The 1983–84 Boston Celtics were champions of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) for the 15th time in franchise history, led by regular season and finals MVP

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...

. In the playoffs, the Celtics defeated the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

in the First Round in three games, defeated the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...

in the Semi-finals in seven games, and defeated the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in the Conference Finals in five games, advancing to the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...

. In the Finals, the Celtics faced their long time rival, the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, the first time the two teams faced off against each other since 1969 in which the Celtics won 4–3, and the first time the two teams met in the Finals in the 1980s. The Celtics would go on to defeat the Lakers in seven games, winning their fifteenth NBA championship, and extending their NBA Finals victories over the Lakers to 8.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Roster

Regular season

Season standings

:z – clinched division title :y – clinched division title :x – clinched playoff spot

Record vs. opponents

Game log

Regular season

, - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , October 28, 1983
7:35 pm EDT , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

L 121–127
, McHale (25) , McHale (10) ,

Henderson Henderson may refer to: People *Henderson (surname), description of the surname, and a list of people with the surname *Clan Henderson, a Scottish clan Places Argentina *Henderson, Buenos Aires Australia *Henderson, Western Australia Canada * H ...

(6) ,

Pontiac Silverdome The Pontiac Silverdome (also known simply as the Silverdome) was a stadium in Pontiac, Michigan. It opened in 1975 and sat on 199 acres (51 ha) of land. When the stadium opened, it featured a fiberglass fabric roof held up by air pressure, ...

17,117 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , October 29, 1983
8:05 pm EDT , @

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

W 108–89
, McHale (22) ,

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

(13) ,

(7) ,

Richfield Coliseum Richfield Coliseum, also known as the Coliseum at Richfield, was an indoor arena located in Richfield Township, between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. It opened in 1974 as a replacement for the Cleveland Arena, and had a seating capacity of 20,273 f ...

8,194 , 1–1 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , November 2, 1983 ,

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

W 119–105
, , , ,

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (late ...

, 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , November 4, 1983 ,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

W 121–105
, , , ,

, 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc , 5 , November 5, 1983 , @

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

W 120–117
, , , , Capital Centre , 4–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 6 , November 8, 1983 , @

W 99–97
, , , ,

Market Square Arena Market Square Arena was an indoor arena in Indianapolis. Completed in 1974, at a cost of $23 million, it seated 16,530 for basketball and 15,993 for ice hockey. Seating capacity for concerts and other events was adjusted by the use of large cu ...

, 5–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , November 9, 1983 ,

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

W 129–122
, , , ,

, 6–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 8 , November 11, 1983
7:30 pm EST ,

W 126–118
,

(39) , McHale,

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

(12) , Maxwell (8) ,

14,890 , 7–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 9 , November 12, 1983 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 116–101
, , , ,

Chicago Stadium Chicago Stadium was an indoor arena in Chicago, Illinois, that opened in 1929, closed in 1994 and was demolished in 1995. It was the home of the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks and the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. ...

, 8–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 10 , November 15, 1983 , @

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

W 140–124
, , , ,

McNichols Sports Arena McNichols Sports Arena was an indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. Located adjacent to Mile High Stadium and completed in 1975, at a cost of $16 million, it seated 16,061 for hockey games and 17,171 for basketball games. Sports use It was ...

, 9–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 11 , November 16, 1983 , @

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

L 109–122
, , , ,

Salt Palace The Calvin L. Rampton Salt Palace Convention Center, more commonly known as the Salt Palace, is a convention center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Named after Utah's 11th governor, Calvin L. Rampton, the name "Salt Palace" was previously used by two ...

, 9–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 12 , November 18, 1983 ,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

L 103–110
, , , ,

, 9–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 13 , November 19, 1983 , @

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

L 91–92
, , , , The Spectrum , 9–4 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 14 , November 22, 1983 , @

L 113–117 (2OT)
, , , ,

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, 9–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 15 , November 25, 1983 ,

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

W 109–102
, , , ,

, 10–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 16 , November 27, 1983
7:30 pm EST ,

W 114–99
, McHale (29) ,

(13) ,

(8) ,

14,890 , 11–5 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 17 , November 30, 1983 ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

W 130–106
, , , ,

, 12–5 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 18 , December 2, 1983 ,

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

W 115–106
, , , ,

, 12–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 19 , December 4, 1983 ,

L 114–121 (OT)
, , , ,

, 13–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 20 , December 6, 1983 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 118–105
, , , ,

, 14–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 21 , December 7, 1983 , @

W 100–95
, , , ,

, 15–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 22 , December 9, 1983 ,

W 119–90
, , , ,

, 16–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 23 , December 10, 1983 , @

W 104–87
, , , ,

The Omni Omni Coliseum (often called The Omni) was an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Completed in 1972, the arena seated 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Center. It was ...

, 17–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 24 , December 13, 1983 , @

W 102–100
, , , ,

, 18–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 25 , December 14, 1983
7:30 pm EST ,

W 110–108
,

(30) ,

(16) ,

(6) ,

14,890 , 19–6 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 26 , December 16, 1983 ,

L 93–100
, , , ,

, 19–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 27 , December 17, 1983
7:35 pm EST , @

W 129–115
, McHale (30) , McHale (16) ,

(9) ,

24,318 , 20–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 28 , December 21, 1983 ,

W 107–96
, , , ,

, 21–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 29 , December 23, 1983 ,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

W 125–113
, , , ,

, 22–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 30 , December 27, 1983 , @

W 115–100
, , , ,

HemisFair Arena HemisFair Arena (also known as the San Antonio Convention Center Arena) was an indoor arena located in San Antonio, Texas. It was home to the ABA/ NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1973 to 1993 and the San Antonio Force of the AFL during the 1992 seas ...

, 23–7 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 31 , December 29, 1983 , @

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

L 94–107
, , , , The Summit , 23–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 32 , December 30, 1983 , @

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

W 114–109 (OT)
, , , ,

Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks. The venu ...

, 24–8 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 33 , January 3, 1984 , @

W 105–103
, , , ,

Brendan Byrne Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor arena facility located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The arena is located on N ...

, 25–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 34 , January 4, 1984 ,

W 113–104
, , , ,

, 26–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 35 , January 6, 1984
7:30 pm EST ,

W 115–97
,

(19) ,

(7) ,

(8) ,

14,890 , 27–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 36 , January 11, 1984 , Golden State
W 135–112
, , , ,

, 28–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 37 , January 13, 1984 , @

W 105–104
, , , , The Spectrum , 29–8 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 38 , January 15, 1984 , @

L 87–106
, , , ,

MECCA Arena Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valle ...

, 29–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 39 , January 17, 1984 , @

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

W 122–113
, , , ,

Kemper Arena The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports arena ...

, 30–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 40 , January 20, 1984 ,

W 132–125
, , , ,

, 31–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 41 , January 22, 1984 ,

W 109–98
, , , ,

, 32–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 42 , January 24, 1984
7:35 pm EST , @

W 118–97
,

(24) ,

(9) , Ainge (5) ,

5,830 , 33–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 43 , January 25, 1984 ,

W 102–98
, , , ,

, 34–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 44 , January 31, 1984 , @

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 106–83
, , , ,

, 35–9 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 45 , February 1, 1984 ,

W 119–110
, , , ,

, 36–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 46 , February 3, 1984 ,

W 125–106
, , , ,

, 37–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 47 , February 5, 1984
1:00 pm EST ,

W 137–134 (OT)
, McHale (33) ,

(19) , Ainge (7) ,

14,890 , 38–9 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 48 , February 6, 1984 , @

L 112–115
, , , ,

, 38–10 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 49 , February 8, 1984 ,

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

L 109–111
, , , ,

, 38–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 50 , February 10, 1984 ,

W 114–101
, , , ,

, 39–11 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 51 , February 12, 1984 ,

L 91–109
, , , ,

, 39–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 52 , February 16, 1984 , @ Golden State
W 125–115
, , , ,

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena Oakland Arena is an indoor arena located in Oakland, California, United States. From its opening in 1966 until 1996, it was known as the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. After a major renovation completed in 1997, the arena was renamed ...

, 40–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 53 , February 17, 1984 , @

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

W 111–100
, , , ,

Kingdome The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District, Seattle, Industrial District (later SoDo, Seattle, SoDo) neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. O ...

, 41–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 54 , February 19, 1984 , @

W 107–101
, , , , Memorial Coliseum , 42–12 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 55 , February 22, 1984 , @

L 107–114
, , , ,

San Diego Sports Arena Pechanga Arena (historically known as the San Diego Sports Arena) is an indoor arena built in 1966 and located in the Midway area of San Diego, California. The arena seats 12,000 for indoor football, 12,920 for ice hockey, indoor soccer and ...

, 42–13 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 56 , February 24, 1984 , @

L 108–116
, , , , The Forum , 42–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 57 , February 26, 1984 , @

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

W 116–109
, , , ,

Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a 14,870-seat multi-purpose indoor arena in Phoenix, Arizona, located at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. It hosted the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association from 1968 to 1992, as well as indoor s ...

, 43–14 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 58 , February 29, 1984 ,

L 98–102
, , , ,

, 43–15 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 59 , March 2, 1984 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 104–100
, , , ,

, 44–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 60 , March 4, 1984 ,

W 117–93
, , , ,

, 45–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc , 61 , March 6, 1984 , @

W 108–86
, , , , Capital Centre , 46–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 62 , March 7, 1984 ,

W 117–106
, , , ,

, 47–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 63 , March 9, 1984 , @

W 129–128 (2OT)
, , , ,

, 48–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 64 , March 11, 1984 ,

W 117–109
, , , ,

, 49–15 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 65 , March 14, 1984 ,

L 99–103
, , , ,

, 49–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 66 , March 16, 1984 ,

W 109–99
, , , ,

, 50–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 67 , March 17, 1984 , @

W 103–88
, , , ,

, 51–16 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 68 , March 20, 1984 , @

L 121–123 (OT)
, , , ,

, 51–17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 69 , March 22, 1984 , @

W 108–100
, , , ,

, 52–17 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 70 , March 23, 1984 ,

L 97–101
, , , ,

, 52–18 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 71 , March 25, 1984 , @

L 114–119 (2OT)
, , , , The Spectrum , 52–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc , 72 , March 27, 1984 , @

W 106–93
, , , , Capital Centre , 53–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 73 , March 28, 1984 ,

W 114–107
, , , ,

, 54–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 74 , March 30, 1984 ,

W 105–96
, , , ,

, 55–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 75 , March 31, 1984 , @

W 107–98
, , , ,

, 56–19 , - , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 76 , April 3, 1984
7:35 pm EST , @

W 98–86
,

(29) ,

(15) ,

(6) ,

7,094 , 57–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 77 , April 6, 1984
7:30 pm EST ,

W 113–94
,

(33) ,

(14) , Buckner (11) ,

14,890 , 58–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 78 , April 8, 1984 ,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

W 117–110
, , , ,

, 59–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 79 , April 10, 1984 , @

W 96–95
, , , ,

, 60–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 80 , April 11, 1984 ,

W 102–96
, , , ,

, 61–19 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 81 , April 13, 1984
7:35 pm EST , @

L 120–128 (OT)
, McHale (32) ,

(20) ,

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

(8) ,

30,091 , 61–20 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 82 , April 15, 1984 ,

W 118–111
, , , ,

, 62–20 , - , -
1984 regular season schedule

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 17 ,

W 91–83
,

(23) ,

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,61 ...

(14) ,

(12) ,

14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 19 ,

W 88–85
,

(23) ,

(12) ,

(6) ,

14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , April 21 , @

L 108–111 (OT)
,

(27) ,

(16) ,

(6) , Capital Centre
8,359 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 24 , @

W 99–96
,

(20) ,

(12) ,

(7) , Capital Centre
13,853 , 3–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 29 ,

W 110–92
, Kevin McHale (25) ,

(12) ,

14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 2 ,

W 116–102
,

(37) ,

(11) ,

Dennis Johnson Dennis Wayne Johnson (September 18, 1954 – February 22, 2007), nicknamed "DJ", was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns, and Boston Celtics. He was a c ...

(7) ,

14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 4 , @

L 92–100
,

(24) ,

(11) ,

(4) ,

19,591 , 2–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 6 , @

L 113–118
,

(29) ,

(11) ,

(7) ,

15,840 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 9 ,

W 121–99
,

(26) ,

(10) ,

14,890 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 11 , @

L 104–106
,

(35) ,

(11) ,

Gerald Henderson Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Sr. (born January 16, 1956) is an American retired basketball player. He was a combo guard who had a 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 until 1992. He played for the Boston C ...

(8) ,

19,591 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , May 13 ,

W 121–104
,

(39) ,

(12) ,

(10) ,

14,890 , 4–3 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , May 15 ,

W 119–96
,

(24) , Kevin McHale (7) ,

(7) ,

14,890 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 17 ,

W 125–110
,

(32) ,

(13) ,

(7) ,

14,890 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , May 19 , @

W 109–100
,

(28) ,

(16) ,

(6) ,

11,052 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 4 , May 21 , @

L 113–122
,

(32) ,

(10) ,

(8) ,

11,052 , 3–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 23 ,

W 115–108
,

(21) ,

(13) ,

, Maxwell (4) ,

14,890 , 4–1 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 27 ,

L 109–115
, Kevin McHale (25) ,

(14) ,

(5) ,

14,890 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , May 31 ,

W 124–121 (OT)
,

(27) ,

(13) , Ainge,

(5) ,

14,890 , 1–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , June 3 , @

L 104–137
,

(30) ,

(12) ,

Cedric Maxwell Cedric Bryan Maxwell (born November 21, 1955) is an American retired professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played a key role in two ...

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17,505 , 1–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , June 6 , @

W 129–125 (OT)
,

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17,505 , 2–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , June 8 ,

W 121–103
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14,890 , 3–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , June 10 , @

L 108–119
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17,505 , 3–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 7 , June 12 ,

W 111–102
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Player stats

''Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Scoring Average''

NBA Finals

Game One

The Lakers opened the series with a 115-109 victory at

Game Two

In Game 2, the Lakers led 113-111 with 18 seconds left when

stole a

James Worthy James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Big Game James", he played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers ...

pass to score a game tying

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, laying the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump sh ...

and the Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121.

Game Three

In Game 3, the Lakers raced to an easy 137-104 victory as

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

dished out 21 assists. After the game,

said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates.

Game Four

In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's takedown of Laker forward

Kurt Rambis Darrell Kurt Rambis (born February 25, 1958) is a Greek-American former professional basketball player and coach who is a senior basketball adviser for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, he won fou ...

on a breakaway layup which triggered the physical aspect of the rivalry.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

would go after

later on in the third quarter, and 1981 Finals MVP

further antagonized the Lakers by following a missed

free throw by crossing the lane with his hands around his own neck, symbolizing that Worthy was "choking" under pressure. Also, Bird pushed

Michael Cooper Michael Jerome Cooper (born April 15, 1956) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the boys varsity coach at Culver City High School. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning ...

to the baseline following the inbound play during the second quarter.

Game Five

In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead as

scored 34 points. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under 97-degree heat, and without any air conditioning, at

. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and oxygen tanks were provided to give air to exhausted players.

Game Six

In Game 6, the Lakers evened the series with a 119-108 victory. In the game the Lakers answered the Celtics' rough tactics when Laker forward

shoved

into a basket support. After the game a Laker fan threw a beer at Celtics guard M.L. Carr as he left the floor, causing him to label the series "all-out-war."

Game Seven

In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not so bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91 degrees during the game, due to additional fans being brought in to try to cool the air). The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as they came away with a 111-102 victory. In the game the Lakers rallied from a 14-point-deficit to three with one minute remaining when Cedric Maxwell knocked the ball away from Magic Johnson.

responded by sinking two free throws to seal the victory.

was named MVP of the series. The series was the eighth time in NBA history that the Celtics and Lakers met in the NBA finals, with Boston winning each time.

Award winners

, NBA Free Throw Percentage Leader (88.8%) * Larry Bird, NBA Most Valuable Player * Larry Bird,

Most Valuable Player * Larry Bird, All-NBA First Team * Kevin McHale, Sixth Man of the Year Award

References

Celtics on Database Basketball

{{DEFAULTSORT:1983-84 Boston Celtics Season Boston Celtics seasons Eastern Conference (NBA) championship seasons NBA championship seasons

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...