Quick Intro: Celtics Vs Lakers History

The Celtics Vs Lakers history is one of rivalry and what sports should be all about. The Celtics and Lakers are the anti-thesis of each other right done to their very geography, with Boston on the northeast coast and the Lakers on the west cost. The northeast is cold and cloudy, the southern California coast is warm and sunny. Boston revels in its patriotism and common man work ethic, while the Lakers relish in the showy aspects of Hollywood. Those are just a few of the reasons to either love or hate either one even apart from basketball.

The basketball rivalry is beyond description as both teams are usually among the best in the league. Going into the 2010 season there have been 64 championships, and 33 of them were won by either the Celtics (seventeen) or the Lakers (sixteen). 

In those 33 championships since 1959, the Celtics and Lakers have met on the hardwood for the title twelve times. The Celtics swept the Lakers 4-0 in 1959, the first time they met. The Celtics won the first eight times they met in the NBA finals. It was not until 1985 that the Lakers managed to beat the Celtics in the finals, taking the series in six games. Counting that series, the Lakers have won three of the last four, including the 2010 title.

The games between the teams have been epic. But the individual battles have been titanic struggles with the best players in the world meeting and playing against each other.  Battles between Larry Bird (Boston) and Magic Johnson (Lakers), in the 1980s are perhaps the most famous battles, going head to head three times in the decade. It started in the 1960s with Bill Russell and Bob Cousy (Celtics) going against Elgin Baylor, Jerry West (Lakers), and Wilt Chamberlain towards the end of that era.

While the NBA finals battles have been intense, both from a team and an individual player standpoint, the teams have met in the regular season several times. In the regular season the Celtics led the all time series 152-120, going into the 2010-2011 season. In the playoffs Boston led 43-31.