Great rivalry
Two coasts, two basketball identities and a championship argument passed from Russell and West to Bird and Magic—and eventually to Kobe and Pierce.
The story in one sentence
Two coasts, two basketball identities and a championship argument passed from Russell and West to Bird and Magic—and eventually to Kobe and Pierce.
A rivalry can outlive every player involved.
Contrasting styles make history easier to understand.
Game 7 pressure often turns role players and single possessions into permanent memories.
Timeline
1959–69
Bill Russell’s Celtics repeatedly met the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. Elgin Baylor and Jerry West produced immortal performances, but Boston won all seven championship meetings of the era, including a Game 7 in Los Angeles in 1969.
1979
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson entered the league after meeting in the NCAA title game. Their contrasting personalities and styles gave an old team rivalry two new faces just as the NBA needed a national story.
1984
The first Bird–Magic Finals was physical, hot and chaotic. Gerald Henderson’s steal rescued Boston in Game 2, the Celtics survived the famous heat game, and Bird completed a seven-game victory.
1985–87
The Lakers finally beat Boston in the Finals in 1985, winning the clincher at the old Boston Garden. They met again in 1987, when Magic’s junior sky hook in Game 4 became the signature shot of Showtime’s victory.
2008–10
Kobe Bryant’s Lakers and the Pierce–Garnett–Allen Celtics restored the matchup. Boston dominated the 2008 closeout; Los Angeles answered two years later by surviving a defensive Game 7.
Watch the history
1962 NBA Finals Game 7
Boston and Los Angeles played a winner-take-all Finals game packed with Hall of Fame talent and late drama.
1969 NBA Finals Game 7
Boston and Los Angeles closed another Finals chapter in a winner-take-all game loaded with dynasty stakes.
1984 NBA Finals Game 4
Boston and Los Angeles played a heated Finals game that shifted the tone of the league's signature rivalry.
1984 NBA Finals Game 7
Boston and Los Angeles closed a punishing Finals series in a Game 7 between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
1987 NBA Finals Game 4
Los Angeles and Boston played another Finals classic with the series balance hanging on a late possession.
2010 NBA Finals Game 7
Los Angeles and Boston closed another Finals rivalry chapter with a tense, low-scoring Game 7.