Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Game

Russell. Cousy. Baylor. West. Chamberlain. Magic. Bird. Kareem. Stockton. Shaq. The list goes on.

The Lakers and the Celtics. These two teams’ championships account for more than half of the NBA’s 63 total. They have met in the Finals more than any other combo – 11 times, and when they do, the roof comes off at the Forum and the Garden for a heart pounding series that often goes the full seven games.

The rivalry began in 1959 when the Lakers were still in Minneapolis. They got swept, and the Celtics won the Finals for eight years in a row. In the sixties, the Celts beat the Lakers six times in eight years.

After going dormant in the seventies, the heat turned up again in the eighties with the arrival of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. East versus West, working class against Hollywood glitz, old tradition pitted against air-conditioned luxury, the rivalry took on so many dynamic tensions.

And according Bryant Gumbel, “Magic and Larry saved the NBA.”

Thank the Lord.