Great Sports Rivalries
The Greatest Rivalries in American Sports - By the Numbers
Celtics vs. Lakers (Bird vs. Magic & Russell vs. Chamberlain)
The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is not only the greatest team rivalry in pro basketball, but also the greatest championship rivalry in America. The Celtics and Lakers have met for the championship 12 times - a record across all major sports. They have won a combined 33 of the 65 NBA championships.
In addition to the team's rivalry, basketball's two greatest one-on-one rivalries played out on the Celtics-Lakers stage. The Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain rivalry largely took place while Wilt played for the Warriors and 76ers, but the final chapter was written in the 1969 Finals. The Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry returned the Celtics and Lakers back to the Finals spotlight and rejuvenated the NBA. Data collected from Basketball-Reference.com and this site.
Last updated December 27, 2011
In addition to the team's rivalry, basketball's two greatest one-on-one rivalries played out on the Celtics-Lakers stage. The Bill Russell-Wilt Chamberlain rivalry largely took place while Wilt played for the Warriors and 76ers, but the final chapter was written in the 1969 Finals. The Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry returned the Celtics and Lakers back to the Finals spotlight and rejuvenated the NBA. Data collected from Basketball-Reference.com and this site.
Last updated December 27, 2011
NBA Finals
| 1959 | 1962 |
1963 |
| Boston 4 Minneapolis 0 Lakers 115, Celtics 118 Lakers 108, Celtics 128 Celtics 122, Lakers 110 Celtics 118, Lakers 113 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 108, Celtics 122 Lakers 129, Celtics 122 Celtics 115, Lakers 117 Celtics 115, Lakers 103 Lakers 126, Celtics 121 Celtics 119, Lakers 105 Lakers 107, Celtics 110 OT |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 106, Celtics 113 Lakers 114, Celtics 117 Celtics 99, Lakers 119 Celtics 108, Lakers 105 Lakers 126, Celtics 119 Celtics 112, Lakers 109 |
| 1965 |
1966 | 1968 |
| Boston 4 Los Angeles 1 Lakers 110, Celtics 142 Lakers 123, Celtics 129 Celtics 105, Lakers 126 Celtics 112, Lakers 99 Lakers 96, Celtics 129 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 133, Celtics 129 OT Lakers 109, Celtics 129 Celtics 120, Lakers 106 Celtics 122, Lakers 117 Lakers 121, Celtics 117 Celtics 115, Lakers 123 Lakers 93, Celtics 95 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 101, Celtics 107 Lakers 123, Celtics 113 Celtics 127, Lakers 119 Celtics 105, Lakers 118 Lakers 117, Celtics 120 OT Celtics 124, Lakers 109 |
| 1969 |
1984 |
1985 |
| Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Celtics 118, Lakers 120 Celtics 112, Lakers 120 Lakers 112, Celtics 120 Lakers 88, Celtics 89 Celtics 104, Lakers 117 Lakers 90, Celtics 99 Celtics 108, Lakers 106 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 3 Lakers 115, Celtics 109 Lakers 121, Celtics 124 OT Celtics 104, Lakers 137 Celtics 129, Lakers 125 OT Lakers 103, Celtics 121 Celtics 108, Lakers 119 Lakers 102, Celtics 111 |
Los Angeles 4 Boston 2 Lakers 114, Celtics 148 Lakers 109, Celtics 102 Celtics 111, Lakers 136 Celtics 107, Lakers 105 Celtics 111, Lakers 120 Lakers 111, Celtics 100 |
| 1987 |
2008 |
2010 |
| Los Angeles 4 Boston 2 Celtics 113, Lakers 126 Celtics 122, Lakers 141 Lakers 103, Celtics 109 Lakers 107, Celtics 106 Lakers 108, Celtics 123 Celtics 93, Lakers 106 |
Boston 4 Los Angeles 2 Lakers 88, Celtics 98 Lakers 102, Celtics 108 Celtics 81, Lakers 87 Celtics 97, Lakers 91 Celtics 98, Lakers 103 Lakers 92, Celtics 131 |
Los Angeles 4 Boston 3 Celtics 89, Lakers 102 Celtics 103, Lakers 94 Lakers 91, Celtics 84 Lakers 89, Celtics 96 Lakers 86, Celtics 92 Celtics 67, Lakers 89 Celtics 79, Lakers 83 |
| Finals Notes | ||
| Celtics | Lakers | |
 |
 |
|
| 9 | Series Won |
3 |
| 43 | Games Won |
31 |
| 27-11 | Home Record | 20-16 |
| 8242 111.4 pg |
Points | 8121 109.7 pg |
| 4 | Game 7 Wins | 1 |
| Near Finals Match-Ups One Team Made Finals, Other Lost in Conference Finals |
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| 1953 | Celtics lost 3-1 | 1961 | Lakers lost 4-3 | 1982 | Celtics lost 4-3 |
| 1954 | Celtics lost 2-0 | 1972 | Celtics lost 4-1 | 1986 | Lakers lost 4-1 |
| 1957 | Lakers lost 3-0 | 1973 | Celtics lost 4-3 | 1988 | Celtics lost 4-2 |
| 1960 | Lakers lost 4-3 | 1980 | Celtics lost 4-1 | 2002 | Celtics lost 4-2 |
| Regular Season Notes | |
| 2011-12 Season | |
| Feb 9, LA @BOS | Mar 11, BOS @LA |
| Celtics | All-Time | Lakers |
| 153 | Wins |
121 |
| 54 | Lakers in Minneapolis |
37 |
| 99 | Lakers in Los Angeles |
84 |
| 76-45 | Home Record | 71-50 |
| 27 | Neutral Site Wins | 5 |
| 29100 106.2 pg |
Points | 28548 104.2 pg |
| 7 | Overtime Wins | 6 |
| 18 11/6/57-3/3/59 |
Longest Winning Streak | 5 3 Times |
| 173 2/27/59 |
Most Points Scored | 141 2/11/68 |
| Highest Scoring Game: 312 Points (Celtics 173-139, 2/27/59) |
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| Longest Game: 2 OT (Lakers 98-96, 3/11/51) |
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| Franchise Histories | |
| (NBA Rank); Through 2010-11 | |
 |
 |
| First Year : 1947 |
First Year : 1949 |
| Wins : 3028 (2) | Wins : 3084 (1) |
| Win Pct : .595 (2) | Win Pct : .620 (1) |
| Playoff Appearances : 49 (2) |
Playoff Appearances : 58 (1) |
| Finals Appearances : 21 (2) |
Finals Appearances : 31 (1) |
| Championships : 17 (1) |
Championships : 16 (2) |
| All-Stars : 135 (1) |
All-Stars : 129 (2) |
| MVPs : 10 (1) |
MVPs : 8 (2) |
| Hall of Famers : 30 (1) |
Hall of Famers : 22 (2) |
| Players: 28 |
Players: 18 |
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| Coaches: 2 |
Coaches: 4 |
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Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson
|
| Championship Match Ups | ||||||||
| 1979 NCAA Championship Magic's Michigan State 75, Bird's Indiana State 64 - Magic MOP |
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| FG | 3P | FT | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | Pts | |
| Bird | 7-21 | - | 5-8 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 19 |
| Magic | 8-15 | - | 8-10 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| 1984 Finals Celtics won in 7 games - Bird MVP |
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| Bird | 62-128 | 4-6 | 64-76 | 98 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 192 |
| 48.4 | 66.7 | 84.2 | 14.0 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 27.4 | |
| Magic | 47-84 | 1-1 | 32-43 | 54 | 95 | 14 | 6 | 127 |
| 56.0 | 100.0 | 74.4 | 7.7 | 13.6 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 18.1 | |
| 1985 Finals Lakers won in 6 games |
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| Bird | 53-118 | 3-9 | 34-40 | 53 | 30 | 11 | 4 | 143 |
| 44.9 | 33.3 | 85.0 | 8.8 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 23.8 | |
| Magic | 41-83 | 1-2 | 27-31 | 41 | 84 | 13 | 0 | 110 |
| 49.4 | 50.0 | 87.1 | 6.8 | 14.0 | 2.2 | 0.0 | 18.3 | |
| 1987 Finals Lakers won in 6 games - Magic MVP |
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| Bird | 53-119 | 4-7 | 35-38 | 60 | 33 | 7 | 7 | 145 |
| 44.5 | 57.1 | 92.1 | 10.0 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 24.2 | |
| Magic | 66-122 | 1-2 | 24-25 | 48 | 78 | 14 | 2 | 157 |
| 54.1 | 50.0 | 96.0 | 8.0 | 13.0 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 26.2 | |
| Totals | ||||||||
| Finals Totals, Magic won 11-8 | ||||||||
| FG | 3P | FT | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | Pts | |
| Bird | 168-365 | 11-22 | 133-154 | 211 | 88 | 33 | 19 | 480 |
| 46.0 | 50.0 | 86.4 | 11.1 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 25.3 | |
| Magic | 154-289 | 3-5 | 83-99 | 143 | 257 | 41 | 8 | 394 |
| 53.3 | 60.0 | 83.8 | 7.5 | 13.5 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 20.7 | |
| Regular Season Meetings, Magic won 10-7 | ||||||||
| Bird | 158-316 | 9-19 | 66-81 | 197 | 111 | 34 | 11 | 391 |
| 50.0 | 47.4 | 81.5 | 11.6 | 6.5 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 23.0 | |
| Magic | 121-244 | 6-19 | 101-118 | 121 | 207 | 51 | 6 | 349 |
| 49.6 | 31.6 | 85.6 | 7.1 | 12.2 | 3.0 | 0.4 | 20.5 | |
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Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain
|
| NBA box scores from this era are very hard to find. What little head-to-head stats I have for these two is taken from this article. If you know of a website, book, or other reference for this data, please email me. |
| Head-to-Head Notes | ||
| Playoff Match Ups | ||
| 1960 | East Finals | Celtics 4, Warriors 2 |
| 1962 | East Finals | Celtics 4, Warriors 3 |
| 1964 | NBA Finals | Celtics 4, Warriors 1 |
| 1965 | East Finals | Celtics 4, 76ers 3 |
| 1966 | East Finals | Celtics 4, 76ers 1 |
| 1967 | East Finals | 76ers 4, Celtics 1 |
| 1968 | East Finals | Celtics 4, 76ers 3 |
| 1969 | NBA Finals | Celtics 4, Lakers 3 |
| Russell | Chamberlain | |
| 7 | Playoff Series Won |
1 |
| 29 | Playoff Games Won |
20 |
| 14.9 | PPG | 25.7 |
| 24.7 | RPG | 28.0 |
| 57 | Regular Season Games Won |
37 |
| 14.2 | PPG | 30.0 |
| 22.9 | RPG | 28.2 |
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All-Time Teams
|
| The All-Time Teams were picked by me and are unofficial. The stats are only for games played with the franchise. Updated through the 2010-11 season. |
| All-Time Celtics | All-Time Lakers | |||||||||||||
| Starters | G | PPG | RPG | APG | AS+ | Starters | G | PPG | RPG | APG | AS+ | |||
| G | Bob Cousy 1951-63 |
917 | 18.5 | 5.2 | 7.6 | 13 | G | Magic Johnson 1980-91, 96* |
906 | 19.5 | 7.2 | 11.2 | 12 | |
| G | John Havlicek 1963-78* |
1270 | 20.8 | 6.3 | 4.8 | 13 | G | Jerry West 1961-74* |
932 | 27.0 | 5.8 | 6.7 | 14 | |
| F | Paul Pierce 1999-* |
964 | 22.2 | 6.1 | 3.8 | 9 | F | Kobe Bryant 1997-* |
1103 | 25.3 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 14 | |
| F | Larry Bird 1980-92* |
897 | 24.3 | 10.0 | 6.3 | 12 | F | Elgin Baylor 1959-72* |
846 | 27.4 | 13.5 | 4.3 | 11 | |
| C | Bill Russell 1957-69* |
963 | 15.1 | 22.5 | 4.3 | 12 | C | Kareem Abdul- Jabbar 1976-89 |
1093 | 22.1 | 9.4 | 3.3 | 13 | |
| Bench | G | PPG | RPG | APG | AS+ | Bench | G | PPG | RPG | APG | AS+ | |||
| G | Sam Jones 1958-69* |
871 | 17.7 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 5 | G | Gail Goodrich 1966-68, 71-76 |
849 | 19.0 | 2.5 | 3.4 | 4 | |
| G | Bill Sharman 1952-61 |
680 | 18.1 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 8 | F | James Worthy 1983-94* |
926 | 17.6 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 7 | |
| F | Kevin McHale 1981-93* |
971 | 17.9 | 7.3 | 1.7 | 7 | F | Pau Gasol 2008- |
255 | 18.7 | 10.0 | 3.4 | 3 | |
| F | Kevin Garnett 2008- |
268 | 16.0 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 4 | F | Vern Mikkelsen 1950-59* |
699 | 14.4 | 9.4 | 2.2 | 6 | |
| F | Tom Heinsohn 1957-65* |
654 | 18.6 | 8.8 | 2.0 | 6 | C | Shaquille O'Neal 1997-2004 |
514 | 27.0 | 11.8 | 3.1 | 8 | |
| C | Dave Cowens 1971-80 |
726 | 18.2 | 14.0 | 3.9 | 7 | C | Wilt Chamberlain 1969-73 |
399 | 17.7 | 19.2 | 4.3 | 4 | |
| C | Robert Parish 1981-94 |
1106 | 16.5 | 10.0 | 1.5 | 9 | C | George Mikan 1949-56* |
439 | 23.1 | 13.4 | 2.8 | 6 | |
* Played entire career with franchise AS+: No All-Star Game 1947-50, 1999 (All-NBA used instead) |
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