Lakers vs Knicks
The greatest rivalry in NBA history.
The Celtics–Lakers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics and the Lakers are the two most storied franchises in the NBA, and the rivalry has been called the greatest in the league. The teams have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals, with their first such meeting being in 1959. They would both go on to dominate the league in the 1960s and 1980s, facing each other in the Finals six times in the 1960s (with the Celtics winning all six), three times in the 1980s (with the Lakers winning two out of three), and, more recently, in 2008 (Celtics victory) and 2010 (Lakers victory). The teams also won 3 of the 10 titles of the 1970s (the Lakers in 1972, the Celtics in 1974 and 1976), but they did not face each other in the NBA Finals during that decade.
- Playoff Series Wins (Lakers)
- 7 series victories against New York
- Head-to-Head Finals Clashes
- 1962, 1970, 1972, 1984, 1985, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
- Most Iconic Game
- Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals (Wilt vs. Willis)
- Combined Championships
- 34 titles (Lakers: 17, Knicks: 2)
- Key Legends Involved
- Kareem, Magic, Shaq, Kobe vs. Reed, Walton, Ewing
Lore & Background
The rivalry became slightly less intense when Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both retired in the early 1990s. However, the intensity picked up again in 2008, when the two teams met in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1987, with the Celtics winning the series 4–2. They met again in the 2010 NBA Finals, which the Lakers won in 7 games. Although the rivalry is primarily known for the Finals meetings of the past, the two teams remain strong rivals to this day.
In Their Own Story
The air inside Madison Square Garden is thick, not just with humidity, but with forty years of ghosts. The scoreboard flickers, a relic from a different decade, yet the roar of the crowd feels timeless. On one side, the purple and gold gleam under the harsh arena lights; on the other, orange and blue bristle with defensive intensity. A veteran center in white wipes sweat from his brow, eyes locked on the opposing big man in the orange jersey. The referee blows the whistle, but the sound is swallowed by a chant that has echoed since Willis Reed's limp became legendary. This isn't just a game; it's a duel of philosophies. Every dribble sounds like a heartbeat, every pass a calculated risk against the unyielding New York defense. As the ball arcs toward the hoop in the final seconds, time seems to suspend, waiting for history to be written once again in the shadow of the Garden.
Reader's Guide
The two teams have won the two highest numbers of championships in the NBA: the Celtics have won 18, and the Lakers have won 17 (12 in Los Angeles and 5 in Minneapolis). Together, they account for 35 of the 78 championships (or 45%) in NBA history, and were tied for the most titles with 17 apiece from 2020 until 2024. As of the 2023 offseason, the Celtics and Lakers have a .5918 and .5915 all-time winning records respectively. As of the end of the 2023–24 season, Boston is the only team with a winning overall record against the Lakers.
Did You Know?
- The first NBA Finals match-up between the two teams was in 1959, when the Boston Celtics swept the Minneapolis Lakers 4–0 for the first sweep in NBA Finals history.
- The Celtics won eight consecutive championships from 1959 to 1966, the longest streak of any North American professional sports team.
- Jerry West was named Finals MVP in 1969 despite being on the losing team.
- The Lakers' 33-game win streak in the 1971–72 regular season is a record that still stands.
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