Celtics, Lakers Rivalry Goes Back Further Than 1980s

In the days leading up to the start of the NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, we are likely to be inundated with stories about the two teams’ storied rivalry. Expect dozens of quotes from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the stars of three thrilling championship series that the two teams played in the mid-1980s.Those three series, which took place in 1984, 1985, and 1987, left an indelible imprint on the game. They featured Johnson, Bird and several other future Hall of Famers, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, and James Worthy, and there’s little disputing that the Lakers and Celtics were the best teams of the ’80s.Yet as good as those series were, they aren’t half the story — not even a third of it. The rivalry between these franchises began in 1959, and between 1962 and 1969, they played an incredible six times in eight years. Although the Celtics won all six meetings, their dominance didn’t dim the level of competition. Three of the series went seven games, two went six, and one was won in five games. These series comprised the first golden age of basketball.When the Celtics and Lakers first met in 1959, it was a time of transition for both teams. The Lakers, who were still based in Minneapolis, had been the first dominant team of the NBA, winning five titles in the league’s early years, 1949-54; they had a few holdovers from that unit, plus an exciting new forward, Elgin Baylor. Still, this Laker team, at 33-39, was one of the weakest teams to vie for the title, but they earned their shot with a stellar postseason run. They beat the Detroit Pistons in the first round and in the Western Division finals, and they downed the St. Louis Hawks, the defending NBA champion. In the finals, though, Boston sweeping the Lakers. The Celtics had drafted center Bill Russell in 1956, and he led them to a title the following year. In 1959, the Celts added guard K.C. Jones to their starting lineup. With Russell and future Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Tom Heinsohn, the Boston was set for a run of unprecedented dominance — eight straight titles.Those eight banners didn’t come easy; the Lakers made the Celtics earn them.When the two teams met in 1962, the Lakers had relocated to Los Angeles and added guard Jerry West to the mix. During their decade together, West and Baylor ranked among the most potent scoring duos in NBA. However, these Lakers were a good defensive team too, ranking second in the league in fewest points allowed per game. The Celtics, the dominant defensive team in the league with Russell, led the league that year. The teams split the first four games, and the Lakers’ chances looked good after a 126-121 win in Boston Garden in Game 5. However, Boston went to Los Angeles and won Game 6, and then nipped the Lakers 110-107 in overtime in Game 7 to win their fourth consecutive title.The Lakers lost a rematch the following year in six games, and two years later they lost in five games. The Lakers fortified their perimeter game, adding future Hall of Famer Gail Goodrich and UCLA star Mahdi-Abdul Rahman (then known as Walt Hazzard) to the lineup, which gave them the league’s top offense in 1966. The league’s top defense as usual belonged to the Celtics, and the two squads met in another seven-game classic. The Lakers won Game 1 in Boston 133-129 in overtime, but the Celts regrouped and won the next three high-scoring contests. The Lakers rallied, winning close games in Boston and L.A., which set up a winner-take-all game at the Boston Garden. In a tight, low-scoring contest, Boston won 95-93 and claimed their eighth straight title.The following year, 1967, the Wilt Chamberlain-led Philadelphia 76ers — not the Lakers — broke Boston’s title streak, eliminating the Celtics in the Eastern Division Finals and downing the San Francisco Warriors for the title (the Lakers lost West to injury late in the season and fell in the first round). After the Lakers lost the 1968 finals in six games, they made a blockbuster trade with Philadelphia for Chamberlain, and after years of frustration the Lakers finally seemed to have all the pieces in place to beat the Celtics. Meanwhile, it seemed that the Celtics were slipping. They finished fourth in the Eastern Division, and thus when they met in the finals, the Lakers had the home-court advantage. Early on, that seemed crucial; the home team won each of the first six games. However, in Game 7, the Celts raced out to an early lead against a stunned Laker squad. The Lakers rallied, mysteriously with Chamberlain watching much of the comeback from the bench, but Boston prevailed 108-106 in one of the greatest Games 7sever.This was the first golden age of basketball. The games were played at a pace that would make an up-tempo team like the current Phoenix Suns or Golden State Warriors look slow. Scores were often in the 120s, and the games were full of nonstop action. ABC broadcast NBA games each weekend, and interest for the 1969 seventh game was so high that the network broadcast the game on a weeknight in prime time. It established the NBA as a viable sport for television and ABC expanded their schedule of broadcasts.The Lakers-Celtics rivalry made basketball what it is today. But the images that accompany that statement belong to Russell, West, and Baylor, not to Magic and Larry. They helped revive what the NBA greats of the ’60s built.mjohnson@nysun.com

Celtics, Lakers Rivalry Goes Back Further Than 1980s

Celtics, Lakers Rivalry Goes Back Further Than 1980s

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