With both dynasties tied at 17 championships apiece they also account for almost half of the 74 championships in NBA history, making Boston Celtics and LA Lakers the fiercest rivalry in the NBA.
No two teams have faced each other in the NBA Finals more times than the twelve shared between these nemeses. Their domination of the sport, pure talent and raw aggression is what makes this rivalry so special.
In the first decade of the NBA’s history, the then Minneapolis Lakers won the first ever Championship series in 1950. It took 9 years for the Boston Celtics to meet the future enemy in a final, but it was worth the wait as the Celtics defeated the Lakers 4-0 for the first sweep in the NBA finals history. This would mark an era of dominance for the Celtics who went on to win 8 straight titles! Despite their dominance in the 60’s both sides were extremely strong and a level above the rest leading a true escalation of their rivalry.
The calm of the 70’s led to an explosion between the two sides in the 80’s, largely due to the ferocious personal rivalry between Magic Johnson of the Lakers and Bird of the Celtics. The Celtics defeated the Lakers in 8 consecutive championships before finally the Lakers responded and claimed their first scalp against the Celtic in 1985.
The Celtics were destined to a decade of mediocrity whilst their rivals announced themselves as the biggest force in basketball. Today one side getting one-up on the other is as important as it has ever been, and hopefully we will see the fiery rivalry in a NBA final sooner rather than later.
Graphics by: Tom Burns
Various images courtesy of freepik.com
Pint of Sport 