The 1985 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 1984–85 season, and the culmination of the season's playoffs. It featured the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference playoff 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 ...

against the Western Conference playoff 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 ...

. The Celtics were looking to repeat as NBA champions for the first time since the season. The Celtics had home court advantage for the second year in a row as they finished the regular season with a 63–19 record while the Lakers compiled a 62–20 record. The Lakers looked to bounce back from the previous year's painful loss to the Celtics in the championship series, and were still seeking to beat Boston for the first time ever in NBA Finals history. Also for the first time since

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

, the Finals implemented a 2–3–2 format with Games 1 and 2 in Boston while the next three games were in Los Angeles. The final two games of the series would be played in Boston, if required. This change of format came after

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of ...

had a conversation with Celtics legend

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. ...

in 1984, who disliked the frequent traveling between games. The 2–3–2 format would be used until the

2013 NBA Finals The 2013 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2012–13 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference c ...

, after which the 2–2–1–1–1 format returned in 2014. With the help of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers achieved their first NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics in nine meetings, four to two games. It was the last time the NBA World Championship Series branding would be in use as the NBA Finals branding would replace it for 1986. The video documentary ''Return to Glory'' recaps the 1985 NBA Playoff action.

Background

Los Angeles Lakers

After losing to the Celtics in the previous year's finals, the Lakers entered the

1984–85 NBA season The 1984–85 NBA season was the 39th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers winning the NBA Championship, beating the Boston Celtics 4 games to 2 in the NBA Finals. Notable occurrences *The 19 ...

with a mission. Once again using the effective

Showtime offense In basketball, Showtime was an era in Los Angeles Lakers history from 1979 to 1991 when the National Basketball Association (NBA) team played an exciting run-and-gun style of basketball. Led by Magic Johnson's passing skills and Kareem Abdul- ...

, they ran away with the Western Conference-leading 62 wins. The team as a whole underwent a slight evolution, 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 ...

supplanted

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 ...

as the starting small forward, while

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 S ...

began to earn more minutes as the backup to both

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 ...

and

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 ...

. In the playoffs, the Lakers eliminated 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 ...

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

and

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, going 11–2 in the three playoff rounds.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics repeated with the NBA's best record by winning 63 games. For the second straight season,

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 ...

won the MVP award, while Kevin McHale won Sixth Man Award for the second year running, despite making the transition from bench cog to starter late in the season with

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 ...

nursing a knee injury.

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 ...

also emerged as the team's starting shooting guard, after the Celtics traded

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 ...

to the

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

in the offseason. The Celtics defeated 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 ...

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

and

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 ...

, finishing with an 11–4 record heading into the finals. By that point, Boston's classic starting five under head coach

K. C. Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...

was solidified, featuring Bird, McHale and

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 ...

in the frontcourt, and Ainge and

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 ...

in the backcourt.

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

Both teams split the two meetings, each won by the home team:

Series summary

Game 1

The Celtics defeated the Lakers 148–114. It was dubbed the "

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

Massacre" and a profound embarrassment for the Lakers team.

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 ...

had only 12 points and 3 rebounds, while

pulled down only one rebound.

of the Celtics started hot, scoring 15 points in the first quarter.

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 ...

made all 11 shots he took from the field. Afterwards, Abdul-Jabbar apologized to his teammates for his terrible performance. The 34-point differential set a new record for a Finals game between the Celtics and Lakers in their

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

. This record would stand until the

2008 NBA Finals The 2008 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2007–08 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defea ...

, when the Celtics defeated the Lakers, 131-92.

Game 2

The Lakers recovered from the Game 1 loss behind Abdul-Jabbar's 30 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 8 assists. Lakers swingman

finished with 22 points on an 8 for 9 shooting performance, including several clutch outside jumpers down the stretch. The series was evened at 1–1.

Game 3

The Celtics held a 48–38 lead in the second quarter before the Lakers rallied and led, 65–59, at halftime. The Lakers pulled away in the second half and won the game 136–111. Abdul-Jabbar scored his 4,456th career point and became the league's all-time leading playoff scorer, which had previously been held by Lakers guard

Jerry West Jerome Alan West (born May 28, 1938) is an American basketball executive and former player. He played professionally for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His nicknames included "Mr. Clutch", for his ability ...

's shooting slump from game 2 continued. He shot a combined 17 of 42 from the field in games two and three.

led the Lakers with 29 points.

Game 4

The Celtics tied the series in the fourth game with a 107–105 win with a buzzer-beating jumper by

, who scored 27 points. Kevin McHale led all players with 28 points to go along with 12 rebounds for the Celtics.

Game 5

In this game, the Lakers stomped out the Celtics by jumping out to a 64–51 lead and stretched it to 89–72 before the Celtics cut the deficit to 4 points, late in the 4th quarter. The Celtics would cut the lead to 4 points several times, but the Lakers answered each time. Magic Johnson made three shots, Kareem added four more shots, and Cooper hit 2 outside jumpers, and the Lakers came away with a 120–111 victory to take a 3–2 series lead.

Game 6

In the series clincher, the game was tied at halftime. The Lakers would hold the Celtics to just 18 third quarter points to pull away. Abdul-Jabbar scored 29 points and James Worthy scored 28 of his own, as Los Angeles became the first team to clinch a title at the

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 ...

. Magic Johnson dished out a game-high 14 assists. Celtics' forward Kevin McHale scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds--both game-highs--before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Larry Bird's dismal shooting continued as he hit just 12 of 29 shots. The 38-year-old Abdul-Jabbar was named MVP of the series, his second Finals MVP award and first since

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

(back when he was known as Lew Alcindor), averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in the six games. Worthy averaged 23.7 points for the Lakers, while Magic Johnson scored 18.3 points per game to go along with 14.0 assists and 6.8 rebounds. Los Angeles shot 51.2% as a team for the series. McHale led Boston in scoring (26.0) and rebounding (10.7) while shooting 59.8% from the floor. Bird averaged 23.8 points and 8.8 rebounds on just 44.9% shooting. Celtics' guard Dennis Johnson led both teams in minutes played (247). Boston shot 47.6% from the floor while out-rebounding Los Angeles 259-256. It was the first time (and only time until 2022) in NBA Finals history where the other team clinched the championship against the Celtics in Boston. It was also only the Celtics' second Finals series defeat, having previously lost to the

St. Louis Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

Player statistics

;Los Angeles Lakers , -! style="background:#FDE910;" , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 35.5 , , .604 , , .000 , , .769 , , 9.0 , , 5.2 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , 25.7 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 0 , , 25.5 , , .588 , , .286 , , .905 , , 2.0 , , 3.7 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 39.2 , , .494 , , .500 , , .871 , , 6.8 , , 14.0 , , 2.2 , , 0.0 , , 18.3 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 0 , , 14.5 , , .550 , , .000 , , .643 , , 3.3 , , 0.7 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 0 , , 19.5 , , .379 , , .000 , , .714 , , 3.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 8.2 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .500 , , .600 , , .667 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 4.8 , - , align="left" , , , 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 22.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .538 , , 8.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.3 , , 0.5 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 34.7 , , .395 , , .286 , , .556 , , 3.7 , , 2.2 , , 2.5 , , 0.2 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 6.8 , , .600 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 0.3 , , 0.3 , , 3.5 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 39.0 , , .564 , , .000 , , .700 , , 4.5 , , 3.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 23.7 ;Boston Celtics , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 33.8 , , .414 , , .400 , , .750 , , 3.0 , , 7.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 11.0 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 40.2 , , .449 , , .333 , , .850 , , 8.8 , , 5.0 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 23.8 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 7.8 , , .545 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 3.0 , - , align="left" , , , 3 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .375 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.3 , - , align="left" , , , 2 , , 0 , , 3.5 , , .500 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 0.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 41.2 , , .382 , , .000 , , .857 , , 4.3 , , 9.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.7 , , 16.0 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 8.8 , , .444 , , .000 , , .500 , , 2.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.0 , , 1.8 , - , align="left" , , , 5 , , 0 , , 10.8 , , .500 , , .000 , , .700 , , 1.0 , , 0.2 , , 0.4 , , 0.0 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 40.0 , , .598 , , .000 , , .727 , , 10.7 , , 1.3 , , 0.3 , , 1.8 , , 26.0 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 6 , , 37.2 , , .481 , , .000 , , .771 , , 9.0 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.8 , , 17.2 , - , align="left" , , , 6 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .611 , , .636 , , .556 , , 3.3 , , 1.7 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 9.3 , - , align="left" , , , 4 , , 0 , , 9.3 , , .500 , , .000 , , .000 , , 0.3 , , 2.8 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 3.5

Television coverage

The Finals were telecast by

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 ...

in the United States, with its coverage anchored by

Brent Musburger Brent Woody Musburger (born May 26, 1939) is an American sportscaster, currently the lead broadcaster and managing editor at Vegas Stats and Information Network (VSiN). With CBS Sports from 1973 until 1990, he was one of the original members ...

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 ...

did play-by-play with

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 ...

as color analyst, working their second Finals together.

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 ...

worked sideline duties for both teams.

Celebration

The Lakers were invited to a reception at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

with

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar presented the President with a jersey. The following Tuesday would be declared "Laker Day" by

Los Angeles Mayor The mayor of the City of Los Angeles is the official head and chief executive officer of Los Angeles. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and is limited to serving no more than two terms. (Under the Constitution of California, all j ...

Tom Bradley with a parade beginning at 9th and Broadway.

Team rosters

Los Angeles Lakers

Boston Celtics

References

External links

NBA History

* {{DEFAULTSORT:1985 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 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 ...

20th century in Los Angeles County, California

May 1985 sports events in the United States June 1985 sports events in the United States Sports competitions in Boston Sports competitions in Inglewood, California

Boston Garden

Background

Los Angeles Lakers

Boston Celtics

Road to the Finals

Regular season series

Series summary

Game 1

Game 2

Game 3

Game 4

Game 5

Game 6

Player statistics

Television coverage

Celebration

Team rosters

Los Angeles Lakers

Boston Celtics

See also

References

External links