The 1984 NBA World Championship Series was the championship round 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)'s 1983–84 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion

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 ...

defeated the Western Conference champion

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 ...

in seven games. Celtics forward

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 ...

averaged 27 points and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the

NBA Finals Most Valuable Player The Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award (formerly known as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1969 NBA Finals. The award is decided by a panel of e ...

(MVP). This series was a rematch of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics after their rivalry was revived in 1979 with the

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 ...

–

pair entering the league. After altering wins with the Lakers, the Celtics won Game 7 and the series with a score of 111–102. This was the last NBA Finals to use the 2–2–1–1–1 format until

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. The following year, the NBA Finals format was changed to 2–3–2 after

Red Auerbach Arnold Jacob "Red" Auerbach (September 20, 1917 – October 28, 2006) was an American professional basketball coach and executive. He served as a head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Boston Celtics. ...

complained about the constant travelling during the Finals. While the 2–2–1–1–1 format remained intact for the remainder of the playoff rounds, the 2–3–2 format would be used until

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Background

The seeds of the 1984 Finals were first sown five years earlier, during the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In the final game of the tournament, Larry Bird and his erstwhile unbeaten

Indiana State Sycamores The Indiana State Sycamores are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic teams of Indiana State University. Since the 1977–78 academic year, Indiana State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The Indiana State foo ...

lost to Magic Johnson and his

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

by the score of 75–64. After the tournament, both entered the NBA in the 1979–80 season with high expectations. Bird, who was selected 6th in the 1978 NBA draft but committed back to Indiana State for his senior season, was named Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 32-game turnaround from the previous year, going from 29 to 61 wins. The expected Celtics–Lakers finals, however, never happened. The

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

defeated the Celtics in the conference finals before losing to the Lakers in the 1980 NBA Finals, with Johnson earning Finals MVP honors for his Game 6 performance. Since then Bird won a championship in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

, then Magic led the Lakers to the finals in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

, winning in the former.

Boston Celtics

In the 1983–84 season, the Celtics won 62 games to lead the league. The Celtics were led by Bird, who won his first MVP award, and was complemented by 1981 Finals MVP

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 ...

, first-time all-star and Sixth Man Award winner Kevin McHale,

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 ...

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 ...

and

Danny Ainge Daniel Ray Ainge ( ; born March 17, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and former professional baseball player who serves as an executive for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-sp ...

. Boston's most crucial addition was

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 ...

, whom they acquired from the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

in the offseason in hopes of addressing their porous back-court defense. In the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, 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 four, 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 seven, and 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 five.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers were coming off a four-game sweep by the

in the previous year's finals. Before the season began, the Lakers traded long-time guard

Norm Nixon Norman Ellard Nixon (born October 11, 1955) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also played with Scav ...

to the

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

in exchange for the draft rights to

Byron Scott Byron Antom Scott (born March 28, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a player, Scott won three NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers during their ...

. The trade signaled a transition period, as some of the key players from the first two championships gave way to younger talent. Despite the changes, it did not stop the Lakers from finishing with the best record (54–28) in the Western Conference, powered by their one-two punch of

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 ...

and

. During the playoffs, the Lakers defeated the

Kansas City Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division ( ...

in three, the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in five, and the Phoenix Suns in six. However, the Lakers suffered a key injury when their 3rd leading scorer,

Jamaal Wilkes Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA ...

(17 PPG) was ruled out of the finals. This cost the Lakers valuable depth, as

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 ...

, a key contributor off the bench, would now have to start in Wilkes' place.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

The

won both games in the regular season series:

Series summary

Game 1

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

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 ...

Game 2

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

stole a

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 ...

. The Lakers then inbounded the ball and Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled the clock out during regulation time. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime 124-121, thanks to

Scott Wedman Scott Dean Wedman (born July 29, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player who played thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings with the sixth pick in the first ...

's game-winning shot from the baseline with 14 ticks left.

Game 3

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

dished out 21 assists, an NBA Finals record. After the game,

said his team played like "sissies" in an attempt to light a fire under his teammates. It was Boston's worst playoff defeat in franchise history to that date.

Game 4

In Game 4, the Lakers had a five-point game lead with less than a minute to play, but made several execution errors, including

's bad pass to

late in the fourth quarter, and missing two crucial free throws in OT as the Celtics tied the game and then came away with a 129-125 victory in overtime. Johnson was called "Tragic Johnson" by Celtics fans due to the two crucial errors he committed in Game 4 (the Parish steal, followed by two botched free throws in OT). The Lakers took an early lead in overtime, but a controversial foul call foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with 16 seconds remaining in regulation, had been his 6th foul, and he was out of the game. The Laker momentum was stalled, and

came up with a crucial jumper over Magic Johnson with 16 seconds remaining in overtime, then M.L. Carr stole

's inbounds pass followed by a dunk to seal the win. The game was also marked by Celtic forward Kevin McHale's clothesline take-down 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.

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 4 of the 1984 Finals marked the last Finals game to go into overtime until Game 2 of the 1990 NBA Finals.

Game 5

In Game 5, the Celtics took a 3-2 series lead with a 121-103 victory, as

scored 34 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. The game was known as the "Heat Game", as it was played under heat, and without any air conditioning, at

. The Celtics did not warm up with their sweat pants on because of extreme heat, and an oxygen tank was provided to give air to an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Referee Hugh Evans became dehydrated and fainted at one point in the first half. He worked the first half, but was replaced by

John Vanak John Joseph Vanak (1933 – November 26, 2016) was a referee in the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association.Pluto, Terry, 'Loose Balls: The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association, New York: Simon & ...

for the second half. It was also the last time that a team with home court advantage in the NBA finals played Game 5 on its own floor until

. The next year, the NBA Finals switched to the 2-3-2 format with Game 5 going to the team without home-court advantage, which continued through

Game 6

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 7

In Game 7, the heat that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 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 to cut 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, and the first championship that the Celtics claimed at home since

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

Player statistics

;Boston Celtics , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .432 , , .250 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , 2.1 , , .07 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 43.6 , , .484 , , .667 , , .842 , , 14.0 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , 27.4 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.9 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .364 , , .000 , , .833 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 3.7 , , .400 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 25.6 , , .468 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.6 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 0.0 , , 12.3 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 36.4 , , .395 , , .500 , , .865 , , 3.0 , , 4.7 , , 1.6 , , 0.3 , , 17.6 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 3.3 , , .250 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.5 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 34.6 , , .458 , , .000 , , .855 , , 5.6 , , 3.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 13.0 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 30.6 , , .452 , , .000 , , .778 , , 5.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.3 , , 1.1 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 36.6 , , .440 , , .000 , , .588 , , 11.4 , , 1.3 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , 15.4 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 18.3 , , .459 , , .500 , , .000 , , 5.3 , , 2.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 9.3 ;Los Angeles Lakers , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 38.9 , , .481 , , .000 , , .679 , , 8.1 , , 4.4 , , 1.7 , , 2.1 , , 26.6 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 37.4 , , .468 , , .500 , , .773 , , 3.6 , , 5.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 42.1 , , .560 , , .000 , , .744 , , 7.7 , , 13.6 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 18.0 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.3 , , 2.7 , , 0.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.3 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 0 , , 24.3 , , .459 , , .000 , , .655 , , 5.5 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 1.3 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 14.0 , , .375 , , .000 , , .714 , , 2.7 , , 0.0 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 7.7 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .421 , , .000 , , .857 , , 3.1 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 4.0 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 22.3 , , .629 , , .000 , , .545 , , 6.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 7.1 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 15.0 , , .474 , , .200 , , .714 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .667 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 0 , , 14.1 , , .448 , , .000 , , .750 , , 1.9 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 4.6 , - , align="left" , , , 7 , , 7 , , 39.1 , , .638 , , .000 , , .656 , , 4.4 , , 2.3 , , 1.4 , , 0.3 , , 22.1

Team rosters

Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

Television coverage

The 1984 championship series scored high TV ratings. All the playoff action was documented on the 1984 NBA Season documentary ''Pride and Passion'', narrated by

Dick Stockton Richard Edward Stokvis (born November 22, 1942), known professionally as Dick Stockton, is an American retired sportscaster. Stockton began his career in Philadelphia, then moved to Pittsburgh, where he worked as the sports director for KDKA-TV ...

. During that year

Lesley Visser Lesley Candace Visser (born September 11, 1953) is an American sportscaster, television and radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history who has worked on Final Four, ...

, Stockton's wife, became the first woman to cover the NBA Finals for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. She reported on the Celtics' sideline while

Pat O'Brien Pat O'Brien may refer to: Politicians * Pat O'Brien (Canadian politician) (born 1948), member of the Canadian House of Commons *Pat O'Brien (Irish politician) (c. 1847–1917), Irish Nationalist MP in the United Kingdom Parliament Others *Pat O'Br ...

reported on the Lakers' sideline. Stockton, the play-by-play announcer for the series, was joined by

Tom Heinsohn Thomas William Heinsohn (August 26, 1934 – November 9, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He was associated with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for six decades as a player, coach and broadcast ...

, and the duo would call the next four NBA Finals until .

Aftermath

Reflecting back on the series, Magic Johnson said ". . . (the Lakers) learned a valuable lesson. Only the strong survive. . . talent just don't get it. That's the first time the (80's) Lakers ever encountered that, someone stronger minded."Mark Hirshbeck "The Lives of Riley" p.86 The teams met again in the 1985 finals, which the Lakers won 4–2. In 1986, they failed a third straight NBA Finals meeting (it was later accomplished 31 years later by the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

and the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

), as the Lakers were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. The Lakers and the Celtics met again in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

where the Lakers won in six games.

References

External links

NBA History

''Boston Globe'' story about Game 5 (published 7 June 2009)
{{DEFAULTSORT:1984 Nba Finals National Basketball Association Finals

Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

NBA 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 St ...

20th century in Los Angeles County, California 1984 in Boston Sports competitions in Boston Sports competitions in Inglewood, California

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 ...

Boston Garden

Background

Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

Series summary

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Game 6

Game 7

Player statistics

Team rosters

Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers

Television coverage

Aftermath

See also

References

External links