1984
Boston Celtics
Series Flow
4
Wins
3
Losses
Regular Season
62–20
Win–Loss
Playoff Record
15–8
Win–Loss
Finals
4–3
vs Los Angeles Lakers
Finals MVP
Bird
Larry
Boston Celtics
62–20Los Angeles Lakers
54–28Magic Johnson's Lakers were the most spectacular team in basketball. They had won it all in 1980 and 1982. They were the Celtics' perfect foil — fast, stylish, Hollywood. The rivalry defined basketball for a decade.
Finals MVP
Larry Bird
#33 · Forward
27.4
PPG
14.0
RPG
3.6
APG
His 27.4 PPG and 14 RPG in a seven-game Finals against Magic and Kareem is one of the great individual championship performances.
27.4 PPG and 14 RPG in the Finals — among the highest rebounding averages in Finals history for a forward
Won his second MVP award that season; won the Finals MVP to match
How the Series Unfolded
G1 · L
0–1
G2 · W
1–1
G3 · L
1–2
G4 · W
2–2
G5 · W
3–2
G6 · L
3–3
G7 · W
4–3
109
BOS
115
LAL
The Lakers won a shocking Game 1 at the Garden. Magic's orchestration and Kareem's dominance gave LA the early advantage.
LAL
Magic Johnson
21 pts · 13 astControlled the Garden in a road stunner — the Lakers looked invincible.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
32 pts · 8 rebSkyhook masterclass at the most hostile arena in basketball.
124
BOS
121
LAL
Bird's 27 and McHale's late-game defense saved the Celtics. The Boston crowd was at fever pitch.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird
27 pts · 14 rebRefused to let the Celtics go down 2-0 in their own building.
Dennis Johnson
18 pts · 6 astDJ locked down Magic defensively while providing crucial offense.
109
BOS
137
LAL
The Lakers blew out the Celtics in LA. Magic's 21 assists (a Finals record that stood for years) was a staggering orchestration.
LAL
Magic Johnson
21 ast · 14 pts21 assists in a single Finals game — an NBA record.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
24 pts · 12 rebThe perfect recipient of Magic's generosity — skyhook after skyhook.
124
BOS
129
LAL
Kevin McHale's famous clothesline foul on Kurt Rambis changed basketball — announcing Boston's willingness to get physical. The Celtics won in OT behind Bird's 29 points.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird
29 pts · 21 rebOne of the most dominant individual Finals performances of the Bird era — 21 rebounds.
Kevin McHale
20 pts · 12 reb · the foulHis clothesline of Kurt Rambis became one of the iconic moments of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.
121
BOS
103
LAL
Bird erupted for 34 points on what he called the "worst performance of my career" publicly — then proved it wasn't by dominating completely. The Celtics led the series 3-2.
Boston Celtics
Larry Bird
34 pts · 17 reb · 8 astHis definition of a bad game — 34-17-8. The competitive standard was inhuman.
Cedric Maxwell
19 pts · 8 rebGave Bird essential complementary scoring in a must-win home game.
111
BOS
119
LAL
The Lakers forced Game 7 in one of the grittiest performances of the series. Kareem dominated; Magic orchestrated. The Celtics couldn't close it out.
LAL
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
30 pts · 10 rebThe old champion showed his championship mettle when the Lakers needed it most.
Magic Johnson
22 pts · 15 astBrought the Lakers back from the brink — the greatest clutch performance of his early career.
111
BOS
102
LAL
Bird's 20 points and defensive intensity, combined with Cedric Maxwell's championship performance, gave the Celtics their 15th title. The Garden was deafening. Magic had 7 turnovers in the deciding game — the biggest moment of his career turned into the biggest failure.
Boston Celtics
Cedric Maxwell
24 pts · 8 reb · 8 ast"Cornbread" Maxwell's finest moment — complete championship-game performance.
Larry Bird
20 pts · 12 rebLed by example and closed the most important series of his career at home.
LAL
Magic Johnson
23 pts · 7 to7 turnovers in Game 7. The defining heartbreak of Magic's career — he spent the entire summer atoning for it.
The Champions
18.4
PPG
9.5
RPG
The player whose famous foul on Kurt Rambis in Game 4 changed the series — and the tone of basketball.
15.0
PPG
5.3
APG
DJ's defense on Magic Johnson was legendary. Held the best player in the world in check throughout the series.
They Pushed Us to the Limit
Magic Johnson's Lakers were the most spectacular team in basketball. They had won it all in 1980 and 1982. They were the Celtics' perfect foil — fast, stylish, Hollywood. The rivalry defined basketball for a decade.
18.0
PPG
13.6
APG
Was transcendent throughout — except Game 7, where 7 turnovers defined the summer of his discontent.
26.8
PPG
12.8
RPG
The best individual series of any player not named Bird — the skyhook remains the most unguardable shot in basketball history.
History Written in 1984
Boston Celtics
15th NBA Championship — the defining title of the Bird era
Larry Bird
Finals MVP alongside his second regular-season MVP award (1984)
Larry Bird
27.4 PPG and 14 RPG in the Finals — one of the most dominant forward performances in Finals history
Magic Johnson
His 7 turnovers in Game 7 drove him to spend the offseason obsessively training — directly leading to his greatest season (1986-87)
Beyond the Box Score
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry of the 1980s was the greatest storyline in American professional sports. Bird vs. Magic. Boston Garden vs. the Forum. Green vs. gold. In 1984, the rivalry hit its competitive peak — seven games, each one essential.
Magic Johnson has called Game 7 the worst night of his basketball life. His 7 turnovers haunted him. He spent the summer in his driveway shooting free throws and working until he could barely move. The result was his masterpiece season and the 1987 Finals MVP.
The Full Story
Bird vs. Magic. The series the basketball world had been waiting for since they first faced off in the 1979 NCAA championship game. In 1984, the two greatest players of their generation finally met in the Finals.
Seven games. McHale's clothesline foul on Kurt Rambis. Bird's 21 rebounds in Game 4. Magic's 21 assists in Game 3. And then Game 7: the Celtics won at Boston Garden, and Magic Johnson suffered the defining heartbreak of his early career.
"I won't go into the summer without working on my game," Magic said after the loss. He meant it. The rivalry would continue. But in 1984, the Celtics were better.