if required. This change of format came after David Stern had a conversation with Celtics legend Red Auerbach in 1984, who disliked the frequent traveling between games. The 2–3–2 format would be used until the 2013 NBA Finals, after which the 2–2–1–1–1 format returned in 2014.

The 2–3–2 format has long been used by Major League Baseball in the World Series and was also used in the League Championship Series upon changing to a best-of-seven format later that year. The Stanley Cup Final in the National Hockey League also went to a 2–3–2 format that same year as well as the previous year but returned to a 2–2–1–1–1 format from onward. With the help of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers achieved their first NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics in nine meetings, four to two games.

The Lakers recovered after losing in a rout in Game 1, dubbed as the 'Memorial Day Massacre'. The series was the last time the NBA World Championship Series branding would be in use as the NBA Finals branding would replace it for 1986.

Reader's Guide

The Lakers entered the 1984–85 NBA season with a mission after losing to the Celtics in the previous year's finals. Using the effective Showtime offense, they ran away with the Western Conference-leading 62 wins. James Worthy supplanted Jamaal Wilkes as the starting small forward, while Byron Scott began to earn more minutes as the backup to both Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper. In the playoffs, the Lakers eliminated the Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, going 11–2 in the three playoff rounds.

The Celtics repeated with the NBA's best record by winning 63 games. Larry Bird won the MVP award, while Kevin McHale won Sixth Man Award for the second year running. Danny Ainge emerged as the team's starting shooting guard after the Celtics traded Gerald Henderson to the Seattle SuperSonics. The Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons and Philadelphia 76ers, finishing with an 11–4 record heading into the finals.

Boston's classic starting five under head coach K. C. Jones featured Bird, McHale and Robert Parish in the frontcourt, and Ainge and Dennis Johnson in the backcourt. Bird and reserve guard Quinn Buckner got into a heated shouting match and scuffle with a bartender/bouncer, which allegedly resulted in Bird punching the bartender and injuring his right index finger. Since the fight, Bird struggled in the last few games against the 76ers and in the Finals.

Did You Know?

• The 2–3–2 format was used for the first time since 1955 in the 1985 NBA Finals.
• Game 1 was dubbed the 'Memorial Day Massacre' after the Celtics defeated the Lakers 148–114.
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was named Finals MVP, his second such award and first since 1971.
• The Lakers became the first road team to clinch a title at the Boston Garden.