2.14.2019

We Meet Again

June 2008

We Meet Again

The Celtics and Lakers renew their storied rivalry tomorrow night when they tip off the best-of-seven NBA Finals at TD Banknorth Garden. The two franchises are the most successful in league history, as the Celtics own 16 NBA titles while the Lakers have won 14. However, head-to-head, the Celtics own the Lakers, winning 8-of-10. Here's a look at those 10 matchups:

** 1959

Celtics 4, Minneapolis Lakers 0



-- Celtics banner No. 2 --

Celtics starting 5: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Frank Ramsey, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Russell

Lakers starting 5: Slick Leonard, Dick Garmaker, Elgin Baylor, Vern Mikkelsen, Larry Foust

Recap: The birth of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry featured the play of many of the all-time greats for both teams. The Lakers, who were based in Minneapolis, were led by Rookie of the Year Elgin Baylor, who averaged 25.5 points and 12 rebounds in the playoffs. The Celtics were led by Bob Cousy and third-year center Bill Russell, who averaged 15.5 points and 27.7 rebounds. The Celtics' sweep was the first four-game sweep in Finals history.

1962

Celtics 4, Lakers 3

-- Celtics banner No. 5 --

Celtics starting 5: Cousy, Sam Jones, Tom Sanders, Heinsohn, Russell

Lakers starting 5: Jerry West, Frank Selvy, Baylor, Rudy LaRusso, Jim Krebs

Recap: The second matchup between these two teams was a record-setting affair. Baylor set a then-NBA playoff record with a 61-point effort in Game 5 as the Lakers took a 3-2 lead. Russell, the league MVP for the second consecutive year, was also at his best as he tied a personal Finals best for single-game rebounds (40), and set a still-standing mark for total rebounds in a seven-game series (189). After winning Game 6, the Celts won Game 7, 110-107 in OT.

1963

-- Celtics 4, Lakers 2 --

-- Celtics banner No. 6 --

Celtics starting 5: Cousy, S. Jones, Sanders, Heinsohn, Russell

Lakers starting 5: West, Selvy, Baylor, Dick Barnett, LaRusso

Recap: In Cousy's final year, the Celtics once again prevailed. They dispatched the spectacular Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals to win the East. Cousy proved he could still play, scoring 14.1 points and dishing out 8.9 assists per game in the playoffs. One great addition to the rivalry was rookie John Havlicek, who came off the bench to make quite an impact.

1965

Celtics 4, Lakers 1

-- Celtics banner No. 8 --

Celtics starting 5: K.C. Jones, S. Jones, Sanders, Heinsohn, Russell

Lakers starting 5: West, Barnett, LaRusso, Leroy Ellis, Gene Wiley

Recap: Playing in memory of recently deceased team owner Walter Brown, the Celtics blew through the regular season and playoffs on their way to an eighth title. The most dramatic point of the playoffs didn't come in the Finals, but rather against the 76ers in the East finals, when Havlicek's late-game heroics gave us the immortal call of ``Havlicek stole the ball!'' from Johnny Most. The Finals were a weak affair, with Baylor hurt and West unable to keep his team afloat.

** 1966

Celtics 4, Lakers 3

-- Celtics banner No. 9 --

Celtics starting 5: K.C Jones, S. Jones, Havlicek, Sanders, Russell

Lakers starting 5: Gail Goodrich, West, Baylor, LaRusso, Ellis

Recap: The Celtics' unprecedented eighth consecutive title came at the end of a transitional year. Heinsohn retired before the season, and coach Red Auerbach announced midseason that he would be moving upstairs to become the full-time general manager. Then, after losing Game 1 of the Finals in overtime, Auerbach announced that Russell would be his replacement. The C's won the next three games, held off a Lakers rally, and won Game 7, 95-93.

1968

Celtics 4, Lakers 2

-- Celtics banner No. 10 --

Celtics starting 5: S. Jones, Havlicek, Bailey Howell, Larry Siegfried, Russell

Lakers starting 5: West, Archie Clark, Baylor, Tom Hawkins, Darrall Imhoff

Recap: With player-coach Bill Russell at the helm, the Celtics finished second, behind the Wilt Chamberlain-led 76ers. After rallying to beat the defending NBA champs, Russell clinched his first championship as coach against the Lakers. He helped himself out by averaging 22.8 rebounds in the playoffs. It marked the ninth Celtics championship in the last 10 years.

1969

Celtics 4, Lakers 3

-- Celtics banner No. 11 --

Celtics starting 5: Em Bryant, S. Jones, Havlicek, Howell, Russell

Lakers starting 5: Johnny Egan, West, Baylor, Bill Hewitt, Wilt Chamberlain

Recap: The seventh meeting between the Lakers and Celtics featured a highly favored Lakers squad, sporting the addition of Chamberlain. The Celts were coming off their worst regular season since the 1956-57 season. The Lakers won the first two games in LA, but Sam Jones' buzzer-beater in Game 4 tied the series at 2. In Game 7, the Celtics jumped out to a 17-point fourth-quarter lead and held on for a 108-106 victory.

1984

Celtics 4, Lakers 3

-- Celtics banner No. 15 --

Celtics starting 5: Dennis Johnson, Gerald Henderson, Larry Bird, Cedric Maxwell, Robert Parish

Lakers starting 5: Michael Cooper, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kurt Rambis, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Recap: The first Finals matchup for Bird and Magic since coming into the league together in 1979. It was also K.C. Jones' first year as head coach. After the Celtics were beaten soundly at home in Game 1, Gerald Henderson's dramatic steal helped them force OT and win Game 2. The C's lost bad again in Game 3, but another OT win - keyed by McHale's infamous clothes-lining of Rambis - evened the series. Maxwell's 24 points led the way in Game 7 as the C's dispatched the Lakers yet again.

1985

Lakers 4, Celtics 2

Celtics starting 5: D. Johnson, Danny Ainge, Bird, McHale, Parish

Lakers starting 5: M. Johnson, Byron Scott, Cooper, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar

Recap: The Lakers finally managed to beat the Celtics in the Finals for the first time in nine tries. It didn't appear like that would be the case after the Celts rolled to a 148-114 win in Game 1 - the Memorial Day Massacre. But Kareem - who averaged 30.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the Lakers' four wins - led his team to a six-game victory. It was the first time an opposing team closed out a Finals at the Garden.

1987

Lakers 4, Celtics 2

Celtics starting 5: D. Johnson, Ainge, Bird, McHale, Parish

Lakers starting 5: Scott, M. Johnson, Cooper, Worthy, Abdul-Jabbar

Recap: The tragedy of Len Bias' death made this Celtics season one that got away. The age of the lineup became an issue, as well as the high-powered offense of the Lakers. In the pivotal Game 4, Magic's ``junior sky-hook'' in the closing seconds provided the winning hoop, and put the Celtics in a hole they couldn't escape. They won Game 5, but got thumped, 106-93, in Game 6.

No comments: